This morning I was up early. I needed to get dinner into the crock pot before the family woke up and starter their day. I’ve made my Stroganoff in a crock pot many times before. Usually, I thinly slice an onion and brown it in a skillet. Usually, the base is a combination of beef broth and mushroom soup. Usually.
Good Ol’ Boy Southern Style Cornbread
Like most cooks, I have several cornbread recipes at my disposal. This particular recipe is truly rooted in the South. Start with the fact that it is baked in a cast iron skillet. So often it seems that in Southern cooking, a cake pan or baking dish equates to “cast iron skillet” – be it up-side-down cakes, breads or biscuits.
Then there’s the use of bacon grease both to season the skillet and flavor the bread. I don’t know of many Northerners that keep a tin of bacon grease handy, but no self-respecting Southern kitchen would be without it. Okay, so I was born and raised in California, but my dad is an Okie through and through. He does a lot of things the “Southern” way. He passed those on to me, and I to my children and grandchildren.
What’s the difference between Northern and Southern Cornbread? That’s easy – Northern Cornbread is moist, sweet and more cake-like. It is usually cooked in a cake pan or square glass dish. While not always the case, generally speaking Northern Cornbread uses more flour than corn meal, giving it a more cake-like finish. Northern Cornbread uses butter or oil as the fat, Southern cornbread uses bacon grease. Northern Cornbread is especially delicious when served alongside a big bowl of spicy chili where the sweetness is a welcome contrast to the fiery bowl of beans. Southern Cornbread usually isn’t sweetened (although I like mine sweet, so I add some sugar to the mix). Southern Cornbread uses more corn meal than flour and is usually cooked in a very hot skillet, making the crust crisp and the bread more gritty. Southern Cornbread is great with grilled foods such as barbecued chicken or ribs.
If you don’t have any bacon grease handy, fry up some bacon for breakfast or BLTs for lunch and save the grease.
Southern Skillet Cornbread
4 teaspoons bacon drippings
1 1/2 cup yellow corn meal, preferably stone ground
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar (or to taste)
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons baking powder
1 tablespoon baking soda
1/2 cup rapidly boiling water
1 cup buttermilk
1 large egg, beaten lightly
A “must” for this bread is a hot cast-iron skillet. Although the bread can be made in a cake pan or square casserole dish, that would just be too “Yankee” to do the bread justice. Adjust oven rack to lower middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Set 8-inch cast iron skillet with bacon fat in it to heat oven.
Measure 1/2 cup cornmeal into medium bowl. Set aside.
Mix remaining 1 cup cornmeal, flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda in small bowl; set aside.
Pour boiling water all at once into the 1/2 cup cornmeal; stir to make a stiff mush. Whisk in buttermilk gradually, breaking up lumps until smooth. Cornmeal mush of just the right texture is essential to this bread. The mush must be smooth without overworking the batter. Don’t rush the buttermilk and you’ll have less lumps to break up. Once the mush is ready, add the egg.
When oven is preheated and skillet very hot, stir dry ingredients into mush mixture until just moistened. Carefully remove skillet from oven. Pour hot bacon fat into batter and stir to incorporate, then quickly pour batter into heated skillet.
Place skillet back into the oven, then immediately lower the temperature of the oven to 425 degrees.
Bake until golden brown, about 15-20 minutes. Remove from oven and instantly turn corn bread onto wire rack; cool for 5 minutes, then serve immediately.
If serving the cornbread with a spicy barbecued dish, poke a few holes in the top of the bread with a fork. Spread a little honey butter over the top of the cornbread and let it seep in just before serving. The honey will help to off-set the heat.
Our Holiday Vacation to the Wilds of Wyoming – Day 5
Day 5 and it’s back into the park. As usual, traveling into the park from the East Gate and you are met with a minor morning traffic jam. Every day of our visit, the same bison bull seems to want to take a stroll down the highway. He causes quite the scene. This day is particularly cold, and the difference in air temperatures and the steam has created its own fog bank, especially around the lake. As we make our way to the Midway Geyser Basin, we keep an eye out for wildlife. We were lucky enough to spot an eagle perched in a dead pine tree. We watched the bird for a few minutes, until he flew away.
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Birthday Breakfast Cupcakes with Potatoes and Scrambled Eggs
Who doesn’t like a birthday breakfast in bed? Who doesn’t like a cupcake with a cherry on top? Okay, so this isn’t a “real” cupcake as in cake – it’s still just as adorable.
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Portuguese Garlic Nailed Steak Sandwich
This is a popular pub sandwich. The name is derived from the fact that the steak is “nailed” with garlic – the garlic is actually pounded with a mallet into the slices of steak. While the recipe calls for 6 cloves of garlic, feel free to add as much garlic as you like. The garlic-nailed slices of beef are finished in a wine reduction sauce with onions. How often can you say that a sandwich should be served with a nice bottle of wine? Not an expensive French import, but a good, robust Portuguese red such as Casa Ferreirinha’s Vinha Grande 2002. At about $20.00 a bottle, this is a great example of Portuguese reds. It is similar to a Port, with a nice bouquet and fruity blackberry finish. I’m a wine drinker by nature, but I suppose a pub-style sandwich would also be nice with a tall, cold bottle of beer.
