Easy Corn Bread

We were in the mood for chili so along with chili comes cornbread. I am not sure why, but I decided to stray from my normal recipe, Grandma's Corn Bread, from Allrecipes.com and try the recipe on the container of corn meal. All I had on hand was Quaker yellow corn meal, which is probably not very authentic or southern. I still like my favorite recipe better - probably because I like my corn bread sweet.

Easy Corn Bread

from Quaker

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup corn meal
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoons salt (optional)
1 cup skim milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 egg whites or 1 egg, beaten

Heat oven to 400 F. Grease an 8 or 9 inch pan. Combine dry ingredients. Stir in milk, oil, egg, mixing just until dry ingredients are moistened.
Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 20 - 25 minutes or until light golden brown.

Long Time No Blog...

It's certainly been a long time since my last blog post. I have the best of intentions, even photographing things I've made, but somehow I never get around to posting. I am going to try to do better. I even wonder how many people are reading this thing anyway? I mainly started it as a place to keep track of recipes.

Chapchae (Noodles with Beef and Mixed Veggies)

I had beef in the fridge and wanted to make a stir fry. I came across this recipe on the Cooking Light website. I had all the ingredients at home so I thought I'd give it a try. According to Cooking Light, Chapchae is the most popular noodle dish in Korea. I am not sure how authentic this recipe really is, but it tasted pretty delicious! I took some liberties with the vegetables and used fresh mushrooms, onions, baby corn, bamboo shoots and water chesnuts. But I am sure the original recipe with spinach added would have been just as good.

Chapchae (Noodles with Beef and Mixed Vegetables)

from Cooking Light

Beef:
1 teaspoon cornstarch
8 ounces eye of round steak, trimmed and thinly sliced
1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons minced peeled fresh ginger
2 teaspoons sambal oelek or Thai chile paste
1/2 teaspoon dark sesame oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
Cooking spray

1 (3.75-ounce) package uncooked bean threads (cellophane noodles)

Vegetables:
1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
5 garlic cloves, minced
3 cups sliced shiitake mushroom caps (about 6 ounces mushrooms)
1 cup (2-inch) diagonally sliced green onions
1 cup (2-inch) julienne-cut carrot
1 (10-ounce) bag fresh spinach

Remaining ingredients:
1/3 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon dark sesame oil
1 tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted

To prepare beef, sprinkle cornstarch over beef; toss to combine. Add 1 tablespoon soy sauce and next 4 ingredients (1 tablespoon soy sauce through 3 garlic cloves); toss well to coat. Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes to 1 hour.

Heat a large nonstick skillet or wok coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add beef mixture; stir-fry 3 minutes or until done. Remove mixture from pan. Cover and keep warm.
To prepare noodles, pour boiling water over noodles; let stand 10 minutes or until tender. Drain and rinse with cold water. Drain. Snip noodles several times with kitchen shears.

To prepare vegetables, wipe skillet or wok clean with paper towels. Heat 1 teaspoon sesame oil and vegetable oil in pan over medium-high heat. Add red pepper and 5 garlic cloves; stir-fry 30 seconds. Add mushrooms, onions, and carrot; stir-fry 3 minutes. Add half of spinach; stir-fry 2 minutes or until spinach wilts. Add remaining spinach; stir-fry 2 minutes or until spinach wilts.

Reduce heat to medium-low. Add beef mixture and noodles to pan, stirring well to combine. Combine 1/3 cup soy sauce, brown sugar, vinegar, and 1 tablespoon sesame oil, stirring with a whisk. Drizzle over noodle mixture; stir well to combine. Cook over medium-low heat 3 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Garlicky Black-Pepper Shrimp and Black-Eyed Peas

My mother-in-law recently gave me a subscription to Gourmet magazine. The March issue had this wonderful recipe for shrimp. It is different than my go-to shrimp recipes so I decided to give it a try. I am glad I did! It would make a great meal on a chilly fall day. I served it with biscuits which was good since there was a lot of broth.

Garlicky Black-Pepper Shrimp and Black-Eyed Peas

from Gourmet Magazine March 2009

4 bacon slices
4 scallions, chopped
1 medium carrot, finely chopped
1 celery rib, finely chopped
1/2 medium green bell pepper, chopped
2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 Turkish bay leaves or 1 California
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/8 teaspoon hot red-pepper flakes
2 (15-oz) cans black-eyed peas, rinsed and drained

1 3/4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth

For Shrimp:

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined
3 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/2 cup dry white wine

Cook bacon in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium heat until browned but not crisp. Transfer bacon to a plate, then tear into small pieces.

Cook scallions, carrot, celery, bell pepper, garlic, bay leaves, thyme, red-pepper flakes, 1/8 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper in fat in skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are pale golden, about 10 minutes. Add black-eyed peas and broth and simmer 5 minutes.

