It's Sausage Gravy and Biscuits Time

 

I remember the commercials on TV with the catchy little song way back when we’d visit Mom and Dad after they retired and moved back to Ohio:  

“Bob Evans, down on the farm..."

 

Tasty Banana Bread with Dried Cherries

 

Tweaking a classic banana bread 

works for me, 

particularly when 

dried cherries are in the mix!

 

 

As bananas ripen to their prime squishiness ~ when they are barely yellow ~ but streaked with black and brown, even solid black, that’s the time to make banana bread.  

 

Southern Fried (Baked) Chicken ~ à la Blue Bloods

Bubba knows my weaknesses ~ 

cookbooks and “Blue Bloods!”  

 He surprised me with this 

great cookbook 

for Christmas and I could tell 

this "fried" baked chicken recipe 

would be a winner!

Southern cooks and barbecue pitmasters may want to skip right past this recipe, because it’s a bit of a Southern cooking sacrilege, per The Blue Bloods Cookbook.

SAVORY BUTTERMILK CORNBREAD

 

Remember the old 

Southern saying, 

“If there’s sugar in the cornbread, 

there’s a Yankee  

in the kitchen!” 

My trusty iron skillet is older than dirt

If you’re looking for a sweet cornbread, you won’t find it here; in my way of thinking, real cornbread is not sweet.  This is southern-style corn bread, plenty of buttermilk and sour cream, and not a touch of sugar.  This is some tasty cornbread ~ just ask Bubba...

Breaded Pork Loin Chops in the Air Fryer

Who knows what season it is here, a/c one day, heat the next, it's chilly and stormy and not grilling weather...

Yes, that's Kraft M&C

So that means air fryer ~ here's another meat that is great when cooked in the air fryer! Pork chops make for a tasty family meal with easy clean-up when made in the air fryer. I've said it before how much I like this small appliance.

Woo hoo! It's Moist and Easy Cornbread Time!

I’m passionate about cornbread ~ I've tested a lot of cornbread recipes, and I’ve learned one thing about it ~ many other people get worked up about it also!

There is quite the debate as to how it should be prepared...

It’s either about the type of cornmeal:  stone ground or not; yellow or white?   

OR...
How much flour?  

How many eggs should I add?  

Which is better:  milk, buttermilk, or sour cream?  

Should I make it with butter, lard, Crisco or bacon grease?

Contaminate it with sugar, or not, or how about honey?  

Bake it in a cast iron skillet or baking tin?

And, finally ~ a 375° or 425° oven? 

In other words, give it to me if you’re not!

Presidents even reacted to it:  George Washington started by savoring hoe cakes, a simple corn bread fried in shallow grease.   

During James Polk’s presidency, of a trip to New Orleans, he wrote that "all the dishes were prepared in the French style of cooking, and to one unaccustomed to it it was difficult to tell of what they were composed... I took a cup of coffee and something on my plate to save appearances, but was careful to eat none of it.  As soon as an opportunity offered, I asked a servant in a low tone if he could give me a piece of corn-bread and broiled ham."¹

James Polk

Abraham Lincoln  loved corn cakes, and it was said he ate them “as fast as two women could make them.”   

Way back in the 1920's, Warren Harding and Calvin Coolidge preferred to start their day with corn muffins.  Herbert Hoover loved fried cornmeal mush, and so do I, almost as much as cornbread! 

Warren Harding

Herbert Hoover

Calvin Coolidge

As a matter of fact, cornbread was served in some of the White House’s more formal settings.   Franklin D. Roosevelt served it at a 1939 state dinner for King George VI.

Franklin D. Roosevelt

King George VI

On to the 40's, when farm boy Harry Truman had simple tastes; he favored his cornbread with sorghum molasses bought on trips home to Missouri.  We've often heard, John F. Kennedy was a small eater and nearly always had to be reminded it was dinner time, with corn muffins being his favorite.  Peanut farmer Jimmy Carter liked dining on corn fritters at the Carter family's big weekend breakfasts.

Harry Truman

Jimmy Carter

 

Then there's Paula Deen!  

 Thanks to her for this cornbread recipe!

