Cravings: Beans & Cornbread

As the temperatures start dipping lower & lower, I start having cravings for fall flavors.

Some of my favorites:

Apple butter 

Pumpkin filled ravioli with brown butter sage sauce (homemade or from bonefish)

Aztec hot chocolate (from Pressroom) 

And the highlight of today's post: Slow Cooker Beans & Cornbread 

This may sound like a simple dish to crave but it is oh, so wonderful. Add a few pieces of cornbread and you have a flavorful, filling and comforting meal. 

Recipe for Slow Cooker Beans:

1 lb of dried northern beans

1 lb of chopped ham (I used Burger's chopped ham from the fresh meat section)

6 c water

1 T garlic powder

Salt & pepper to taste 

Rinse your beans and Soak your beans overnight. This way, they are incredibly tender once your dish is done cooking. Once soaked, drain the beans. 

Combine beans and remaining ingredients into your crockpot. Turn on low and let cook for 8 hours. 

What's you're go-to comfort food? I would love to hear from YOU! 

Recipe for the Cornbread (from Cooking Light): 

This makes one iron skillet of cornbread or 12 cornbread muffins
You can also use the cornbread from this recipe to make an amazing stuffing for Thanksgiving. Check out the link here: Jalapeño Cornbread Dressing

1 c all-purpose flour
1 c cornmeal (I use yellow)
1 1/4 c buttermilk
2 T sugar
2 T butter, melted
1 T baking powder
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
3/4 c shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and place your 10" skillet in the oven while it preheats.

To make your cornbread, mix all ingredients except cheese, together in a bowl. Once well-mixed, fold in the cheese.

Once your oven is preheated, carefully remove the skillet and spray it with cooking spray. Pour your batter into the skillet and bake for 35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out of the middle, clean.

Enjoy!