Rarin' To Roast - Discount Cut Brings On Cooking Frenzy

I was at the grocery store the other day, just picking up some milk and eggs.  As is my usual custom, I paroosed the various aisles, just to keep current and to see if there was anything on sale to bring home for dinner.

Sure, we had hot dogs at home...some tuna...eggs....that sort of thing. This being the end of the month, it was to be expected.  What was also to be expected was for me to do something like I usually do. A souffle, casserole, or quiche would be predictable responses.  But I didn't want to do  "business as usual."  I wanted something different.

Ingredients for a roast

So once my listed needs were assured, it was time for The Hunt.  For a moment, I pictured being on the planes somewhere, foraging for sustenance for my brood and wondered what my prehistoric counterpart would make of our modern day "hunting ground."   Would they get the concept of meat already "off the hoof," prepackaged plant material and boxed cereal?

In my mind I played out a few moments of the scenario and realized that the poor cave person wouldn't even survive the parking lot, let alone the wonders inside that cavernous and well lit supermarket!  I caught an imagined glimpse at Ms. Neanderthal stalked and attacked one of the many S.U.V.s as it vied for a parking spot!  It wasn't pretty.

With a shake of the head I was instantly back at my post, leaning against the shopping cart at the veggie aisle.
The eggplants seemed like a good price until I looked at them.  Scuffed, pocked and dulling, they wouldn't be a good choice for main course.  As they age or get damaged, eggplants go sour.  I moved on.

There were plenty of other vegetables at home....and no shortage of green grocers in case of emergency, so I moved on.  Next stop was the specialty bread section, nope.

Along the back wall was the meat department.  This store has come a long way from when we first became acquainted.  Back then, about 15 years ago, I had to stop patronizing it because I questioned the sanitary conditions in the butcher's station.  It was one of those sections you could smell a mile away.

Just last year I finally had the chance to stop by again and boy!  What a difference!  They're apparently under new management, thank God.  The meat counter was immaculate, not a sour smell or hint of decomp to be had.

I stood before the gleaming open faced cabinets, scouting the terrain. Nobody seemed to be down by the Clearance bin, so that's where I went first.  There it was, buried beneath a package of chicken drumsticks a 2.7 lb boneless pork loin roast.  It would have to be used right away, but was a bargain at $2.50.

I staked my claim and made a bee line for the check-out line.

Once home, I settled in for a little cooking frenzy.

ROAST BONELESS LOIN OF PORK

2 lb. boneless loin of pork
3 cloves garlic, crushed

Crushing the rosemary

1 Tbs dried, crushed rosemary
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup olive oil
Splash of apple cider vinegar
2 Tbs butter or margarine
1 cup apple juice, stock or water


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.   Pierce roast all 'round with a fork.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Mix butter, dried rosemary crushed garlic, the splash of apple cider vinegar and 3 Tbs of olive oil in a bowl, rub roast both sides generously with this mixture.
Combine remaining olive oil with cup of liquid (juice, stock or water)
Spray oval baking pan and rack with release spray. Pour liquid into baking pan.
Place roasting rack into pan, place meat on rack fat side up.  Cover pan with aluminum foil. Bake for one hour, basting once.
Put meat thermometer into roast, baste once more then cover it and return it to the oven for another 45 minutes.  After 45 minutes, remove foil and let finish baking for another 15 minutes.  Internal temperature should be at 145 degrees.  Remove from the oven and let rest 10 minutes before carving.

Meanwhile,  strain the pan drippings, pour them into a sauce pan. Thicken with a mixture of 1 Tbsp. corn starch mixed with 1/4 cup of cooled broth, milk or cold water.  Season to taste and drizzle over meat servings.
So that's it.  How I turned an end of the month dinner into a culinary opportunity.  Sometimes the magic really does work!  If you have any recipes, suggestions, comments or anything feel free to submit them!
For now, enjoy!

LIVING AND COOKING - Stuff and Stuffed Cabbage

Live goes on....and so it goes.
Sometimes it's so crazy
sometimes it just flows...

Been going through the aging process, aren't we all?  Remembering when things were so different.  Laughing at sounding so much like the "old heads" from our yesterdays. Funny how this window/mirror thing we glance through from time to time knows just which buttons to press. And when.
Gravity's no friend, either.
But what the heck.

