Tex-Mex at Its Finest

I cooked this up last night, and was surprised at how well it turned out. Fresh chili, topped with fresh cornbread? How could it possibly fail?

Trav's Chili Pot Pie

1 lb. ground beef or turkey
1 pkg. William's chili seasoning
1 can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can black beans, undrained
1 can whole-kernel corn, drained
1 can chopped green chili peppers
3/4 C. tomato juice
1 C. shredded cheddar cheese
3/4 C. corn meal
3/4 C. all-purpose flour
1 T. baking powder
1 t. salt
1 T. sugar
1 large egg
2 T. melted butter or margarine
1 C. milk

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Brown the ground beef in a cast-iron skillet. Drain. Add the chili seasoning, tomatoes, beans, corn, chili peppers, and tomato juice. Cook over medium heat until bubbly and slightly thickened. Remove from heat, sprinkle the shredded cheese over the top, and set aside.

Sift together the corn meal, flour, salt, and sugar. Add the egg, melted butter, and milk, and stir until smooth. Pour the batter evenly over the top of the chili, and bake for 15-20 minutes or until lightly browned on top.

Let stand for 5 minutes, then serve with your favorite condiments (diced tomato, onion, sour cream, picante sauce, corn relish, black olives...) and some ice-cold beer.

VARIATIONS:

If you are in a hurry, or if you think think you can't cook, or if you just don't want to spend a lot of time making dinner, I present the:

Fast & Easy Chili Pot Pie:

2 cans of your favorite chili
1 can of corn, drained
1 can of Ro-Tel tomatoes, undrained
1 can chopped green chili peppers
1 C. shredded cheese
1 pkg. of your favorite cornbread mix

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Heat the chili, corn, tomatoes, and peppers together in a cast iron skillet until bubbly. Prepare the cornbread mix according to the package directions. Sprinkle the cheese over the chilli, and then pour the cornbread mix evenly over the top. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until browned on top.

Let stand for 5 minutes, then serve with all of your favorite condiments.