So I decided to take my recent experience at the National Cornbread Festival and put it to great use! Many of you saw my video (and if you haven’t, GO. HERE. NOW.) and may have seen the 3-second clip where I showed off a little booklet in front of my face. If you’re a quick reader or paused the video, it was a recipe book! About 60 pages of former contest winners to be exact! Wowza! And for $5.00, I couldn’t help myself. And flipping through the book, if finding such mouthwatering recipes as Bacon and Gorgonzola Cornbread Sliders with Chipotle Mayo doesn’t pique your interest, I’m not sure what can do it. Seriously…bacon…gorgonzola…you can stop right there. And, arguably, you could have stopped at bacon!
But with around 60 different recipes, I resisted the allure of bacon and instead turned to a good friend of mine for some advice on which to pick. Without so much as a flip through the book, she offered some sage advice. “Page 42.”
Ah yes. The random number. Simple enough. 42. Where we find Pesto Cornbread with Chicken and Sun-Dried Tomato Streusel, a former 2nd place winner! And as any chef does, I typically tweak away to my personal tastes. And with that I was off…to the store to find my ingredients. And then, I was off to do some cooking and filming. And deciding to modify the recipe by adding bacon (I know…I know…). And then eating…and editing…and blogging. And eating a little more. It was that good. Seriously.
If this recipe sounds delightful, head on over to Martha White where you can also find this recipe gem! Although for the tweaks (did I mention bacon yet…no?…okay, bacon), the video is the trick!* And with that, happy cooking and bon cornbread appétit!
*Pro Tip: Substitute gruyere for the mozzarella. Add bacon! Season that chicken while it’s cooking with Italian spices! And marinate your own sun-dried tomatoes!**
**Bonus Pro Tip: Make your own marinated sun-dried tomatoes by hydrating in hot water for 5-10 minutes, draining, and then letting sit in olive oil with your choice of favorite spices! Simple, customized, and super yummo! And if you can find smoked sun-dried tomatoes, even better! You know, assuming you like that kind of thing…smoke that is.
