Farm Girl Inspirations: homemade cornbread mix

It was one of those nights...

I wanted, no--NEEDED--to come up with something new to make for dinner. It had to be EASY. It had to use stuff I already had in my kitchen. And it had to be FAST because my family was hungry!

That's when I pulled out a fun new recipe book by Six Sisters' Stuff. (Aren't those girls so amazing? I love their stuff! And their blog, too! But I'll admit, I think I first bought this book because the red checkered ribbon on the cover caught my eye. I'm crazy about red checkers, aren't you)? Check it out...

Anyway, I flipped through the book and found a recipe for enchilada casserole (page 16) that looked super delicious. But of course (free-spirit that I am in the kitchen) I chose to modify it a bit. For one thing, I wanted to use my own homemade taco seasoning mix (because it's that good) plus a few other changes.

Today, the recipe I'm sharing with you is that adaptation. (I think you're gonna love it)! It's become an absolute family favorite! I've made this dish many times since, and it never ceases to win compliments from those gathered at my crowded little farm table. So are you ready? Yay! Then let's get started!

What you'll need...

INGREDIENTS

(To make this dish as healthy as possible, I use all organic ingredients and organic pasture-raised beef. Affiliate links, where provided lead to the actual products I use).

1 pound lean ground beef

1 large red onion

2 1/2 cups salsa

1 (15-ounce) can pinto beans (or make your own here)

3/4 cup sour cream

1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes

1 (6-ounce) can ripe olives, sliced

3 1/2 tablespoons taco seasoning (or make your own here)

2 drops cumin essential oil* (or 1/4 tsp powder)

2 1/2 cups sharp cheddar cheese

6 (8-inch) flour tortillas

1 large tomato

1/3 cup chopped cilantro

OTHER ITEMS NEEDED

9 X 13 inch casserole dish

large skillet (I love cast iron. The link leads to one that's already pre-seasoned and ready to use.)

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Step 1: In a large skillet, cook the beef until browned and no pink remains.

Step 2: Season the cooked meat with the taco seasoning. You can find the recipe for my homemade taco seasoning mix here. It's amazing! I like to keep a quart-size jar of this stuff on my shelf always. I use it all.the.time. Seriously. It's perfect.

Step 3: Place the salsa in a small bowl and stir in 2 drops of Cumin essential oil. (If you don't have cumin essential oil, you can use 1/4 teaspoon dry cumin powder).

Note: I use only high quality, pure therapeutic grade essential oils labeled for cooking.

Step 4: Add the beans, diced tomatoes, sour cream, salsa with cumin, and chopped red onion to the seasoned meat. Stir it all together right there in the skillet.

Step 5: Now it's time to layer everything together! Here's how the layers go:

Layer 1--2 tortillas

Layer 2--1/2 of the meat mixture

Layer 3--1/3 of the cheese

Layer 4--1/3 of the olives

Repeat each layer 2 times

Final layer (3rd layer)--2 tortillas topped by remaining cheese and olives

What to put in each layer:

Step 6: Bake casserole for 35 minutes at 400 degrees, or until cheese is bubbly and slightly browned. Remove from oven, wait 5 minutes, then top with diced tomatoes and chopped cilantro before cutting to serve.

Makes 8 servings.

Make it a meal with cornbread!

What goes better with enchiladas than cornbread? My cornbread recipe is very popular! It's one of the dry mixes in my DIY ready-made mix series. You can make it ahead and keep it stocked in your pantry. When you're ready to throw dinner together, just follow the easy instructions on the printable label (you'll add a couple wet ingredients), then bake. Before you know it, you'll be serving some of the tastiest cornbread your family will ever eat. I can't count how many church friends and family members have told me this is the very best cornbread they've ever eaten. Enjoy!

Want to try making your own taco seasoning too?

I use my homemade taco seasoning mix for so many things! It's easy to make. Check it out here.

Let's chat: What's your favorite Mexican dish? What tricks do you pull out of your sleeve to make it easier at meal time? Do share! I'd love to hear about it in the comments below.