Paula Deen’s Moist and Easy Cornbread

Flour and cornmeal

ready for the oven

It's a truly Southern melt-in-your mouth cornbread ~ especially when it's piping hot out of the oven with butter melting on it!

Give it a try!

Author: PamPin it

Moist and Easy Cornbread

This is a true Southern cornbread ~ melt-in-your-mouth good ~ especially when it's straight from the oven, slathered with butter, thanks to Paula Deen's recipe!

prep time: 15 MINScook time: 25 MINStotal time: 40 mins

Ingredients:

• 6 tablespoons melted, plus butter for baking dish unsalted butter
• 1 cup cornmeal
• 3/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 large lightly beaten eggs
• 1 1/2 cups buttermilk

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 425º. Lightly grease an 8-inch baking dish.

In a large bowl, mix together the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

In a separate bowl, mix together the eggs, buttermilk and butter. Pour the buttermilk mixture into the cornmeal mixture and fold together until there are no dry spots (the batter will still be lumpy). Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish.

Bake until the top is golden brown and tester inserted into the middle of the corn bread comes out clean, about 20 to 25 minutes. Remove the cornbread from the oven and let it cool for 10 minutes before serving.

¹As quoted in Mark Eaton Byrnes' James K. Polk:  A Biographical Companion



Enjoy!

The Only Cornbread Recipe You'll Need: Dragonwagon's Skillet-Sizzled Corn Bread!

She, Crescent Dragonwagon, that is, came to understand, cornbread “not only is hot, just baked cornbread delicious, it evokes ~ powerfully ~ the heart, soul, and taste of home.”

Amen!  CORNBREAD, I love cornbread!

After making this cornbread, I know why it was the single most requested recipe at the Dairy Hollow House in Eureka Springs, Arkansas!

I’ve tried what seems like a ton of cornbread recipes and I’ve made more than one from this great cookbook by Crescent Dragonwagon.  I’m just trying to figure out what took me so darn long to make this one!

Crescent Dragonwagon is her real name ~ read here ~ or buy her great cookbook, if you want to know more about it.

Dragonwagon’s cookbook, The Cornbread Gospels, is a surprising eccentric read, filled with curious antidotes and tales along the cornbread trail from the Appalachians to the Rockies to the Green Mountains.  I was hooked from the beginning to the end ~ this is just not a recipe book to take up space on your kitchen counter, it’s at home in any room.

Here’s a sample of what Crescent Dragonwagon has to say about this cornbread:

"This is the cornbread I served when I owned and ran Dairy Hollow House; it was its single most requested recipe.  It is the first Southern food I ever learned to fix and the one that started me on my cornbread journey.  I learned how to make it in the Fort Greene section of Brooklyn, New York, in 1969, when I was very young and living in a brownstone with 7 other people.  Viola, the soft-spoken lady friend of a kind neighbor, taught it to me.  Viola was from Georgia, and it was she who initiated me into baking cornbread in an already-hot skillet.”

Cornbread batter over sizzling butter-oven ready!

To me, the secret of this recipe may just be the already-hot skillet that’s filled with melting butter that’s brought to a sizzle.  And stone-ground cornmeal only makes the bread even better.  If you’ve been around my blog a while, you know it’s stone-ground cornmeal and grits in my kitchen.

This cornbread truly surprised me, and Bill too.  It is simply delicious!

Thank you, Crescent Dragonwagon for the great recipe, great cookbook!

Author: Pam

Dairy Hollow House Skillet-Sizzled Cornbread

This cornbread recipe, courtesy of Crescent Dragonwagon, is the best you will ever make! Use stone-ground cornmeal for a crispy crust, made in a sizzling iron skillet. It is my "go-to" cornbread recipe!

prep time: 15 MINScook time: 20 MINStotal time: 35 mins

INGREDIENTS

• Vegetable oil cooking spray
• 1 cup unbleached white flour
• 1 cup stone-ground yellow cornmeal
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt (I added ½ teaspoon)
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• 1¼ cups buttermilk
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 egg
• ¼ cup mild vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons butter, or mild vegetable oil

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 375°.
2. Spray a 10-inch cast iron skillet with oil and set aside.
3. Sift together flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl.
4. In a smaller bowl, stir baking soda into the buttermilk.
5. Whisk in the sugar, egg and the ¼ cup oil.
6. Put the prepared skillet over medium heat, add the butter, and heat until butter melts and is just starting to sizzle.
7. Tilt the pan to coat sides and bottom.
8. Pour wet ingredients into the dry and combine them quickly, using as few strokes as possible.
9. Scrape batter into prepared pan and bake the cornbread until it is golden brown, about 20 minutes.
10. Let cool for a few moments, and slice into wedges to serve.

