Easy Delicious Cornbread

There are several ways to make this cornbread to suit your tastes.  You can add more sugar if you like a sweeter cornbread or less sugar if you don't like it as sweet.  Increase the cornmeal to 2 cups for a more cornmeal taste and decrease the flour to 1 1/2 cups.

This bread is great on its own, or with chili soup or any soup.

Ingredients

1 1/2 c. cornmeal
2 1/2 c. milk or use half milk and half heavy cream or buttermilk
2 c. flour
1 Tbs. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1/3 to 1/2 c. granulated sugar
1/3 to 1/2 c. brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. vegetable oil

Optional ingredients

1 can diced jalapenos, drained and diced
shredded cheddar cheese
1 can Mexicorn, drained

Directions

Preheat oven to 400°. Grease a 9 x 13-inch baking pan, or melt 1/4 c. butter in the bottom of the pan for a delicious butter flavor. You can also use a large cast iron skillet instead. 

In a small bowl, combine cornmeal and milk together.  Leave stand for 10 to 15 minutes.  Whisk the mixture occasionally during that time. If you skip this step, your cornbread will be very dense or doughy in the middle, and this is not the way you want your cornbread to turn out.

In a mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, granulated sugar and brown sugar. Mix in the cornmeal mixture, eggs, vanilla, and oil.  Beat for 5 minutes on low speed. 

Pour batter into prepared pan. 

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center of the cornbread comes out clean. Serve with some honey butter spread.

Skillet Zucchini Beef One Dish Meal

Zucchini, onions, peppers, and garlic picked fresh from the garden. Add some ground beef, and you have a great one dish meal.

You can also use fresh tomatoes and homemade salsa as well.

Ingredients

1 lb. ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 sweet bell pepper, chopped
2 to 3 garlic cloves
3 medium zucchini, cut into bite size pieces
1 (10 oz.) can diced tomatoes or salsa, or Mexican style diced tomatoes with green chilies
1 c. frozen corn
1 Tbs. tomato paste
3 tsp. chili powder
3 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. creole seasoning
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1 c. uncooked instant rice
1/3 c or more beef broth
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

in a large cast iron skillet, cook the beef, onion, pepper, and garlic over medium high heat. Cook until the beef is no longer pink and the vegetables are tender.  Drain off excess grease.

Add zucchini, tomatoes, corn, tomato paste, chili powder, cumin, crushed red pepper flakes, uncooked rice, and beef broth.  Season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cover. Simmer until the rice is tender and the zucchini is cooked. This takes around 10 to 15 minutes.  Check occasionally and add more beef broth or tomato juice if it is low on liquid.

 Macadamia Nut Cookies with Chocolate Chips

This is a really easy recipe and the cookies are delicious.  If you don't have macadamia nuts, you can use walnuts, or you can leave them out if you don't like nuts.  No chocolate chips? No problem. You can use white chocolate, or peanut butter chips.

Ingredients

1 c. butter, room temperature
3/4 c. brown sugar
3/4 c. granulated sugar
2 egg
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla or use 1/2 tsp. vanilla and 1/2 tsp. almond extract
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 1/4 c. flour
1 c, macadamia nuts, chopped
1 c. chocolate chips, semisweet or milk chocolate, or peanut butter, or white chocolate chips

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°. 

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar together until light and fluffy.

Add the egg and vanilla.  Beat for 2 minutes on medium speed.  

Add the vanilla and mix well.

Gradually stir in baking soda, salt, and flour.  Mix until thoroughly combined.

Stir in the macadamia nuts and chocolate chips. 

Drop by teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. 

Bake for about 6 minutes. Remove from oven when the edges just begin to turn brown. Remove from oven and leave them on the baking sheet for 1 minute, so they can set and not be too soft.  Place the cookies on a wire rack to cool.

