Jazz up corn muffins with cheese, vegetables

We always stock up when packaged muffin mixes are on sale, and we bake them often. But plain corn muffins twice a week can get boring. Thankfully, corn muffin mixes are incredibly easy to jazz up.

We've stirred in everything from jalapenos to bacon bits to blueberries, all with marvelous results. The mixes are so forgiving that exact proportions aren't mandatory, making muffin mixes the perfect vehicle to use up the last little bits of vegetables, cheese and other favorites that you might happen to have on hand.

Corn muffins are a great way to sneak some veggies into the kids without them noticing. Today's recipe for Broccoli-Cheddar Corn Muffins is a prime example. You can make the muffins either in regular or minimuffin tins; kids especially love the one-bite size.

Muffin mixes come in boxes that weigh 8.5 ounces and pouches that weigh 6.5 ounces each. Some of the mixes call for an egg and milk, while some only need water. Any type of corn muffin mix will work fine with the stir-in suggestions below. Just follow the baking directions on the package. The stir-ins will not change the baking time, but you will get one to two more muffins than the box indicates thanks to the additional ingredients. We have also experimented with several different brands of muffin mix, and they all do great with stir-ins. So get creative — you really can't go wrong.

Here are some of the stir-in combinations we like. The amounts of ingredients don't have to be exact, as long as you don't use more than we've specified. (Less is fine.) All of the dairy products can be regular or reduced-fat.

1/3 cup shredded Muenster cheese, 1/4 cup bacon bits, and 1/4 cup diced fresh tomato

1/3 cup shredded Pepper Jack cheese, 1/4 cup sour cream, and 1/4 cup yellow corn kernels

1/3 cup shredded Mexican-blend cheese and 3 to 4 cloves chopped roasted garlic

1/3 cup cottage cheese and 2 chopped scallions (including tender green parts) for about 3 tablespoons

1/3 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese, 1/4 cup chopped pepperoni slices, and 1/2 teaspoon dried basil (or dried Italian seasoning)

1/2 cup blueberries and 3 tablespoons sugar

1/3 cup shredded Mexican-blend cheese and 2 tablespoons canned chopped green chilies (or minced fresh jalapeno peppers)

1/4 cup sour cream and 1/2 of a small onion, finely diced

1/3 cup shredded Swiss cheese and 1/4 cup diced ham

---