Someone asked me the other day if I wanted to die my now grey flecked hair.  I want to wear the process of my living, and what better place than my head?  Doesn't mean I won't trim the bangs now and then. But hey. The grey hairs are mine.  I earned 'em!

This is the kind of stuff that goes through my head some nights when I can't sleep.  Err, well....I mean when I am still awake past 3 a.m..  Of course other nights hold different thoughts.  Tonight I'm thinking of my mother....the first person who taught me how to cook.

She had a large brood to feed on a limited budget but managed to not only feed us, but instill in us a good relationship with food, and interest in cooking and the importance of sharing meals with loved ones.  Her hair is the same soft, snowy white her father wore to his last.  It is beautiful to me.  Should I ever have the great fortune to sport the same feature, I'll grow it long and proud.

Anyway, one of Mom's dishes was a version of Stuffed Green Cabbage. I wrote a recipe for Stuffed Purple Cabbage in the blog "Fifty Five Is The New..." .  This dish uses the tight-headed green cabbage available at most grocery stores, farmers' markets and green grocers.

It's the one Mom prepared for us with her own special flair. She used canned tomato soup with 1/2 can of water per soup can, made her meat mix with ground beef, rice salt and pepper.  I believe she may have diced some onion or used some onion flakes in the meat mix too.

I remember the first time helping her steam the cabbage.  She showed me how to cut the great round things in half after taking off the outer leaves.  The halving not to occur 'til after a proper washing under some cool running water, of course.

There were carrots to cut in quartered lengths, onions to be coarsely chopped and, the funnest part of all, rolling the meat/rice mixture into steam limped leaves and tucking them sweetly into the bottom of a cabbage leaf-lined and sauced oval baking pan.  Mom would toss a few carrot and onion chunks hither and yon about the pan and between the swaddling morsels. Then she'd add some remaining liquid, cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake it for 45 minutes in an oven set to 350 degrees.  After 45 minutes she'd remove the foil and let it bake for an additional 15-18 minutes.

Anyway, we were in the mood for Stuffed Cabbage so I set about making it with what we had on hand.
Our last shopping foray garnered, among other things, a nice firm head of green cabbage so we were on the right track.

Oval pan

A quick pantry check showed no tomato soup around, but a can of chopped tomatoes.   Close enough.
We had plenty of rice, onion, carrots - even an oval pan!  Well, all-reet!

The plan was to make something similar to Mom's original.  I was using ground turkey, diced tomatoes , a few fresh tomatoes, some left over broth from a previous evening's roast as the broth, so there were going to be differences.

TURKEY AND RICE STUFFED CABBAGE with TOMATO and STOCK SAUCE

Ingredients for Stuffed Green Cabbage

3 lb ground turkey
1 1/2 cups cooked white rice
6 -10 carrots cut in quarters - reserve tips to grate into meat/ rice mixture
1 - 2 yellow onion(s) coarsely chopped
salt (optional) pepper (optional) to taste
2 fresh tomatoes, diced fine
1 large can diced tomatoes -
     if you prefer, 2 cans of tomato soup plus 1 can of water
1 large head of tight-leaf green cabbage
2 cups stock


Remove the outer cabbage leaves.  Wash the cabbage under cool water then chop it in half. Notice the hard section at the base of each half?  That has to be removed.  There will be some other hard features that will require surgery as well, but more on that in a bit.
The trick here is to use your knife more like a scalpel than a chopper for this maneuver.
You might consider using a smaller rather than larger blade for better control. Other than that, it's a matter of cutting around the stem base and inner core. You'll end up with something that looks like this picture.  It's a bit helmet-like, or even "brain-like."

 
Get the steamer water boiling and add the carrots. Put the steamer on the pot and start adding raw cabbage leaves to the steamer until it is only 1/2 full. Cover and steam for 5 to 7 minutes while you prepare the filling.

If you don't have a stacking steamer you can soften the carrots a bit by par-boiling them. I just like to partially cook them ahead of time so everything else doesn't turn to mush waiting for the carrots to be done.

The filling is simple.  Put meat in a bowl, add the cooled cooked rice, add spices to your individual taste, grate carrots this mixture. As the cabbage leaves soften, take them out of the steaming basket and lay them out on a large flat surface.

Pour some of your stock into the oval pan, so it just covers the bottom. Take any small pieces and line the bottom of your pan with them.

