Cream Cornbread Casserole

If you do not keep a box of corn muffin mix you can mix this up (which is what I did)  After reviewing several recipes, I also added one egg slightly beaten, you can add green chili's and/or use pepper jack cheese to spice things up a little.

Corn muffin mix recipe  (The Quaker Corn Muffin recipe is on their container of Yellow Corn Meal).

1-1/4  cup flour

3/4     cup Quaker Yellow Corn Meal

1/4     cup sugar

2        teaspoons baking powder

1/2     teaspoon salt

Ingredients
1 (15 1/4-ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
1 (14 3/4-ounce) can cream-style corn
1 (8-ounce) package corn muffin mix (recommended: Jiffy)
1 cup sour cream

1 eggs slightly beaten
1/2 stick butter, melted
1 to 1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl, stir together the 2 cans of corn, corn muffin mix, sour cream, and melted butter. Pour into a greased 9 by 13-inch casserole dish. Bake for 45 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from oven and top with Cheddar. Return to oven for 5 to 10 minutes, or until cheese is melted. Let stand for at least 5 minutes

With out the cheese and the last 10 minutes of cook time.

Mama's Pound Cake Recipe by Paula Dean

This recipe got two thumbs up from everybody that had a taste!  And even better when served with fresh strawberries and/or blueberries.  The only thing I added was 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg.

Mama's Pound Cake Recipe

Ingredients
1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter, plus more for pan
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
3 cups sugar
5 eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pan
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

With a mixer, cream butter and shortening together. Add sugar, a little at a time. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating after each addition. Stir dry ingredients together in a bowl and add to mixer alternately with milk, starting with the flour and ending with the flour. Mix in vanilla. Pour into a greased and floured tube pan and bake for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.

Recipe courtesy Paula Deen

Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/mamas-pound-cake-recipe.html?oc=linkback

Cherry Scones

INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup International Delight White Chocolate Mocha; for brushing scones
1 large egg
1 teaspoon Herring Cherry Liqueur
1/4 teaspoon instant coffee crystals
3 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar plus additional; for sprinkling scones
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon double acting baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
8 tablespoons unsalted butter; cold, cut into bits
3/4 cup dried cherries re-hydrated
(The simplest way to re-hydrate dried cherries is to cover them with hot water and set aside until the fruit softens and plumps. This takes about 30 minutes. A faster method is to sprinkle the fruit with a tablespoon or so of water, and microwave it for a minute until the warm fruit absorbs the moisture and expands.)

DIRECTIONS:
In a bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup of the cream, the egg, coffee crystals and the Liqueur. Into a bowl sift together the flour, 1/2 cup of sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Add the butter and blend the mixture until it resembles coarse meal. Gently stir in the blueberries and add the cream mixture with a fork until the mixture forms a sticky but manageable dough. Knead the dough gently on a lightly floured surface for 30 seconds, pat it into a 3/4-inch-thick round, and cut out 12 wedges or, using a 3-inch cutter, cut out rounds. Transfer the wedges to a lightly greased baking sheet, brush them with the additional cream, and sprinkle them with the additional sugar. Bake the scones in the middle of a preheated 400 degree oven for 15 to 18 minutes, or until they are golden.

I did not re-hydrated the cherries in this recipe.  I will in the future.

This recipe had a little more than 2 cups of flour making them more like a biscuit rather than a scone.  In the recipe I increased the flour to 3 cups.

Traditional Boston Brown Bread

 Link to King Arthur Recipe

This bread was an experiment and test of my skills.  Steaming bread is something I have never tried before.  Honestly, I didn't think it would work AT ALL.  But it did!  I did not have pumpernickel flour on hand, so I used what I had, which was Rye Flour.  I do believe the bread would take on a whole new character with the pumpernickel flour.  In hindsight I could have added instant coffee to darken up the dough and add another layer of flavor.  Next time I will have the correct flour and use Black Strap Molasses!  Also this recipe did not address how to keep the cans from floating in the water bath.  I ended up putting a heavy glass bowl on top of the cans.  Also not mentioned was how long to let the bread cool before taking them out.. I left them sit for about 10 minutes.

The first challenge was finding these!  Metal coffee cans..

This is traditionally served with baked beans because the combination of grains and legumes (beans or peas) produces a protein that is as complete as that in any meat but held together with fiber rather than fat (a real nutritional bonus). It is a cinch to put together, is moist and delicious, and can be eaten with beans (or pea soup! in any form, or even by itself!) The ingredients can be mixed up very fast; the steaming takes about 2 hours.

