Southern Cornbread

For me the best part of eating at a restaurant that claims to serve real southern cookin' is the cornbread.  I LOVE a good, moist piece of cornbread.  My friend from dinner group has just such a recipe.  When she would make her chili she would send cornbread as well.  This cornbread is so good that as soon as I got in the car from exchanging our meals and I would have to eat a piece, or two, right then and there.  Having a pan of this in the house is just as dangerous as having extra brownies around for me.

Here's what you'll need:

 

2 cups flour

2 cups cornmeal

1 1/3 cups sugar

2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons baking powder

2 eggs

2 cups milk

2/3 cup oil

 

In a large bowl mix together the DRY ingredients.  In another bowl mix the wet ingredients together;  then combine with the dry ingredients.  Do not over mix.  Pour into a UNGREASED 9 x 13 pan and bake at 400 for about 25 minutes.  Bake until the top is golden brown.

 

Enjoy!

 

Read more...

Black Licorice Caramels

Yummy!!!!  If you love black licorice like I do (I always pick out the black jelly beans first) you're going to love these.  You can satisfy your black licorice craving by making your own.  This is actually a caramel, so soft and yummy.  To make caramels instead use 2 cups brown sugar in place of the white sugar, don't add food coloring or anise.

You will need a candy thermometer.

1 cup butter (not margarine)
1 can sweetened condensed milk
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon black food coloring
2 teaspoons anise extract or 1 1/2 teaspoon anise oil

Butter a 9 x 13 pan for the finished licorice.  In a heavy sauce pan on a low heat melt butter.  Add sweetened condensed milk, sugar, and corn syrup, increase heat slowly.  Stir continually, bring to a boil.  Boil till firm ball or 234 degrees.  Remove from heat, stir a minute longer.  Stir in black food coloring and anise extract.  Pour into the buttered 9 x 13 pan.  Allow to cool.  (I let mine cool over night.)  Using a knife or scissors cut into 3/4 inch strips, lift out of the pan.  Then cut into 6ths, wrap in wax paper.  I cut my wax paper into 3 x 5 1/2 rectangles.  This recipe makes a lot, they're fun to share, no one can believe you can make black licorice.

Read more...

Fun Fruit Salad

This tangy fruit salad is quick to make.   The fruits are almost always in season, so you can make this salad anytime of year.   

1 or 2 bananas depending on size
1 can pineapple tidbits
1 cup sliced strawberries
1 6 ounce container of vanilla yogurt
1/2 cup coconut
1 can Mandarin oranges, drained

It is best if you chill the pineapple and Mandarin oranges in the fridge before making the salad.
Slice the bananas in a strainer.  Pour the can of pineapple over the bananas to drain the pineapple. (The citric acid in the pineapple juice will help prevent the bananas from going brown as fast.)  Save the juice and add to orange juice or a smoothie.  When the pineapple is well drained, move to a bowl and add remaining ingredients.  Stir gently to mix.

Read more...

Use your egg slicer for more than eggs!

An egg slicer can do more than just slice eggs.  Now let me just say not all egg slicers are created equal, so proceed with caution.  The first time you try a new food go slow and don't force it.  I don't want you to ruin your slicer.  Some foods that work in mine are strawberries and bananas, great for when you're making fruit salad.  Some slicers will slice mushrooms.

Just recently at a cooking class I was asked to slice olives with an egg slicer.  I couldn't believe that I hadn't thought of that sooner!  Most of my recipes that have sliced olives call for a 2.5 ounce can, and that's what I'll buy.  If I'm doubling a recipe and need two cans, I'll buy a 6 ounce of whole pitted olives and slice them with an egg slicer.  By doing the slicing, which only takes a minute, I save a dollar.  Put three or more olives in at a time. This is nice to know when you're having a taco bar or any other time you might need a lot of sliced olives.  At the store I was shopping at the 2.5 ounce can and the 6 ounce was the same price, 98 cents.  Regular size olives actually work better than the large.

What else do you use your egg slicer for?

Read more...

Coke Chicken

Coke Chicken!  That's right, chicken cooked in coke!  That alone made me want to try it.

Coke chicken is a dish my daughter-in-law makes that we all love.  She was kind to share this recipe.  I'm sure your family will love this flavorful chicken.  Serve with rice.    

