Not My Mama's Cornbread with dinner tonight

I don't always make my mama's cornbread although I really, really love it. At some point, I went over to the Dark Side and started adding, yes, that's right, SUGAR to my cornbread. The result is actually quite wonderful. This recipe came from Allrecipes, but I have several other similar versions.

Golden Sweet Cornbread

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup yellow cornmeal

2/3 cup white sugar

1 tsp salt

3-1/2 tsp baking powder

1 egg

1 cup milk

1/3 cup vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Spray or lightly grease a 9-inch round cake pan.

In a large bowl, combine four, cornmeal, sugar, salt, and baking powder. Stir in egg, milk, and vegetable oil until well combined. Pour batter in to prepared pan.

Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.

Tonight this is going with pork chops with mushroom gravy, mashed potatoes, and broccoli.

My Mama's Kitchen - Crockpot Edition

This morning I spent exactly 10 minutes throwing pot roast into the crockpot for tonight's dinner.

This crockpot


came from my mama's kitchen and I expect that it is about 40 years old. Still works great.

On to the pot roast. I take the lazy approach.

2 or 3 pound pot roast - I used bottom round sirloin (I think). I don't like the meat that is commonly marked "pot roast" in the stores. Sometimes I use eye of the round roast. Use whatever meat you want. You'll love it.
2 or 3 large white or yukon gold potatoes, cut up - I used 6 small yukon gold potatoes and left them whole
5 or 6 scrubbed carrots, not peeled (only because I'm a lazy cook) but cut into 3-inch chunks
1 diced rutabaga - don't skip this. Rutabagas are WONDERFUL and cheap. Sort of a pain to peel and chop but WORTH IT.

1 pkg seasoning - you can use "pot roast" seasoning packet or Lipton onion soup packet or you can use an onion, salt, pepper and whatever herbs/spices you want. Again, I use a packet of stuff because it's easy. Did I mention this is not a "health food" pot roast? Not organic, not free range, just regular food with maybe some better living through chemistry thrown in for good measure. Don't be hatin'.

1-1/2 cups water. If you don't use a mix or Lipton soup, you could use beef broth if you have it. Water works great and most people have it.

You can sear your pot roast if you want to before throwing it in the crockpot, but I didn't and it will be great. Pot roast on the bottom, cut up/whole vegetables on top of that. Then the water and mix stirred together and poured over the top. Top on and 8 hours later you have pot roast. I don't thicken the juice (gravy) usually but you could if you prefer. My crockpot (thanks Mama!) has an automatic setting that cooks on high for "a while" then switches to low, so that's what I use. YMMV. Serve with some kind of bread - Yankee cornbread? I have a recipe for that too.

My Mama's Kitchen - chicken and dumplings

Forgot to take pictures last time I made this, but they look like, well, chicken and dumplings.

This is not exactly my Mama's recipe, but the results are similar.

Chicken and Dumplings, a la My Mama

1 package chicken breasts - try to find the ones with skin. You can also boil a two- to three-pound fryer
4 cups chicken broth - I use a box of Swanson's
4 cups water
onion, carrot, celery to boil with the chicken - I usually skip this
Salt and pepper to taste

Boil the chicken (and vegetables if you have them) in the 8 cups of water/broth for about an hour. Strain the broth to remove vegetables. Shred the chicken into smallish pieces and set aside. If you used chicken with skin or a fryer, separate all the meat from the bones and keep a little out for the puppy. Keep broth warm while you make the dumplings. You'll want to get it boiling again when you get ready to cook your dumplings.

I use my Mama's wooden bowl for the dumplings. I think they taste better, but YMMV.

Dumplings

2 cups all-purpose flour
3 TBS shortening
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
2/3 cup buttermilk - yes it makes a difference - you can buy pints of it at some stores.

Cut the shortening into the flour, salt, and baking soda - I use a fork and just mash it around, and it works fine. Add the buttermilk (you didn't use regular milk, right?) and stir the dough until it is mixed up.

Using a well-floured surface (I use a large cutting board but you can use a clean counter top or wax paper covered counter top), pour the dough onto the board and roll it around a bit in the flour so it isn't sticky. Then fold it over on itself a few times to incorporate a little more flour into the dough. I like to separate the dough into 2 pieces at this point so I can roll the dumplings out very thin. I use my Mama's rolling pin (again, tastes better) and roll out the dough VERY thin. If the dough is too thick, your dumplings will be big clumps of gross. Take the time to roll it out. Use a pizza cutter or sharp knife (be careful on your counter top!) and cut the dough into slices about 1-1/2 inches wide and 2-3 inches long. Put the dumplings over in the boiling broth and let them cook for 30 minutes or until broth starts to thicken up - might take a little longer. Don't stir the dumplings up too much. When the dumplings are done and the broth is thickened, dump in the shredded chicken and mix up. You will probably need to adjust the seasoning. We almost always have to add more salt and pepper. Make some sweet tea and eat 'em up.