1 cup whole cornmeal
1 cup pumpernickel flour (I used Rye Flour)
1 cup King Arthur Traditional Whole Wheat Flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup raisins (optional but good)
2 cups buttermilk, nonfat yogurt or sour milk (1cup of milk can be soured with 1 tablespoon of vinegar; let clabber for 5 minutes) (I used Greek Yogurt)
3/4 cup dark, unsulphured molasses

Mix the cornmeal, flours, baking soda, salt and raisins together. Combine the buttermilk and molasses and stir them into the dry ingredients. 

Place the mixture in two greased 1-pound coffee cans or one 2-quart pudding mold, filling them about two-thirds full. Cover these loosely with foil that has been greased on the inside (to prevent sticking) and secure with rubber bands. You can grease the inside lid of the pudding mold as well. 

I had a metal steaming basket that I used to set the cans on.

Place the cans, or mold, in a kettle or saucepan on top of something (crinkled aluminum foil or a stainless steel vegetable steaming insert will do nicely) to keep the can off the bottom of the pan. The kettle should be deep enough so its lid can cover the pudding container(s).

Fill the kettle with boiling water two-thirds of the way up the cans. Cover, bring the water back to a boil, then lower to a simmer. Steam for about 2 hours, adding water if necessary.

This recipe reprinted from The Baking Sheet Newsletter, Vol. III, No. 3, January-February 1992 issue.

German Chocolate Cream Pie

9" Pie

1 recipe Cheerios Chocolate Pie Crust

1-1/2  cups Sugar
1/3     cup Cornstarch
1/2     teaspoon salt
3        cups whole milk
4        each egg yolks, slightly beaten
1        tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon vanilla
2        oz. melted unsweetened chocolate
1        scant teaspoon coffee crystals

Prepare pie crust.  Stir together sugar, cornstarch and salt in saucepan.  Blend milk and egg yolks, gradually stir into sugar mixture.  Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and boils.

Yes the pudding is not perfectly smooth, this does not affect the taste.

Boil and stir 1 minute.  Remove from heat; blend in coffee crystals vanilla and melted chocolate. Immediately pour into pie shell:  press plastic crap onto filling.  Chill pie thoroughly, about 2 hours.

Topping
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup butter, cubed
2 egg yolks
1 cup flaked coconut
1 teaspoon McCormick® Pure Vanilla Extract
1/4 cup chopped pecans

In a small heavy saucepan, combine brown sugar, cream and butter. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Remove from heat.
In a small bowl, whisk a small amount of hot mixture into egg yolks; return all to pan, whisking constantly. Cook 2-3 minutes or until mixture thickens and a thermometer reads 160°, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Stir in coconut, pecans and vanilla; cool 10 minutes.

Carefully pour over chilled filling; sprinkle with additional pecans.

Refrigerate 4 hours or until cold. Yield: 8 servings.

Recipe for the topping from Taste of Home Magazine.

Chocolate Cheerios Pie Crust

This crust goes together in just a few minutes.  Works great when you are out of Graham Crackers for a crust.

2-1/2 to 3 cups Chocolate Cheerios

3 tablespoons Sugar

1 tablespoon  Cocoa

1/2 teaspoon Instant Coffee Crystals

4-5 tablespoons melted butter

Crush Cheerios with a roller or in your food processor.  Add remaining ingredients and mix well.

Press into a 9 inch pie plate. Chill until ready to use.

Hominy Side Dish...(Hotdish)

Adapted from Bush's South Coast Hominy

We had a very wet cool day here in Mid Missouri..  Turning on the oven just sounded like the perfect thing to do...Plus we seem to be on a cheese kick, so any recipe I find that uses cheese or cheese sauce MUST be tried.  "Old Goat" gave this a two thumbs up and he went back for seconds... so.....

Prep: 25 Minutes
Cook: 30 Minutes
Total: 55 Minutes
Servings: 6

1/2 to 3/4 cup chopped onion  (We love onions)
1/2 to 3/4 cup chopped red and/or green pepper
5 tablespoons butter, divided
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground mustard
dash cayenne pepper
1  cup milk
1 cup shredded Sharp Cheddar cheese
1 (15 ounce) can white or yellow hominy, drained reserving 1/4 cup of juice
1/4 teaspoon Louisiana Hot Sauce

1 tablespoon chopped green chili's (Optional)
1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs
In a skillet, saute onion and green pepper in 3 tablespoons butter until tender. Add flour, salt, mustard, cayenne and hot sauce; cook and stir until smooth and bubbly, about 2 minutes. Gradually add milk and hominy juice; bring to a boil. Boil for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Stir in cheese until melted.