2 lb boneless chicken, light or dark meat 

6 slices of fresh ginger root
2 green onions

1 whole star anise

2 tablespoons oil

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 liter Coke (NOT Diet Coke)

Cut chicken into cubes.

Slice the ginger root and cut up the green onion.

   

Heat up the oil, add ginger root, green onion, and anise.  Stir for a minute.  Add chicken and soy sauce, stir for 3 or 4 minutes.

 Add Coke until it just covers the chicken.

Let it cook until the liquid is almost dry.  Remove anise.  Serve with rice.
Printer Friendly

Read more...

Organization

Once, at a play date I had a new friend ask me how I stay so organized.  The question took me off guard and I had to laugh out loud and then when I told my husband that night he almost fell out of his chair laughing. Obviously she didn't know me too well and hadn't ever seen my office.  This is how my computer desk looks on a regular basis. (yeah, not too proud of that but it's the real me!)

Although I can't claim to be an organizational queen I do have a few tricks up my sleeve that help me stay sane.  Probably my most important tool is my white board in my office.  On it I have things written out so I can see it daily, what's going on and what I need to do.  It helps me keep focused.

I start with daily goals.  Where I write down six, usually small, things that I'm going to get done that day.  I started this when I first had a baby I felt like all I did is take care of him and that I never got anything accomplished.  With the daily goals I can see what I am getting done even if it's small.  I can go to bed now with the house in chaos but feeling good because I met my goals for the day. I always try to have a goal on there that's going to make me feel better about life, such as exercising or calling a friend to talk.  And of course I don't always get them done, life happens and sometimes it just doesn't work out.  If I don't get it done then I usually leave them up for the next day and try again.

Next is weekly goals.  These are bigger projects that I want to get done.  I try to pull something off my big to do list and put it on here.  Then in my six daily goals I set up smaller goals to help me get the weekly one done.  For example, one of my weekly goals is to organize the office then I wrote down file for 15 minutes on my daily goal list.

The rest is pretty much self explanatory.  I have the big to do list, which always seems super long.  I find if I write it down I'm much less likely to forget and it's more likely to get done.  I'm one of those people who loves to cross things off a list.  Then there's a don't forget column so I don't forget a birthday party or upcoming event.  A column for people I need to email and one for people I need to call.  I'm one of those people who often listens to a message but can't call the person back right then and then I forget it all together.  This just helps me remember.

This white board isn't a magical answer to all my organizational problems but it sure helps.  It helps me keep my head on straight and more importantly it helps me feel like I actually do get something done each day. 

Read more...

Cream of Wild Rice Soup

Sometimes I wonder why I don't make homemade soups more often, they're sooo good.  Talk about comfort food.  To top it off they're usually good for you too.  This one has half and half in it, but to balance that there are vegetables and the wild rice, a whole grain.  This is a rich, creamy soup, with a yummy chewiness of wild rice and a surprise crunch from the almonds.  You should try it.  Set your bread maker to have a loaf of bread ready in time for dinner and enjoy a great meal.

1/2 cup wild rice
4 cups chicken broth, divided
1/3 cup slivered almonds, toasted
6 tablespoons butter
1 medium onion, chopped
3 carrots, thinly sliced
2 ribs celery, sliced
1 cup mushrooms, sliced and lightly chopped
1/3 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1 cup half and half

Start wild rice cooking in a small sauce pan with 1 1/2 cup of the broth.  Bring broth to a boil, add rice.  Reduce heat to a hard simmer and cover.  Check rice in 40 minutes.  It may take longer, rice should be tender. 

Toast almonds.  How to toast almonds.

Melt butter in large saucepan; saute onion, celery and carrots till tender.  Add mushrooms, saute 2 more minutes.  Blend in flour, salt and pepper; gradually stir in broth.  Heat to boiling, stirring to prevent scorching on the bottom of the pan.  This will thicken the soup.  Reduce heat to low.  Stir in rice; simmer about 2 minutes.  Blend in half and half and almonds.  Heat to serving temperature.  Do not boil.  Enjoy!

Variations: Add chopped ham or cooked, crumbled bacon.  Add 1/2 teaspoon rosemary.

Printer Friendly

Read more...