Homemade Cornbread

I made some chili and wanted to try making cornbread to go with it. I found this recipe on lifemadesimple.com and think it tastes amazing! My kids love it too and would only eat the cornbread if I'd let them. ;) I found a buttermilk version she's got on her website that looks delicious too. I made a few changes to her recipe, but here it is. Enjoy!

Honey Cornbread
Ingredients
1 c. yellow cornmeal
1 c. all-purpose flour
1 tbsp. baking powder
1/4 c. granulated sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 c. whole milk
2 large eggs
1/4 c. butter, melted
1/4. c honey

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. In large mixing bowl, beat together whole milk, eggs, butter and honey, until light and creamy.
3. Add cornmeal, flour, salt and sugar, mix until smooth.
4. Add baking powder and stir gently until incorporated.
5. Place liners into tins. Evenly divide the mixture between the papers (they should be about 3/4 of the way full). 
6. Bake for 15 minutes, or until golden brown.
Makes 12 muffins or 6 mini loaves 

OR If you want an entire pan instead of muffins do steps 1-4, then:

5. Spray an 8x8 glass pan with cooking spray and pour batter into pan. 

6. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean or with only a few crumbs on it and top turns golden brown.

My oven is hot so I baked it for 20 minutes at 390 degrees F. Adjust as needed.

Healthy Scotcharoo Bites

Again, this is Shonna's recipe (for some reason, her computer won't let her publish).  She is an excellent cook and comes up with her own recipes.  This is one that she invented.  They are delicious and healthy.

Healthy Scotcharoo Bites

Ingredients:

½ cup peanut butter

¼ cup lightly salted shelled peanuts

4 dates, pitted and halved

1 ½ to 2 TBSP agave

1 ½ cups Rice Krispies

⅓ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Instructions:

Place dates and peanuts in food processor and process until combined. Then add the peanut butter and agave. Process. Add Rice Krispies and blend for a minute or two until it forms a dough. If it doesn’t come together in a dough, add a tsp of water at a time. Remove the blade, then form balls from the dough. In a very small bowl, warm the chocolate chips, stirring every 20 seconds until melted. Dip the end of the balls in the chocolate and place in sealable container and store in the fridge for up to a week. Enjoy! 

Freezing Eggs

During this pandemic, it has been hard to get eggs.  So when  I did get some, I decided to try freezing them.  I've always felt that eggs were a hole in my food storage plan.  I whipped a dozen eggs in a bowl and then poured them into ice cube trays.  First I did just one to see how many cubes equaled  1 egg.  With my trays, it was one big and one small cube.  Trays vary, though.

I poured the eggs into the trays, put them on a cookie sheet and froze them overnight.  Getting them out of the trays the next day was a little difficult.  I found the best way is to run hot water over the bottom of the trays for just a minute, then scoop each one out with my finger.  I put them in a quart ziplock to freeze.  If you are just planning to use them for scrambled eggs or French toast and don't need to measure, you could freeze them all together in a pan.

Mexican Rice

I got this recipe years ago from my niece, Sara, who got it from her mother-in-law who is of Mexican descent.  So it's the real deal.  It makes a great side dish with Mexican food.

Shown here with tamales and avocado

Sara's Mexican White Rice
2 cups rice, rinsed and drained
2 small garlic cloves
4 T. canola oil
1 small onion chopped
4 c. canned chicken broth
3/4 cup frozen peas
1 tsp. salt
Heat oil in large pot and add rice, garlic cloves and onion. Cook and stir over medium heat until rice is lightly browned. Add chicken broth and salt-- stir. Bring to a boil. Once it comes to a boil, cover and reduce heat to very "low" setting and start timing for 30 to 45 minutes (I find it doesn't take this long.  Keep checking it.) Ten minutes before rice is done, add frozen peas, cover and finish cooking until rice has absorbed most of the liquid and is tender. If rice has absorbed all liquid and it's not tender, add 1/8 cup water to it. Makes 8 servings.

Breakfast Quesadillas

My husband saw this recipe in a mailing from our health insurance company and tried it.  They were delicious!  I can't wait to have them again.

Breakfast Quesadillas
1/4 cup canned green chilis
4 eggs, beaten
Black pepper
10-inch tortillas
1 1/2 cups grated cheese
4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
Salsa

Coat a small skillet with cooking spray.  Saute' the chilies over medium heat for 1-2 minutes.  Add the eggs and cook, stirring until scrambled and set.  Season with pepper (and salt if you wish.)  Spray a larger skillet.  Heat and put a tortilla in.  Cook until bubbles form- about a minute.  Flip the tortilla and cook for 1 more minute.  Spread half the cheese evenly over the tortilla, covering to the edges.  Reduce heat to low.  Quickly arrange half the cooked bacon and half the egg mixture over the cheese.  Cook until the cheese starts to melt.  Fold the tortilla in half to create a half-moon shape.  Flip folded tortilla over and cook until it is lightly toasted and the cheese is melted.  Cut in wedges.  Repeat  with a second tortilla.  Serve with salsa.

Creamy Dreamy Banana Pudding

Shonna has several recipes ready to post, but, for some reason, is unable to post them from her computer.  I will post them for her, but they are her recipes.  This is one of them.
Years ago, she and I went to New York City together on vacation.  We visited the Magnolia Bakery and had their banana pudding.  It was so delicious.  Shonna's Creamy Dreamy Banana Pudding:

Creamy Dreamy Banana Pudding
14 oz. Eagle brand Sweetened Condensed Milk

1 1/2 cup cold water

3.4 oz instant Vanilla pudding

1 pint whipping cream, whipped

36 vanilla wafers, or more

3 medium bananas, sliced

2 TBSP lemon juice

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine sweetened condensed milk and cold water. Add pudding mix, whisk until well blended, and set in the refrigerator to chill.

2. Beat the whipping cream using an electric mixer until it forms peaks.

3. Remove the pudding from the fridge and fold the whipping cream into the pudding mixture, stirring gently to mix well.

4. Spoon one cup of the pudding mixture into a 2 1/2 quart glass serving dish.

5. Top with one third of the vanilla wafers, one third of the sliced bananas, and then one third of what remains of the pudding mixture. Repeat layering twice, ending with pudding mixture. Chill thoroughly. Garnish as desired. Serve chilled. Store leftovers in fridge.

I got this recipe from my good friend Jennie Mawson who recently passed away. I've looked for a good banana pudding recipe for years since my mom and I went to NYC and had the best banana puddin' ever.

Creamy Lemon Chicken

Man, this was delicious.  We loved it.  And it was easy to make.  Give this one a try!

Creamy Lemon Chicken
2 or 3 boneless, skinless breasts
salt and pepper
1 cup flour
1 1/2 T butter
1 T olive oil
1 1/4 cup chicken stock
1 cup heavy cream
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
2 lemons: 1 juiced, 1 sliced
Fresh parsley

Season chicken with salt and pepper, then coat with flour.
Heat a skillet on med high heat and add the butter and oil.
Place the chicken breasts in the hot pan and cook for 3-5 minutes on each side or until cooked through and tender. (It took longer for me.)
Remove the chicken and set aside.
Pour the chicken stock in the pan and deglaze the pan stirring up the bits.  Add the cream and stir.  Season with the salt, pepper and lemon juice
Simmer together for a few minutes, then add back the chicken breasts and top with the sliced lemons. Spoon the sauce over the chicken and serve over potatoes, rice, or a bed of spinach.  Top with parsley and more sauce.