Remove from the heat; add hominy and (chopped green chili's) if desired. Pour into a greased 1-1/2-qt. baking dish. 

Melt remaining butter and toss with Panko crumbs and lightly brown in skillet; sprinkle over hominy mixture. 

Bake, uncovered, at 375 degrees F for 30 minutes or until golden.  Let cool for for 10 minutes before serving.

Serbian Baked Cheese and Eggs Recipe - Prijesnac My version..

Original Version

Old Goat Seal of Approval applied....

This recipe does not call for salt and pepper to taste.  Remember that cheeses and butter will have salt.

Makes 6 to 8 servings of Serbian Prijesnac
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 60 minutes

Ingredients:
2 ounces (1/2 stick) melted butter
1 pound Pepper Jack and Sharp Cheddar Cheese grated
1 (16-ounce) container large cottage cheese
2-  5 oz. small cans evaporated milk
8 large beaten eggs
3 oz. cream cheese
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
Preparation:
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish with melted butter.

In a large bowl, mix together remaining ingredients and pour into the prepared pan.

Bake 45 minutes or until golden brown and puffy.

Top with additional grated cheese.

Let cool 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

Cabbage Casserole

This is the lazy cooks adaptation of stuff cabbage rolls.

The recipe starts out just like most cabbage rolls stuffing.  Brown meat with onions and green pepper.

Here's the change, add roughly chopped cabbage, mushrooms and garlic to the meat mixture, stir to combine.

As the cabbage starts to wilt add the uncooked rice, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce and hot sauce.  Stir until mixed well.  I added a can of water to the mixture to make sure the rice had enough moisture to absorb.

Pour mixture into your favorite baking dish and bake for 30 to 45 minutes at 350 degrees When rice is tender the dish is done.

Ingredients

1 lbs ground beef, you could also use a mixture of pork and beef

1 medium onion coarsely chopped

1/2 half green, yellow or red bell pepper coarsely chopped

2 large cloves garlic finally minced

1 cup chopped button mushrooms

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 head cabbage chopped

1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce (I used pre seasoned w/basil, garlic and oregano)

1 can (15 oz.) diced tomatoes

1 can water

1 cup instant whole grain brown rice

Hot sauce to taste, I used 1-1/2 teaspoons.

Pre heat oven to 350 degrees

Crumble and Brown Hamburger, remove hamburger from skilled add onions and mushrooms. Brown onions and add mushrooms continue to cook until mushrooms release their juices.  Add hamburger back to pan and mix.  Add remaining ingredients stir until well combined.  Pour into your favorite baking dish (large) cover and bake for 30-45 minutes until rice is done.  Top with fresh parsley and a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese blend. 

HELLMAN'S PARMESAN CRUSTED CHICKEN

Okay I fell for a TV commercial... Hellmann's has been advertising this recipe on the Tube for a while now.  It's finally cool enough to fire up the old oven and give it a try.  After seeing the ingredients, it looked a little dull. The addition of our favorite Blackened Seasoning gave it just enough favor.  I served with cubed fried sweet potatoes.  The meat came out as juicy as Hellmann's promised.

INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup Hellmann's® or Best Foods® Real Mayonnaise
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
4 tsp. Italian seasoned dry bread crumbs (I used Panko Crumbs)

Blackened Seasoning to taste

DIRECTIONS

First lightly dust chicken with Blackened Seasoning and return to refrigerator for at least an hour.

Preheat oven to 425°.

Combine Hellmann's® or Best Foods® Real Mayonnaise with cheese in medium bowl. 

Arrange chicken on baking sheet. 

Evenly top with Mayonnaise mixture, then sprinkle with bread crumbs and a little more of the Blackened Seasoning.

Bake until chicken is thoroughly cooked, about 20 minutes.

Cherry Mocha Muffins

This recipe is adapted from the Better Crocker Recipe Mocha Muffins.  After reading the reviews I decided to add a little extra flavor to the recipe..turned out great.  Just remember to be generous with the coffee crystals!

