Corny recipe that you can mix and match to your mood

I like a good corn muffin with my chili or just slathered in more butter than my diet allows or a doctor would recommend.

I like to play with the recipe a bit every time I make a new batch. Sometimes spicier. Sometimes cheesier. Sometimes just plain.

It all depends on  your mood.

Muffins are fun to play with because you can mix and match flavors and get something that coordinates well with your mood. Give it a try.

Spicy Cheesy Muffins

1-3/4 cups of flour
1/4 cup of cornmeal
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon of baking soda
1/4 tsp of pepper
1/2 cup of cheddar cheese (and/or other cheeses)
3 tablespoons of unsalted butter, chilled and cut into pieces
1-1/4 cups of buttermilk
4 teaspoon of green chiles, chopped
1 large egg

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees and prepare a muffin pan with baking spray or oil.
• Combine the flour, the corn meal, the baking powder, the salt, the baking soda and the pepper. Combine well and add a bit more than half of the cheese and all of the butter. Combine all this again - just until the butter is the size of peas and the mixture looks like coarse meal. Do not overmix it.
• In a different bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, the chiles and the egg, until it's all incorporated. Make a well in the center of the flour in the bowl, and pour the liquid into the flour. Stir it all together just until the flour is moistened. Again, do not over mix this stuff
• Fill the tins about three-quarters full and sprinkle the remaining cheese over the muffins.
• Bake on the top shelf of the oven for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the muffins cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then remove the muffins to a cooling rack. 

Vegetarian.