CAST IRON SKILLET CORN BREAD

This corn bread recipe is soooo good! If you like moist, slightly sweet corn bread this recipe is definitely for you. I got this recipe from Food Network, it was listed under Paula Deen....duh of course it's good! Give this one a try, I know you won't regret it!

Cast Iron Skillet Corn Bread:
(Food Network, Paula Deen)

1 1/4 cups coarsely ground cornmeal
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/3 cup whole milk
1 cup buttermilk
2 eggs, lightly beaten
8 tbs unsalted butter, melted

Preheat oven to 425 degrees and place a 9-inch cast iron skillet inside to heat while you make the batter. In a large bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Whisk in the milk, buttermilk, and eggs. Whisk in almost all of the melted butter, reserving about 1 tbs for the skillet later on. Carefully remove the hot skillet from the oven. Reduce oven temp. to 375 degrees. Coat the bottom and sides of hot skillet with the remaining butter. Pour the batter into the skillet and place it in the center of the oven. Bake until center is firm and a cake tester or toothpick comes out clean. About 20-25 minutes.

QUICK AND EASY BREAD BOWLS

Do you like soups, stews, or chili's in a bread bowl, but never have the time to make them from scratch?  Well this post is for you!  Rhodes has a line of frozen bread dough that you can buy in rolls or loaves.  You can use either for this recipe, but I use the loaves.

To make your bread bowls, place your loaves on a greased baking sheet.  Each loaf will make 2 bread bowls.  Follow the thawing directions on the bag.  When the loaves are thawed completely, use a knife and cut each one in half.  Round each piece of dough into a ball.  Place back on your greased baking sheet.  Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes, or until golden brown.

Mmmmmmm......Potato soup!!!!  These bread bowls can also be used for dips.  you can make them any size you want, just cut the dough as big or little as you like.  For more ideas using Rhodes frozen dough you can go to their website www.rhodesbread.com .  Hope you try this one out!

TACO CASSEROLE & MEXICAN CORN MUFFINS

Several years ago there was a show on GAC (Great American Country) called Celebrity Kitchen. I loved this show, and watched it regularly. This was a recipe submitted by country singer Steve Holy. It quickly became a family favorite. Below this recipe is a recipe for Mexican Corn Muffins I found on Food.com. I did adjust it just a bit to suit our taste, but they are soooo good and moist! Hope you give both of these recipes a try, I'm sure your family will enjoy them as much as we do!

1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1 medium onions, chopped
1/2 teaspoon fresh garlic, minced
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can red enchilada sauce
1 15-ounce can ranch style beans, drained
1 bag doritos
1 large bag shredded cheese of your choice

Brown meat, chopped onion and garlic. Drain and return to pan. Add soup, enchilada sauce, beans and mix. Layer as follows in a 9x13 pan or casserole dish. Doritos, slightly crushed (just enough to cover bottom of pan) 1/2 of the meat mixture, 1/2 of the cheese, then repeat the layers ending with the rest of the cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes.



Mexican Corn Muffins:

1 cup yellow cornmeal
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 tbs sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 (8 3/4oz) can cream-style corn
1/3 cup chopped onions
1 small can diced green chilis, or diced jalapenos
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

In a mixing bowl, combine the first 5 ingredients. In another bowl, combine the remaining ingredients. Add to the dry ingredients and stir just until moistened. Pour into a greased 9 inch square baking pan or a 10 inch oven-proof skillet. (I used a muffin pan) Bake at 350 degrees or until bread is golden brown and tests done. (The muffins took about 20-25 minutes)

CARAMEL APPLE CINNAMON ROLLS

I was just browsing through some of my favorite food blogs, when I came upon this yummy sounding recipe!  CARAMEL APPLE CINNAMON ROLLS.   Thought I would share the link with you.  We are going to the apple orchard tomorrow, so I will probably be making this recipe soon!  I will let you know how it turns out, and post a picture and the recipe again then.  Enjoy!

 http://annies-eats.com/2010/09/30/caramel-apple-cinnamon-rolls/

HAPPY FALL Y'ALL!!!

