Aahhh Asparagus

I was born and raised, not just in The South, but in The Deep South. Deeper than deep. Central and southwest Louisiana Deep. I grew up with Southern Vegetables. Purple hull peas, butter beans, sweet corn, green beans, yellow crook-neck squash, green bell peppers, tomatoes and cucumbers. The only asparagus I was ever exposed to was the canned variety, which I thought Smelled. Bad. So I never ate asparagus of any type until just a couple of years ago. Just by chance I ordered a meal in a restaurant that came with grilled seasonal vegetables. Asparagus was the vegetable of the moment, and I became a convert. Not to cooking it, but to eating it. Not the canned variety, I still think it smells bad, and tastes worse. But beautiful fresh asparagus, cooked by other, more skilled hands. I had it grilled, steamed, and sauteed with butter and lemon juice. It was wonderful.

I started paying attention when my favorite cooking shows made anything with asparagus, but still I deferred. Finally my mom and I got brave. I told her I would buy it if she would help me cook it. We made it for a family dinner, lightly roasted in a convection oven, with a little olive oil, and some butter and lemon put on it at the end. It, too, was wonderful.



This weekend I finally broke down and cooked fresh asparagus, all by my big girl self. I used a little bit of olive oil, some kosher salt, a little lemon pepper seasoning, and little butter added right at the end.

I sauteed this about 5-6 minutes. The asparagus I had was really young (skinny) and tender, and I think--I know--I overcooked it a little waiting for the rolls to cook. But, even though the bud ends were a bit limp, it still tasted wonderful.

I paired it with pan-seared steak, sliced cucumbers, and crescent rolls. Not Gourmet, but delicious.

You may have been cooking asparagus for years, but maybe there's some other ingredient or dish that intimidates you. Break out of your comfort zone, and try something new and "exotic" to you.

For other recipes, check out the links at the Grocery Cart Challenge Recipe Swap.

Good cooking, and good eating!

Believe It Or Not, Peanut Butter Cookies

I grew up in a family where peanut butter was a staple. My younger sister ate a peanut butter and jelly sandwich every single day for lunch from as far back as I can remember until she suddenly (and inexplicably) switched to hamburger dill pickles and miracle whip, sometime around junior high or high school. And yes, she eats "normal" food now. Suffice it say, we always bought peanut butter in the Large Economy size. Our brand of choice became the Cook Shack brand--the "store brand", at least at that time, of the Piggly Wiggly grocery store chain. (Anybody else remember Piggly Wiggly? They still exist in some parts of the south, including south Georgia). Nowadays I'm a Jif gal myself.

We used to make a lot of things that had peanut butter in them, too, like peanut butter frosting to top off a plain yellow cake; a yummy peanut butter/chocolate bar concoction that became the requested birthday cake/dessert of choice at our house for years; and of course, peanut butter cookies. (My sister and I used to make cookies and enter them into competition at the parish fair every year, because you got a free gate ticket for every entry you made. We made lots of cookies.)

This recipe today is a bit different from the traditional peanut butter cookies my sister and I used to make, but to me they're every bit as good, and a lot simpler to make. They call for NO flour, and only four ingredients of any kind, all of which you probably keep on hand. And best of all, they make a small batch, so once you mix the dough, you aren't tied to the kitchen for the next hour, taking pans of cookies in and out of the oven.

If you try these, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised at how good they are.

Ingredients:

• 1 c peanut butter
• 1 c sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 t vanilla

Mix all ingredients. Roll into balls, then place on cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. Flatten with a fork dipped in water to make the traditional criss-cross design on top.

Bake at 350 F for about 12 minutes. Cool (if you can) and enjoy.

Note: I know that peanut butter flavored cookies, etc, have been suspect lately due to the salmonella outbreak, but the peanut paste involved in these cases have come from one particular plant who sold to industrial and institutional customers. As of last note, commercial peanut butter and peanut butter made fresh (like at health food stores) is not involved, but if you're concerned, Lynn's Kitchen has a recipe for homemade peanut butter that I think would be great in this recipe!

Don't forget to check for other recipes at Tasty Tuesday and Tempt My Tummy Tuesday .

Good cooking, and good eating!

Quick And Easy Mexican Cornbread

I don't know about you, but I get in a rut sometimes (!) when it comes to what I cook. I tend to cook the same few things over and over again for a while. Then I'll switch out a recipe or two, and make those same few dishes over and over again! This recipe today is a tried and true one that I make in spurts--sometimes more than others! It's not a typical cornbread, it's a meal in itself.

