My Tweaked (to hell and back) Southern Style Cornbread

Not so very long ago, I always made my southern style corn bread just like my grandmother made hers, who had passed down the recipe to my mother, who gave me the recipe. And all was well ... that is, I thought all was well.  You see, REAL southern style cornbread did not contain ANY flour whatsoever, and it was made from WHITE corn ONLY, not yellow corn ... EVER.  Along with the constraints of the type of cornmeal used, we also had to use only Perkerson's Stone Ground White Cornmeal, (not self rising), to make the perfect cake of cornbread or corn sticks.

There were other factors that also played a big part in whether your cornbread was a good cake or not.  You had to use a well seasoned black iron skillet, or you could use corn stick irons, and always, let me stress ALWAYS, fresh bacon drippings, and fresh whole buttermilk.  Those were the basic ingredients that would determine whether your cornbread was exceptional or not.

In 2008, with the radical very negative changes in our economic system, <cough>, that caused so many businesses to go under, Perkerson's Cornmeal fell prey to it all and went out of business.  I tried my best to find an exceptional cornmeal to replace what had been for years, a household name in my family, but I was unable to find a substitute that I liked.  I just could not imagine eating turnip greens, collard greens, mustard greens, and beans without a cake of my grandmother's cornbread made by me and with all those wonderful ingredients.  This really had me bothered, but I wasn't going to let these changes keep me from enjoying foods that I loved.

So, after lots of experimenting and tweaking, and research on healthy choices, I came up with a cake of cornbread I can live with.  It does not have the good ol' flavor that my grandmother's and mother's cornbread had, because I have stopped using bacon drippings in my cornbread now, which was part of what made the flavor so good.  I still use whole buttermilk though, and a brand that has NO guar gum or gums of any kind in it.  Just pure wholesome ingredients is all.

Anyway, I never could find in our area a plain stone ground cornmeal that I liked, so to keep from pulling what's left of my hair out, I finally settled for using White Lily's Cornmeal ... MIX.  <cringe>  There, I said it!  It even has flour in it too!!  <really laughing out loud here>  Okay, okay, I know this was a HUGE change for me, but what's a mother to do when things are changing so fast out there?  I at least can still laugh about it, and will continue to eat the foods I love with a cake of my Tweaked (to hell and back) Southern Style Cornbread that I can say with no doubt, is better for ya than using bacon drippings!  :o

By the way, this cornbread is enjoyed so much more if you dunk it in the pot likker.  Now if you don't know what pot likker is, then you don't have any business eating cornbread!  LOL!

Ingredients:

2 cups White Lily Buttermilk Cornmeal Mix (self rising)
1 egg beaten
1 1/2 cups Whole Buttermilk (without any gums or other additives!)
1/4 cup olive oil (EVOO)
1 8" or 9" well seasoned iron skillet, (or iron corn stick pan), greased with coconut oil, (not shortening!)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees:

Grease liberally your skillet with the solidified coconut oil and place in the oven to melt while the oven is preheating.

In a small glass bowl, beat one egg and set aside.

Pour your Cornmeal mix into a medium size mixing bowl, and add the buttermilk, the olive oil, and beaten egg.  Stir lightly.  This batter is suppose to be lumpy so don't over stir it.  Once oven is preheated, take out the hot skillet.

Pour batter into your hot iron skillet and listen to the sizzle!  Okay, now place the skillet in the oven and cook for about 25 minutes, or until golden brown.

Remove from the oven.  Take a butter knife and run it around the outside of the cake loosening it from the sides of the skillet.  Once you get it loose, turn it onto a 10" plate and serve with your greens and beans!  It's even good with a bowl of homemade vegetable soup.  I have the best recipe for Smoked Turkey Legs and Collard Greens that goes perfectly with this cornbread, so check it out also!

