Southern Cornbread Dressing

Ingredients:
Mama's Southern Cornbread
3 cups soft bread crumbs
1/2 cup butter
2 medium onions, diced (2 cups)
1 bunch celery, diced (3 cups)
1 Tablespoon dried sage
4 eggs, beaten
5-6 cans chicken broth (10 oz. cans)
1 Tablespoon black pepper

Directions:

• Make Mama's Southern Cornbread and allow to cool completely. (I usually make this a day or so ahead of when needed.)

• Crumble cornbread into an extra-large mixing bowl.

• Add soft bread crumbs and stir together well.

• Melt butter in skillet.
• Add diced onions and celery and saute till tender.
• Sprinkle in sage and stir well/
• Add vegetables to bread crumbs and stir.
• Sprinkle with pepper.
• Add beaten eggs.

• Pour in chicken broth and stir till well blended and makes a batter.

• Spray one 13x9-inch baking dish and one 8-inch square baking dish with vegetable spray.
• Pour mixture evenly into baking dishes. (I do this the day before and chill overnight.  If batter seems dry, add more chicken broth.)
• Chill at least 8 hours.
• Bake, uncovered, at 375 degrees 40-45 minutes until golden brown.
• Serve warm with turkey and gravy.

UPDATE: I added a few photos to this recipe today because I wanted to play with my camera.  I also thought I should update by letting you know that I have added chopped oysters to the small pan of dressing for the last few times I have made this because Mike has requested it.  I am taking his work for it that this enhances it and makes it even more wonderful!  I can eat fried oysters when I'm at the beach and have even enjoyed them.  In-the-raw, though, I can just barely make myself handle them to put in the dressing or a breading to fry them for Mike.  The things we do for love!

Easy Yeast Rolls

Ingredients:
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 cup warm water
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup butter
1 Tablespoon salt
1 cup boiling water
2 eggs
6 cups all-purpose or bread flour

Directions:

• Add yeast to warm water and set aside. I just mix it in my two-cup measuring cup and set aside.

• Place sugar in mixing bowl.

• Cut butter into small pieces (about a half-tablespoon) and add to sugar.

• Pour boiling water over and stir to melt the butter. (I usually use a wooden spoon or even my paddle attachment on my Kitchen Aid Mixer.)

• Allow to cool before adding eggs and yeast mix.
• Mix well.
• Add 2 cups flour and beat well to form a batter.

• Add more flour one cup at a time to form a dough consistency.  (I usually take the paddle attachment off and use the hook when I have about 5 cups in the mixture and scrape down the sides of the bowl.)

This tiny little spatula is a fabulous tool for scraping down the sides as well as for cleaning out small things such as a measuring cup or a jar.

Notice that this isn't really like a dough that one would roll out - it is still a bit batter-like.

Move dough to an extra-large bowl and cover with greased wax paper or a bread cloth and set aside to rise.  (Mixture can be refrigerated for up to a couple of weeks.)

• After dough has doubled in size, roll out on a floured surface to about a half-inch thickness.
• Cut with a small biscuit-sized cutter or into two-inch squares with a knife and place on a baking pan that has been buttered or sprayed with vegetable spray.
• Allow to rise again for at least an hour.
• Bake at 400 degrees for 10-15 minutes until golden in color.  
• Brush with melted butter and serve warm.

This recipe is also delicious rolled out thinner and spread with melted butter, cinnamon, a mixture of white and brown sugar, raisins and pecans.  Then, roll up jelly-roll style and slice for cinnamon rolls.  I have also rolled the dough into balls and placed three into a muffin tin for clover-leaf rolls.  The recipe is ultra-versatile and I have tried it in lots of different shapes and forms.  However, my favorite is just to cut it into rolls and bake and eat warm!

