Tomatillo Chicken & Classic Cornbread

I am back on the bandwagon...I think. I will try to play catch up today and post a few of the recent recipes we have tried this past week. I have pictures of most of them, but need to figure out how to download my new camera--so they are coming...a bit later.

Before posting this chicken recipe, let me just state the obvious. I don't like meat on the bone. No chicken, no steak, no ham, no pork, no nothin'! Therefore, I adapt many recipes to my good ol' boneless, skinless chicken breast/tenders--which is exactly what I did here--just substituted chicken tenders for the whole chicken. I also halved the recipe for my little family and then only used 1/2 a jalapeno so it wouldn't be so spicy for my kids.

Tomatillo Chicken

(MS EveryDay Food, Sept/Oct 2009?)

2 lbs. tomatillos (husks removed, washed & halved)

1 Tblspn. vegetable oil

1 whole chicken (3-4lbs), cut into 10 pieces (wings reserved for another use)

(or about 8-10 chicken tenders)

coarse salt and pepper

2 jalapenos, chopped

1/2 medium white onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 can (15oz) hominy, drained (optional)

1/4 c. chopped fresh cilantro

1. In a food processor, puree tomatillos; set aside. In a large Dutch oven or heavy pot, heat oil over medium-high. Season chicken with salt and pepper and add to pot, skin side down. Cook until browned on one side, 6 minutes. Transfer to plate.

(I still lightly browned my chicken tenders, too)

2. Add jalapenos and onion to pot and cook, stirring frequently, until slightly softened, 3-5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in tomatillo puree and hominy (if using). Season with salt and pepper. Nestle chicken, skin side up, in sauce. Cover pot simmer until chicken is cooked through, 22-25 minutes. Stir in cilantro; season with salt and pepper.

I think I must have a little bit of my dad in me. He loves to go for drives, discover new places (especially ones off the beaten path), appreciates history and isn't afraid to just get in the car and go. So a few Sunday's ago, that is exactly what I did. My family was not up for the "Sunday drive" adventure, so I went alone. Quite enjoyable, actually.

There is a street in town called "Anderson Mill Rd." It recently came to my attention that this road was actually named after a real mill--that still exists. It is only open one Sunday a month and is run by the local garden club. So I went to check it out. An interesting piece of local history, a great photo backdrop and very friendly seniors anxious to show me around. While there, I learned that the mill still grinds organic corn, donated by WholeFoods. The women swore it made the best cornbread--so I bought a bag and here is the recipe that was attached:

Cornbread

(thanks to the woman from the Anderson Mill Gardeners Club)

Beat together:

1/3 c. sugar

2 Tblspn. shortening

1 egg

In a separate bowl, mix together:

1 c. regular flour

1 c. cornmeal

1 tsp. salt

2 tsp. baking soda

Alternating with dry mixture, add:

1 c. buttermilk

Beat enough to mix well.

Grease 9 x 9 pan or muffin tins.

Bake @ 375 degrees until toothpick inserted into middle comes out clean, about 30 minutes.