Too, brown, but doesn't it look good?

There are a couple of different ways to make Mexican Cornbread, but this is how I did it today.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground meat


• 2 pkgs cornbread mix


• 1 can cream style corn


• 2 eggs


• 1 8oz container sour cream


• cheese


• chopped or sliced jalapenos or other peppers, or chopped green chilies (optional)

Cook the ground meat and drain. In a large mixing bowl, mix together the cornbread mix, eggs, sour cream, and corn. Today I'm baking this in a large iron skillet, sometimes I just use a 9 x 9 pan, or even a 9 x 13. When I use the iron skillet, I add a couple of tablespoons of oil and heat the skillet, either in the oven or on top of the stove. If I use anything else, I skip that part and just grease the pan. Add about half of the batter to the pan. Layer the cooked ground meat, sprinkle with peppers if using, then cover it with cheese of your choice. Today I had some sandwich sized slices of cheddar, and also some grated Mexican blend. Cover with remaining cornbread batter and bake at about 350 F for 30-40 minutes, or until the center seems set and the top is slightly browned. (As you can see from the picture, I let this one get too brown-my oven gets too hot, and it should have been adjusted down a little more.)

Variations:

Sometimes I use Mexican cornbread mix, usually one Mexican and one regular. I've also used Mexi-corn or whole kernel corn in place of the cream-style corn. When our son was small, he didn't like the "red and green things" in it, so I started using the plain.

Today I used regular Jiffy cornbread mix; at home or when I can get it, I like the Corn-kits brand. You can certainly use any scratch cornbread recipe that you may have, and just add the corn to the batter.

This is very filling, and leftovers reheat well, either in the oven (wrap in foil so it doesn't dry out) or in the microwave.

Give this a try and see how you family likes it!

For more links to other recipes, see Tasty Tuesday at Forever...Wherever, or Tempt My Tummy Tuesday at Blessed with Grace.

Good cooking, and good eating!

Say "CHEESE" (Cake)

I loooovvve cheesecake. Not just any cheesecake, but real, baked cheesecake. My Mom makes the best Real Baked Cheesecake for holidays. It's thick and rich and made in a springform pan with a graham cracker crust, and takes lots and lots of cream cheese and lemon juice and sugar and eggs. Its To Die For.

At my house, on the other hand, cheescake usually comes from a box. As in those quickie pudding-type mixes. It has a graham cracker crust, but the resemblance to Real Baked Cheesecake ends there. This is the type that I call "Refrigerator Cheesecake". There are even some homemade versions of this out there, but whether it's from a box or made from scratch, it's still Refrigerator Cheesecake.

I was going through recipes recently, though, and I came upon one that I had forgotten about. Anybody but me old enough to remember when Bisquick came out with several different "Impossible Pie" recipes? These were crustless mixtures that, when baked, formed a firm enough bottom and edge that you don't need a crust to cut and serve it just like pie. I think the first one was Impossible Coconut Pie, but they came out with several other sweet Impossible Pies, as well as some savory ones that were quiche-like, but again, crustless.

Many years ago I used to make a cheesecake adapted from one of these type of recipes. Made with cream cheese, eggs, sugar, etc, and a small amount of Bisquick or other baking mix, it makes just the right pie-sized Real Baked Cheesecake. Top it with sweetened sour cream, with or without a little fresh fruit on top, and you have a yummy cheesecake without all of the time, expense or work of traditional cheesecake, and as added benefit, it makes a smaller, pie-sized cheesecake. Which is a good thing because I am portion-control challenged when it comes to Real Baked Cheesecake.

Ingredients:

• 2 8oz pkgs cream cheese
• 3/4 c sugar
• 1/2 c Bisquick
• 2 eggs
• 2 t vanilla
• 1/2 t grated lemon peel

Mix all ingredients, beat until smooth, approximately 2 minutes, and pour into a greased 9 inch pie plate.

Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F about 30 minutes, until puffed and the center is dry

Top with:

• 1 c sour cream
• 2 T sugar
• 2 t vanilla

Mix all ingredients together and pour over the top of the cheesecake.

Let cool, and refrigerate (if you can) 2-3 hours or until you can't stand it anymore.

I'm not sure if you can tell from the picture, but when this cools it loses some of it's "puff"

When you can't stand it any more---cut a piece and eat it!

Notes: I made this in a 9 1/2 in pie plate because that's all I have at our Georgia apartment. The recipe calls for a 9 in, I might even go slightly smaller to make it a little thicker. Not sure how would work at the "puffed" stage, though.

