Spicy Pumpkin Corn Bread

Can someone tell me why we can't accept forgiveness and move on in most cases? I know that I am completely guilty of being a dweller.  Someone who isn't a dweller? Zach Morris. It seems that every time he got into trouble, he would apologize (mind you this normally involved a lady), she would forgive him, and then he would show his acceptance of this forgiveness with the most ridiculously cute half smile. Love.

So can someone tell me why I can't do this is real life? (The correct answer is not that Saved by the Bell is a TV show and not real, by the way). If you are anything like me you tend to get frustrated about your mistake and then really get into it deep. Like deeeeep. And then a couple of days pass and you are back above it all. And the deepness was totally unnecessary. I'm mean really, quit. being. such. a. drama. queen.

This week, my goal is to be more like Zach Morris. Channel my inner 90's teen heartthrob and just smile through it. That's right. Success will look like me screwing up (what an odd thing to say, right? Bear with me though), dealing with the situation, and fully accepting the forgiveness piece with the most adorable half smile I have. And then continuing to half smile until I have learned from the mistake, and moved on. Water off a duck's back, except my back doesn't have feathers. And I am not a duck.  You get it.

I am going to half smile the whole time I mix up this batch of equally cute spicy pumpkin corn breads. The bread recipe is really about a balancing act. Balancing the spice of the chili peppers with the grounding earth quality of the corn, followed by some slightly sweet goodness of pumpkin.

Dice up the pepper, mix the cornmeal.

The drizzle of olive oil helps to keep the muffins from sticking to the pan. Since these have very little fat in them, make sure you give your pan a good grease, otherwise it will be tricky to get these babies out.

 Hello.

 Goodbye.

Spicy Pumpkin Corn Bread

Yield: 12

1 Cup Cornmeal

1/2 Cup Pumpkin Puree

1 Tsp Baking Powder

1 Tsp Baking Soda

1 Tsp Salt

1 Large Egg

1 1/4 cup Milk (I used Skim)

1 Tsp Apple Cider Vinegar

1/2 Tbsp Olive Oil

1 Small Chili Pepper, diced

Directions:
1. Preheat your oven to 450 F. Grease a muffin pan and set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, combine cornmeal, pumpkin, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together egg, milk and apple cider vinegar until frothy. Add the milk mixture to the cornmeal mixture. Finally add in olive oil and chili pepper and mix until evenly distributed.
4. Fill muffin cups about 2/3 full. Bake for 15 minutes, or until muffins are firm to the touch. Allow to cool 5 minutes before serving.