Until next time...

Joy--Fearless Farm Girl,

"Farm girl: it's a verb, because it's what you do."

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Ready-made mixes: Homemade goodness made simple, one jar at a time.

Has this ever happened to you?

You're making dinner. Suddenly, you discover the box of cornbread mix you thought was in your pantry is missing. You look frantically for it. After all, what's chili without cornbread?

You know what I'm talking about, right? Those times you feel compelled to run to the store for just one thing. I used to do that all time. I'd feel marooned like if I didn't have that store-bought cornbread mix. Up a creek. Totally bummed.

It never occurred to me that I could make my own cornbread from scratch!

One day, I got brave and tried making my own cornbread. Since then I've come to enjoy making lots of things from scratch. My cooking tastes SO much better for it! But sometimes, cooking from scratch can feel like hard work. And sometimes, you really are in a hurry, and you'd like to just reach for that old ready-made mix you used to buy from the store. But wait! You don't have to do that. There's a better way: Homemade mixes.

That's what the posts in this series are all about. I show you how to preserve a made-from-scratch life, without giving up the convenience you're accustomed to, by making your own baking and seasoning mixes.

Today, I'll show you how to make homemade cornbread bread mix (and how to make some of the BEST cornbread on the planet! Seriously, it's that good). I've tried lots of cornbread recipes, but this one is my absolute FAVE! It's moist, lightly sweet, and when cooked in cast iron, the crust turns golden brown with a delicious sweet chewy-crunchy texture. (My husband loves this recipe)!

Are you ready? Then grab yourself an apron, friend! I'm already in the kitchen!

How to make cornbread mix

In a large bowl, mix the following dry ingredients together with a whisk until thoroughly blended:

1 cup organic all-purpose flour

1 cup organic non-GMO cornmeal

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp sea salt

Store the dry mix in a quart-size mason jar, or another air-tight container in your pantry. (Affiliate link leads to a set of 12 smooth surface jars for easy labeling, though the description on Amazon.com seems to be for only 1 jar).

PANTRY TIP: Make several batches at once. Each jar of cornbread mix makes one batch of bread, so as long as you have the ingredients out, you might as well make up several individual batches at one time.

How to use the mix for really good cornbread

To make cornbread, you will need:

1 jar of ready-made cornbread mix
2 eggs
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup Greek yogurt
1/2 cup butter, melted (1 stick)

Step 1: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 10-inch cast iron skillet with cooking spray and set aside. (I love how this corn bread turns out when baked in cast iron, especially the sweet golden crust).

Step 2: Place the contents of your ready-made jar of cornbread mix into a large mixing bowl.

Step 3: In a separate medium bowl, combine the wet ingredients with a whisk.

Step 4: Make a well in the center of the dry mix and add the combined wet ingredients from the second bowl. Using a rubber spatula, blend everything together, being careful not to over-mix. The batter will be lumpy, which is fine. Pour the batter into the prepared skillet and bake for 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Makes 10 servings.

FREE PRINTABLE LABELS

Each mix post in this series comes with a link to a free downloadable page of 8 labels and instructions to attach to your homemade mixes. These labels are simple and easy to read, and done to look a bit retro (which I love) with their lettering and color scheme. Print them onto white card-stock, cut them out, and use double-sided tape to stick them to your jars of mixes. Or, keep it super simple and print your labels onto this sticker paper by Avery. Just cut them out and stick them right to your jars. Enjoy!

CLICK HERE to download your free Cornbread Mix Labels.

CLICK HERE to download your free Cornbread Mix Instruction Labels.

WANT TO SEE MORE POSTS LIKE THIS?

CLICK HERE to see a complete index of the posts in this series!

Let's chat: What are some store-bought ready-made mixes you regularly use that you'd like to learn how to make at home? I'd love to hear from you in the comments below!

Until next time...

Joy--Fearless Farm Girl,

"Farm Girl: It's a verb, because it's what you do."

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