Ham and Cheese Sliders

With these sliders, you can add as much ham and cheese as you like. They are so easy to make and assemble!  You can make these ahead of time to bake later.  This recipe does call for horseradish sauce, but not everyone likes the flavor of horseradish. You can easily leave that ingredient out. These sliders work well as an appetizer, or served as the main meal. 

If you don't have the sweet Hawaiian rolls, you can use regular dinner rolls. Or you can cut thicker bread slices, and use those too. 

Ingredients

1/2 c. softened butter
1/4 to 1/2 c. horseradish sauce (optional)
1 1/2 Tbs. Dijon mustard or honey mustard or spicy brown mustard
1 1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbs. brown sugar or 1 Tbs. honey
1 Tbs. parsley
1/4 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1 pkg sweet Hawaiian rolls
1/2 to 1 lb. thinly sliced cooked deli ham
1 onion, thinly sliced (optional)
1/2 to 1 lb. Swiss cheese, cheddar cheese or your favorite cheese

Directions

Pre-heat oven to 350°.  Lightly spray a 9 x 13-inch baking dish or pan. 

Slice the rolls in half horizontally.  Place the bottoms of the rolls into the prepared baking dish. 

On top of each bun bottom, layer 1 or 2 pieces of ham. Then layer a slice or two of onion, and 1 or 2 pieces of cheese over the ham.  You can caramelize the onions first before adding them to the sandwiches.

In a small bowl combine the softened butter, horseradish sauce, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, dried parsley, onion powder and garlic powder. Spread over the inside part of each of the bun tops. Place the bun tops on top of the cheese. (See notes below.)

Cover with a lid or a sheet of foil.  Bake about 10 to 15 minutes. Then, remove the cover and bake another 10 minutes, or until the tops are brown.

Notes:

You can also melt the butter first.  Then mix in the horseradish sauce, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, dried parsley, onion powder and garlic powder.  Place the tops on top of the cheese. Pour the melted butter over the top of buns.  We usually don't do it this way because we don't like how soggy it leaves the buns.

Allow the rolls to rest 10 to 15 minutes before baking. You can also place them in the refrigerator for 1 to  days.  Freezing is also an option. Cover the pan or dish with a double layer of aluminum foil.  Make sure to spray the layer of foil that will be covering the tops of the buns, so it does not stick to the bread.

Fire and Ice Tomatoes

Growing up and cooking for my family, I loved to try different recipes. This is one of those recipes that my mother really enjoyed eating, every time I made it. 

My mother always had a garden. So I would go out and pick fresh tomatoes, peppers, and onions from her garden to make Fire and Ice Tomatoes. Although you don't have to use garden fresh vegetables to make this, they do give the dish a much better flavor. 

Ingredients

1 to 2 onions, sliced and separated into rings
5 tomatoes, diced into bite-sized pieces
1 sweet pepper, cut into bite sized pieces
3/4 c. white vinegar
1 1/2 tsp. celery seed
1 1/2 tsp. mustard seed
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 c. water
2 Tbs. sugar
1/8 to 1/4 tsp. red pepper or cayenne pepper (optional)
1/4 tsp. black pepper

Directions

Place the onions, tomatoes and sweet pepper in a heat-safe bowl.

In a saucepan, combine white vinegar, celery seed, mustard seed, salt, water, sugar, red pepper or cayenne pepper, and black pepper. Bring to a boil, stirring only until sugar dissolves. Boil for 1 minute.

Pour the hot marinade over the onions, tomatoes and sweet peppers. Cover the dish and place in the refrigerator for several hours or overnight.

This keeps for several days in the refrigerator.

Chicken Sausage Pepper Orzo Dish

Chicken, sausage, sweet bell peppers, onions, and orzo. This is a one pot dish that is simple and easy to make. It is so delicious. It is especially good when you use the peppers, and onions from your garden.

