My dad has always made the moistest, most delicious cakelike cornbread. I finally found a recipe that makes a similar product. Squee!
Buttery Cornbread
1 stick of butter, softened
2/3 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1 1/2 cups flour
2/3 cup cornmeal
1 tbsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
Cream together butter and sugar for a ridiculously long time, until it's so light and fluffy you could nap on it.
Combine the eggs and milk in a smallish bowl, and the flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt in another. Add a small amount of the egg mixture and a small amount of the flour mixture at a time, mixing well after each addition until it's all in the bowl and mixed well. Pour into a greased 9x9 baking dish, pop into a 400 degree oven for about 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.
YUM YUM YUM
Eat well!
<3 Jen
January 21, 2011
January 19, 2011
Chowdah!
Zumba went very, very well this morning. I about fell over, but I persevered and lived to tell the tale. Goal pants, here I come! Goodbye to my dear Muffin Top. ;)
A Nerd Named Jen proudly presents:
Recipe with photos!!!!
Manhattan Clam Chowder!
Here's our lovely cast (ignore the delicious, sinful Cherries & Cream Stewart's sodas behind them)
5 strips bacon
3 celery stalks
2 yellow onions
2 cups water
1 15 oz can diced tomatoes
2 carrots
4 small red potatoes
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon hot sauce
1 tablespoon minced garlic
5 cans clams, drained and rinsed
Cook the bacon until it's crisp. You can use a skillet and country girl it up, or you can bea lazy wuss cautious like me and microwave it. I did mine for 3 minutes on high. When it's done, put it in the bowl of your crock pot.
Dice your celery and onions!
Saute them until they're soft!
Then, throw 'em in the pot with the bacon.
Add water, tomatoes, diced carrots and potatoes, spices and hot sauce to the pot.
Set the crock pot on LOW, let 'er go for 6-8 hours. Add the garlic and clams the last hour of cooking.
Drain the clams in a colander...
...then throw 'em in the pot for the last hour, along with zee garlic. (Thanks Zach! xo)
Verdict? Delicious and savory! I put a few crackers in the bowl and gobbled it up. I forgot to take a photo of the finished product for you! I have some left over, perhaps I'll get a pic of that. :D
Make your dreams come true this wondrous new year!
Eat well!
<3 Jen
A Nerd Named Jen proudly presents:
Recipe with photos!!!!
Manhattan Clam Chowder!
Here's our lovely cast (ignore the delicious, sinful Cherries & Cream Stewart's sodas behind them)
5 strips bacon
3 celery stalks
2 yellow onions
2 cups water
1 15 oz can diced tomatoes
2 carrots
4 small red potatoes
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon hot sauce
1 tablespoon minced garlic
5 cans clams, drained and rinsed
Cook the bacon until it's crisp. You can use a skillet and country girl it up, or you can be
Dice your celery and onions!
Saute them until they're soft!
Then, throw 'em in the pot with the bacon.
Add water, tomatoes, diced carrots and potatoes, spices and hot sauce to the pot.
Set the crock pot on LOW, let 'er go for 6-8 hours. Add the garlic and clams the last hour of cooking.
Drain the clams in a colander...
...then throw 'em in the pot for the last hour, along with zee garlic. (Thanks Zach! xo)
Verdict? Delicious and savory! I put a few crackers in the bowl and gobbled it up. I forgot to take a photo of the finished product for you! I have some left over, perhaps I'll get a pic of that. :D
Make your dreams come true this wondrous new year!
Eat well!
<3 Jen
January 18, 2011
Okay, I'm not dead...
...just stupid busy.
I'm working at a vocational college in the city teaching skincare every weeknight. It rocks. I'm still cutting hair 2 days a week. That's exhausting, but it keeps my hands in the hair , plus paying things off a little more quickly.
As a result, the crockpot's been seeing a lot of playtime. Here's what's coming up tonight....
Veggie stuffed peppers
4 whole bell peppers
1 15oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup corn kernels
1/2 cup shredded carrots
1/3 cup shredded cheese (I had sharp cheddar, but pepper jack would be tasty)
1/3 cup uncooked rice
1 15 oz can diced tomatoes
1/2 yellow onion, diced
big handful minced parsley
chili powder, cumin and salt to taste
Cut a thin slice off the top of each pepper. Carefully take out seeds and membranes, leaving pepper intact.