Marinated London Broil with Mushroom Sauce
Let’s get one thing clear right from the start – there is no such cut of meat commonly known as a London Broil. The name isn’t for a cut of meat but rather a way of cooking that particular hunk of beef. Make no mistake about it – London Broil is nothing more than a thick cut of top round, and as such is an easy cut of meat to turn into something akin to shoe leather. If you don’t like your meat bloody, avoid – I repeat – AVOID this hunk of beef.
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Our Holiday Vacation to the Wilds of Wyoming – Day 4
Our fourth day in the park was spent concentrating on the various thermal features of the Upper, Lower and Mid Basins of the park. Naturally, no visit to Yellowstone would be complete without a few hours at Old Faithful. There is the famous geyser to explore, and the awesome Inn that is unlike any other resort in the park.
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Cuban Grilled Pork Chops
Pork, the other white meat, is a favorite in our house. It’s great on a grill. Delicious when marinated, rubbed or barbecued. So versatile. The mild flavor of pork surrenders well to smoke. It’s just a great meat to work with. I adore pork. If you cannot find chops in the market to your liking, it’s really easy to buy a nice tenderloin and cut your own. For larger chops, use a loin roast. (And no, that’s not a mistake – tenderloin and loin are NOT the same cut of the animals. The tenderloin is long and narrow, while the loin is short and wide).
The rub of this recipe gives a nice outer layer of flavor. The sliced mangoes on the side gives color and a tropical feel to the plate. Can’t you just hear the steel drums? Makes me want to serve cold beverages with slices of pineapple and little umbrellas.
Cuban Grilled Pork Chops
Ingredients – Cuban Rub
2 tablespoons grated lime peel
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
1 tablespoon cracked black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 Garlic Clove, finely chopped
In small bowl, mix all Cuban Rub ingredients. Set aside until ready to use.
Ingredients – Pork Chops
4 Boneless Pork Loin or Rib Chops, 1″ thick (2 lbs)
1 Mango, sliced
3 Cups Cooked White Rice or Rice Pilaf
Trim excess fat from pork. Work rub into pork chops. Let sit on counter while a fire is built. The chops should sit for about 30 to 40 minutes for the rub to do its thing.
Heat coals for direct grilling. While fire is being built, steam rice.
Place pork 4-6 inches from medium ash coals. Cover and grill 8-10 minutes, turning frequently using barbecue tongs until pork is no longer pink and meat thermometer inserted in center reads 160-degrees. DO NOT over-grill.
Remove from grill, tent and let rest 5-10 minutes.
Serve rice with a pork chop on top. Garnish the plates with mango slices.
This dish would go well with Mango and Jicama Salad
Taco Braid
Just when you thought we were done with Taco Rings, Taco Pies and all things Taco in Crescent Rolls – along comes another in the long line of takes on the Taco. Oh, but this one is just a little different. While Taco Braid is very similar it is made with pizza dough rather than Crescent Rolls, with the addition of sautéed onions and chopped tomatoes baked right into the Braid. Besides, I’ve got to admit – I really like the look of just about anything served inside braided bread. The outside all golden and delicious. Slice into that braid and everything just looks so yummy.
William Henry Jackson’s view of Yellowstone
William Henry Jackson is best known for his early photographs of the American West, including photos of Yellowstone that helped to win Congressional support to create the first National Park in America.
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Our Holiday Vacation to the Wilds of Wyoming – Day 3
Day Three of our return to Yellowstone meant setting the alarm for 4 in the morning, with plans of hitting the road by 5. Why so early? We had a long drive ahead of us. Head into the park through the east gate, north at Fishing Bridge, up through Hayden Valley toward Canyon Village. From there, it was straight north to Tower Roosevelt, forgoing the views in the predawn hours. Then east from the Tower into Lamar Valley.
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Caramelized Onion Roasted Pork Tenderloin
One of my favorite cuts of pork has to be the tenderloin. This is not to be mistaken for a pork loin. These are two different cuts of meat from two different parts of the animal. The Tenderloin is thin and small, while the Port Loin is wide enough to cut steak-like pieces from it. These cuts of pork aren’t even cooked the same. While both can be roasted, the tenderloin is best cooked quickly using high heat, while the loin lends itself well to slow-roasting or indirect grilling methods. Just as the beef tenderloin gives us Filet Mignon, the Tenderloin of a pig gives us pork Medallions, tender and delicious with a mild flavor on their own. Just as Filet Mignon embrace additional sauces and flavoring agents, so too do Medallions.
This recipe is perfect for a lazy weekend supper or easy midweek dinner. From prep to table, it’s about an hour total. While that might not seem like a midweek recipe, with longer days it’s not out of the realm of possibilities. We tend to eat later in the evening during the spring and summer months. It has something to do with sunlight in general. A meal at six in the evening during the winter feels more like midnight, while supper around seven in the summer somehow makes sense. Crazy, huh?
This roasted Pork Tenderloin goes well with a simple side dish of rice, such as a Pilaf or buttery garlic, and some steamed green beans. Not too filling, but oh so satisfying. A larger tenderloin may be used, simply increase the cooking time accordingly. For the three of us, it was the perfect size.
