Corn Meal Yeast Rolls

This is a very tender yeast roll with the hint of corn meal. If your looking for a good roll for a Sunday roast meal give this one a try. Goes great with butter just by itself too.See yeast roll recipe
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Ingredients:

2 1/2 teaspoons yeast

1/4 cup sugar

1 1/4 cup milk

2 eggs beaten

1/4 cup shortening 

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup corn meal (use for dusting only)

4 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon melted butter

Pre heat oven to 350 bake 20 minutes or till lightly golden brown..

In a sauce pan mix milk and sugar till warm to the touch. Remove from heat add yeast. Put rest of the ingredients with the milk yeast mixture. Beat with kitchen aid using a dough hook till it comes together. It will climb up the hook.

Allow to rise till double. Takes about 2 hours.

 Sprinkle corn meal on dough cloth or wooden counter. Hand press the dough into a large circle.

Cut into pie wedges with a pizza cutter.

Roll up into crescent rolls.

Allow to rise till double. Bake in oven for 20 minutes at 350 till golden brown. Enjoy! Let me know if you like these.

Hash Brown Casserole

I received this recipe from the Mennonite side of the family. My husbands niece shared this one with me. I must warn you thou this is not a low calorie dish, but for those special occasions it sure does impress. My husband grows our  own potatoes so I do substitute that for packaged ones. This picture does not do this dish justice, it tastes so much more better than it looks.

Ingredients:

2 pound bag hashbrowns

16 ounce sour cream

2 cups cheddar cheese

1 can cream of chicken soup

2 teaspoons minced onions

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 cup melted butter

1/2  cups of corn flakes cereal crushed

1/4 cup melted butter for topping

Bake at 375 degrees 30 minutes till brown.

Boil, potatoes 20 minutes, do not over cook potatoes or they will be difficult to grate. cool and peel

With cheese grater, process potatoes they will look like hash browns. Add salt, pepper, onion powder and butter.In another bowl add can cream of chicken soup, and sour cream. Pour into seasoned potatoes.

Stir grated cheese, leave 1/2 cup to toss on top of casserole.
Pour melted butter on top of casserole. Crumble the cornflakes cereal on top bake in overn at 375 degrees for 35 minutes.

Orange Chiffon Cake

This orange chiffon cake recipe makes me appear to be a better baker than I am. It is unusual because it does  not have a vanilla, or almond flavoring. This cake is a very light flexible cake. It doesn't leave you feeling full. It holds the orange curd very well without getting soggy. This is another one of my mom favorites. You will need several bowls to mix the wet and dry ingredients before combining them.

Ingredients: Cake
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sifted cake flour (sift before measuring)
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup oil
4 large eggs separated(2 yolks for curd, 2 yolks for cake)
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons orange juice
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar 

Orange Curd
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons corn starch
1 cup orange juice
1 tablespoon butter

Cream Frosting
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 tsp vanilla
2 tablespoons confectioners sugar

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. 2- 8 inch metal cake pans. Do not use non-stick pans.

Separate 4 eggs.

In another bowl add sifted flour, salt, and baking powder, set aside.

In another bowl mix oil, orange juice, set aside.

We will make a meringue with 4 egg whites, beat till they get forthy, add the cream of tartar. When they thicken to this stage. Add sugar a tablespoon at a time. Do not dump all at once or your meringue will not turn out.

Now we will be combining all 3 bowls. First make a well in the bowl with the dry ingredients.  Add the 2 yolks, and the wet ingredients. (juice and oil)

Hand mix.

Fold meringue into cake batter. Divide batter between 2 cake pans. Bake for 25 minutes. Cake will be brown at the edges, when touched it will spring back. Cool upside down on cookie sheets. When totally cooled to remove slide off set spatula along side of pan.

To make curd add  sugar, cornstarch, orange juice, and 2 yolk to medium sauce pan. Stir continually until sauce thickens and begins to boil. Allow it to boil for 5 minutes. Remove from heat add butter.

Make cream frosting by whipping cream till it gets thick. Add sugar and vanilla. To make center filling add 1 cup of frosting to curd. Spread in between cake layers.

Frost cake with whip cream frosting. enjoy.

Corn Bread

I found a recipe that is a keeper, but that's only half of the equation. The other half is how you prepare it. My good friend Rhett showed me the secret to making really good corn bread
. You have to heat the cast iron skillet in the oven with oil to cover the bottom. This allows the bottom and sides of the cornbread to be crispy, leaving the center tender. I prefer sweet corn bread. How about you?

Ingredients:
1 cup yellow corn meal
1 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup oil
1 cup milk
1 egg beaten

Preheat oven with cast iron skillet to 425 degrees.
mix together dry ingredients, corn meal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. In another bowl mix together wet ingredients milk, egg, and oil.
Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredient , pour the wet and hand mix.

Pour batter into a hot oiled cast iron skillet.

It will sizzle like in the picture.

Bake 20 minutes till golden brown. Enjoy.

