Corn Casserole

I've tried a lot of cornbread recipes.  Ones promising to be "the best" (of which there are many), ones that say they're an exact copycat for adored restaurant recipes, and one in particular that used an entire cup of pricey local honey that I had just bought at the farmers market only to end up being a big disappointment.  My conclusion is that I must just not be that great at making cornbread.  My husband's conclusion is that all cornbread is dry and crumbly and why in the world do I keep making it?

Now, I make no promises that a cornbread recipe won't show up here in the future, however in the meantime I've found a much better substitute in corn casserole.  It's moist, slightly sweet, and is adaptable to different add-ins depending on the flavor you're going for.  Many recipes I found called for prepackaged corn muffin mix, but in my search for the perfect cornbread I found copycat recipes of the prepackaged stuff too, so I've tweaked that for use here, as well as swapping out the canned corn for fresh or frozen depending on the season.  This makes a great side dish alongside enchiladas or barbeque chicken. 

Corn Casserole
Adapted from Paula Deen

3 cups fresh or thawed frozen corn kernels, divided
1/4 cup milk
2/3 cup flour
1/2 cup yellow corn meal
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder 
1/2 tsp salt 
1/2 cup melted butter
1 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
4 ounce can diced green chiles, drained (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°F.  Lightly grease a 9x13 baking pan.  
Place 1 1/2 cups of the corn in a food processor or blender with the milk.  Pulse several times until it's mostly pureed with some whole kernels remaining.  
In a large bowl stir together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder and salt.  Stir in all of the corn, sour cream, melted butter, green chiles (if using) and cheddar cheese.
Spread the batter into the prepared 9x13 pan and bake for 40 - 50 minutes until golden brown.