By November. The semester is pushing toward its end and I have been in the library most evenings this month, which is my natural habitat now in a way it was not two years ago. I have two papers due, one for my Child Welfare Policy class and one for a research methods seminar. Both of them are on topics I care about deeply, which makes them easier to write and harder to stop writing once I start.
The Child Welfare Policy paper is about aging out of foster care and the specific economic and psychological vulnerabilities it creates. I am writing from the inside of this topic. I am citing statistics that describe me. There is something clarifying about that, about writing academically about your own experience. You have to hold two perspectives at once: the one who lived it and the one who is analyzing it. I am getting good at holding both.
Thanksgiving is coming and I have been planning my contribution to Gloria table for three weeks. This year I am making the dressing, which I have never led before. It is the most central dish after the turkey, the one that defines the whole meal. I have made it alongside Gloria many times. I have the recipe in the composition notebook. I am going to make it alone this year and bring it.
Made corn pudding this week as a practice of one component of Thanksgiving: eggs, cream, corn cut fresh from the cob, butter, sugar, cornstarch. Baked until set. It is a side dish that is almost a dessert and which is deeply Southern and which I had never made before. It was very good. I ate it for dinner with a spoon. Sometimes good things do not need to be complicated.
Making corn pudding this week reminded me how much I love the moment when corn becomes something more than itself — when it turns soft and custardy and rich, when it stops being a vegetable and starts being comfort. These jalapeno corn muffins carry that same spirit: corn at the center, warmth built in from the start. I made a batch the same evening I finished my first draft on aging out of foster care, and I ate two of them standing over the stove, which felt exactly right for where I am this November.
Favorite Jalapeno Corn Muffins
Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 20 minutes | Total Time: 30 minutes | Servings: 12 muffins
Ingredients
- 1 cup yellow cornmeal
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup frozen or canned corn kernels, drained
- 2–3 jalapeno peppers, seeded and finely diced
- 1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese (optional but encouraged)
Instructions
- Preheat. Heat your oven to 400°F. Grease a standard 12-cup muffin tin or line with paper liners.
- Mix dry ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt until evenly combined.
- Mix wet ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk, vegetable oil, and eggs until smooth.
- Combine. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined — do not overmix. A few lumps are fine.
- Fold in add-ins. Gently fold in the corn kernels, diced jalapenos, and cheddar cheese if using.
- Fill and bake. Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups, filling each about 3/4 full. Bake for 18–22 minutes, until the tops are golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool slightly and serve. Let the muffins rest in the pan for 5 minutes before turning out. Serve warm.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 185 | Protein: 5g | Fat: 8g | Carbs: 24g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 210mg