.  Put this ball in the center of one of the cabbage leaves and wrap the meat like a holiday parcel!   If you run into any hard pieces of cabbage....veins, bits of leave, etc. discard them.  They will not soften with cooking.

Stuffed Cabbage with Carrots and Tomaties

You may have more meat mixture than cabbage, that's okay.  Just form little balls and place them round the pan. They will cook in the soon-to-be bubbling broth.  Distribute the carrots and diced onion around the pan, Pour the remaining broth over everything then top with diced tomatoes.

Wrap in aluminum foil and cook at 350 degrees for 45 minutes, then remove the foil and allow to cook for 15 minutes more.  Serve with buttered rice.

Making and eating this dish dissolved the miles and other things between us. It was tasty and familiar, even with the differing ingredients.

As always, please feel free to share your recipes and ideas!

Enjoy!



                                                                                                                                                                                                          

Home Made Hot Chocolate

You ever have one of those days? You know the kind I 'm talking about..... the only thing that would help bring it to a close without being a total loss?  Hot chocolate.  Mmmmmmmmmm.

There's nothing like it for making a body feel hugged and special!  Of course, anybody can pull out the Hersheys, Nestle's or what-have-you....but that's not what I'm talking about!  Nope. See...I can't tolerate a lot of chocolate, stuff gives me racing headaches!  So if I'm gonna risk pain, it had better be worth it!

I'm talking about real live, direct from the chocolate block, melted to perfection then whisked with milk into submission......now THAT'S  hot chocolate!  Worth every headache I'll ever have!

Rolling pin therapy

Start with about 2 cups of milk in a sauce pan.  Heat to just warm then turn off. Set it aside.
Get 2 or 3 blocks of Baker's dark semi-sweet chocolate or similar product.  In my case I have the remains of a huge block of dark semi-sweet chocolate from a chef friend.  I had to break it down by beating it with my rolling pin, but that's okay...helped get rid of a few frustrations too.
Anyway, next put this chocolate in a 2 cup Pyrex measuring cup, add 2 Tablespoons of water.  Place in microwave oven and cook on high for 1 minute.  Stir, cook for an additional 30 seconds. Stir again.

Chocolate "paste"

Bring the chocolate "paste" to the stove.  Put a medium flame under the milk and add the chocolate, stirring constantly.  Put some of the milk into the cup to get all the "slurry," or remnants.  Add this to the milk too, and keep stirring.  You see the milk get darker and maybe even thicken slightly.

You may or may not need to add sugar, the choice is yours!  Give it a try!  Let me know how it works for you, if you have any recipe ideas, comments or suggestions!

 Enjoy!

Enjoy!

KITHCHEN THOUGHTS - The "Go To" Room

Kitchen tools

The other day I caught a glimpse of the movie "Panic Room" and thought, gee...I don't exactly have one of those....I have something better. 

That "something better" can be summed up in two words...my kitchen.  It may not be equipped with the latest weapons or have sensors and cameras going to every opening, but what it offers in comfort far outweighs the latest techno-security gadgets.  At least in my books anyway.

This world's going to do what it's going to do, regardless of my defenses - or lack thereof.  I refuse to live my life in fear, refuse flatly to allow the misbehavior of a few loons to interfere with my pursuits.

That's not to say I won't stand up for a good cause.  Quite the contrary.  I can be a tiger when necessary.

There is a lot of anger in the streets.  People are occupying city parks, protesting in front of banks and stock exchanges. Some of me thinks I should be out there, like the old days, marching with my peers. But a lot of me is confused.  What am I fighting against?  What am I fighting for?  Those questions don't seem to have answers that are as clearly defined as in the'60s. Remember?  That's when we got our heads and backs beaten for the causes of Civil Rights and ending the "War" in Vietnam.

My "go to" room

I believe in change.  Change is part of life. I know we're a young country and we're bound to go through a number of changes...but I say we need to tread carefully.   We need to learn from our past as well as dream for our future.  We can't give up those unique traits that make us who we are.

We do need to change things...we need a better business ethic. We need to make sure people are investing in our nation instead of just milking it dry.  But we also need to encourage business to do business with and in our country.  That's not gonna happen if we tax 'em to death.  

Everybody is screaming things like "eat the rich."  Okay, then what?  After a while there won't be anybody left but each other.  Will we turn on one another then?  When and where will it end?