I have an alternate dumpling recipe that is my sister's Mama's recipe. I'll post it here in a bit.

Labors of Like

Last night I made buns to go with my Derby City chicken salad (payday lunch!). I used my bread machine to make the dough before I baked it in the oven; hence a labor of like as opposed to a labor of love.


Here's the finished product. I used more sugar than the recipe called for but added a little whole wheat flour, so yeah, totally evened out on the healthometer.

The recipe was designed to be baked in a bread machine, but my machine turns perfectly good bread dough into a semi-baked load of crap. So, using the dough setting on the machine (Many thanks to my McKids' late grandmother for giving me a top-of-the-line machine back in 1992 that still makes great dough), here's how it goes:

Homemade Hamburger Buns

1-1/4 cups milk, slightly warmed to around 80 degrees
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cups sugar up to 1/3 cup
2 tbs butter, softened
3/4 tsp salt
3-3/4 cup bread flour (I used 3/4 cup whole wheat flour)
1-1/2 tsp yeast

Add ingredients to bread machine in order of list. Set bread machine to dough setting, then check your facebook status, have a nice cocktail, or sort your sock drawer.

When dough cycle is finished, knead the dough on a slightly floured surface a few times, basically to coat the outside of the dough with flour. Separate into 12 pieces (or in the case of yesterday, 11, since one went on the floor, which was not clean enough for the 5-second rule). Shape pieces into rolls, brush the top with some milk or butter (either is good) and let rise on the top of the stove for 30 minutes. Bake ABOUT 15 minutes in a 350-degree oven until tops are brown. YMMV on length of baking. Check after 10 minutes, then every minute or so after.

Cool, hide rolls from bread thieves until dinner, and serve with hamburgers or any sandwich filling of your choice.

PS. If you want to make these the old-fashioned way, try this. It's harder, but your family may love you more and be ever the more thankful. (Sure, get back to me on that)

Chocolate Eclair Cake

This recipe came from one of my favorite caregivers from the big kids' day care back in the day. Her name was Miss Cindy and we've always loved this "cake."

Gather up these ingredients:

Chocolate Eclair Cake

3 Cups milk (2% works best)
2 small packages instant pudding - chocolate or french vanilla. (french vanilla if you want the real "chocolate eclair" effect)
1 tub cool whip, thawed.
1 box graham crackers
1 can chocolate frosting
1 shaker sprinkles, optional.

Mix milk and pudding with whisk until thick, about 2 minutes. Pour in cool whip and stir well.
In a 13x9" pan, place a layer of whole graham crackers, half the pudding/cool whip mixture, another layer of graham crackers, the other half of the pudding mixture, another layer of graham crackers. Then warm up the frosting in the microwave (about three 10-second bursts) until it just barely pours out of the can onto the top layer of graham crackers. Smooth it over the top and shake on as many sprinkles as you like. Refrigerate for 12 hours before serving or until you can't stand it and have to eat it.

Then it looks like this





This is going over to Aunt Shirley's for Palm Sunday Eve dinner. I'll try to get a photo of a piece "on the plate" and post later.

The recipe says it should be refrigerated for 12 hours before eating. Hah. Who can wait that long.

Chocolate Eclair Cake

Recipe and pictures coming up directly. Stay tuned.

Breakfast Squirrel for the TNS Lady

I've mentioned Michelle from Thursday Night Smackdown before. She has a cookbook collection from which she makes delicious-y sounding food, which I will probably never cook because my recipe dance card of 12 things is as full as it has always been, but I do love to eat vicariously so I tend to tune in to check on what she's doing.

Her latest post mentions chocolate cookies, her dogs, squirrels, Tyra Banks, and seems to convey the idea that happiness is indeed not a warm gun. She never reads my blog so I'm going to offer her this recipe (she will never see it) which would solve her dogs vs squirrels vs chocolate cookies predicament. I would say anyone who has had squirrel for breakfast would tend to think happiness starts with a warm gun and ends with breakfast served over grits. But what do I know...


This recipe is courtesy of the Vashti Auxiliary in Thomasville Georgia

Breakfast Squirrel

2 Squirrels - you must find someone to skin and clean these if you don't know how
Salt
Pepper
Flour
Cooking Oil
Worcestershire Sauce
Milk or Water

Salt, pepper, and generously flour pieces. Preheat 1/4 inch cooking oil in heavy cast iron skillet on medium high heat. Fry until golden brown or about 10-15 minutes, usually turning once. Remove and drain on paper towels. Brown equal amounts of flour and pan drippings in skillet, stirring constantly to prevent lumping. Add 1 cup water or milk very gradually to each 2 tablespoons of flour used. Cook until thickened. Make enough to cover game. Correct seasonings with salt, pepper and Worcestershire sauce. Add game and simmer 1 hour or more, especially for squirrel. Serve over grits.

