Howdy

 Howdy! Y'all are looking at a mighty fine skillet of honey sweet cornbread with Italian sausage, sautéed leeks, a smidgen of herbs (your choice), and a generous drizzle of honey all over this little beauty as it comes out of the oven. I just made my cornbread and topped it with the sausage, leeks, herbs, and honey. Easy peasy! Y'all don't even need a recipe, just do it. It'll be a hunk of wonderful vittles to compliment any breakfast, lunch or dinner meal.  Have a wonderful day and love you all. Visit when you can...Di

 

The Cornmeal Muffin

I’ve been a lot of places in my day and time...sounds like a Willie song. Bell’s Diner in Toccoa, Georgia does seem like a place Willie would stop by. Y’all must stop by too if you’re ever around these Georgia parts. Plate lunches are a meat and three but I usually get all veggies. And, that plain cornbread muffin, just luvin’ it! My favorite muffin recipe of course, is loaded with cheese, onion, and sausage. But, ever once in awhile, a plain Jane corn muffin hits the spot. After all, it ain’t a meal if it doesn’t have cornbread in it! For all you over the top cornbread muffin lovers, here’s my favorite savory cornbread muffin recipe...

Cheesy Cornbread Sausage Muffins with Kickin’ Philly sauce

Black Eyed Pea and Skillet Cornbread for New Year's Day 2018

Hope y'all are having a great New Year's Day today! I know it's been awhile since I've posted but,  I'm still kickin' and lovin' cooking cornbread!

Who's serving black eyed peas for good luck today? Well mine are cookin' as I type. And, what goes with that delicious, tasty ham hock and peas??? You got it. Skillet cornbread. I'm gonna just cook a small skillet up for tonight because I have lots to do this New Year's Day. Like catching up on my blogs I've been neglectin' a teeney bit. But, I have been busy with lots of other good things. Check my blog list to the left of this post or my Twitter feed if you don't believe me! lol I know, I know. It's hard to trust a lady who'll blog about anything. See you soon and let's talk skillet cornbread...

How To Make a Small Skillet of Cornbread...
Preheat Oven to 425 degrees F

1 cup corn meal
1/3 cup all purpose flour
2 ts baking powder
1 ts salt
No sugar today
2 Tb melted butter (*melt in the small skillet)
1 cup buttermilk
1 egg

1. Mix dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Make a well in the middle and add the butter, buttermilk and egg. Mix till blended.
2. Heat the small skillet (*which has left over melted butter residue in it) in the oven till it's nice and hot.
3. Add mixture and bake in oven for 30 minutes.  Pop out onto a pretty plate, cut, and enjoy! 

  

Sweet Potato Stacks

The other night I decided to test a new recipe before Thanksgiving. So tired of that same ole sweet potato casserole dish that nobody seems to eat anymore!

Well, I do declare this recipe was a huge success! These luscious, short stacks were incredible. They are tasty, easy, nutritious, and a nice change from the ordinary. So much fun being different for a bit. Don't you agree?!?!

How To Make Savory Sweet Potato Stacks:

Yield: 12 Stacks  375 F Degrees 

Ingredients

5-6 sweet potatoes, peeled, cut into thin rounds

3-4 tablespoons melted coconut oil

3-4 tablespoons melted butter

3-4 tablespoons Parmesan cheese

3-4 chopped fresh Rosemary 

Salt and pepper to taste

Extra Parmesan cheese and Rosemary for garnish

Directions

1.  Melt coconut oil and butter in a saucepan over low heat. 

2.  Remove from heat and add cheese, Rosemary, salt, and pepper. Mix and set aside.

3.  Peel potatoes, slice into thin rounds, and place in the saucepan with oil and butter mixture. Toss and cover all slices generously. 

4.  Spray a 12 count muffin tin with vegetable spray.  Stack rounds into the individual muffin spots.

5.  Bake at 375 degrees F for about 40-45 minutes or until potatoes are tender and browned.

6.  Remove from oven, sit for about 5 minutes, and then carefully remove stacks to a serving dish.

7.  Garnish with extra cheese and Rosemary. 

Happy Thanksgiving and, by all means don't go changing the cornbread!!! Sweet cornbread dreams to you and yours!  

Love y'all,  Di

Dear Cornbread Diary...

Been watchin' all those Elvis tributes lately. Clambake last night was a hoot. Hard to believe the King has been dead since August,1977. I can still remember the moment I heard the unbelievable news. Dead at 42...

I was a young mom with two small kids and I was heartbroken that I would never make it to one of Elvis'
spectacular concerts I had always dreamed of attending. Procrastination, not a good thing. Do what you want when you are able because that dream could be taken away forever. Here's a special recipe in honor of the King.

How to make an Elvis Cornbread Waffle with Bacon Brittle, Grilled Banana, & Peanut Butter Sauce...Serves 2

First Do the Bacon...

Ingredients:

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

6 slices bacon

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

2.  In a large plastic zip-top bag, combine brown sugar and mustard. Add bacon and toss to coat.

3.  Remove bacon, cut in half, and place on a lined baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper. Do not roast without foil or paper (see third pic below.) Roast in oven for 20 minutes. Drain grease from pan, lay bacon onto a plate (do not drain on paper towels because bacon will set up crispy and stick to paper products) and set aside. Crumble when cooled.

For the Peanut Butter Sauce...

