This is a go-to quick dinner recipe any time of the year. My only problem is not eating half the stack hot off the griddle before I serve them at the table. I like to serve them with Arroz con Gandules (Puerto Rican Rice), another quick stovetop dish that I usually can make from pantry ingredients.

I’ve been making this meal for years – the photo here is from five years ago, in the summer, and I remember putting this recipe in a family newsletter I sent out in high school. It’s the sort of thing I get a craving for from time to time, but it’s a simple enough recipe I can switch out a few things if I need to.

I would never switch out the fresh corn or the cream cheese – the contrast of the sweet corn and the melty cheese with the hot flapjack is the best part, to me. But I sometimes switch the kinds of salsa I use or put in green onions or chives instead of the chilies, or mix in fresh cilantro if I have it on hand.

Salsa & Corn Flapjacks

• 1 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 cup cornmeal
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 6 oz cream cheese
• 6 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 1 can (15 1/4 oz.) corn, drained
• 1/2 cup salsa
• 1 can (4 oz.) diced green chilies (or substitute 1 bunch of chopped green onions)
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro, optional
• sour cream and extra salsa

1. Combine dry ingredients in a medium bowl.
2. Beat the eggs and cream cheese together in a mixer, then add the milk and melted butter (don’t worry if there are small lumps of cheese. They taste best that way.)
3. Fold in the dry ingredients until just moistened. Stir in corn, salsa, and chilies gently
4. Pour batter by ¼ cupfuls onto a greased hot griddle (using butter to grease the griddle gives them nice browned crust). Turn when bubbles form on top; cook until the second side is golden brown.
5. Serve warm with sour cream and salsa, or nibble plain as soon as they are cool enough not to burn your fingers.

Servings: 6
Yield: ~2 dozen

If the slideshow below doesn’t work for you, find the photos on my flickr stream here.

Step 1: Dry Ingredients

Step 2: Eggs & Cream Cheese

Step 3: Batter (lumpy is ok)

Step 4: Add Veggies

Step 5: Cook on griddle