6 quail, 6 doves, or any combination can be substituted.


I recommend a 20-gauge shotgun with large game (6 shot) shells.

Mac and Cheese: Two Ways

Somehow tonight we ended up with bag o'Caesar salad for dinner (not pictured) and



This, which the 9-year-old scarfed up (no salad)

And



This, compliments of Giada De Laurentiis from the Food Network.

You can put ham in this if you want, but really, it is quite perfect and totally decadent as an ovo-lacto vegetarian delight.

Here's the recipe. It goes great with any movie on AMC on Friday night. This feeds 4 very generously with plenty of leftovers for Saturday morning breakfast. Come on. You can't always eat cold pizza.

Macaroni and Cheese

Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis

Prep Time:

10 min

Inactive Prep Time:

10 min

Cook Time:

25 min

Level:

Easy

Serves:

6 servings

Ingredients

• Butter, for greasing dish
• 12 ounces wide egg noodles
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 2 1/2 cups whole milk
• 2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more for pasta water
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cups (packed) grated Fontina
• 3/4 cup (packed) finely grated Parmesan
• 3/4 cup (packed) grated mozzarella
• 4 ounces cooked ham, diced, optional
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves

Directions

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Butter a 13 by 9-inch glass baking dish and set aside. Cook the noodles in a large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes. Drain well, but do not rinse.

Whisk the cream, milk, flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper in large bowl to blend. Stir in 1 cup Fontina, 1/2 cup Parmesan, 1/2 cup mozzarella, ham, if using, and parsley. Add the noodles and toss to coat. Transfer the noodle mixture to the prepared baking dish. Toss the remaining 1 cup Fontina, 1/4 cup Parmesan, and 1/4 cup mozzarella in a small bowl to blend. Sprinkle the cheese mixture over the noodle mixture. Bake until the sauce bubbles and the cheese melts and begins to brown on top, about 20 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

An Actual Recipe

This is an actual recipe circa 1980 that I got from my friend Geoff Davis whom I knew when I lived in New Orleans.



I think I can still cobble this together, although I believe today I would put some other sort of meat in it and some cajun spices, but in 1980 I was just barely out of the Mississippi Delta. Change comes hard for southern girls.

Red beans and rice are traditionally served on Mondays in New Orleans because that was laundry day and since beans took a long time to cook, they could be left to themselves while the laundry was being done. This is how I remember it anyway.

I'll see if I can jog my memory and post the 2.0 version real soon.

In 1997, my little Shannon fell off a wrought iron railing in a video store in Clearwater Florida and smacked the back of her head on the concrete tile floor. I called her doctor who didn't seem particularly worried but said watch her and if she vomits, bring her to the ER. She did vomit, I did take her, they did a head CT, and she was fine with a mild concussion, something a lot of little kids end up with at one time or another. But this week's tragedy with Natasha Richardson is a warning that head injuries can be sneaky. They can be nothing or they can be everything.

Corned Beef and Rutabagas - The Crock Pot Way

Yesterday was my birthday, and I didn't get the crock pot going until about 2 PM. So, we didn't have corned beef last night, but we did eat up the homemade bread that was supposed to go with it. The corned beef and rutabagas went into the refrigerator to be heated up and joined by more homemade bread tonight.

The sequence of events:



I started with a 3-pound corned beef brisket. It's full of "juice" and has a spice packet that you open up and throw in.


Cut up about 6 carrots (I peel mine cause they look purtier) and throw 'em in.




This is a rutabaga. It is a root vegetable. Sort of looks like a turnip but that is where all resemblance ends. Boiled up either in pot roast or by itself with butter and salt, this little baby is a taste treat. And CHEAP, wait, I mean FRUGAL. Throw those in on top of the carrots.

Not pictured in the class picture here are 6 medium large Yukon gold potatoes, scrubbed and cubed up. I threw those in on top of the rutabagas.

Add enough water. How much is enough water? Leave a couple of inches or so from the top. I overfilled mine and had to mop juice up off the counter. Oops.

Here's what it looked like in the Crock Pot.



And here's what it looked like this morning.



Crockpot Corned Beef and Rutabagas

1 Corned Beef, about 3 pounds
6 scrubbed and cubed gold or white potatoes
6 carrots cut into pieces
1 rutabaga, peeled and cubed

Layer ingredients in Crock Pot in this order: beef with juice and spices from package, carrots, rutabagas, potatoes. Add enough water to cover up to about 2 inches from top. Cover and cook on high for 8 hours or as indicated by your Crock Pot instructions.

IF YOU MUST, you can substitute cabbage for rutabagas, but I would remove the meat and enough of the vegetables to make room in the Crock Pot to cook the cabbage and add the cabbage about an hour before serving, keeping the Crock Pot on high.