Unbelievable Cornbread

In honor of Thanksgiving I am bringing back my very secret (!) and one of my first culinary creations: My Cornbread.

Cornbread

This was the very first recipe I posted on my blog.  Why am I bringing it back?  Simple; it never received the recognition it deserves.  Trust me when I tell you this corn bread is absolutely the best corn bread you will ever eat.  It is moist, flavorful and with just enough sweetness to blow your mind!

Not only was this my first post and by reading it you will notice how “green” I was, but I really didn’t talk (will I ever shut up!) enough about the loveliness of this recipe.  I left the original post , feel free to go check it out and compare….remember to be nice

It’s fairly easy to make, if you know how to bake a cake then you can’t mess this up.

It uses real corn not just cornmeal.

It is moist.

It has cheese in it!

It makes a nice big pan of delectable cornbread.

It freezes well (although rarely do we have leftovers).

Once you make it, you will be assigned to make it over and over again.

take a closer look at this little marvel!

Ingredients:

1 cup flour
1 cup corn meal
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt

6oz of butter
1 cup white sugar
4 eggs
1 small jar of green chilies not drained (optional)
1 8.5oz canned corn drained (drained)
1 15oz canned cream of corn
1 cup shredded cheese (Mexican blend or sharp cheddar)
How to:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.  Butter an 8X10 pan.  Set aside.

In a medium bowl combine your flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt.  Set aside.

In your mixer cream your butter with your sugar.  Add your eggs and combine well.  Add your chilies (if using), cream of corn, corn and cheese.  At this point you will notice your mixture will look somewhat curdled but pay no attention, this is all good!  Finally add your dry ingredients and mix until just combined.  Pour into your prepared pan and bake in your preheated oven for 1 hour.

creamy perfect batter

golden and smelling amazing

Let cool and serve at room temperature.

one last look before we go stuff ourselves full of Turkey!

Simply delicious…but be warned, once you make it you will have to make it over and over again….often making 2 pans of this cornbread just so there is plenty for people to take home!

Printer Friendly: Isabelle’s cornbread

Peace and Happy Turkey Day,

Isabelle

Green Tomato Bread

Green Tomato Bread

I know, it’s like I am trying to see how far I can take my weird ideas.  BUT in my defense this is not truly my idea.  Matt decided that since we have an ever-growing amount of green tomatoes from our “garden” (which in fact is really big plastic/rubber tubs around the chicken coop…real classy I must say!) we should make yummy stuff with all these tomatoes that don’t seem to get their beautiful red colors.

oh my tomato heaven!

The fact that it is getting colder at night made us bring in all those tomatoes.  We don’t want them to freeze.  But now because they lack the bright sun, they don’t ripen…oh the tomato drama!

Ingredients:

3 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups finely chopped green tomatoes (2 medium)
1 1/2 cups of chopped pecans

How to:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease and flour two 8 1/2 by 4 1/2 loaf pans.
Combine the first 6 ingredients in large bowl.  Make a well in the center of mixture.
Combine the eggs, oil, and vanilla; stir well.  Add to dry ingredients and stir just until moistened.  Fold in the tomatoes and pecans.
Spoon the batter into your prepared pans.  Put in your preheated oven and bake for 1 hour or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Cool in pans on wire rack for 10 minutes, then remove and cool completely on wire rack.

ready, set….

baked!

lovely sweet tomato bread

Note: the recipe actually called for 2 cups of regular sugar, this seemed too much for me, I decided to reduce to 1 cup sugar and 1/2 cup brown sugar.  Do as you wish….you are masters of your kitchens

Printer Friendly: Green Tomato Bread

Here is where Mr. Man found the recipe: Food.com

Peace out dudes,

Isabelle

Recipe also shared on here, please go check it out:

Carrot Quick Bread

This title is deceiving.  I should warn you that although it is the time of year when new memberships rise at your local gym, when people are promising a new lease to their bodies, when 8 glasses of water a day seems like a walk in the park..you might be thinking: “good for you Isabelle, a healthy snack to share with us”  Well you are wrong, this has nothing to do with health, new year or being “good”.  This is a typical Isabelle indulgence on a lazy day trying to satisfy my sweet cravings….without too much effort!

Here’s my idea: quick bread (because I am lazy) and carrot cake (because I am lazy and redundant….that’s what’s in my fridge)…..and a whole lotta of glaze!

see....a WHOLE lotta of glaze

Inspired by Food Network: Carrot Bread with Hazelnuts, Coconut and Cream Cheese Glaze

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup shredded carrots (about 2-3 carrots)

1/4 cup dried cranberries

1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

2 eggs

1/2 cup butter at room temperature

1/3 cup buttermilk

1 teaspoon vanilla

Cream Cheese Citrus glaze (optional)

How to:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Spray or butter a loaf pan and set aside.

In a large bowl combine your flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and ground cloves.  Set aside.