Dessert Flan

I will be preparing flan for the annual Mother's Day celebration. I started this ritual back in the 90's.  Gathering mothers, and daughters together for a day of relaxtion, food, and fellowship. I must admit it gave my a chance to set the table, and try out recipes. I get joy out of entertaining. Flan is a custard like pudding, with a sugar caramelized sauce. It's one of mom's most requested dessert. Let me know how you like this recipe.

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Ingredients: for sugar glaze
1  cup sugar

Ingredients for flan
1 can sweeten condensed milk
1/3 of 8 ounce cream cheese
5 large eggs
1 cup milk (whole)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon kaluah or coffee syrup
1/2  cup evaporated milk
heavy sauce pan
glass pie plate


The tricky part of this dish is making the syrup, I will show you step by step.

Place heavy pan on stove top to heat on medium heat.

Pour sugar into pan, and swirl around. The sugar will start to melt, and crumple up as in photo. Don't get discouraged.

Keep swirling, over the medium heat. The chunks get larger but underneath the sugar is melted.

More liquid sugar starts to over take the pan.

Keep swirling.

At this point the sugar is melted. Quickly pour into glass pie pan.

Swirl melted syrup up around the glass pie pan to cover the sides of the glass.

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In a blender add sweeten condensed milk, cream cheese, eggs, vanilla, evaporated miilk, milk, kaluah.. Blend till smooth.

Pour on top of caramelized sugar which will be hard by the time you get the milk mixture done.

Make a double boiler by placing a pan underneath the pie plate. Pour enough water into outer pan to come halfway up the sides of glass pie pan. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Bake for 1 hour. The flan is done when shaken the middle still jiggles. It will take on a caramelized brown color also. Cool the flan, and refrigerate over night. To serve run a knife along the sides, invert onto a large plate. enjoy!

Flip over a large plate, twist a little bit till you hear the suctions release.

Mother's Day Strawberry Who Doesn't Like Jello Cups

I enjoy cooking, and entertaining, and what better time to, bring family together than to honor all the women in our lives. My mother, my sister, my daughter-in-laws, my granddaughters, my women friends. Aaaah but what would a celebration be without the men. So I invite them also.

I will be making homemade strawberry jello. I like this recipe because it has the favor of custard, but yet the fresh fruitiness of strawberries.

2 baskets of fresh strawberries washed, cut into quarters. (about 2 1/2 cups)

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup water for blending strawberries in blender.

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon fresh squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)

1 3/4 teaspoons unflavored gelatin. 3 tablespoons of water to dissolve gelatin.

Cream jello

2 cups of evaporated canned milk

1 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup sugar

2 1/2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin

Instructions: Puree strawberries, sugar, 1/2 cup water, lemon juice, and salt in blender. You will have 2 cup of liquid.

To bloom the gelatin that means to dissolve it. Put 1 3/4 teaspoons of unflavored gelatin in a small metal cup (I recommend metal measuring cups) add the 3 tablespoons of water covering the gelatin. Set your timer for 5 minutes. I know you might be tempted to stir it, but don't touch it till the timer goes off. Set the cup over the stove and heat you will notice the gelatin liquefy (takes about a minute or two.)



- In a medium sauce pan bring to a simmer 1/2 cup of strawberry mixture, and gelatin mixture. Take off stove and stir the rest of the 1 1/2 cups of strawberry mixture. Divide among 8 cups, filling 1/3 of cups. Refrigerate until almost set. About 1 hour.
To make the cream jello. Add 2 1/2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin to metal measuring cup, add 3 tablespoons water to bloom for 5 minutes. Heat over stove for a few minutes to liquefy. In medium sauce pan add 1 cup of evaporated milk, sugar, and melted gelatin to simmer over stove. Stir to incorporate well.

Pour into large bowl, add 1 cup of evaporated milk, 1 cup of cream. Place in a ice water bath to cool, stirring until it just starts to set. 10 to 15 minutes. Divide among cups. Refrigerate over night to set completely

Child's Knitted Purse

I thought of making this purse for my granddaughters. They both are girly girls. They enjoy playing dress up, wearing high heals, hats, and boas. I thought this would be fun for them to carry when we go for our tea adventures.

Materials:Puffy yarn baby soft I used Red Heart Baby Clouds.

Color of choice. I used multicolor pastels.

Size H crochet hook.

Size 6 knitting needles. 16 inches long,

Large hole needle for sowing flower on.

Decorative sunflower button.

Size 7 inches long, by 5 inches wide, strap 10 1/2 long above purse.

Cast on 32 stitches. (see my video on how to cast on stitches.) Row 1 knit the first row at the end connect it so it forms a circle. Continue knitting the next 28 rows. Row 29 start binding off stitches. Bind off the next 16 stitches which will make the top of the purse. On row 30 knit and purl the next 16 stitches. This will be the beginning of the flap of the purse. Knit together row 32 at each end so the flap will start to narrow a bit Repeat for the next 15 rows.


To make flower I used Peaches and Creame worsted 100% cotton yarn. Color yellow. I have video and instructions on how to make flowers in child's hat post. Add sunflower button. Happy knitting.