2       cups Gold Medal™ all-purpose flour

2       tablespoons unsweetened baking cocoa

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2    teaspoon salt

1/4    teaspoon Cinnamon 

1/4    teaspoon Nutmeg

1/2    teaspoon Almond Extract

1/3    cup packed brown sugar

1       cup milk

1/3    cup vegetable oil

1       generous tablespoon instant coffee granules or crystals

1       egg

1/2    cup dried cherries diced

1/2    cup semisweet chocolate chunks or chips (optional)

Heat oven to 400ºF. Grease bottoms only of 12 regular-size muffin cups (2 1/2x1 1/4 inch) with shortening, or line muffin cups with paper baking cups.
In medium bowl, mix flour, cocoa, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt; set aside. In large bowl, beat brown sugar, almond extract, milk, oil, coffee and egg with fork or wire whisk. Stir in flour mixture just until flour is moistened. Fold in chocolate chunks. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups.
Bake 18 to 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Immediately remove from pan.

Drizzle muffins with a mixture of a teaspoon or two of brewed coffee and a spoonful of Betty Crocker® chocolate frosting.

Pumpkin Cookies

This recipe is from my ancient Betty Crocker Cooky Book.  And after all "tis" the season for all things pumpkin.  Just look at Pinterest...

1-1/2  cups brown sugar (packed)
1/2     cup shortening
2        eggs
1-3/4  cups canned pumpkin
2-3/4  cups Gold Medal Flour
1         tbsp. baking powder (yes that amount is correct)
1         tsp. cinnamon
1/2      tsp. nutmeg
1/2      tsp. salt
1/4      tsp. ginger
1         cup raisins
1         cup chopped pecans

Heat oven to 400 degrees (mod. hot).  Mix sugar, shortening, eggs, and pumpkin thoroughly.  Measure flour by dipping method or by sifting.  Blend dry ingredients; add to pumpkin mixture, stirring until well blended.  Do not over mix, cookies will become tough.  Add raisins and pecans.  Drop batter by teaspoonfuls on ungreased baking sheet.

Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until lightly browned.  Cookies may be iced when cool with a thin butter icing.  Makes about 6 dozen cookies.

I added a Brown Sugar Butter Icing while cookies were still slightly warm to create a glaze.  Finished up with a dusting of cocoa.

NOTE:  If you used self rising flour omit baking powder and salt.

Za’atar

This is used with YaYas-Eurocafe-baba-ganoush

MAKES ABOUT 1/4 CUP

Combine 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh oregano, 1 Tbsp. sumac, 1 Tbsp. ground cumin, and 1 Tbsp. sesame seeds. Stir in 1 tsp. kosher salt and 1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper. DO AHEAD: Can be made 2 weeks ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.

You can find sumac at Middle Eastern markets, specialty foods stores, and wholespice.com.

Snickerdoodle Magic Cake

From Cupcakes to Caviar Recipe

This is my first try at a Magic Cake so...... if it ain't perfect that's okay!

I found this recipe on Pinterest yesterday.  It seemed like the perfect thing to make on a cool end of summer morning.  And I had some heavy cream that I needed to use.  

As you can see my puffed up like crazy and cracked.  This didn't affect the flavor at all.  

Baked in a glass pan for 40 minutes.   I did not line the pan with foil, my bad.
**A Note... I used large eggs with this recipe..If you used large eggs, 3 may be enough.  Also, using heavy whipping cream I would reduce the amount of butter by a couple tablespoons.  Just my opinion...
Here is a link showing several variations to the "Magic Cake"
Jo Cooks Magic Cakes

4 eggs, separated
3/4 teaspoon cream of tarter
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4 cup sugar, divided
2 cups heavy cream, lightly warmed
3/4 cup flour, whisked together with 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon and 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted

1/4 cup powdered sugar mixed with 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon for dusting the top of the cake

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line an 8×8 baking pan with foil and lightly grease the foil.

In a small bowl, at high speed, beat the egg whites with 1/4 cup of the sugar and the cream of tarter until stiff peaks form, about five minutes. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, at high speed, beat together the egg yolks and the remaining sugar until pale yellow and creamy looking.
Mix in the flour mixture. Now, use a whisk to slowly whisk in the warm cream then mix in the butter and finally, fold in the egg whites.
Pour this into the prepared pan and bake at 325 degrees until the top is a nice light golden brown and the top is firm, This is a custard texture desert so the center will still be soft (but not liquid) and you will still see some movements in the center.,this will become solid as it will continue to cook after you take it out the oven  Bake 30 to 45 minutes.
Let cool in the pan until completely cooled  then carefully use the foil to lift the whole thing out onto a board to cut into serving sized pieces. Dust with the powdered sugar/cinnamon mixture. Serve.