In your mixer cream your butter.  Add your sugar and your eggs (one at time mixing well between each additions).  Add your buttermilk.  Add your flour mixture at once and mix until just blended.  Using a spatula or wooden spoon add your carrots and dried cranberries.   Pour into your prepared pan and bake in your preheated oven for 35-40 minutes.

oven ready

fresh out of the oven

Citrus Cream Cheese Glaze

Ingredients:

1 cup confectioner sugar

3 tablespoon cream cheese (room temperature)

Zest and Juice 1 lemon

How to:

Mix everything together and let is cover the bread madness!

hello my sweet friend!

Printer Friendly: Carrot Quick Bread

Note: yes this bread is fairly healthy…but more important: it is DELICIOUS!  That’s all folks!

Peace and Bing Bam Boom,

Isabelle

Falling for the Book: Spicy Zucchini Quick Bread

Spicy Zucchini Quick Bread

Let me now explain the title, it’s so me….some of you might relate….some of you might think I am crazy. (I’m good with that!)

I love public libraries.  I could spend hours…HOURS in there.  I get my love of books from my dad.  He loves to spend time in libraries and book stores.

So, I got this text from Heather (Basilmomma) telling me that my Bear is on the cover of the Indiana State Museum flyer for their summer program.  She also told me that I can get the flyer at the library.  Great, since I am there practically everyday during the summer, I will get a copy (or 3) for myself.  I mean the kid is cute and she is now famous (!).  Also, I know my mom will want to have one as well. (nerds unite!)

My bear is the “bottom” one, she is holding up her friend!

While at my lovely library with my sweet daughters (at that moment…you know it’s summer…kids don’t always get along!) I was walking and found myself in the cookbook aisle…what a shocker!  I just happened to grab this book….2 minutes later, I am sitting in the middle of the aisle falling for this book…hard!

The book: Back To The Table; The Reunion of Food and Family by Art Smith

Confession: I almost put the book back…because right on the inside of the cover the first thing was: “From Art Smith, Oprah Winfrey’s personal chef….blah, blah, blah”  Again please DO NOT send me hate mail but….I have never really been a follower of O.W..  I am sure she is as awesome as they get.  I just don’t watch TV during the day.  I might have seen her show 2-3 times at best.  It’s just not for me.  I am not saying the fact that he is or was her personal chef is bad.  I am simply saying that I don’t “like” stuff because it is in relation to a famous person.

BUT the book is awesome!  Nicely done Mr. Smith…nicely done   Here again, the first thing that jumped out at me: Spicy Zucchini Quick Bread!  Oh! come on, I haven’t made a quick bread in a while….

Ingredients:

3 cups all purpose flour

2 teaspoons five-spice powder, pumpkin powder spice, or ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 cups sugar

1 cup vegetable oil (I only had canola oil)

3 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups shredded unpeeled zucchini (2 large)

1 cup chopped pecans (I didn’t put them in because Mr. Man and Sunshine don’t like nuts in their sweet breads!)

How to:

Preheat your oven to 350F.  Mr. Smith also said you may want to position a rack in the lower third of the oven.

Butter and flour a 10-inch fluted tube (Bundt) pan.  Set aside.

In a large bowl mix your flour, five-spice powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.  Make a well in the center.  In another bowl, whisk the sugar, oil, eggs, and vanilla and pour into the well.  Mix well, then stir in the zucchini and chopped pecans.  Spread evenly in the pan.

My zucchinis (I do think this looks like more than 2 cups but it was 2 zucchinis so I am using all of it)

Ready for the oven (isn’t my pan cute? I found it at a yard sale for $.50! Not bad!)

Bake in your preheated oven for about 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.  Let cool completely and enjoy!

My afternoon treat

Printer friendly: Spicy Zucchini Quick Bread

Note: AWESOME bread.  I didn’t have Five-Spice powder so I did the cinnamon and a dash of cayenne pepper!  Still delicious!

Peace and Not Famous by a long shot,

Isabelle

Lemon Poppy Seed Bread

Yep, another bread….maybe I should just have a bread blog.  I could make them day in and day out.  No one would be the wiser that I can actually do other things than bread.  I would be Captain Fantastic of the Bread Makers!  yikes….that’s just not healthy!

Do you like poppy seeds?  I do and every time I think of Elaine from Seinfeld.  Did you see the episode when she ate a poppy seed muffin and had to be drug tested.  That was funny.  Regardless, I still think poppy seeds are awesome.  Lemon is awesome.   Breads are awesome….

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup butter at room temperature

3/4 cup sugar

2 eggs at room temperature

1/2 cup milk

zest 1 lemon

2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

2 heaping tablespoon poppy seeds

Lemon syrup: 1 tablespoon lemon juice with 2 teaspoons sugar

How to:

Preheat your oven to 350F

Grease a pan loaf and set aside.

In a medium bowl mix your flour, baking powder and salt.  Set aside.

In your mixer bowl cream your butter until light and fluffy.  Add your sugar and mix well.  Scraping the side of the bowl at least once.  Add your eggs one at a time, mixing well.  Add your lemon zest and juice.  Add half of your flour mixture followed by half of your milk.  Put last of flour and milk.  Add your poppy seed and mix well.  Using a spatula, clean your mixer attachment and finish the batter by hand.  Pour in your prepared pan and bake in your preheated oven for 55-60 minutes.

Meanwhile mix your lemon syrup and set aside.