~Enjoy~

Venison Sausage Dirty Rice

I came up with this recipe having one package of hot venison sausage left in my freezer.  This particular batch was very salty, so instead of using it for breakfast, I needed to come up with a recipe that diluted the high content of salt that was added.  Using Minute Rice instead of regular makes it easy to add as much rice as you want.  I used 2 cups of rice and 2 cups of chicken base to a pound of venison sausage.  The venison sausage gives the Dirty Rice a wonderful flavor and is so much healthier than using pork sausage and hamburger meat.  Also, this recipe is a quick easy fix for lunch or dinner, and is easy enough for you guys to prepare as well!  ;)

Ingredients:

    •    2 cups enriched rice (cooked Minute Rice)
    •    2 cups chicken stock (2 tsp. Better Than Bouillon chicken base, to 2 cups water)
    •    4 cloves minced garlic
    •    1 1/2 cups diced white onion
    •    1 cup diced green bell pepper
    •    2 tablespoons olive oil
    •    1 teaspoon dried thyme
    •    1 bay leaf
    •    1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
    •    1 pound ground spicy hot venison sausage
   
Directions:

 In a large pot, add chicken stock, or use water plus bouillon. Bring to a boil, add Minute Rice and turn off the burner, then cover and let the rice absorb all of the chicken stock.  (about 15 minutes.)

While the rice is absorbing the liquid, cook the ground venison sausage, and drain off all the fat.  Put the sausage in a glass bowl and set aside.

Saute garlic, onions and bell peppers in olive oil until soft. Add to rice, once rice has absorbed all liquids.  Season the rice with thyme, bay leaf and cayenne pepper, (optional).  Add cooked venison.  Stir all together and serve.


Enjoy~

Low Calorie: Oven Roasted Beets

Low Calorie:  Oven Roasted Beets

Choose smaller beets which are sweeter and more tender for this recipe.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Allow 1 beet per person;  scrub clean with a veggie brush separating the stems from the beet and cut any root from the bottom of the beets.  Some people peel the skin off but I don't.  ;)

Place all whole beets in a glass cooking dish and drizzle just enough EVOO, (Extra Virgin Olive Oil), over each beet to cover the surface.  Salt, pepper and add a sprinkle of dried mint and cover the dish with foil.  Using a paring knife, make small slits here and there in the foil for steam to escape.

Put in a preheated oven and cook for about 30 minutes testing to see if the beets are tender all the way through by inserting a paring knife into the center of each beet.  If they are not tender, turn the oven off and allow the beets to continue to cook for about 15 to 20 minutes or until nice and tender when the knife is inserted in them.

If you want, you can basically rub the skin off of the beets once they are done, but I had no problem eating the beet skin and all.  I did remove the top where the stems were attached, but that's it.

~Enjoy and be healthy~

Spinach Salad with Spicy Roasted Potatoes

This is my first blog this year folks.  I won't go into everything that has been going on, but believe me, it's been really crazy since the early part of February.  I believe I am seeing the light at the end of the tunnel now, (thank the Lord), and feel more energetic and have been REALLY wanting to create something new and interesting to serve for dinner.  I came up with this recipe by radically tweaking one that was on Martha Stewart's website.  I wanted to use some Turkey Bacon I had and also wanted a spinach salad.  So that was the inspiration that started me on my search for a recipe I would, of course, tweak to death. ;)

Glenn and I were pleasantly surprised with the outcome of this recipe and I hope you all will try it as well, and enjoy it as much as we did!  =D


Spinach Salad with Spicy Roasted Potatoes

This will make two decent size salads.  I use rimmed soup bowls for ours, but you can use pasta bowls for a larger one, taking note to adjust the ingredients.

Now let's begin:  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

First, we are going to use my recipe for "Spicy Roasted Potatoes".  If you don't have the recipe then here's what you do;  I use an EVOO (extra virgin olive oil) that I infused with minced garlic and fresh crushed red pepper that Glenn grew and dried.  I don't measure how much I use though.  So if you don't have infused EVOO, just use plain Olive Oil and sprinkle some crushed red pepper and garlic powder on the potatoes before you bake them.