This cornbread is the créme de la créme of cornbread! 

Enjoy!

Peachy Keen Classic Cobbler

It was a warm summertime day, didn't matter!  I cranked up the oven because there were hungry mouths here salivating for a sweet treat!

It all started when Bill and I saw that the farmers’ market still had a plethora of peaches…

I got the peaches, tossed them with sugar and spice, spread them in a baking dish, dropped spoonfuls of dough over the top and baked it up.  Easy as pie!

Simply put, a cobbler is a casserole of baked, syrupy sweet fruit with some sort of pastry topping. 

To the peaches and sugar, I added a touch of cardamom for its distinctive sweet and savory taste.  You know the spice, it’s a longtime staple that  Swedish bakers use in a lot of confectionaires, like my Swedish MIL did.  

Next, I stirred in small amount cinnamon along with a splash of lemon juice to balance the sweetness of the mixture.

But ~ the secret to this great tasting cobbler is all about the orange zest in the biscuit topping.  It’s a surprising aromatic addition that will make everyone at your dinner table smile.

This cobbler delivers a crisp and tender crust with sweet jammy fruit underneath.  Serve it with a scoop of ice cream or dollop of whipped cream, or not, serve it warm or room temperature, whichever you like.

Drop-dead delicious, for sure ~ it’s probably the best reason to turn on the oven in the summer!

Enjoy!

Yield:  8 servingsAuthor:  Pam

Peachy Keen Cobbler

This cobbler bakes up into a crisp and tender crust with sweet jammy fruit underneath.

 

 

INGREDIENTS:

For the filling:

• 1/2 cup Splenda (or sugar)
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 8 cups sliced peaches, about 10-12 medium-sized peaches

For the topping:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup Splenda (or sugar)
• 2 teaspoons orange zest
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 heaping teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teasppon baking soda
• 3 tablespoons cold butter
• 3/4 cup buttermilk

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 375°.
2. In a large bowl, mix sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon and cardamom.
3. Add peaches and lemon juice, toss well to combine.
4. Transfer to an 11x7-inches baking dish that has been coated with cooking spray.
5. In a small bowl, whisk the first six topping ingredients; cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
6. Add buttermilk, stir just until moistened.
7. Drop dough by tablespoonfuls over peaches in baking dish.
8. Bake 25-30 minutes or until topping is golden brown.
9. Serve warm or room temperature.

 

Cheesy Smashed Potatoes with Garlic and Chives with Snow

I’m a potato lover from way back, but not crazy about mashed potatoes; even Mom’s years ago.  Mom always got rave reviews for her mashed potatoes and she never allowed any one else in her kitchen to assist in the process.  I never knew her secret for them… 

On the other hand, Bill loves lumpy mashed potatoes like his mom used to make.  I could tolerate them a little better since there was more texture to them.  Then along came smashed potatoes.  

Smashed potatoes are perfect for us!  I like the consistency and Bill gets the lumps!  This is a great side dish of cheesy smashed potatoes flavored with garlic and chives.  

There is a plethora of ways to make smashed potatoes and this is our favorite.  Simply delicious potatoes!

Cheesy Smashed Potatoes with Garlic and Chives   

Ingredients:

                                                                                                                      

4 Idaho baking potatoes, peeled or unpeeled and cut into cubes

3 garlic cloves, quartered

1/3 cup warm buttermilk

½ cup shredded Cheddar cheese

1 tablespoon chopped chives

¼ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon seasoned pepper

Method:

Place potatoes and garlic in large saucepan, adding enough water to cover and bring to a boil.

Boil gently 15 to 20 minutes until potatoes break apart easily when pierced with fork.  Drain well.

Return potatoes and garlic to saucepan.

Shake saucepan gently over low heat for 1 or 2 minutes to evaporate any excess moisture.