Caramelized Onion Pork Tenderloin
1 large sweet onion, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 pork tenderloin (1 pound)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
In a large skillet, cook onion and sugar in oil over medium-low heat until onion is tender and golden brown, about 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes or so.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Cover a 13 x 9 rimmed baking pan with foil. Place a V-shaped rack into baking pan and with cooking spray. Set aside until ready to use.
Once onions are caramelized, place pork tenderloin onto the V-shaped rack. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Top with caramelize onions. Cover and bake for about 20 minutes. Remove from oven, add a little water to the bottom of the baking pan, cover roast with foil and continue to cook another 20 minutes or until center of pork reaches 160 degrees, checking every 10 minutes.
Remove tenderloin from oven, keep warm and let rest 5 minutes before slicing.
A Midsummer Night’s Delight – Lasagna with a Meaty Sauce and Mini Garlic Monkey Bread
Monkey Bread. Monkey Bread. What a fun thing to say. Monkey Bread.
Under normal circumstances I wouldn’t even dream of making Lasagna in the summer. I try to avoid anything that is baked in the oven, even for a short time. I try to avoid dishes that are heavy when it’s hot. Summer is a time for light meals, and lots of cooking outdoors.
Continue reading “A Midsummer Night’s Delight – Lasagna with a Meaty Sauce and Mini Garlic Monkey Bread”Our Holiday Vacation to the Wilds of Wyoming – Day 2
Our second day of vacation was actually the first day in the park. We headed out from Rand Creek Ranch early in the morning with the plan to spend the entire day exploring the park and hitting all the “major” attractions. We wanted to get an overview of the entire geothermal areas, with return trips later in the week to those features of greatest interest.
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1913 Style Deviled Egg Tea Sandwiches
I like to read old cookbooks. One of the things I find interesting about old recipes is that so many do not contain a list of ingredients followed by instructions. You need to read through the recipe’s “how to” and extract a list of ingredients from the instructions. Even then, measurements are often “assumed” – case in point would be the recipe below. The instructions were all I had to go by. It was through simple trial and error that I was able to get at lease some “measurements”. Sometimes when using old recipes, I’ve had to google the instructions to refine them a bit – terms such as “kitchen spoonful”, or “saltspoon”, quick or slow oven, finely pulverized sugar – were once foreign to me. A slow oven is around 300-325 degrees, while a quick oven is around 400-425, and a very quick oven is around 450. A saltspoon equates to about 1/4 teaspoon by today’s standards, while a kitchen spoon is about 1 tablespoon. As for pulverized sugar, that’s a gimme – powdered sugar!
One of the things I like about old cookbooks is that they contain recipes long since forgotten. Some for good reason – such as Vinegar Pie! No, not a crust made with vinegar, but an actual pie called Vinegar Pie – made with eggs and vinegar. Very inexpensive, very big during the depression.
Other “vintage” recipes are worth keeping – boiled frosting is a good example. And then there are things we simply don’t think about today – placing a cake in front of an open window to cool. Think about it – you’ve just baked a cake, and the kitchen is warm from the oven. What better way to cool the cake (and the kitchen) than to open a window?
This recipe for Deviled Egg Salad Sandwiches was first published in 1913. The same year the 16th Amendment to the United States Constitution was ratified giving the government the power to collect income tax. Woman marched on Washington in the first official Woman Suffrage Procession. Richard Nixon, Rosa Parks and Jimmy Hoffa were all born that year. All in all, it was an interesting year.
Deviled Egg Salad Sandwich – 1913 Style
6 Eggs, Hard-Boiled
Olive oil
Wine Vinegar
Salt & Pepper to taste
¼ teaspoon French mustard
2 Drops Tabasco sauce
3-4 Tablespoons mayonnaise
Lettuce Leaves (Optional)
Bread, lightly toasted
Dill pickle spears for garnish (Optional)
Peel some boiled eggs, then separate the yolks and whites.
Mash the yolks of hard-boiled eggs to a powder and moisten with olive oil and a few drops of vinegar. Work to a paste, add salt, pepper and French mustard to taste, with a drop or two of hot sauce.
Now chop the whites of the eggs until they are a fine yet coarse mixture. Place them with the yolk paste. Add mayonnaise and mix well until spreadable. Adjust seasonings if necessary.
Spread egg mixture on lightly toasted bread, crusts removed. Quarter to create triangle shapes.
Personally, I like to make my egg salad sandwich with green leaf lettuce for color and “crunch”, then serve them up with a nice, crisp pickle spear. These little sandwiches would also be a nice “old-fashioned” addition to an afternoon tea.
Tips to Boiled Eggs: Place eggs in a pan and cover with cold water. Bring to a full boil. Remove from heat, cover and let rest for 12-14 minutes. Drain, then plunge eggs into ice-cold water to cease the cooking process. The results will be a perfectly cooked egg with a sunny yellow yolk. Once eggs have cooled enough to handle, gently roll on counter top to “crack” shell. Return to water and soak for about 20 minutes. The water will seep under shell and make peeling easier.
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