These are the thoughts I have at two-thirty in the morning, baking a carrot cake and sipping coffee. Does it matter what I think?  Who knows. But so long as I'm thinking...I'm alive, so there ya go. 

Thanks as always for reading the blog.  Please feel free to share your thoughts, ideas, recipes, pictures and so on.  Enjoy!

Non-Recipe Recipe - Life is more than a cereal

Families and nations are very similar.  From the way each feuds to the way each sometimes finds common ground, one seems to reflect the other.  Such is the nature of things.

"Out of Order" collage by rcw circa 1989

We've come a long way from segregated water fountains, lunch counters, city buses. We've come a long way from being denied jobs or housing because of an Italian or Jewish or Chinese or Japanese name or likeness.  Women have even made strides....although we're still only earning about $.58 on the dollar.

We live in an ironic world. A world in which the bearers of life are treated as second class citizens and murderers are allowed to roam free.  Weird.


But what, you may well ask, does any of this have to do with the price of pasta?  Good question.

To me there's nothing wrong with commerce done right.  Note the "done right" part?  That's important.
Unlike some folk, I believe that it's okay to reward good performance.  I don't believe that poor performance or even downright laziness or insubordination should be rewarded or even tolerated in a professional setting.

I am confused when I hear that poor performing teachers are given tenure.  No wonder our kids can't read!

This continued pattern is costing us, costing us dearly.

"1000 Points of Horror" collage by rcw circa 1989

What's to be done?
Get involved locally.  Even if you don't have kids in school, find out what's going on!  Our future depends on it!
That's a real recipe for change!

If you want to see a bigger view of the collage, click on it and you'll see it larger in a new window.

If you'd like to add a comment, suggestion or recipe, feel free!
Enjoy!

Freakin' Fried Chicken

Mom didn't do a lot of friend chicken when we were growing up.  Not that she couldn't. she just did it another way.  She did it in the oven with her own version of "Shake & Bake," and it usually came out moist, crunchy and tasty.

I've done it that way too, but once in a while I like to do it "old school."  So sue me, I like playing in mud, too!
"Old School" to me is on top of the stove using a deep walled pan, a mixture of Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Grapeseed Oil (cuts the cost a little), using crunched up seasoned cereal and/or potato chips and/or potato flakes and/or crackers and/or if nothing else, bread crumbs for the crust.  Of course there's the standard beaten egg....sometimes I use buttermilk, sometimes milk, sometimes yogurt....I'm flexible.

Flexible...this time with yogurt

Oh!  I also soak the chicken in the milk, buttermilk or yogurt for about an hour before cooking....this step really insures the meat will stay moist!

Always rinse and pat the chicken dry, do this for any meats for that matter. Pierce and season the meat  on both sides with your preference of seasonings.  I use some garlic powder, onion powder, poultry seasoning, thyme and crushed celery leaves.  Some folk like salt and pepper, some don't. Your preference.

I mix the marinating liquid (yogurt in this case) with beaten egg and some more seasonings - crushed garlic, finely diced onion or dried crushed onion flakes, and even a dash of apple cider vinegar then dredge the chicken pieces in this mixture. 

Crumb mixture

After that it's time to roll each piece of chicken in the crumb mixture.  Be sure to coat it evenly and shake off any excess. 

This time I used a combination of ingredients for the crumb mixture -  1/4/ cup each of crushed Cheeze It crackers, crushed Crispy Rice and Jiffy Baking Mix.   This jumble should be seasoned, just like the other components.   A dash of pepper, poultry seasoning, sage, another smidgen of crushed dried onion flakes and perhaps a sprinkle of paprika would be a good thing.   Mix everything thoroughly before dredging the chicken.

Drying on the rack

While doing this dredging, heat the oil in a deep walled pan.  I don't have an oil or candy thermometer so test the oil temp the old fashioned way...with a small cube of bread.   When the oil is ready, add a piece of chicken.  Deep fry five to seven minutes per side, depending on thickness. Let drip on a rack for a few minutes.  If it still needs a bit more cooking time, put in an oven set to 350 degrees for about 10 minutes. 

Fried chicken is a very individual thing, and there are a million ways to do it.  This is just one.   Feel free to submit your fried chicken recipe!  Enjoy!

Diane's Turkey Parisian

Recipes are more than instructions on how to assemble a dish, they're little scraps of memory....bits of days gone by remembered when put into service.