Ingredients

1 Tbs. olive oil
1  lb  boneless chicken thighs, or 2 breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
3 Italian sausages, spicy or sweet, cut into bite size pieces
1 (29 oz.) can diced tomatoes
2 to 3 sweet bell pepper, diced
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic
3 c. or chicken broth
1 Tbs. tomato paste
2 Tbs. Italian blend seasoning
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 1/2 Tbs. parsley
salt and pepper to taste
2 tsp. sugar
1 1/2 c. uncooked orzo
shredded Parmesan cheese
4 Tbs. ricotta cheese (optional)

Directions

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large pot, over medium high heat.   Add chicken. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Cook and stir until chicken begins to turn opaque.  About 1 to 2 minutes.   

Add the Italian sausages.  Cook and stir until the sausages are browned.

Add peppers, onion,  and garlic. Cook and stir until the onion is translucent.

Stir in the tomato paste, chicken broth, diced tomatoes, Italian blend seasoning, red pepper flakes, parsley, and sugar.  Bring the liquid to a simmer.  Stir in the orzo.  

Reduce heat to medium and cook until the orzo is almost tender and most of the liquid is absorbed.  It can take about 10 to 12 minutes. Stir occasionally to keep the food from sticking on the bottom of the pot. Add salt and pepper to taste, if needed.

Remove from heat.  Stir in the Parmesan cheese. Serve with a dollop of ricotta cheese.

Lemon Red Bell Pepper Blend Seasoning

It is easy to make your own seasoning blends. With a few simple ingredients, you can have your own spice blends in a jar. They will be perfect for seasoning any meal.

It is not really cost-efficient to dry your own lemons unless you have a lot of lemons, or you use them every day. However, it is cost-effective if you are a gardener and have a great harvest of red peppers.  You can dry them easily.

Ingredients

1/2 c. dried lemon peel
2 1/2 Tbs. black pepper
1 Tbs. garlic powder
1 Tbs. onion powder
1 Tbs. salt (optional)
1 Tbs. dried red bell pepper
1/2 to 1 tsp. cayenne pepper (optional)

Directions

Combine dried lemon peel, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder salt, dried red bell, and cayenne pepper together in a food processor, or spice grinder. You can also use a mortar and pestle, rolling pin or wooden mallet to turn the lemon peels and dried red bell peppers into flakes or powder form.  

Process them to the consistency that you like best.

Pour them into a container that has a tight-fitting lid, or you can use a sealable plastic bag. 

Shake to combine.

Note:

You can dry your own lemon peel and red peppers.  It is not really cost-efficient to dry your own lemons unless you have a lot of lemons that you use every day.  If you are a gardener and have a great harvest of red peppers, you can dry them easily. Here's how!

Wash and dry the lemons and red bell peppers. Make sure they are completely dry before going any further. 

Zest the lemons with a microplane grater.  Do not grate off any of the pith because that is very bitter.  If you don't have a microplane grater, you can peel them. For sweet lemons, peel them like you would an orange. Tear or cut the lemon peel into smaller portions. If your lemons are thick-skinned, use a vegetable peeler to remove the outer part of the rind, leaving the white pith.

Prepare peppers for drying by cutting them in half lengthwise. Remove all the pith, or white stuff, along with the seeds. 

Cut  the peppers into thin slices. If you leave them in thick pieces, the slices will not dry properly.  They will become leathery instead of being crisp.

If baking:

Spread out the lemon zest evenly on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Bake on the lowest setting that your oven has. Leave in the oven to dry.  The amount of time varies a great deal.  It could take as little as 30 minutes if you used a microplane grater or several hours to a day if drying the skins.

If using a dehydrator:

Line the dehydrator tray with parchment paper if you used a microplane grater for the lemons. Place the lemon peel or red bell peppers on the rack of the dehydrator. Dehydrate them according to manufacture's directions. It can take 12 to 24 hours for the red bells and lemons to become totally dry.  It really depends on how much humidity is in the air and how much juice your peppers and lemons had in them. 

Make sure they are completely dry before you grind them up. You do not want them to have any softness to them.  They are dry when they are crisp and brittle.

**One red pepper can yield about a 1/4 cup when dried.