Old-School Cornbread

I don't particularly care for cornbread made from self-rising or Jiffy cornbread mix.  I started making my cornbread using plain yellow cornmeal a few years back but it has become increasingly difficult to find the plain yellow cornmeal in stores.  On the occasions when I do find it, it is usually the 2-pound bag of white cornmeal.  I always buy the 5-pound bag because I cook it quite often because hubby and I usually have some with our dinner, especially with fresh vegetables (collard greens, turnip greens, green beans, rutabagas, peas, beans, etc.).

I was told at one of the stores that they had started removing the plain cornmeal from the shelves because there is no longer a great demand for it.  I was crushed!!! What about those of us who still use it???

Later I remembered that when I was a child, my parents would take dried corn to the mill to be ground into cornmeal so I decided to go to YouTube for directions on making my own cornmeal.  Pay dirt!!! YouTube ROCKS!!! You can find instructions/directions for almost everything  there.  After my YouTube search, I found that all I needed to make my own cornmeal was un-popped popcorn and my blender to grind it.  I ground my first batch of cornmeal, baked some cornbread muffins and they turned out perfect!!!  Here is  my recipe:

Cornbread

1 large scoop of cornmeal from ground popcorn (approximately 1 1/2 cups)
1 large scoop of all-purpose flour (approximately 1 1/2 cups)
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp sugar
1 stick softened or melted butter
2 eggs
1 to 1 1/2 cups whole milk

1. Preheat oven to 450 F.  Grease pans.
2. Grind the corn in a blender or food processor, then sift using a strainer (I grind 2 cups of popcorn in order to yield enough for me).  After sifting cornmeal into your bowl, the residuals left in your strainer can be discarded. 
3. Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar until thoroughly blended.
4. Add milk, eggs, and butter and stir or whisk until thoroughly mixed together.
5. Pour batter into greased pan or muffin tins
6. Bake until done (10-12 minutes in my cast iron muffin pans)

Note:  Add 1/2 tsp baking soda with the dry ingredient if using buttermilk

Peach Preserves

Peaches were delicious this year and Wayfield Grocery Store had them on sale for .69 per pound.  A great buy because the local farmer's market didn't have them priced that low.  I bought several pounds and made Peach Preserves.  I don't know how many pounds I ended up with but here is how I made my preserves.  I had read an article some years ago on how to can peach preserves and I don't remember the name or author of the website but here is what I remembered and the way I made my Peach Preserves.

Ingredients:  Peaches and Sugar

I placed my peaches in a large vat of water and let them sit in the water for a while before peeling them.  Some people use the boiling water method to peel peaches but my preferred method is using the tool that I use to peel my potatoes.

After peeling the peaches, I cut them into slices. I then take a small paring knife and cut out the dark area where the peach pit was because this is a bitter area and sometimes contain bits of the peach pits. I use a large plastic bucket and layer peaches and sugar into it and let the peaches and sugar sit, stirring occasionally, until the sugar is melted.  Can be left overnight, if desired.

I've got a large pressure cooker and I place the peaches with the juice into the pressure cooker but I do not pressure cook the peaches.  Bring them to a boil, stirring constantly, and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes.  Let cool.  Repeat this process four times or until the juice has thickened into syrup.

Skim off any foam that has accumulated on the peaches and spoon into sterilized jars.  Clean the rims of the jar with a clean towel, place the lids on the jars, screw the rims on but do not tighten them.  Place jars into canner that has hot water in it.  If water in canner does not cover tops of jars, add more water to cover jars by at least two inches.

Cover canner and bring to a boil and let boil for 25 minutes.  Remove jars from canner and set on towel on counter top.  Lids should pop/seal after removal from canner.  Next day, check jars to make sure all lids have sealed.  If rims are loose, screw to secure but do not screw tight.

A Cold Cold Day Makes for a SOUPER Day

Georgia Temperatures dipped into single digits today and the wind-chill factor dipped into the ‘minus’ category.  Perfect time for a big pot of soup.  I really don’t have recipe for soup... I just dump all my left-over veggies (black-eye peas, collard greens, rice, remnants of lasagna) into my crock pot, add in some frozen veggies (corn, lima beans), and open a few cans of veggies (green beans, Ro-tel tomatoes, green peas, carrots).

What is a bowl of hot soup without cornbread?  I decided to try my spin at Mexican Cornbread.  Here’s how I made mine.  Although I listed specific amounts, I really eyeballed the ingredients as I added them to the bowl.

• 1/2 cup vegetable oil 
• 1 tbsp granulated sugar 
• 4 large eggs 
• 1 (15 ounce) can cream-style corn 
• ½ cup chopped Jalapeño Peppers 
• 1 ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese 
• 1 ½ cup all-purpose flour 
• 1 ½ cup yellow cornmeal 
• ½ teaspoon salt 
• 4 teaspoons baking powder 

1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease the baking pan, skillets, or whatever you are going to bake the bread in. 
2. In a large bowl mix together the cornmeal, flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder. 
3. Add the corn and eggs and blend well. 
4. Fold in the cheddar cheese and the chopped Jalapeno peppers. 
5. Pour or spoon batter into prepared pans. 
6. Bake in preheated oven approximately 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into center of the bread comes out clean.

I Love Cole Slaw

I love the Cole Slaw from KFC so I went in search of a recipe for a knock-off version.  I found and tried this version here:  I tried it and loved it!  The original ingredients include minced onions which I did not add... I’m not a raw onion lover. 