Diane Sciara my friend

Diane Sciara was my best friend from 1977 through 2008 when she finally lost her battle with Ovarian Cancer.
We shared a lot through those years....parties, people, events and recipes.  We used to entertain often, which  meant inviting friends over for a pot luck supper or other gathering which usually resulted in a great meal.

She had a way of throwing ingredients together and coming up with something imaginative and tasty. We were always trading recipes, even after we were no longer roommates.  The food holidays were important to us.  We'd start planning for them weeks and even months in advance - from entrees through snacks, even if we were celebrating the event separately.  We'd even discuss what to do with leftovers.  Now that's a friend!

One of Diane's specialties was a dish created using left over turkey, broccoli, cheese, cream of mushroom soup and bread crumbs.  She called it Turkey Parisian.   

While at the store the earlier today, I found a special on boneless/skinless turkey breast cutlets and immediately thought of my friend and her wonderful signature dish.  Two guesses on what we had for dinner tonight!

DIANE'S TURKEY PARISIAN

4 to 6 boneless/skinless turkey breast cutlets seasoned and browned
2 - 2 1/2 cups steamed broccoli
3 cups shredded cheese (cheddar, jack, etc)
1 can cream of mushroom soup (or make your own white sauce w/ mushrooms)
1/2 of soup can worth of broth, sherry or white wine (apple juice is a good substitute for sherry)
1 1/2  to 2 cups breadcrumbs or crushed crackers - I used crushed Cheese It crackers this time.
Poultry Seasoning, salt or low salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 F 
Lightly spray or grease the bottom and sides of a square casserole dish. Line bottom of dish with a thin coat of breadcrumbs or cracker crumbs.  Then slice the turkey cutlets into manageable pieces and line the dish with them. 

A fine veneer of cheese

Sprinkle a fine veneer of cheese on top of the turkey pieces - don't use all of the cheese, this is just a tad for flavoring.  While your at it, sprinkle some spices around too...but don't overdo it!  We'll be putting some more on top.

Spread the broccoli evenly on top

After the cheese bit comes the broccoli. Spread it out evenly across the top of the cheese and turkey.  Slice any pieces that seem too large.  This will make portioning - and eating- a lot easier! 

Pour sour/sauce over broccoli

Mix the cream of mushroom soup or your home made white sauce with the sherry, wine, broth or juice in a small sauce pan and stir until blended. It should thicken slightly.  Pour  this sauce over the broccoli.  

Cheese then bread or cracker crumbs

Next, sprinkle the remaining cheese over everything.  Make sure you get a nice, even coating over it all.  Then sprinkle the remaining breadcrumbs or cracker crumbs over top.  Finish assembly with a final flourish of spice, then cover it loosely and put it in the oven.

Bake for 15 minutes covered.  Remove cover and cook for an additional 15 to 25 minutes until top starts turning golden and sauce and cheese are bubbling.

This is a yummy stand-alone dish that can also be served with other holiday left overs, salad and/or veggies.  Great for pot lucks, too!

So here's to Diane and her Turkey Parisian! 
As always, please feel free to share your recipes, memories and comments!
Enjoy!

Diane's Turkey Parisian piping hot and ready to eat!

Confidence Building and the Six Egg "Julia"

Trying to make an exceptional omelet is difficult enough.  Trying to make a true French Chef-type omelet is a fairly daunting task....trying to make it a la Julia Child is, well, humbling and exhilarating at the same time.

It all seems easy enough; whisk some eggs, throw 'em in the pan, let it rip.  Sure.  Ever had to dance with a skillet on a hot burner? That's kind of how it goes when  working with this dish. 

Beat eggs well

Once you've committed yourself to the deed, go at it full steam ahead....stick to it 'til the bitter end.  You'll be amazed with what can be accomplished with a little patience and a lot of elbow grease. 

First make sure your eggs are beaten well.  For this particular omelet, we don't want to capture a lot of air.  That would be essential for the "puffy" omelet, but for this one we just want to beat the eggs into a liquid state.

Surf's up!  See the curl forming?

After that, it's all in the pan action.  Get it hot, get the beaten eggs into it....wait a few moments, then start shaking the pan vigorously across the flame.  As the eggs solidify, you'll notice a "curl" developing along the far end of the pan. Kinda looks like you'd expect a surfer riding on the thing. That's good! Keep it up!

