Tex-Mex Cornbread and Chili Sliders

This is a classic taste combination that immediately transports me back to being a kid in Houston, rushing to the table after a long day of play. Growing up in Texas, chili and cornbread made regular appearances on our kitchen table. Tex-Mex corn bread is basically cornbread "supreme".  Cream cheese, jalapenos, and yellow corn add a little punch to a basic cornmeal recipe. 

 

*Opps...misspelled "jalapenos". I wish I could take my red editing pen and fix it on the screen for you y'all. (This is a Texas recipe, right? So far I've held off typing this wonderful word that finds itself all too naturally slipping out of my mouth every so often. Living in the Midwest has mostly broken me of the habit, but not completely.)

 

These sliders were a risky venture. I wasn't quite sure if the cornbread could hold up well enough to sandwich.  I purposely made it thin hoping it would be easier to use the biscuit cutter. Most of the circles stayed in tact, but the crumbly bits just ended up being my pre-dinner snack. 

Since I used canned chili, the only thing that really requires cooking was the cornbread. Forgive me; this recipe would be so much better with homemade chili. I just didn't have the extra two hours for that. A can of chili was my ticket to a relatively quick meal.

Tex-Mex Cornbread
1. Depending on your mix you may need butter, oil, eggs, and milk. Prep the cornbread as the package directs.
2. Add in 1 cup of corn, 1 diced and seeded jalapeno, and half a stick of cream cheese cut in to cubes. Combine with cornbread mixture.
3. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and pour cornbread on top. Spread in a thin layer.
4. Baking might be a bit tricky. Since it is thinner than most recipes call for, you probably won't need to bake it for quite as long. Be sure and check it frequently to avoid burning.

Assembling the Sliders
1. Once cornbread has cooled for a bit but is still warm, use a biscuit cutter to cut out circles.
2. Scoop warmed chili on top of the cornbread and attach the top with a toothpick.
*Small slices of cheddar or sour cream would be wonderful with these little sliders. I had intended to do both, but somehow forgot. I think it was the sweet smell of the cornbread urging me to hurry and get the shots so I could chow. Yep, I'm blaming it on the cornbread.

One thing I didn't include on the ingredient list was salt, but it was definitely used. I use salt in almost every recipes I make. Salt, or lack thereof, can make or break a dish. (Just listen to the Top Chef judges. So many times they critique a dish saying, "It could have used more salt".) It's the master balancing agent. It cuts bitterness in savory dishes, and enhances flavors in sweet dishes.

Sometimes people cut all salt from their diet in fear of high sodium.  High sodium is definitely something to be concerned with, but not so much in meals you make at home. Honestly the danger is in food you haven't prepared yourself, i.e fast food. A lot of salt is used in fast food preparation that we are mostly unaware of.  Then we might add table salt later not knowing how much was already used to begin with. This is where the danger lies. If you prepare the meal yourself using fresh ingredients, you can control the amount of sodium, and salt shouldn't be a concern if you use it in moderation. Also, if you cook with the right ratio for the dish it adds more flavor than if you use table salt after it's been cooked.

My local market sells some fancy salts, like Himayalan pink, that I'd like to use in the future. Also, on my salt "to do" list is learning to brine meat (soaking meats in a salty bath to keep moisture in later while cooking.) Is is sad that I have a salt "to do" list? Don't tell me...I know the answer to that.