I did have a fresh lemon, but the skin didn't look that great, so instead of grated lemon peel I added a little fresh lemon juice--not sure exactly how much, I just gave a good couple of squeezes, it's delicious, but you can definitely taste the lemon slightly.

This cheesecake has a light, only slightly sweet taste. Which means you don't feel yucky if you eat two pieces back to back. Don't ask me how I know this.

As with most cheesecake, it would also be good with a few fresh berries or with just a bit of blueberry or cherry pie filling spooned on top. Cool whip would be good, too. Or fresh whipped cream if you want to Go There.

Good cooking, and good eating!

Earn Some Brownie Points...

...with these easy (what else!) Brownies. This recipe is for the only "from scratch" brownies I ever make. It's adapted from a recipe I found in a church cookbook--First Baptist Church (of DeRidder, Louisiana) 75th Anniversary Cookbook, from 1979. It meets all of the criteria of being quick, easy, and uses "regular" ingredients--items that you probably have on hand in your fridge and pantry.

Ingredients:

• 2 c sugar
• 1 c self-rising flour
• 1/2 c cocoa
• 1 stick (1/2 c) butter or margarine
• 4 large eggs
• 1 t vanilla
• 1 c chopped pecans (optional)

Stir together sugar, flour, and cocoa in a large mixing bowl until cocoa and flour are well incorporated into the sugar. Add melted butter; stir a little and allow to cool, then add the eggs and vanilla, and mix well. Nuts can be stirred into the batter or sprinkled on top after it's in the pan. Pour into a greased or cooking oil sprayed 9 x 13 pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for 25-30 minutes.

Notes:

The instructions say to cool, but who can wait for hot brownies? I say cut into squares and enjoy with a big glass of cold milk.

I enjoyed making this recipe when I was a single gal (a million years ago) living on my own, because it was easy to do the math to cut it in half!

If I'm making these to take someplace, sometimes I use pecan halves and place them in rows on the top before baking. The nuts get a wonderful roasted flavor, and they look much fancier than they really are (!)

Update: I linked this post to a Recipe Swap hosted by Gayle at the Grocery Cart Challenge. Check it out to find links to some recipe posts on other blogs.

Good cooking, and good eating!

My Famous Baked Beans

In my family I'm famous for my baked beans. For years I made these for almost any occasion, whether it was a barbeque, church supper, or family reunion. I love the way these thicken up and get crusty around the edges.

Ingredients:

• 2 1lb 12 oz can of baked beans or pork and beans
• 1/2 c brown sugar
• 1/2 c molasses or syrup
• 1 c ketchup or chili sauce
• 1 c chopped onions
• 1/4 c Worcestershire sauce
• 2 t dry mustard
• 2 T liquid smoke
• 5 strips of bacon, chopped in small pieces

Mix all ingredients together. Bake in covered casserole for 1 hour at 300 degrees F. I like to take the lid off for the last 10-15 minutes or so to thicken the sauce and brown top.

Notes:

I like Bush's Baked Beans for this

The best syrup for this is not pancake syrup, but a good thick, golden cane syrup. In the south I like Johnny Fair or Blackburn Made syrup the best.

Most of the time I leave off the bacon, but if I use it, I like to put the bacon on top instead of mixed in.

I leave off the liquid smoke most of the time, just because it's not something I keep on hand.

And as always, I use dried onion flakes instead of fresh onion.

All cans of beans are not created the same. On occasion, I've opened beans that seemed to have more juice than usual--in those cases, I cut back on the syrup and increase the brown sugar to balance the extra liquid.

I've made this in a large roasting pan for a big church dinner--use double the ingredients listed here for each gallon of beans, and allow at least two hours to bake; more if you mix it up the night before and refrigerate. (It does seem to taste better if I mix it all up and refrigerate overnight, but it takes a lot longer to bake if it's been refrigerated instead of just mixed at room temperature.)

In the summertime when I make this for just my family, I cut the recipe in half, microwave for awhile, then finish off uncovered in the oven just for the thickening and browning--saves heating the kitchen up for so long--not a problem this time of the year!

Try this out, I think you'll like it!

Update: I linked this post to a Recipe Swap hosted by Gayle at the Grocery Cart Challenge. Check it out to find links to some recipe posts on other blogs.

Good cooking, and good eating!

Poppy Seed Cake

Now THIS is what a Poppy Seed Cake is supposed to look like.

Not like this.

It may not be pretty, but it's still my most requested cake.

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