You'll notice the egg acting more like a crepe, moving as a unit around the rest of the pan. This is when I start adding ingredients...cheese first, then tomatoes and this time some pepperoni that had been heated earlier in a pan to cut down on the greasiness.  In fact I used a dab of the pepperoni grease to lubricate the omelet pan.

Omelet fold close-up

Once your omelet "innards" are added give the pan another shake, this time when you shove forward, lift the far side of the pan slightly toward you.  This will help develop the fold.  Sometimes you'll need to coax this folding with a spatula, sometimes you don't.

In some circles, using a spatula to help with the fold is considered a no-no, but I'll not go there.  It's breakfast, fer cryin' out loud!  I need more than one cup of coffee and a dry piece of toast before venturing that perfection!

Anyway, after the fold is completed I sometimes top the omelet with a little cheese before serving. The cheese's  tanginess especially nice with all that pepperoni!

Some people say you can't make anything less than a six egg omelet...that anything less will not turn out.  I disagree.  I've made "Julia" omelets with as many as 12 and as few as 2 eggs and they all turned out fine. They require the same steps and the same amount of attention to detail.

This dish is appropriate for not only breakfast but lunch and dinner too.  Once mastered, the omelet will become one of your "go to" dishes for quick, tasty, even a little impressive fare for family and company.
Enjoy!  And as always, you're invited to share ideas, recipes and thoughts anytime!

Corn Bread Chronicles

Being corny

Isn't it an amazing feeling to open a door and have the wonderful aroma of corn bread greet you?  That sweet, rich almost textured scent....letting you know something special is waiting to be served. After a long, hard day there is one thing for certain....

Comfort comes with corn bread.

Done right, this baked good can be a very pleasing gastronomical experience....done wrong, a brick for yon garden wall. The question is, how can something so simple to produce go so horribly wrong?

But first, a moment to acknowledge the traditions of maize...of Corn Woman,  of the ancestors who first grew the maize, dried it and ground it to a flour to make food.  This grain is one without whom entire societies would not exist. Including our present one here in the United States.  Corn, its raising and preparations as taught by Native Americans made it possible for settlers to survive those first several mean seasons.

Corn Bread has gone through a lot of changes since those early times.  Once a simple thing made of coarse ground cornmeal, water and salt, it's gone through a series of make-overs to the point where there are as many variations as there are type of corn and stars in the sky.

There's Cheesy Corn Bread, Jalapeno Cheesy Corn Bread, Bacon Corn Bread, Bacon Cheese Corn Bread and of course Corn Kernel Corn Bread....Blueberry Corn Bread, Brown Sugar Corn Bread, Cranberry Orange Corn Bread, Banana Corn Bread....and so on.  See what I mean?   I've even heard of Chocolate Chip Corn Bread and Cherries with Corn Bread a la Mode. Honest!

We'll get to a few of those other recipes in other blog entries.

Suffice to say we humans must love the stuff; why else would we have it in so many varieties? 
Since we've been at it for so long, why is it we occasionally end up with something more akin to masonry than maize?  What gives?

Some say it's the addition of flour to the mix....the gluten wreaks havoc when it starts to react with the corn/egg/oven heat thing.  Purists don't allow flour anywhere near their cornbread! They shun the whole idea as if hearing blasphemy.  Go ahead!  I dare you to bring a flour sack to the mixing table in a proper Southern (or even Northern) traditionalist's home!  I'll sit over here until the storm blows over.

I've tried it both ways.  In fact, the first way I tried it was with cornmeal, flour, sugar, eggs, milk and shortening, cooked in a loaf pan. It was heavy, kind of gummy and well,  I wasn't pleased.

Luckily this wasn't a Home Economics assignment or anything....just an experiment.

Through the years I've tried dozens of recipes and methods.  Some of them were successful, brilliantly so.   Others were....well....not so brilliant. But from these trials and errors I learned a great deal.  The first thing is that maybe loaf pans aren't such a good idea for cornbread.  Such pans tend to force this bread's batter into strange behavior.  It wants to be cooked on the outside but stay pudding-like within.

Store brand yellow corn meal

Ingredients play a role too. Some people will insist on adding flour....saying that without it the bread will be hard as a rock.  I've had that experience too, which is why even without the flour I add "lifters."  What are these "lifters?" Eggs and baking soda, plain and simple.  Baking powder is another "lifter."  And don't forget to include the air that you beat into the egg before adding it to the batter - it has merit, too.