Mama's Southern Cornbread

The note on the recipe that Mama gave me says, "Got this recipe when Beverly started 4-H when she was nine-years-old."  She and I have used it time after time over the years.  I think the funniest story that goes along with this recipe is when my sister was nine-years-old and was making corn muffins for the local 4-H contest.  She would make a batch and then didn't think there were three that looked uniform - maybe the cracks weren't just-so, or they weren't the exact same size (because she didn't pour the same amount of batter into the tins), or maybe the color would be just a bit different.  My sister has always been a perfectionist!  We lost count of the number of recipes she stirred up before she got three nice muffins that suited her to enter in the contest!  I guess we ate cornbread for days.

Ingredients:
1/3 melted shortening
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 1/4 cups milk
1 1/2 cups corn meal
1/2 cup flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1-2 Tablespoons butter

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  I always mix this in a batter bowl with a pour spout.

• Combine melted shortening 

with sugar.

• Add egg 

and milk.

Isn't that a beautiful antique measuring cup?  It has three pour spouts on the top!

• Stir together well.
• In another small mixing bowl, blend dry ingredients.  Start with the corn meal.

• Add flour.

• Add baking powder and salt.

• Stir with a fork to blend well.

• Slowly mix dry ingredients with wet ingredients.

• Stir just until well blended.

Batter will be thick and coarse.

• Melt butter in iron skillet.  (You might also butter or spray a muffin tin if you would prefer to have a dozen muffins - or if you need muffins for your 4-H contest.)

• Pour batter into the center of the melted butter in the skillet so the butter surrounds the batter and oozes over into the batter just a little bit.

I think my grandmother would be proud to know I'm using the cast iron skillet she gave me and taught me to season and care for years ago when I was a young woman!

• Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.  Allow to set in pan for a minute or two before turning out onto a plate.

This is delicious eaten immediately.  It is even more delicious slathered with butter and eaten immediately.  I'm baking mine today so that I can make southern dressing for Thanksgiving tomorrow!

Lemon Zucchini Bread with Lemon Glaze

I found this recipe on Pinterest because I had a bushel of zucchini!  It originated from NancyCreative.  It is divinely delicious and could be a dessert!  Here it is:

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour or bread flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup buttermilk
Juice of 1 lemon (or 2 Tablespoons lemon juice)
Zest of 1 lemon
1 cup grated zucchini (You don't need to peel the zucchini before grating it!)

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Grease/flour a 9 x 5" loaf pan; set aside.
• In a large bowl, blend flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
• In medium bowl, beat 2 eggs well.
• Add canola oil and sugar and blend well.
• Add the buttermilk, lemon juice, and lemon zest and blend well.
• Fold in zucchini and stir until evenly distributed into mixture.
• Add this wet mixture to the dry ingredients in the large bowl in three increments, blending after each addition - but don't over-mix!
• Pour batter into prepared loaf pan and bake for 45 minutes or till toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
• Smaller loaf pans may take 5-10 minutes more.
• Cool in pan 10 minutes; then remove to a wire rack and cool completely.

Lemon Glaze

1 cup powdered sugar

Juice of 1 lemon (or 2 Tablespoons lemon juice)

• In a small bowl, mix powdered sugar and lemon juice till bell blended.
• Spoon glaze over cooled loaf.
• Let glaze set and serve!

Joann G's Zucchini Bread

My friend Joann G gave us a loaf of this bread one year for Christmas.  It was delicious.  I begged for the recipe and here it is.  I hope my loaf is as tasty as hers!

3 eggs, beaten
2 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
2 cups grated zucchini
3 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 cup pecan pieces

• Grease/flour two loaf pans.
• Cream together eggs and sugar.
• Add oil and vanilla.
• Add zucchini.
• Stir dry ingredients in a separate bowl.
• Mix wet ingredients with dry ingredients.
• Add chopped pecans.
• Bake at 325 degrees for one hour.

