Introducing the Authors

Maybe it's the Autumn-y weather. Maybe it's because chili and cornbread are just so good. Maybe it's because we are friends that go together as well as chili and cornbread. We are not even sure we know why we picked the title, but they all seem like good reasons to name a foodie blog Chili & Cornbread.

There are so many variations of both chili and cornbread. Every part of the country has their own claim to the way they are supposed to be, even from one family to another in the same town! Apparently Texans are proud of their chili and anything made differently is soup with a tomato base. Funny.

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Hi, this is Ash. Making dinner for my husband is one of my favorite things to do each day,  sharing good food with people I love is my definition of wonderful.

In most respects I tend to be a bit straight laced, I like things neat and carefully planned.  Cooking is my creative outlet. In the kitchen, I enjoy developing my skills and working to "perfect" my favorite dishes, but I am not afraid to experiment and get a bit wild with flavor combinations or invented recipes.

I am the "Chili" of "Chili and Cornbread". Chili describes me because I love to use lots of spices in my cooking and just as Chili is flavored with a combination of spices, quite a few ethnicities and cultures in my background  have contributed to who I am and what I like to cook. I have been blessed with Italian, English, Native and African American heritage, I was raised by bohemian parents who acquainted me with a number of health and ecology minded dietary styles that I take leave or adapt in my own cooking.

Just as you don't know how spicy, or how delicious Chili is until you take a bite, people don't often guess how passionate and even fiery I can be, until they get to know me. I am looking forward to sharing my passion for food through this blog.

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Hi, I am JiMele.  I like to make food, I especially like to bake. Sweets to be really specific. I inherited a killer sweet tooth from my dad. From my mom, I think I got some of her ability to look in the refrigerator and put together a few random things and still be able to call it dinner. I think we can call this ability resourceful creativity. 

Ash and I had been discussing writing a blog together. We were kinda stumped on what to call it. We knew we wanted it to be about kitchen creations, but what to title it. I was wide awake in bed one night thinking about it. Silly right? What if we each picked a food that described us. At 2:30 in the morning when I should have been dreaming, cornbread seemed like a good food to describe me. I mean, first of all, it is a baked good and I like baking. OK, simple. 

Cornbread seems like a pretty simple thing to make. It can be, you just have to know a few things about the ingredients to make it turn out well. People think they have me figured out pretty quickly, but once they get to know me they understand my "ingredients". 

Cornbread plays well with others. Think about it, it goes great with a variety of soups, beans, or even just jelly or honey for a simple breakfast. I can get along pretty well with just about anybody, so that's kind of the same. 

Cornbread has many different flavor possibilities, this is part of why it is such a versatile side item. Basically, I am talking sweet or savory. Add corn to kick it up a notch. Add jalapenos for a little spice or crispy bacon and cheddar cheese for some fun. Like cornbread, I am easily adaptable. 

So there you have it, the explanation for why cornbread is a food that describes me. If it does not make sense, try reading this at 2:30 in the morning. Now I want cornbread. I will have to make some to go with the rabbit stew I am making this week!