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1/2 cup cold water 

1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce 

1/2 cup smooth peanut butter

1/4 cup brown sugar 

1 tablespoon white vinegar 

2 teaspoons sesame oil 

1 cup warm water 

Directions:

1.  Dissolve the cornstarch in 1/2 cup of cold water; set aside.

2.  Whisk together the soy sauce, peanut butter, brown sugar, white vinegar, sesame oil, and 1 cup warm water in a small saucepan over medium heat; simmer and stir until sugar has dissolved. 

3. Stir in the cornstarch mixture; simmer until the sauce is thick, 1 or 2 minutes and set aside.

For the Grilled Bananas...

Ingredients:

2 bananas, firm

2 Tablespoons lemon juice

2 Tablespoons brown sugar 

Butter and skillet for frying

Directions:

1. Slice bananas length wise.

2. Sprinkle with lemon juice. Coat with brown sugar.

3.  Heat butter on high and fry bananas 1 1/2 minutes on each side. Set aside.

Last the Wafflle...

Ingredients:

1 box Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix

1 egg

2 Tablespoons shortening, melted

3/4 cup milk

Directions:

1.  Preheat waffle iron (or griddle to make pancakes if you have no iron) to 350-375 degrees F.

2. Mix ingredients till large lumps disappear.

3.  Spray iron (or griddle) and pour batter.  Waffle is done when iron stops steaming.

For the Assembly...

1. Slather waffle with Peanut Butter Sauce and save the left over in fridge to use as an ice cream topper or dressing on an Asian salad.

2.  Next comes the banana...watch out, it could fall apart on you while removing from skillet. 

3.  Last but not least, mound the crispy, crumbled bacon brittle in a heap on top.

Note...don't bother to brittle the bacon, just fry plain, tastes just as good. All the sweets with the savory cornmeal waffle are especially wonderful.

Until next time sweet Diary, long live the memory of Elvis and may all your cornbread dreams come true Love, Di

Dear Cornbread Diary...

I am up to my sweet little pierced Southern ears in OKRA!!! So happy I love those little green pods. And we all know, down in the South, okra and cornbread is a match made in cornbread heaven. It's a sin to have one without the other. 

Will be servin' up some Stewed Okra and Tomatoes tonight with my Arkansas Golden Silver Dollars. So sorry y'all can't be here to enjoy these green delicacies and golden rounds...but I do have the recipes for you just below.

How to make Stewed Okra and Tomatoes...

Ingredients:

3 Tablespoons oil

1 medium onion, chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

2 cups okra pods, frozen

1/2 cup water

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1 (14.5 oz) crushed tomatoes 

2 tomatoes, fresh and diced

Directions:

1.  Heat oil over medium heat in a large skillet.

2.  Add onion and sauté for 2 minutes.

3.  Add remainder of ingredients, turn down heat to a simmer, and stew for 20 minutes.

How to make Arkansas Golden Silver Dollars...

Ingredients:

1/2 cup yellow corn meal

1/4 cup whole wheat flour

1/4 cup wheat bran

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 large egg

1/2 cup buttermilk OR soured milk (to sour milk, add about 1 tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice to regular milk and stir until it is lumpy)

oil and skillet for frying

Directions:

1.  Mix all of the ingredients together in a small bowl, batter will be thick

2.  Drop by tablespoonfuls into hot oil at medium heat on stovetop

3.  Fry until puffy and golden brown, turning only once.

Scrumptious! Serve hot!

Until next time darlin' Diary, may all your cornbread dreams come true...Love, Di

Dear Cornbread Diary...

Every summer 'bout this time of year I am so full to the brim of luscious homegrown tomatoes and I always make a dreamy Tomato Tart with my harvest. Maybe some Whole Fried Okra to accompany it. Red and green, my favorite colors from the garden. Yummy! Check my fave tart recipe below and my previous post for that delightful fried okra.

Until next time sweet Diary, may all your cornbread dreams come true...Love, Di

How to make a Tomato Tart...

Ingredients: 

2 prepackaged 9 inch pie crusts

4 large Beefsteak tomatoes, sliced, peeled, & cored 

Salt

1/4 cup mayo

4 teaspoons cornstarch

1 1/2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar 

4 scallions, sliced thinly

Directions:

1. Arrange tomatoes on paper towel-lined baking sheet and sprinkle with salt. Let drain 30 minutes, then press tomatoes with additional paper towels until very dry.

2. Put one pie crust in 9 inch pie pan. I use a glass pie pan. Seems the glass generates the heat better resulting in a perfectly flaked crust. 

3. Adjust oven rack to lowest position and preheat to 450 degrees. Mix mayonnaise, cornstarch, and 1 cup cheese in bowl until well combined. Sprinkle remaining cheese over bottom of dough-lined pie plate. Arrange third of tomatoes over cheese. Spread half of mayonnaise mixture over tomatoes and sprinkle with half of scallions. Layer with another third of tomatoes, remaining mayonnaise mixture, and remaining scallions, then top with remaining tomatoes.

4. Arrange top crust on pie. Press crusts together, then trim, fold, and crimp edges. Cut four vent holes in top. Place pie on rimmed baking sheet, bake for 10 minutes, then lower oven temperature to 325 degrees and bake until crust is golden brown, about 55 minutes. Cool on wire rack at least 3 hours. Serve at room temperature.