Dave's Mo' Better Cornbread

In the spirit of the Tulsa County Library System essay contest (where I submitted one-third of the total entries but won 100% of the total prizes), I submitted two out of the three entries to this year's Vargas Chili Cookoff in the "cornbread" category (new this year after Laurel's outstanding showing last year).

Unlike the library contest, however, I only won the top prize (mini muffin pans), with second place eluding my grasp by a sweet-tasting corn-cob-shaped cornbread (that I actually preferred to my own). There was no third prize.

My submissions were Dave's Mexican Heat Cornbread and Dave's Mexican FIRE Cornbread ... the former being a modification of this recipe I found online (I used jalapenos rather than green chilies) and the latter being the same plus a TON of Tabasco sauce. "Dave's Heat" was the winner, as many could not take the FIRE.

As for the chili, Garrett Vargas himself took second prize, unlike last year, but still a suspiciously strong showing.

However, I personally thought Garrett's chili was the most creative and quite tasty, although wateriness seems to be a Vargas chili trademark. The best chili of the day was, in my opinion, also by Garrett but was not entered into the contest: A can of Stagg.