Fritter Style Cornbread

This is not a light and fluffy cornbread. It is a dense, moist, and totally delicious treat. You can add butter or honey or both, but the muffins are also delicious all by themselves.

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup corn meal

1/3 cup soft butter

2 eggs

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

2 tablespoons diced green chilies or diced jalapenos

1/2 cup cooked corn

1/2 cup buttermilk

1 cup grated pepper jack cheese

Put all ingredients into a glass mixing bowl; stir well, brush the bottoms of a muffin tin, and scoop batter into the tin. This recipe makes 12.

Bake at 375 for 18 - 20 minutes

Cool slightly before removing the muffins from the tin. The cheese can make these stick a bit. Use a plastic knife to separate the muffins from the sides of the wells. Most muffin tins are nonstick, and the plastic will not scratch the coating.

You can also bake this in a cast iron skillet. The baking time will be slightly longer. Test for doneness by pressing the middle to see if it springs back.

We are healthy only to the extent that our ideas are humane. Kurt Vonnegut

Marinade for Roasted Vegetables

Because I like to cook with whatever is in the house, I have formulas for some things rather than recipes. A recipe implies that you should have certain ingredients to make the food taste right or to make it work. Most of the time, that isn't the case. Most things have a ratio that will allow you to substitute a whole array of ingredients. In addition to using up what you have around, formula cookery results in some novelty and discovery. 

We like to roast vegetables rather than steam or boil them because the flavor is concentrated and intensified in the roasting. With some of the water content gone and a bit of caramelization, new flavors emerge. The best example of this is how many people like roasted Brussells sprouts, but do not care for them cooked with any other method.

The sauces can be drizzled over the vegetables in whatever quantity you like. I like to drizzle a little when I first put them in the oven and then again about 15 or 20 minutes before I remove them from the oven.

Formula for Marinade

Tang - wine vinegar, rice vinegar, cider vinegar, lemon or lime juice - about 1/4 cup

Sweetness - honey, maple syrup, brown sugar, jelly - especially pomegranate - about 1/3 cup

Fat - butter, avocado oil, olive oil, ghee, or some combination of those - about 1/2 cup

Liquid - broth, wine, fruit juice, water, beer - about 1/3 cup

Flavoring/Umami - soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, chili pepper flakes or powder, caraway seed powder, dill weed, mustard, coriander, fennel, ginger, garlic, etc. How much of these flavorings you use is totally unique to who's doing the eating. But all of these are generally measured with spoons rather than cups.

There is no reason not to use the same formula for meat marinade, as well.

Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.

Jaryd Clifford

Pumpkin Cranberry Nut Muffins

This quick bread recipe has a distinct holiday feeling, but I can also envision serving it at a springtime brunch. Days are getting longer and soon we will be eating on patios and porches again. The cranberries in this recipe give the sweet bread a lively tartness that will complement any breakfast entree.

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup white sugar

1 cup of cooked pumpkin

2/3 cup chopped pecans or walnuts or whatever you might have on hand

1/2 cup chopped fresh cranberries (You can use the dried version, if it's not the season for fresh.)

2 eggs

1/2 cup buttermilk

2 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup soft butter

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons vanilla

1 tablespoon cinnamon

1 rounded teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

This recipe will make 18 medium sized muffins. Four or five small loaf pans might be an option, too.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes (muffins) or 30 minutes (loaf pans). Test for doneness by pressing on the middle. It should spring back and feel fairly firm.

The more efficient you get, the more you become a limitless reservoir for other people's expectations.

Jim Benson

Salmon and Sweet Potato Hors d'oeuvres

These make great appetizers; or if you want a light meal, add a salad, and you've got lunch or dinner. I have made salmon cakes with parsnip and potato (also delicious), but the sweet potato is the ultimate complement to the salmon.

6 ounces of cooked salmon (or crab meat)

1 tablespoon lime juice

1 cup cooked, mashed sweet potato

1/2 cup soft butter

1/2 cup bread  crumbs

1 cup mashed potato flakes

1 large egg (2 medium)

1 rounded tablespoon sautéed garlic

1/2 teaspoon salt

Mix ingredients thoroughly with a mixing fork.

Divide into 12 portions and form small patties on a well oiled baking sheet.

Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Flip, and bake for 10 more minutes on the second side.

Spicy Sauce:

1/3 cup mayonnaise

1 tablespoon yellow mustard

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1 teaspoon dill weed

2 tablespoons finely minced dill pickle

If you don't want the heat, leave out the red pepper.

Contrary to the cliche, it isn't the thought that counts, but the effort. Oliver Burkeman

Winter Squash Safety Tip

Our family loves winter squash, but I don’t like trying to cut a hard, rolling object with a large, sharp knife. So I stick them into the oven whole and then cut and remove seeds later when they are soft and not so dangerous and unwieldy.

I put them into the oven at 350 for about 45 minutes to an hour depending on what I want to do with them later. If you'd like to peel them and chop them into cubes for roasting, pull them out a little earlier. If you want to mash them, leave them in until they are soft and well cooked. Either way, you will be able to cut them, peel them, and scoop out the seeds with no danger to your fingers or your counter tops.

Science is magic that works. Kurt Vonnegut

Nutty Breakfast Bars

These are so quick and easy, that you will want to keep them on hand always. I store mine in the freezer and take one out when I am making coffee in the morning. By the time the coffee is ready, the breakfast bar is ready to eat. If you like to have a "little something" with your first cup of coffee, these are perfect. There is enough substance to keep you going for quite a while, and enough sweetness and flavor to make you glad to get up in the morning.

Hazelnuts or pecans or cashews - 1 heaping cup chopped

Egg whites 4

Oatmeal 2 cups

Melted Butter 1/2 cup

Dates 1 1/2 cups chopped

Ground flax 1 cup

Mix ingredients together and form 2" x 3" bars - about 1/2" thick. 

Bake for 30 minutes at 325° on a baking sheet coated with coconut oil.T

That's it!

Try not to become a person of success, but rather become a person of value. Albert Einstein

Tempura and Ponzu

This stuff is so delicious, and not terribly complicated. It is good without any ponzu sauce, but the sauce is so simple to make, you will definitely want to try it.

I cubed the tofu and set it on a clean towel to drain away excess moisture.

The tempura mix consists of equal parts: cornstarch, nutritional yeast and wheat flour and a teaspoon of salt. (Try rice or potato flour if you don't want gluten.) Use about 1/3 cup of each. 

Toss the cubes in the dry mix and gently lower into hot oil. Used about a quarter inch of coconut oil in a frying pan at medium heat.

 

Fry for 4 or 5 minutes; then flip (carefully) to crisp the other side. Stir a little to make sure all the pieces are coated with oil. Scoop out with a slotted spoon and drain on some paper toweling.

The ponzu sauce consists of:

Soy sauce - about a half cup

The juice of 1 lemon and 1 lime

A tablespoon of vinegar

And a couple of teaspoons of honey

Drizzle a little over your crispy tofu for a real treat.

Good for breakfast, lunch or dinner!

A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person.

Mignon McLaughlin