Mash potatoes and garlic with back of spoon or potato masher, leaving some potato pieces in chunks.

Add all remaining ingredients and mix gently.

YUM!

By the way, we have 6” of very heavy wet snow this morning and we just got rid of some of it…

If it's 80 degrees and sunny where you are, I wish we were there with you!

Be sure to visit my friend, Linda’s blog @My Kind of Cooking for great tips and recipes.   She’s having an awesome giveaway now!

Cherry Muffins and Marshall Field’s

RIP, Marshall Field’s!

Well, I don’t know when I clipped this from the “Heirloom Cooking” column in the Chicago Tribune, but I do know it was before August 30, 2005 because the prize for printing a reader’s recipe was a gift certificate for $25 to Marshall Field’s department store.  

Marshall Field's on State Street, Chicago, note the clock!

It infuriated many area people when Marshall Field’s doors closed on that August day to become Macy’s.  Its massive retail store at State and Washington Streets in the Loop—built in stages between 1893 and 1915—occupied an entire city block and was one of the world's largest retail buildings.

A fun Christmas time outing was to go to Marshall Field’s on State Street to take in its gorgeous animated holiday window displays.

Then, off for a delicious lunch in the wood paneled Walnut Room; seating 450 diners, under crystal chandeliers ~ surrounded by imported dark Russian wood paneling.  

While enjoying lunch, the diner had an up-close view of the 45-foot tall Christmas tree with over 1,000 ornaments in the center of the dining room.   

Walnut Room at Christmas time

45 foot Christmas tree in the Walnut Room

Actually, Marshall Field’s is credited with the tea room concept. 

Back in the 1800’s, ladies shopping in the city had to return home for lunch, as being unescorted by a gentleman was frowned upon and not ladylike.  

One day, a Marshall Field’s clerk shared her chicken pot pie lunch with a tired shopper; providing Marshall Field’s the concept of opening a lunch/tea room.  

Hence, the Walnut Room opened in 1907, allowing ladies to shop and enjoy lunch with friends; a place for ladies to socialize.  

That chicken pot pie became “Mrs. Herring’s Pot Pie” and is still served there today filled with tender white meat chicken, peas and carrots in veloute sauce, hidden just below a thick puff pastry!

On the menu, in later times, you would see Peach Nest, the famous chicken salad in a nest of shoestring potatoes, with peaches,  grapes, strawberries, and a trio of bread  ~ plus, coconut shrimp, skewered to a chunk of pineapple and dipped into sesame-mango and chipotle-cream sauces. 

Also, Spinach Ricotta Ravioli, with asparagus, smoked tomatoes, garlic, basil, Parmesan cheese and chili flakes, in a light roasted yellow pepper sauce.  

Then, to top off  the meal:  a dessert of another Chicago classic ~ the Frango mint chocolate ice cream pie!  Heavenly!!!

I could go on and on, but seeing this recipe for Cherry Muffins brought back great memories of the most magnificent store you could imagine and there are still rallies occasionally to bring back the old Marshall Field’s!   That would be dreams come true for thousands of shoppers, including me!

Back to the muffin recipe:  Even though the fresh tart cherry season is over here, this recipe adapts well to frozen or canned cherries.  The muffins are moist and flavorful with the cherries, cinnamon and cloves blended together. 

This is a delicious fruity muffin to enjoy with your morning cup of coffee, for afternoon tea time or a tasty treat any time of the day. I hope you bake them!

All ready for baking

Cherry Muffins

Ingredients:

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon each:  ground cinnamon, baking soda

¼ teaspoon ground cloves

1 stick (½-cup) butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1 cup buttermilk

2 cups fresh or frozen pitted sour cherries

Method:

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Sift together the flour, cinnamon, baking soda and clove; set aside.

Beat butter and sugar with a mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy; beat in egg until smooth.

Reduce mixer speed to medium-low.

Alternate mixing in the flour mixture and the buttermilk to batter, beating just until combined.

Fold in the cherries.

Fill lined muffin tin three-quarters full with batter.

Bake until a tester tests clean, about 35 minutes.

Cool on wire rack.

Yield:  12 muffins

Love these cherry muffins!