Country White Bread

1 cup warm milk (110-115 degrees)
1 1/2 Tablespoons butter
1 large egg
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
4 cups bread flour
1 1/2 Tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons active dry yeast

Here are the directions EXACTLY as they come from the book that accompanies the bread machine:

• Measure and add liquid ingredients to the bread pan.
• Measure and add dry ingredients (except yeast) to the bread pan.
• Use your finger to form a well (hole) in the flour where you will pour the yeast.  Yeast must NEVER come into contact with a liquid when you are adding ingredients.  Measure the yeast and carefully pour it into the well.
• Snap the baking pan into the bread maker and close the lid.
• Press "Select" button to choose the Basic setting
• Press the "Crust Color" button to choose light medium or dark crust.
• Press the "Start/Stop" button.

Here is how I actually made the bread:

• Looked up the recipe for Country White Bread in the book that goes with the Oster bread machine your daughter gave you because you want to try to do this right the first time.

 

• Scrap that idea because you also want to use the Kefir your sister gave you to make the bread sort of be like a sour dough bread.

 

Isn't that little snowman jar topper cute?

• Strain the Kefir grains from the Kefir your sister gave you. 

 

I don't think you are supposed to use a metal strainer but that is all I have and the Kefir seems to be holding up well in spite of my inadequacy.

• The Kefir grains feels like a little rubbery, pellet-like thingy.

 

Sitting on top of my stubby little finger is one of the Kefir grains.  (I cannot be satisfied to simply mash the curd stuff through the strainer with the spatula, I have to reach into it and feel around and grab the grains out with my fingers.)

• Put all the Kefir grains in a pint jar and fill it till it is about 2/3 full with milk.  Return the cute little topper and rubber band to the top of the jar and set it aside on the counter.

 

• Stir the remaining liquid (looks sort of like mushy curds and whey) till it is a buttermilky looking sort of stuff.
• Pour one cup of the strained liquid from your Kefir into the bread pan.
• Add 1 1/2 Tablespoon softened (room temperature) butter.
• Add one beaten egg that has been allowed to come to room temperature.

 

I just dumped all this in around the little stirring arm there in the middle.  I so, so wanted to stir it all together, but I decided this first time I would sort-of follow the instructions...

• Dump in 4 cups bread flour.
• Carefully measure 1 Tablespoon sugar and 1 1/2 teaspoons (because you looked at your hand-dandy conversion chart on the fridge when you realized you didn't have a half Tablespoon measuring spoon and learned that 3 teaspoons equal a Tablespoon and did the math) sugar and dump it atop the flour.
• Carefully measure and add 1 1/2 teaspoons salt.
• Use your finger (I washed my hands good after I finished handling the Kefir...and before I handled it, too!  I really did!) to make a well in the flour.
• Carefully measure and add 2 teaspoons active dry yeast.  Then, realize that there is only a smidge left in the packet you opened and dump that in, too.
• Get so involved in carefully measuring (because you hardly ever do that) and forget to take photos.
• Snap the baking pan into the bread maker and close the lid.
• Press the Select button and choose the Basic setting.
• Press the Crust Color button and choose light crust.
• Press the Start/Stop button and watch through the little window on top as everything begins to stir around.
• Get a cup of coffee and begin to straighten up the kitchen where you have spilled flour, Kefir, etc.
• Hear a horrible noise that sounds like the bread machine is getting ready to launch the bread pan into outer space and rush over to see what is wrong. 
• Realize that the bread pan must be pushed down pretty forcefully to be 'snapped into place' and push it down into place so it will stop being jostled all over the bread machine.
• Finish up the kitchen clean-up, put a load of clothes in the washer, make the bed, etc. for about a half hour before you wonder what is going on with the bread and stroll in to check it out.
• Look into the bread pan and think, "My goodness that looks awfully dry..." 
• Look in the book to see what should be happening and notice the chart that says the dough is kneaded for the second time and decide to add some more milk...and some more...and give it a stir with your rubber spatula...and add some more milk till the dough looks...well, like a dough ball.  (Sure wish I had taken photos!)
• Leave the machine alone for a while.  (After all, the whole process takes three hours!)
• Get a pot holder and remove the bread pan immediately when the machine beeps at the end of the three hours.
• Dump the loaf of bread out onto a plate.
• Use a table knife to remove the mixing/kneading paddle from the loaf of bread.

