by Marsha | Feb 18, 2009 | Breads, Budget Friendly, Main Dishes, Vegetarian Recipes |
Cornbread is the most versatile bread on the planet! A unit of cornbread is called a “Pone”, not a loaf. It’s easy to make and you can add ingredients you like to the batter. There is almost no way to mess it up! It is a great bread with any dish and travels well too. But let’s start with the basic bread. Lets start by preparing the pan. There are a couple of different ways that I prepare my skillet and which one I choose depends on how busy I am that day. 1. On an average day when things aren’t quite as hectic, I preheat my pan. Place it in a 400 degree F oven for 10 to 15 minutes while I prepare the cornbread mixture. Timing is everything with this method. You want the skillet hot when you are finished mixing the ingredients. Bring the skillet out of the oven and take a heaping tablespoon of shortening and move it around the sides of the skillet. It will melt and run down to the bottom of the pan. This gets the sides and the bottom well oiled for baking. Once the pan has been greased, then add about a teaspoon of dry cornmeal…that’s right, just cornmeal. This gives the outside of your bread a little crunch. Next you immediately dump in your cornbread mixture before the pan cools and return it to the oven. 2. On a hectic day I grab some shortening with a paper towel or just with my hand and give the unheated skillet a good smear. With this method you have to...
by Marsha | Dec 3, 2008 | Budget Friendly, Vegetarian Recipes |
My grandmother used to fix her green beans this way when i was growing up. There is nothing formal or fancy about this dish. It’s just delicious! 4 cups raw snapped green beans 10 new potatoes* 3 cups water 2 teaspoons kosher salt Place beans, water, and salt in a large sauce pan on top of the stove. Wash and scrub potatoes until thoroughly cleaned. Peel the center of the potato all the way around. Put the potatoes in with beans and bring to a boil. Once the pot is boiling, reduce heat to medium and and loosely place the lid on. Continue to cook until potatoes are fork tender and beans are done. Variation: My grandmother also cooked her beans with a small 2 inch square hunk of fat back in them for flavor. Try this variation for truly authentic southern taste. Fat back is salted pork. *New potatoes are simply that. Potatoes freshly harvested so they may be seasonal in some areas. They usually come in a small bag and are small red...
by Marsha | Nov 10, 2008 | Breads, Breakfast / Brunch, Budget Friendly, Vegetarian Recipes |
You have not lived until you have tasted one of these biscuits! Just think of soft warm bread with the slight tang of buttermilk topped with a your favorite jelly or just a pat of butter….they’re good! 4 1/2 cups all purpose flour 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon salt 1/3 cup vegetable shortening 3 Tablespoons butter cut into small cubes 2 to 2 1/4 cups buttermilk or enough to form a soft dough melted butter for brushing on top of biscuits Directions: Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly spray or grease 2 round cake pans or one large baking sheet pan, set aside. In a large mixing bowl, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt with a whisk until well blended . Cut in shortening and butter with pastry cutter until it is the size of peas. Add 2 cups buttermilk and stir. Slowly add more buttermilk (if needed). Dough will be sticky. Generously flour a piece of waxed paper or cutting board and turn your dough out onto it. Do not kneed. Simply dust the top lightly with flour and pat dough out to 1/2 to 3/8 inch thickness. You can roll the dough out with a rolling pin if you prefer. Cut biscuits with a biscuit cutter and place onto a greased baking pan. Be sure to place biscuits so that they touch each other in the pan. This helps them rise higher as they push up against each other. Brush lightly with butter to help with browning. Bake in the oven for roughly 20 to 25 minutes or until top is...
by Marsha | Sep 4, 2008 | Breads, Vegetarian Recipes |
This is the basic recipe for hush puppies. You can make variations by adding 1 finely chopped jalapeno pepper or 1 can diced green chilies. I think sometimes simple is best and this basic recipe is really good. 1-1/2 cups white corn meal 1 cup Buttermilk 1/2 teaspoon salt 3/4 cup self-rising flour 1 egg 1/4 cup chopped onion Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Fry hush puppies by dropping by rounded Tablespoons into hot oil. Be sure to turn them at least once so they will brown all over. Drain in colander or on a cooling rack with pan underneath when removed from oil then transfer them to paper towel lined bowl for serving. Variation: If you like spicy foods, try adding one seeded and chopped jalapeno to the mix. ~Marsha...