Wow, it's been a long, long, summer for me! We built a new deck, planted a garden, then came the picking veggies, canning salsa and relish, freezing corn squash and tomatoes, and finally....last but not least....VACATION!!!! Whew, busy, busy, busy, but now that summer is almost over, and fall is on it's way....it's time to get back to cooking!!! I am so ready for fall foods like apples, pumpkin, soups, chili, and let's not forget the CANDY CORN!! I just love fall and all the yummy foods it brings with it.

Yesterday I realized I had 5 small bananas that were....well let's just say they needed to be used, and of course that means only one thing.....BANANA BREAD!!! I found two recipes I have saved in my computer recipe files. I had enough bananas to make a batch of each. I couldn't remember which one I liked the best, so why not. I even made one round in muffin cups, and another in mini muffin cups. In the end, both recipes turned out really good. Maybe that's why I kept both recipes. I like the creaminess of the CREAMY BANANA BREAD, but I like the the taste of the pineapple in the HAWAIIAN BANANA BREAD. Hmmmmm...maybe I can build on that...I'll get back to you on that idea. So anyway these are the two recipes I am sharing with you today. I hope you give them both a try!
HAPPY FALL Y'ALL!!!

Creamy Banana Bread:

1/2 cup margarine, softened

1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened
1 1/4 cups white sugar
2 eggs
1 cup mashed banana
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup chopped, pecans
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Cream the butter and cream cheese together. Gradually add the white sugar, and continue beating until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in the mashed bananas and vanilla. Add flour, baking powder, and soda; mix until batter is just moist. In a small bowl, mix together chopped pecans, brown sugar and cinnamon. Divide 1/2 batter into two greased and floured loaf pans. Sprinkle pecan mixture over batter and top with remaining batter. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.
**This recipe is pictured as 2 loaves.


Hawaiian Banana Bread:

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup chopped, nuts
3 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
2 cups mashed, ripe bananas
1 8-ounce can crushed pineapple, drained
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Combine dry ingredients. Stir in nuts and set aside. Combine remaining ingredients; add to dry ingredients, stirring just until moistened. Spoon batter into greased and floured 9x9x3 inch loaf pans. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 1 hour or until done. Cool 10 minutes before removing from pans. Remove to wire racks; cool completely. This recipe makes a really moist bread.

**This recipe is pictured as muffins and mini muffins, but can also be made in 2 loaves.

"JIFFY" CORNBREAD

For those of you who like Jiffy Cornbread, you will LOVE this recipe. I have tried several recipes that claim to be the same as Jiffy, but none have even come close. This one is the closest I have ever found. The only difference, is that it didn't seem to be as sweet as Jiffy. So the next time I make this, I will add a little extra sugar, and see if that does the trick! Overall, it is really good cornbread.

"Jiffy" Cornbread

1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 cup flour
4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup milk
1 egg
1/4 cup oil

Combine cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add milk, egg, and oil. Beat until fairly smooth. Bake in a greased 8" square round pan in preheated oven (425 degrees) for 20-25 minutes.

GARLIC TOAST

So, this morning, I made Strawberry Cream Cheese Filled French Toast, which required me to buy a whole loaf of Texas Toast that I don't normally use. Luckily, tonight we had Spaghetti & Meatballs for supper, and I was out of the frozen garlic bread! At the last minute, I decided to whip up some garlic butter, and use up some of that Texas Toast, but I didn't have a recipe so I just made one up. Believe it or not it was really good! I was very proud of myself. Now the rest of that Texas Toast won't go to waste! Here is the recipe I came up with. (This Garlic Toast is pictured with the Spaghetti & Meatballs recipe)

1 stick butter, softened
1/2 tbs. minced garlic
2 tbs. grated parmesan cheese
1 tsp. garlic seasoned salt
1 tsp. Italian seasoning(I use the kind with a grinder)
Texas Toast

Blend all ingredients together, and spread on both sides of Texas Toast. Place under broiler, and broil until the top is browned. Turn over and do the same with the other side. Be careful and watch closely because it will burn fast!