Casual Chili and Cornbread Buffet, Part I

Last week it was my turn to host Bunco in my neighborhood.  I decided to serve white chicken chili and cornbread with a few appetizers including my bacon wrapped jalapeno poppers (click here for the recipe).  The poppers are sweet from the barbecue sauce, spicy from the jalapeno and salty from the bacon.  A great combination of flavors.

I have a favorite chili recipe from my skiing days in Utah.  One of my favorite places to ski was Deer Valley.  The slopes were great but I especially loved the lodge!  They had a turkey chili that they were known for.  We couldn’t wait to come in after skiing all morning to a steaming bowl of this delicious chili.  I took the recipe and tweaked it a little using rotisserie chicken instead of the turkey.

I’ll post the chili recipe on Friday.  Today it’s all about the preparation for the party and my new favorite cornbread recipe.

Prepare your Buffet the Night Before

I always prepare for my parties the night before by setting up my buffet station.  I always arrange my serveware in the order of how I want to serve the food.  I also label each platter and dish with a Post It Note so I know what is going in it.  It may sound silly but when you are putting food out at the last-minute, this little step just helps the process to go smoothly.  I also always have a menu and list of what needs to be done.  It’s so easy to forget something when you have a house full of guests.

I had my bowls and plates next to my two pots of chili which were on simmer on the stove.  I had the girls pick up their bowl of chili and then head over to the buffet for the cornbread and chili toppings.

Buffet Centerpiece

Well, the word centerpiece is a misnomer as I never “center” my floral arrangement on my buffet.  It always looks best off-center.  I love using trays in my buffets and in this instance, I grouped the vase of tulips on the tray with the chili toppings.  Loosely arranged tulips were the perfect flowers to add a touch of elegance to this casual buffet.

Floral tip:  I always add a penny to my tulip vase.  The copper helps preserve the tulips longer.

Chili Toppings

Bring it on when it comes to topping my chili!  Fresh avocado, sliced green onions, sour cream, chopped cilantro and freshly grated cheddar cheese are my favorite toppings.

You can use store-bought shredded cheddar but the texture is different.  The store-bought cheese has some strange ingredients such as potato starch added to help hold the shape.  Freshly grated cheese is soft and will melt quickly in the chili and tastes better.  It only takes a couple of minutes to freshly grate a brick of cheddar.

Whenever I have several toppings that go together, I like grouping them on a tray or platter.  That way your guests know what’s available and don’t have to search the buffet for their toppings.

Homemade Cornbread

One of my favorite side dishes for chili is homemade cornbread.  I tried a new recipe last week and everyone loved it.  I made it in advance and served it at room temperature.  It would be great hot too, but I was going for convenience and making as much ahead as possible so I could enjoy my neighbors.

When you plate the cornbread it can look pretty bland being plain yellow squares.  I sprinkled some sliced green onions on top for a splash of color.  Cornbread is best with soft butter which has been left at room temperature.

The Best Cornbread Recipe

I found this cornbread recipe at Taste of Home.  It’s a keeper!

Ingredients

2/3 cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar

3 eggs

1 2/3 cups 2% milk

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup cornmeal

4 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

Combine eggs and milk in a separate bowl.  In another bowl, combine flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt.   Add to creamed mixture, alternating with egg mixture.

Pour into a greased 9 x 13 inch baking pan.  Bake 22-27 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cut into squares; serve warm or room temperature.

Yield:  15 Servings

Friday I will be posting the chicken chili recipe.  Never miss a post – sign up to have new posts sent directly to your inbox.

Most of the serveware pictured in this post is from Tabletop Trends.  Enjoy 20% off with Coupon Code OMG20.