Ingredients:

2, or so, Tablespoons of your favorite EVOO
3 medium size potatoes
Season All (to taste)
Garlic Powder (optional)
Crushed Red Pepper (optional)
4 handfuls of fresh Baby Spinach (divided)
1/2 cup Italian Blend Cheese (divided for 2 salads)
4 strips Turkey Bacon (I use Oscar Mayer)
Red Wine Vinegar (to taste)
2 eggs (fried in Turkey Bacon drippings)
Sea Salt (to taste)
Fresh Cracked Pepper (to taste)

Wash 3 medium size potatoes and pat dry.  Cut in 1" cubes and place in a medium size glass bowl.  Drizzle your EVOO over the potatoes.  Using a large spoon, turn the potatoes over and few times to coat evenly.  Sprinkle "Season All" as you stir until all potatoes have some on it.  That stuff is salty so go easy on it.  If you want to make them spicier and don't have the infused EVOO, this is when you add your garlic powder and crush red pepper but again, GO EASY or the potatoes will be too spicy.

After making sure the potatoes are coated well, pour them out onto a medium size baking dish and put into your preheated oven, setting the bake time for 20-25 minutes.

Next, bring out a medium size skillet and place 4 strips of Turkey Bacon in it cooking them on medium/low until crispy.  Remove from skillet and place on paper towel to dry.  Set aside this skillet for later to fry the eggs.  (Trust me on this one!)  =D

While the potatoes are roasting in the oven, bring out your bowls and start assembling your salad.  Start with your fresh spinach using a couple of handfuls per bowl.  Sprinkle half the Italian Blend Cheese on each salad and once the bacon is dried, crumble it on top of the cheese.

When the potatoes are brown on one side and fork tender, loosen them from the pan with a thin spatula.  I let mine cool for just a moment while I crack my eggs into the skillet that was set aside earlier.  You can fry your eggs however you like.  Over easy is how Glenn and I like ours with a little salt and lots of fresh pepper.

Divide the potatoes up and put them in the salad.  Do a couple of quick splashes of Red Wine Vinegar and gentle lay your fried egg on top.  That's all there is to it.  I am not a big fan of eggs but this is delish, I tell ya!

Enjoy~

On The Go: Spicy Bean and Rice Burrito! :)

I absolutely love Southwestern Tex-Mex food like so many other people do, and this burrito is the easiest way to have a quick hot burrito for lunch for a fraction of what it would cost to go to a fast food restaurant during your lunch hour, plus it takes only a few minutes to put together.  You will need access to a microwave, but other than that, you can easily pack it up at home and heat it up for a minute or so during lunch giving you an inexpensive, tasty, satisfying and filling (meatless as well) hot meal.  =D

Here is what you will need to buy and do beforehand;

1 can Ranch Style beans (15 - 19 ounces depending on the brand)  "La Sierra" brand is 19 ounces, "Ranch Style" brand is 15 ounces.
1/2 of a Long Hot pepper, diced
1 cup filtered water
1 teaspoon "Superior Touch Better Than Bouillon" chicken base
1 cup Minute Rice
1 handful of sharp cheddar cheese
Taco size flour tortillas or corn tortillas

This recipe makes about 8 small burritos depending on how much you fill in each tortilla and reheats well.

In a small pan pour one cup of filtered water and place on the burner of your stove top.  Add 1 teaspoon "Better Than Bouillon" chicken base to the water and bring it to a rapid boil.  As soon as the water boils pour in the Minute Rice and stir once with a fork, turn off the heat or move to a cooled spot, then put on the fitted lid so rice can absorb the chicken broth water.

In another small pan, add your Ranch Style beans and the diced hot pepper bringing it to a boil then reducing to a simmer with a lid on the pan, allowing the peppers to infuse their flavors.   Simmer for about 2 minutes and remove from heating element.