Transfer to a bowl.

Heat oil in skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Season shrimp with 1/4 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp black pepper. Cook shrimp with garlic, stirring occasionally, until just opaque (shrimp will not be fully cooked), about 3 minutes. Add wine and bring to a boil, then briskly simmer 2 minutes. Add bacon and black-eyed-pea mixture and simmer until just heated through (mixture will be juicy). Discard bay leaves.

Turkey Meatball Pasta Bake

I was looking through the starred posts on my Google reader when I came across this recipe from Reservations Not Required. I didn't realize quite how long this would take. I even used my Kitchen Aid mini chopper to chop the veggies and parsley. It was a good recipe - I wasn't sure how I would like the combo of sour cream and cream cheese, but it wound up tasting like a ricotta mixture. I would make this one again. Oh and the hubs took this picture with our new camera - it should be better than the pictures I've been posting :)

Turkey Meatball Pasta Bake

from Cooking with Paula Deen, September/October 2008

Makes about 8-10 servings

1 pound ground turkey

1/2 cup panko

1/4 cup minced green onion

1/4 cup minced red bell pepper (I omitted)

1 large egg

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 16 0z box rigatoni noodles, cooked and kept warm (I used rotini)

1 8 0z package cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup sour cream

Zesty Tomato Sauce, recipe follows

1 8 0z package shredded mozzarella cheese

1 5 oz package grated Parmesan

Preheat oven to 350. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place a cooling rack over pan. Spray rack with non-stick cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, combine turkey, breadcrumbs, green onion, bell pepper, egg, garlic, parsley, Italian seasoning, and salt. Shape mixture into golf ball-size balls; place on prepared cooling rack. Bake 15-17 minutes or until lightly browned. Set aside.

Lightly grease 13x9 inch baking dish.

In a large bowl, combine hot cooked pasta, cream cheese and sour cream, stirring to combine. Spoon half of mixture into prepared baking dish. Top evenly with half of meatballs. Spoon half of Zesty Tomato Sauce over meatballs. Sprinkle evenly with mozzarella cheese. Repeat procedure with remaining noodle, meatballs and sauce. Sprinkle evenly with Parmesan cheese. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Serve immediately.

Note: This dish can be made a day ahead of baking. It can also be prepared and frozen for up to 1 month. Thaw in refrigerator before baking.

Zesty Tomato Sauce

Makes about 6 1/2 cups

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 cup chopped onion

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes

1 15 oz can tomato sauce

1 6 oz can tomato paste

1 tablespoon minced freshly parsley

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions and garlic; cook for 5 to 6 minutes, or until onion is tender. Stir in remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat.

Trader Joe's Prize from Joelen

I am always amazed at the generosity of food bloggers. Recently I won an awesome contest sponsored by one of the nicest people I have met online, Joelen, from Joelen's Culinary Adventures. She has recently started a weekly contest called Foodie Freebie Friday. I won a few weeks ago, okay maybe a few months ago, and am just now getting around to blogging about it. The theme of my prize was a box of goodies from Trader Joe's. It was fun to receive this box and try out some new foods and snacks that I have never tried before!

Garlic Beef Enchiladas

I decided to make homemade enchiladas a few weeks ago. I used a recipe from the Taste of Home website. It came out very delicious. I especially liked the sauce. I served it with Spanish rice.

Garlic Beef Enchiladas

from Taste of Home

1 pound ground beef (I used a 1.3 lb package of ground turkey)

1 medium onion, chopped

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon rubbed sage (I omitted since I don't have it on-hand)

1 can (14-1/2 ounces) stewed tomatoes (I used 1 can fire roasted tomatoes)

Sauce

4 to 6 garlic cloves, minced

1/3 cup butter

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 can (14-1/2 ounces) beef broth

1 can (15 ounces) tomato sauce

1 to 2 tablespoons chili powder

1 to 2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 to 2 teaspoons rubbed sage (I omitted since I don't have it on-hand)

1/2 teaspoon salt

10 flour tortillas (7 inches)

2 cups (8 ounces) shredded Colby-Monterey Jack cheese

In a large saucepan, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in the flour and seasonings until blended. Stir in tomatoes; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, in another saucepan, saute garlic in butter until tender. Stir in flour until blended. Gradually stir in broth; bring to a boil. Cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Stir in tomato sauce and seasonings; heat through.

Pour about 1-1/2 cups sauce into an ungreased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish. Spread about 1/4 cup beef mixture down the center of each tortilla; top with 1-2 tablespoons cheese. Roll up tightly; place seam side down over sauce. Top with the remaining sauce.

Cover and bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake, uncovered, 10-15 minutes longer or until the cheese is melted.

Yield: 4-6 servings.