• Sugar - 1/3 Cup
• Mayonnaise - 1/2 Cup
• Buttermilk, Well Shaken - 1/4 Cup
• Whole Milk - 1/4 Cup
• White Vinegar - 1 1/2 Tablespoons
• Fresh Lemon Juice - 2 1/2 Tablespoons
• Salt - 1/2 Teaspoon
• Black Pepper - 1/8 Teaspoon
• Cabbage, Finely Diced - 8 Cups (or 1-16 Ounce Bag Coleslaw)
• Carrot, Shredded (Omit If You're Using Bagged Coleslaw Mix - 1/4 Cup

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the first 8 ingredients until smooth and well combined. Add cabbage and carrot and mix until evenly coated.
2. Cover bowl and refrigerate 4 hours minimum or overnight. Stir well before serving.

My Favorite Lemon Cake Recipe

• 2 sticks butter, room temperature
• 2 1/2 cups granulated sugar, divided
• 4 extra-large eggs, room temperature
• 1/3 cup grated lemon zest (6 to 8 large lemons)
• 3 cups flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice, divided
• 3/4 cup buttermilk, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Lemon Sauce

• 1/2 cup lemon juice
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar

Lemon Glaze

• 2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
• 3 1/2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour 3 9-inch cake pans. I always line the bottom of my pans with parchment paper. 
2. Cream the butter and 2 cups granulated sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. With the mixer on medium speed, add the eggs, 1 at a time, and the lemon zest.
3. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. In another bowl, combine 1/4 cup lemon juice, buttermilk, and vanilla. Add the flour and buttermilk mixtures alternately to the batter, beginning and ending with the flour. Divide the batter evenly between the pans and bake for 22-25 minutes (depending on the variations of your stove). 

For the Sauce:

Combine 1/2 cup granulated sugar with 1/2 cup lemon juice in a small saucepan and cook over low heat until the sugar dissolves. When the cakes are done, allow to cool for 10 minutes. Remove the cakes from the pans and set them on a rack set over a tray or sheet pan; spoon the lemon syrup over them. Allow the cakes to cool completely

For the glaze

• Combine the confectioners' sugar and the lemon juice in a bowl, mixing with a wire whisk until smooth.
• Pour over the tops of the cakes and allow the glaze to drizzle down the sides.

Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 8 tablespoons butter, softened
• the zest from 1 lemon (just the yellow part not the white pith)
• 1 tablespoon fresh-squeezed lemon juice
• 4 cups confectioners’ sugar
• coconut flakes and/or blueberries, for garnish, optional

1. Beat cream cheese, butter together 3 minutes on medium speed until light and fluffy.
2. Beat in zest and lemon juice. 
3. Beat in confectioners’ sugar a cup at a time and continue beating on medium speed about 5 minutes until thick and fluffy. 
4. Frost cake when completely cooled, store in refrigerator.

My Favorite Macaroni & Cheese Recipe

4 cups milk
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 cups sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded
16-oz. package elbow macaroni, cooked

Preheat oven to 400°.

Microwave milk at HIGH for 2 minutes.

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat; whisk in flour until smooth. Cook, whisking constantly, 1 minute.

Gradually whisk in warm milk, and cook, whisking constantly, 5 minutes or until thickened.

Whisk in salt and 3 cups shredded cheese until smooth; stir in pasta. Spoon mixture into a lightly greased baking dish and top with remaining cheese.

Bake at 400° for 20 minutes or until golden and bubbly.

Strawberry Cheesecake

My husband wanted a Strawberry Cheesecake for dessert for Thanksgiving so I just finished baking this recipe I found on allrecipes.com. I sure hope that it's good.  I'll have to add a picture of it tomorrow because I'm too tired to pull out the camera right now.  Gotta get some sleep after cleaning up the kitchen..

Strawberry Cheesecake

1 Pkg graham crackers processed in food processor (approx 1 1/4 cups)

1/4 cup granulated sugar

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/3 cup butter, melted

20 oz frozen sweetened sliced strawberries, thawed and drained

1 tablespoon cornstarch

3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened

1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

1/4 cup lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 eggs

1 tablespoon water (optional)

Combine graham cracker crumbs, sugar, cinnamon, and butter in a bowl. Press onto the bottom of an ungreased 9-inch springform pan. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.

Place strawberries and cornstarch into a blender. Cover and puree until smooth. Pour strawberry sauce into a saucepan.

Bring to a boil over high heat. Boil and stir until sauce is thick and shiny, about 2 minutes. Set aside 1/3 cup strawberry sauce; cool. Cover and refrigerate remaining sauce for serving.

Beat cream cheese in a mixing bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy; gradually beat in condensed milk. Mix in lemon juice and vanilla extract, then beat in eggs on low speed until just combined. Pour half of cream cheese mixture over crust; drop half of reserved strawberry sauce by 1/2 teaspoonfuls on cream cheese layer. Carefully spoon remaining cream cheese mixture over sauce; drop remaining strawberry sauce by 1/2 teaspoonfuls on top. Cut through top layer only with a knife to swirl strawberry sauce.

Bake in preheated oven until center is almost set, 45 to 50 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Carefully run a knife around edge of pan to loosen; cool 1 hour longer. Refrigerate overnight. Serve reserved strawberry sauce with cheesecake. If the sauce is too thick, stir in water.

Also on the Thanksgiving Menu:

Turkey (my husband bought one of those greaseless turkey fryers to cook the turkey in)

Cornbread Dressing

Macaroni & Cheese

Potato Salad

Collard Greens

Green Beans Casserole

Cranberry Sauce

Carrot Soufflé 

Beverages:  Water, Cokes, Sprite, Little Hugs (for the grands), Iced Tea
Strawberry Cheesecake
Old-Fashioned Pound Cake