How to read these blogs....

HOW TO READ THESE BLOGS...

In most cases, I don't write the recipes, I tell you how it went, what to be aware of, how to make them or, maybe even make them better. Sometimes I just want you to understand why I came to the decision to toss the puppies! That said, reviewing the recipe as you read my blog should be the most enlightening way to make sense of it all. It definitely will answer questions and help you avoid the same mistakes I made....and I always make some. Error goes hand in hand with the trial part of the process. Embrace it! Because you can't avoid it. Errors are the 'cracked eggs' of the soufflé. Now let's have some fun...

(fyi YELLOW FOLDER recipes are 'Keepers'...watch for the YF tag accompanying these recipes)

Saturday, February 5, 2011

Zippy Cornbread in a ‘Jiffy’!



Cornbread is one of those things that I’ve never bothered to figure out how to make because it’s just so darned easy to make from a box-and it tastes great every time. I figured I couldn’t improve on that. Well, as you will see with this recipe, I stand corrected, but I get to keep my box!

I spotted Giada De Laurentiis whipping up a speedy batch on her show last week and noticed she was using the same mix I use, but naturally, being a professional, she didn’t stop there. She added scallions, mozzarella and stuffed green olives to the mix. It looked great, and if it sounds like your kind of cornbread, here’s the link to follow Giada’s directions:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/scallion-and-mozzarella-cornbread-recipe/index.html

I, however, thought I’d rather use a stronger flavored cheese, and maybe green olives ought to stay where they belong, in martinis. So naturally, I had to tweak this recipe and the result went great with the Crockpot chili I made from Alison’s recipe on her blog. Don’t have that? Here’s the link:

http://crockpotcookery.blogspot.com/

Okay, back to this recipe, and feel free to mix it up a bit on your own, this is one recipe that’s fun to play with and hard to screw up.

Zippy Cornbread in a ‘Jiffy’

Ingredients

1 box cornbread mix (think ‘Jiffy’)

1/4 cup buttermilk (if you don’t have butter milk, use 1/4 cup milk, with a dash of vinegar added. Pour it into a small oven proof container and put it in the oven until you see it’s starting to curdle-presto! buttermilk...or a good substitute.)

1 1/2 Tb. unsalted butter, melted

1 large egg

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

1/4 cup chopped green onions

1/ 2 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese

Mix together the cornbread mix, buttermilk , eggs and melted butter in a large bowl. Use a fork so you won’t be tempted to over mix. Once that’s done, add the cilantro, green onions and cheddar cheese.

I like to make muffins, so at this point, I’d spoon into muffin cups. If you like your cornbread in a pan, then do your own thing! I’d grease the pan first, though. This dough is clumpy and lumpy...that’s okay, it sorts itself out once it starts cooking.

Cook muffins in a 400 degree oven for appx. 15 minutes, or until golden brown on the top. Ditto if you are making it in a pan, though you might need a few extra minutes there.

That’s it! You are gonna be amazed at how easy that was, and I’ll bet you are already thinking of other things you could put in these bad boys. Great job!

2 comments:

  1. I made these little guys tonight and they are tasty! I left out the cilantro and added a can of diced green chiles instead. And I always like to add a can of cream style corn to the batter just to make my cornbread a little more "corny". Oh, so good! How did I never think of this before?!?

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  2. I like that canned corn idea...I wonder if there's a way to tweak these so they are like hushpuppies. Have to give it some thought. I loved the hushpuppies at White Fence Farm when I was a kid.

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