The type of cornmeal used can be important.  Stone or Coarse ground will act differently than fine ground.  The bread's texture and density will vary depending on the type grind used.

For cornbread, my favorite cooking vessel is a cast iron skillet, heated in the oven with bacon drippings or oil. Periodically I try a batch in a regular loaf pan with limited success.  When it does work out, it's because I've pre-heated the greased pan before filling it only half way with batter and placing it in the center of the oven all by itself for around 40 - 50 minutes.


So here are a couple of recipes that have worked for me.  I hope they work for you.  Let me know!


SKILLET CORN BREAD
Preheat oven to 375 F.

3 Tbs. bacon drippings, lard or oil
1 1/2 to 2 cups of coarse ground cornmeal
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 tsp baking soda
Salt to taste (optional)
1 egg, beaten.

Put the bacon drippings, lard or oil on a cast iron skillet, then put it in the oven to heat.

Add dry ingredients (cornmeal, baking soda, salt) together in a large bowl, pour in buttermilk, beat egg before adding to the batter.
Check to see if the pan is ready. It should be smoking hot.  Pour the batter into it. The pan should sizzle and begin to fry as it hits the fat-lined pan.  Put in the oven and bake until golden brown.  Check after about 30 - 40 minutes

You can add a can of creamed corn to this recipe if you want real corn "berries."  If you do, reduce the amount of buttermilk to about 1/4 to 1/2 cup.

QUICK CORN BREAD
Preheat oven to 400F 

3/4 cup yellow cornmeal
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons double acting baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)
1 cup milk
1 egg beaten
1/4 cup bacon drippings or vegetable oil

Grease a heavy loaf pan and put it in the oven to heat. This step is very important.
While pan heats, blend all the dry ingredients together. Add remaining ingredients until dry ingredients are just moist. Check to see if the pan is ready.  Again, it should be smoking hot.  Pour batter into the pan and bake for about 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.  Serve warm.

To add a can of creamed corn to this recipe, you'll need to lessen the amount of milk in your recipe to about 1/4 to 1/2 cup.

Cornbread is a great thing for any time of day....from breakfast through midnight snack.  It's a great accompaniment to chili, is perfectly at home sliced thin and pan toasted with melted cheese and can even be coaxed liven up that old stuffing recipe you've been using for years.

Here's to cornbread!!!
Please feel free to share your ideas, recipes and comments!

Skillet cornbread

Loaf pan cornbread

THOUGHT FOR FOOD - Grocery Shopping Doesn't Have To Be Gross

Site of the "dreaded deed."

Some people really hate grocery shopping.  They'd sooner get stuck with some other, far more grodie task than push a basket around looking for food bargains.  In fact, I know some people who can honestly claim that the only time they step foot in a supermarket is to pick up beer or for some other dire emergency. 

Disabled cart - my chariot.

Personally I like doing the deed.  I like comparing prices, seeing what's available and to be honest, I like driving those motorized carts around the store.
I walk with a cane or crutches; those ride-around thingies make the process so much easier.  Like the Beach Boys say....Fun ! Fun! Fun! I only wish the baskets were a little bigger.

Don't get me wrong - grocery shopping it is a chore, especially these days when prices are going up almost daily. In fact it's downright maddening to watch as coffee prices, for example, rise from $7.89 to a whopping $15.49 in one seven day span.  I know, I've seen it.  And we shop the "cheap" stores!

An intimidating sea of shelves

It can be downright intimidating....this sea of shelves. So what is one to do?  How does one get in there, get it done and get out of there without going into sticker shock?  Let's be honest....you can't.  But you can take charge of your choices, modify your eating habits when possible to incorporate less expensive items, check the ads for specials and, if need be, shop different stores for the best bargains.  Just remember to include the cost of fuel in your hunting expedition, that's the only way to get an understanding of your savings....if any.

Shop carefully.  Don't be in a hurry when gathering your foodstuff.  This isn't about just schlepping a basket around and grabbing things off shelves. You're in control of the health and well being of yourself, your household...and your wallet!