 

• Curse and drop the paddle onto the counter because you should have realized that something metal or ceramic or whatever it is made of is going to but ultra hot and burn your hand!
• Briefly let the directions of the book which say let the bread rest for fifteen minutes flitter across your brain.

 

• Slice a piece off and taste the bread!

Note:  The bread is quite dense and has a sourdough sort of flavor.  I like the color of the sides of the crust, but the top is not quite as brown as I would like.  It is done and tastes OK.  It just isn't as aesthetically pleasing as I'd like.  Next time I will not use quite as much flour and add a wee bit more milk (even more than I splashed in during the kneading step).  All-in-all it was a fun experience and I'm looking forward to trying out more with this handy-dandy machine!

P.S.  Does anybody know why sometimes Blogger won't let me change the size of my photos?  I am frustrated with this and have tried several times to enlarge the photos in this post!

Pumpkin Pecan Pound Cake

1 yellow cake mix
1 box vanilla pudding mix
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup water
3 eggs
1 can pumpkin
1 cup chopped pecans

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
• Mix cake mix and vanilla pudding mix together in a large mixing bowl.
• Add vegetable oil, water, and eggs and mix well.
• Mix in pumpkin. 
• Fold in pecans.
• Spray bundt pan and pour mixture into pan.
• Bake 45 minutes.

This tastes like a sweet bread.  You could top with a dollup of whipped cream cheese.  I got this recipe from a teacher-friend, Amanda Lemmons.  She makes it with bananas instead of pumpkin.  She says she has also used a chocolate cake mix with the bananas to make chocolate-banana cake.  I have added pureed strawberries before and glazed witha powdered sugar glaze.  I have also replaced the pumpkin with apples and glazed with a caramel glaze before.  It is a versatile recipe and a baked cake freezes well!

Fall Treat!

Hot Pockets

My daughter-in-law, Jessica, was sharing a story about how her parents are surviving their house remodel/add-on with no kitchen and heating up foods like Hot Pockets for dinner.  Now, I know that there are times when we all wish we had no kitchen so we wouldn't have to cook or clean it and could just eat out or something like that.  However, in reality, I don't think any of us really, really wants to be without a kitchen at all.  Yet, her mention of Hot Pockets flung a craving on me today.  Rather than make a dash to the store, though, I decided to try to concoct one of my own.  Here is what I came up with:

Ingredients:
1 package refrigerated Crescent Rolls - when you start with this as a base, what wouldn't be easy and good?
1 pound leftover pork loin - rubbed with a secret concoction of McCormick's Grill Mates Smokehouse Maple and Mesquite seasonings and marinated overnight in a secret concoction of Johnny's Sauce, Worcestershire Sauce, Soy Sauce, and Lemon Juice

mushrooms - an ingredient that I think makes most any main dish wonderful and Mike says I add to everything and...maybe I do

grated cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese - You know I grew up on a dairy farm and how can you go wrong by adding cheese?

• First, unroll the roll dough and butt two of the triangles together at the base end.
• Top with some roasted pork loin that wouldn't slice when your husband tried to slice it for his birthday party company (various family members) and wound up just pulling apart like pulled pork bar-b-que. 
• Add a layer of the mushrooms and sprinkle with some of the cheese.

• Fold the pointy ends of the dough over the filling and bake in a 350 degrees oven for about ten minutes.
• Sprinkle with a bit more cheese and serve up with some home-made pickles, some Goldfish crackers you steal from the stash for the grands, and a glass of cranberry juice.

Yum!

P.S.  It also looks delish on a pretty blue-and-white plate gifted to you by said daughter-in-law's mother, Karen.  Thanks, Karen!