After removing your bread from the oven, carefully and slowly pour your syrup on your hot bread.  Let cool at room temperature and enjoy!

Here is Matt’s piece (everything tastes better with butter!)

Mr. Man said: “great bread, very moist and delicious”.  No, I didn’t pay him to say that!  But I love him for it!

Printer friendly:  Lemon Poppy Seed Bread

Peace and poppy,

Isabelle

Peanut Butter Bread

I love cookbooks. I mean, I LOVE LOVE cookbooks. I have to limit myself when I go to the bookstore, and even to the library.  It is almost ridiculous how many cookbooks I want and have.  Space is indeed a problem, I have 3 other people and 2 big dogs living here with me so I have to share.  I do but not happily.

Often people will give me cookbooks as gifts or when they just want to get ride of them.  I have never been able to part with a cookbook.  That is just impossible, poor lonely cookbook out there in the world with no one to look at it. (wow, I must stop here…I am scaring myself!)

I have some antique cookbooks and I sometimes look through them for inspiration or even to see how times have changed.  Here is one from my collection:

The way to a man’s heart: The Settlement Cookbook by Mrs. Simon Kander circa 1931

This cookbook contains a lot of interesting recipes: catnip tea, cracker gruel ( a thin porridge), pigeon en casserole (!), liver loaf….get the idea?  I really like this book and I actually have found a few recipes that I decided I should try.  First off: peanut butter bread, that sounds so good to me.  Also, and this might sound crazy, but I think I will try to make the liver loaf.  I cannot guarantee success or that my family will eat it but it’s worth a try.  Maybe I should do this when they haven’t eaten in a few days!  But today this is what I made:

Peanut Butter Bread

Here is a picture of the recipe:

No worries I will give you a printer friendly version at the end. I know, I am such a dear!

Ingredients:

2 cups of flour

4 teaspoons of baking powder

1 teaspoon of salt

1/4 cup of sugar (that’s not a lot, but OK)

2/3 cup of peanut butter

1 1/4 cup of milk (is it me or this sounds like a whole lot of milk?)

Sift flour, baking powder, salt & sugar together.  Add milk to peanut butter, blend well (geez! nothing blends with peanut butter) and add dry ingredients; beat thoroughly. The dough must be soft enough to take the shape of the pan.(shape? OK, lady!)  Bake in greased loaf pan in moderate (I do nothing moderately!) oven (350F) 45 to 50 minutes.  Best when a day old. (if this is good, this bread will not see the light of day tomorrow, I know my people!)

By the way, again is it just me or what, but there is no egg in this recipe?!  And may I just tell you that there was nothing “soft” about this batter.  I dumped it in my loaf pan and I had to get a spatula to spread it around.  I don’t know if that is what she meant by shape but I had a lot to do with the shaping!

Well look at this:

My house smells like peanut butter heaven!  This little bread is actually very tasty! Yum!

Of course it always helps when I spread a little bit of butter….   OH! I just thought of something: jelly!  Wouldn’t that just make it fabulous?

Printer friendly version: Peanut Butter Bread

Yours truly, Mrs. “Mr. Man” (to keep with the 30′s)

Note: I have to agree with Mrs. Kander, the bread is amazing the next day!  Warmed in the microwave and topped with butter.  It is like all the flavors and ingredients had a chance to get to now each other better!

Good old banana bread!

My family loves banana bread.  In fact every time my parents visit, I noticed that my dad expects to have a banana bread ready upon his arrival.  I have only one trick for my bread: old frozen bananas.  Not old like rotten but old like they have been overlooked and no one wants to eat them.  Don’t trow them away (although you could trow them in your compost….but that’s another post) put them in your freezer.  I have 8 in there as we speak/read.  I keep a plastic bag filled with “unwanted” bananas.  When the time is right, usually when I want my house to smell perfect, or when my parents visit, time to pull out 4 frozen bananas and make your bread!  They won’t be pretty but it makes a big difference in the bread.  Maybe the bananas are just happy to get a second chance! (wow, I do think too much about food….weird)

Here are my 4 friends thawing:

Here is the plan: Oven at 350F. Grease your favorite loaf pan (glass, ceramic, metal).

Mix together your dry ingredients:

1 3/4 cup of flour (organic if you want)

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon cinnamon (or a good pinch)

Set aside

Next, in a large bowl (or in your mixer) mix together:

2/3 cup of sugar

5 tablespoons of butter at room temperature (yes the real stuff, you could use something else, it’s your bread!)

Then add:

2 eggs

1 tablespoon of milk

4 thawed bananas (see above) I usually just snip the top of the banana and squeeze it into the bowl (real technical stuff!)

Next you want to add your dry ingredients to the banana madness, just mix until well incorporated.  Pour into your greased pan, in the oven for 1 hour.

Here is what the glorious bread will look like:

 

Yummy Banana Bread!

***This bread doesn’t last very long at our house, but if you have the chance, I would highly recommend that you toast a slice, spread with butter and have it for breakfast.  It is ridiculously perfect!  A good cup of coffee would make a nice companion!

Here is the printer friendly version: Belle Banana Bread

Peace and Frozen,

Isabelle