Combine all other ingredients in a bowl. Spoon mixture into each pepper. Stuff 'em good. Any excess filling can be poured on top.
Arrange peppers in crockpot (4 quart is perfect). Cook on LOW setting 4-6 hours. Serve with lime and sour cream.
If you're having folks over for dinner, it'd be a pretty presentation if you used several colors of peppers. Sigh. :D
Anyway, to catch you up some more: I'm pretty sure I'm lactose intolerant(yuck), so I'm using less dairy nowadays. Zach got me 2 nice cookbooks with healthy, veggieful recipes and *gasp* a 7-cup Cuisinart food processor. *commence happy ugly cry*
I opened my big mouth before the holiday break and challenged my students to some self-improvement. So, I've been calorie counting and I'm going to start a Zumba class tomorrow morning. To celebrate, I went to TJ Maxx and got a new pair of workout shoes, breathable socks and some comfy pants. Yee haw!
I'm working at a vocational college in the city teaching skincare every weeknight. It rocks. I'm still cutting hair 2 days a week. That's exhausting, but it keeps my hands in the hair , plus paying things off a little more quickly.
As a result, the crockpot's been seeing a lot of playtime. Here's what's coming up tonight....
Veggie stuffed peppers
4 whole bell peppers
1 15oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup corn kernels
1/2 cup shredded carrots
1/3 cup shredded cheese (I had sharp cheddar, but pepper jack would be tasty)
1/3 cup uncooked rice
1 15 oz can diced tomatoes
1/2 yellow onion, diced
big handful minced parsley
chili powder, cumin and salt to taste
Cut a thin slice off the top of each pepper. Carefully take out seeds and membranes, leaving pepper intact.
Combine all other ingredients in a bowl. Spoon mixture into each pepper. Stuff 'em good. Any excess filling can be poured on top.
Arrange peppers in crockpot (4 quart is perfect). Cook on LOW setting 4-6 hours. Serve with lime and sour cream.
If you're having folks over for dinner, it'd be a pretty presentation if you used several colors of peppers. Sigh. :D
Anyway, to catch you up some more: I'm pretty sure I'm lactose intolerant(yuck), so I'm using less dairy nowadays. Zach got me 2 nice cookbooks with healthy, veggieful recipes and *gasp* a 7-cup Cuisinart food processor. *commence happy ugly cry*
I opened my big mouth before the holiday break and challenged my students to some self-improvement. So, I've been calorie counting and I'm going to start a Zumba class tomorrow morning. To celebrate, I went to TJ Maxx and got a new pair of workout shoes, breathable socks and some comfy pants. Yee haw!
November 22, 2010
So maybe I don't get my merit badge in blogging this year.
It's been an outrageous fall, full of little bits of everything. Promise I'm not trying to ignore the blog, but I've not been cooking just tons and tons either. I did make a little dinner for myself tonight after I got in from work. :)
Easy Stroganoff
1/2 lb lean ground beef
1/2 small yellow onion
4-5 white button mushrooms
salt and pepper
1 tbsp minced garlic
splash of white wine
2 dashes of Worcestershire sauce
1/2 container of Tofutti Better Than Sour Cream
Brown your meat. Mine was the 93/7 variety, so no need to drain it. Add diced onion, sliced mushrooms and garlic, cook on medium heat until onions start to become translucent. Add wine and Worcestershire sauce, cook down until it quits "singing" and smells nice again. Salt and pepper to taste, then add the sour cream (I use Tofutti because the real deal gives me trouble). I ate this over some thin noodles, with a little salad alongside. Super quick, and it was pretty satisfying! :)
Bonus: Dad's Birthday Cake
Ingredients
* 1 cup butter
* 1 1/2 cups white sugar
* 8 egg yolks
* 3/4 cup milk
* 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
* 2 cups cake flour
* 2 teaspoons baking powder
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour 2 - 8 inch round pans. Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg yolks one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Beat in the flour mixture alternately with the milk, mixing just until incorporated. Pour batter into prepared pans.
3. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until tops spring back when lightly tapped. Cool 15 minutes before turning out onto cooling racks.
It was moist and delicious! I frosted it with Perfectly Chocolate Frosting, and it was a happy birthday indeed. Happy 50th, sir!
Easy Stroganoff
1/2 lb lean ground beef
1/2 small yellow onion
4-5 white button mushrooms
salt and pepper
1 tbsp minced garlic
splash of white wine
2 dashes of Worcestershire sauce
1/2 container of Tofutti Better Than Sour Cream
Brown your meat. Mine was the 93/7 variety, so no need to drain it. Add diced onion, sliced mushrooms and garlic, cook on medium heat until onions start to become translucent. Add wine and Worcestershire sauce, cook down until it quits "singing" and smells nice again. Salt and pepper to taste, then add the sour cream (I use Tofutti because the real deal gives me trouble). I ate this over some thin noodles, with a little salad alongside. Super quick, and it was pretty satisfying! :)
Bonus: Dad's Birthday Cake
Ingredients
* 1 cup butter
* 1 1/2 cups white sugar
* 8 egg yolks
* 3/4 cup milk
* 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
* 2 cups cake flour
* 2 teaspoons baking powder
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour 2 - 8 inch round pans. Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg yolks one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Beat in the flour mixture alternately with the milk, mixing just until incorporated. Pour batter into prepared pans.
3. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until tops spring back when lightly tapped. Cool 15 minutes before turning out onto cooling racks.
It was moist and delicious! I frosted it with Perfectly Chocolate Frosting, and it was a happy birthday indeed. Happy 50th, sir!
September 24, 2010
Happy Fall... now go make this!
It's finally Fall!!! Did you all go look outside last night and the night before at Jupiter? It's so sparkly. :D
Anyway, Fall makes me want desserts with cinnamon and oats. It's true. So, after making a lovely pizza for dinner, I whipped up some delicious dessert. Here's how it goes:
Cinnamon Apple Bake
Preheat oven to 350.
3-4 granny smith apples (or something equally tart), cored & diced small
cinnamon and sugar, to coat the diced apples
2 tablespoons softened(not melted) butter
2 tablespoons flour
1/3 cup oats
2 tablespoons brown sugar
Get your diced apples into a mixing bowl. Add enough cinnamon and sugar to coat the apples and have a little tiny bit loitering in the bottom of the bowl. Pour them into a baking vessel big enough to hold them (I used a round cake pan since it was all I could reach, lol). Put the last 4 ingredients in the bowl and mash them together until the mixture resembles granola (ie: soft crumbles). Pour it over the top of the apples. Pop it in the oven for 45 minutes-1 hour, depending on your oven and how soft you like the apples to be. Don't let it burn, though. That's illegal.
Let it cool off a little bit before you eat some, or the roof of your mouth will suffer. By all means, make this for dessert, then eat it again for breakfast. :D
Enjoy Fall, eat well!
<3 Jen
Anyway, Fall makes me want desserts with cinnamon and oats. It's true. So, after making a lovely pizza for dinner, I whipped up some delicious dessert. Here's how it goes:
Cinnamon Apple Bake
Preheat oven to 350.
3-4 granny smith apples (or something equally tart), cored & diced small
cinnamon and sugar, to coat the diced apples
2 tablespoons softened(not melted) butter
2 tablespoons flour
1/3 cup oats
2 tablespoons brown sugar
Get your diced apples into a mixing bowl. Add enough cinnamon and sugar to coat the apples and have a little tiny bit loitering in the bottom of the bowl. Pour them into a baking vessel big enough to hold them (I used a round cake pan since it was all I could reach, lol). Put the last 4 ingredients in the bowl and mash them together until the mixture resembles granola (ie: soft crumbles). Pour it over the top of the apples. Pop it in the oven for 45 minutes-1 hour, depending on your oven and how soft you like the apples to be. Don't let it burn, though. That's illegal.
Let it cool off a little bit before you eat some, or the roof of your mouth will suffer. By all means, make this for dessert, then eat it again for breakfast. :D
Enjoy Fall, eat well!
<3 Jen
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