Realize that lots of stores have set up the shelves to their benefit, not yours. Look around, above and below your normal field of  vision.  Sometimes there's a deal right below or above the more costly item. These stores are literally banking on the fact that you're not paying attention.  As they say, "It's business."  So make it your business not to let them do their business on you!
Go into a store sometime when you're not shopping for the week.  Walk around and you'll see how things are placed. Call it marketing, call it manipulation. It's a real eye-opener!
Some have suggested shopping the perimeter of the store first. That's usually veggies, dairy, meat and breads first. The other items are in the aisles. It's worth considering this "map," as it gets most of the essentials out of the way first. 

Make a list before going to the store.  Categorize the list into sections that make it easier for you to find things.  If you normally start your foraging in the vegetable aisle, start your list with veggies.  Also, distinguish between "essentials," and "wanna gets, " taking care of the former before moving on to the latter. 

It would be good to have menu plans in mind before embarking on your expedition. This can be a little tricky, with prices changing every week.  Look for ads in the paper and online. Plan menus accordingly. Clip...click, print and use...coupons when they really are a bargain.  If you don't normally like or eat snails, why would you want to buy them just because they're on sale?  Impulse buying is bad for a budget!

Have an open mind. Don't be afraid to try store brands.  Sometimes they're pretty good substitutes.  For example Jack likes canned spinach....especially Popeye brand.  I understand. There's nothing like that crusty old sailor's face and name emblazoned on the label to bring back memories of childhood and Saturday morning cartoons.  But at close to $1.79 a can, we're talking a fairly expensive trip down memory lane!

So I bought one can of Popeye brand and one store brand and did a blind taste test.  Truth is, Jack couldn't tell the difference.  I might have noticed that the Popeye version was slightly more salty, but other than that it was fine.  Price comparison - Popeye brand $1.79  Store brand $1.19.  The math speaks for itself.

Chinatown, S.F.

Don't go food shopping on an empty stomach.  If you want to cause a negative impact on your food shopping dollar, going to the store with a mean case of the munchies will do the trick. It's amazing the things you'll bring home under the influence of a growling belly!  On the one hand it can open new vistas, like discovering lychee nuts.....but on the other? I don't even wanna go there!

Local green grocer

Some things are available cheaper at dollar stores.  I buy a lot of my cleaning supplies that way.  Same thing with local farmers' markets or, in my case, the local green grocer. I live near San Francisco's Chinatown, and not too far from the Mission District either, so have bargains practically at my front door! There are also plenty of Farmers' Markets throughout the city.  Talk about location!

Dollar store delights

 If you're fortunate enough to have these valuable resources nearby, take advantage of them!  The difference is astounding!  Just one example: Ginger at the local supermarket is about $2.00 for a tiny scrap.  At the local Chinese green grocer it's $0.75 for a whole hand! (that's what they call a whole ginger....and it kinda looks like a hand, too)

Food display theater

Use your senses. Learn to recognize when food looks old, feels old and smells old.  Don't trust the lighting right at the meat or vegetable counters. Go to the middle of the aisle and look at the thing under "real" lights.  If the bottom of the broccoli looks brownish or woody....if its tops have yellowish or brown patches...consider it too old for rock 'n roll.  Most certainly too old for your table!

Above all else, find ways to enjoy the task.  Don't go shopping when you're too tired.  Of course this can't be helped some times...schedules being what they are.  But when possible, go in a relaxed and unhurried frame of mind.  When possible.  I know.

If you can't do the shopping for yourself, write a detailed list and hope for the best.  If your helper is someone who knows your tastes and budget, you'll probably do fine.  But still, don't assume!  Make sure they know what's important - and if need be what options might be acceptable.  

There are times when I need help; arthritis being what it is there are days when even riding on one of those drive-around grocery carts is not an option. My grocery list for this situation is far more explanatory.  I'll include not only the item but if appropriate the brand (or off brand) name, quantity and even alternate suggestions in case the original item isn't available.

While this sounds like a lot of extra work, it's also one way to avoid the heartbreak of inferior or wrongly purchased products. There's nothing worse than friends at odds over a grocery run.  

In some stores you can save money packing your own groceries,  re-cycling grocery bags or using those cloth sacks.  Check your merchant's policy on this.

We've come a long way from hunting and gathering our food on the open planes, but it all still boils down to the same thing.  Trying to provide for ourselves and our families.   So perhaps we're not that different after all.

If you have any suggestions, comments or what ever please feel free to submit them!
Enjoy!