It takes about 10 minutes or so for the Minute Rice to absorb the chicken broth but once there is no liquid in the bottom of pan under the rice then you can combine the hot beans with the rice blending them together.  At this point you can allow to cool and then store in the fridge for the next day, or go ahead and make you a burrito!

To make your burrito, you first must heat up the bean and rice mixture, if it is not hot already.  Heat about a cup full in a microwavable dish for about a minute.  Put a flour tortilla on a paper towel and heat for about 10 seconds.  Take the bean and rice mixture and put on the flour tortilla and add the shredded cheese.  Microwave for another 10 seconds or until cheese melts.  Garnish with whatever else you like as well.

There ya go!  It's tasty and fast, easy to prepare, and it didn't cost you $5 dollars to make a whole pot full!  ;)

Quick and Easy Stuffed Jalapeno Boats (appetizer)

 These sure are delicious, I am telling ya!  I tested them out on Glenn and he LOVED them.  I even used some jalapenos that were turning red but beware, they are much hotter when they turn!

Also, another tip;  be sure to wear gloves when you handle the peppers!  If you make contact with the raw pepper once you have cut it open, scrub your hands well in a bowl of 2 tablespoons of baking soda and a cup of water.  ;)

Bon Appétit!  =D

Ingredients
    •    6 ounces cream cheese, softened
    •    1/2 cup sharp cheddar, finely shredded
    •    1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
    •    6 or 8 jalapeno peppers
   
Cooking Directions
    1.    Preheat oven to 350 degrees
    2.    In a small mixing bowl combine cream cheese, cheddar cheese, Cajun powder and blend well with a fork.
    3.    Slice jalapeno peppers in half lengthwise and remove seeds and innards
    4.    Fill each pepper slice with ½ ounce each of cream cheese mixture
    5.    Bake in a Pyrex or ceramic baking dish, that has been lightly sprayed with oil, for 20 minutes and serve!

Japanese Curly Noodles with Vegetables and Chicken

My kids loved Ramen noodles growing up.  We usually kept them as a backup for when I needed a break from cooking or for a quick hot lunch, but there comes a time when the whole "instant" thing needs to be for desperate moments of starvation or necessity and that's it.  The Japanese Curly Noodles are about the same as the Ramen, except you will be adding real ingredients instead of using a "flavor packet".  So I hope all my children and my followers will try this recipe I tweaked from researching recipes using curly noodles.  I think y'all will love it. :D

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons Sesame oil
4 strips of Tyson boneless chicken breast tenderloins, (not breaded)
2 large cloves garlic or 4 small cloves minced
1 cup fresh snow peas washed and ends clipped
2 cups button mushrooms
1/2 cup fresh green onion
1 package Japanese Curly Noodles (5 ounces)
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 Tablespoon Soy Sauce
2 teaspoons Better Than Bouillon chicken base

In a large skillet or wok add your sesame oil and heat to medium/low and cook the chicken tenders until the meat is white inside and thoroughly cooked.  Remove the chicken and pull the meat apart or dice into small pieces.  If needed add more sesame oil to the same skillet then throw in the minced garlic allowing it to simmer quickly in the oil for only a few seconds then add the mushrooms.  Allow to simmer stirring for about a minute coating the mushrooms with the oil.  Add the soy sauce, the Better Than Bouillon chicken base, red pepper flakes and green onion, stirring together as you continue cooking the mushrooms and green onion.

Meanwhile, in a separate medium size saucepan, heat enough water to cover both sections of curly noodles and add 1 teaspoon of sea salt to the water.  Once the water begins to rapidly boil, add the noodles and start breaking them up.  Be careful not to over cook the noodles ... they cook in just about 5 minutes.  Drain and rinse as directed, and set aside. 

To the skillet add the fresh snow peas stir frying them for about 2 minutes or until hot.  Add the Japanese noodles blending them in with your veggie and chicken mixture.

Bon Appétit!