Mom's Cornbread Dressing
Ingredients & Directions Cornbread: 2 c Self-rising cornmeal 1 c Self-rising flour 1 ts Baking powder 2 ts Sugar 2 Eggs — beaten 3 tb Oil or melted shortening 2 c Milk or buttermilk — * see Note Dressing: 3 Celery stalks — chopped 1 lg Onion — chopped 2 tb Butter or margarine 1/4 lb Saltine crackers — broken 2 1/2 c Hot chicken broth (or 3 cups If needed) 2 Eggs — beaten 1/2 ts Salt OR 2 chicken boullion Cubes added To hot chicken broth 1/2 ts Black pepper — (or more, to Taste) 1. For Cornbread: Mix all ingredients and place in a well-greased 10″ pan that has been heated in a 450 degree oven (about 4 minutes) till hot. Bake at 450 degrees about 30 or 35 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool; crumble cornbread into a large bowl. 2. For Dressing: Saute celery and onion in butter until tender. Combine cornbread, crackers, sauteed vegetables, and remaining ingredients, mixing well. If the dressing doesn’t seem moist enough, add some hot milk – ab out 1 cup. Spoon into a lightly greased 13x9x2-inch baking pan or casserole dish. Bake at 450 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes until lightly browned. (For Pyrex dishes bake at 375 or 400 degrees.) Yields 8 Servings
Tiessennau Mel (honey Cakes) Welsh
Ingredients & Directions 4 oz Honey 1/2 ts Bicarbonate of soda 1 ts Cinnamon 4 oz Butter or margarine 4 oz Brown sugar 1 x Caster sugar 1 x Egg 1 x A little milk 1/2 lb Flour Sieve together flour, cinnamon and bicarbonate of soda. Cream butter and sugar. Seporate the egg yolk from the white. Beat the yolk into sugar and butter, then add the honey, gradually. Stir in the flour with a little milk as required and mix all together lightly. Whisk the egg white into a stiff froth and fold into mixture. Half fill small patty tins with the mixture; dredge the top of each with cester sugar. Bake in a hot oven for 20 minutes. Oven control Gas mark 6 (400F) or 7 (425F). When ready sprinkle a little more sugar. Croeso Cymreig. Yields 6 servings
Halloween Cookies
Ingredients & Directions COOKIES 1/2 c Shortening 1 c Sugar 1 Egg 3 c Flour 1/4 ts Salt 3 ts Baking powder 1/2 c Milk 1/2 ts Vanilla extract —Orange Frosting— 3/4 c Sugar 1/4 c Water 2 Stiff-beaten egg whites 1/2 tb Orange juice Thoroughly cream shortening and sugar; add egg and beat well. Add sifted dry ingredients alternately with milk and vanilla; mix thoroughly. Roll 1/2 inch thich on lightly floured surface. Cut with floured halloween cookie cutters. Bake on greased cookie sheet in moderate oven (375) about 15 minutes. Makes 3 dozen. Frosting: Cook sugar and water to thread-stage (232 degrees). Pour over egg whites; beat constantly until mixture forms beaks. Add orange juice. Beat until thick. Yields 1 Servings
Armenian Cracker Bread
Ingredients & Directions 1 pk (2-1/4 teaspoons) active Dry yeast 2 ts Sugar 1 1/4 c Warm water 4 c All-purpose flour 1/4 c Sesame seeds, toasted 1 1/2 ts Salt “Very aromatic and delicate, this Armenian Cracker Bread is the perfect complement to your favorite chicken salad. 350~F. 8 to 12 minutes In a small bowl, combine the yeast with 1/2 teaspoon of the sugar and 1/4 cup of the warm water. Set aside in a warm place until the yeast is dissolved and starts to foam, about 5 to 10 minutes. Combine the flour, sesame seeds, remaining 1-1/2 teaspoons of sugar, and salt in a large bowl or the food processor. Stir in the yeast mixture and mix well. Add enough of the remaining 3/4 to 1 cup warm water to form a dough that will hold together in a cohesive ball. The dough should be smooth and elastic, not sticky. Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl and turn over to coat all sides. Cover with a damp towel and set it in a warm place until it has doubled in bulk, about 1-1/2 to 2 hours. Preheat the oven to 350~F. Punch the dough down and turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead a few strokes. Cut the dough into 12 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a large circle approximately 7 to 8 inches in diameter and 1/8 inch thick. Place the circles on a baking sheet and prick them all over with the tines of a fork. Bake for 8 to 12 minutes, until just barely browned and crisp. Cool on a rack. Yield: 12. VARIATIONS: Substitute poppy seeds for the sesame seeds, or omit the seeds. Yields 12 servings
Pecan Breaded Catfish Filet W/etouffee Sauce
Ingredients & Directions -TO MAKE ETOUFFEE SAUCE- 1 tb Butter 2 tb All purpose flour 1/4 c Heavy cream 1/4 c Shrimp stock; (sub chicken -stock) 1/2 ts Diced red onions 1 ts Diced green bell peppers 1 ts Diced red bell peppers 1/2 ts Chopped garlic 1 Chopped scallions 1/4 ts Blackened fish seasoning 1 pn Cayenne pepper 1 ds Worcestershire sauce 1 pn Leaf thyme 1 tb Tomato sauce; (sub ketcup) Salt and pepper to taste -FOR CATFISH- 2 lb Boneless catfish filets 2 c Finely chopped pecans 2 tb All purpose flour 1 pn Celery salt 1 pn Cayenne pepper 1 c Buttermilk 2 tb Olive oil 1 tb Cold unsalted butter In braiser pan melt butter. When hot add onions and peppers. When soft add garlic, allow to brown. Stir in flour to make roux. Lightly brown roux. Scrape brown roux off bottom of pan, it adds extra flavor to sauce when roux is lightly brown. Add shrimp stock,tomato sauce, and seasonings. As soon as sauce reaches even texture add cream. Wisk until even texture. Allow to simmer but stir occasionally so sauce does not burn. Keep sauce warm until ready to serve. To prepare breading: In mixing bowl combine chopped pecans, all purpose flour, celery salt, and cayenne pepper. Reserve until ready to bread fish. To prepare catfish: Cut filets into 2 oz. pieces. Place in buttermilk. Heat sautee pan over medium heat. Add olive oil. When simmering add cold cold unsalted butter. Thoroughly coat catfish with pecan breading. When butter is foaming in pan add catfish. Cook for 2 minutes on each side. Serve hot on bed of etouffee sauce. Yields 1 servings
Hippity Hop Bunny Cake
Ingredients & Directions 2 1/2 c Coconut, divided Red food coloring 2 Baked 9-inch round cake -Layers, cooled 8 oz Cool Whip, thawed Assorted candies for garnish Tint: 1/4 cup of the coconut pink using red food coloring. Cut: 1 cake layer as a half circle shape on each side of the cake (for the ears) leaving a bow tie shape in the center of the cake. The bow tie shape should be about 1 1/2″ wide at the widest part. Arrange: Leave one layer whole. Arrange whole cake layer in center of cake platter, place half circle shapes on the top pointing up for the bunnies ears. Place the remaining piece at the bottom of the whole cake layer to make a bow tie. Frost: With whipped Topping. Sprinkle center of bunny’s ears and bowtie with pink coconut. Sprinkle white coconut over bunny’s head and outer edge of ears and bowtie. Decorate with candies for eyes, nose, mouth and whiskers Hint: For decorating you could use red string licorice, chocolate chips for the eyes nose and mouth and maybe to outline the ears and bow tie. Yields 16 Servings
Jim's All Bran Bread
Ingredients & Directions 4 oz All bran cereal 12 oz Tea, hot and strong 1 Egg 12 oz Cake and pastry flour 1 ts Baking powder 6 tb Golden Syrup 12 oz Mixed dried fruit 1 pn Salt In a large bowl, mix dried fruit and All Bran. Pour hot tea over this mixture and let stand, covered, overnight. In the morning, add egg, flour, salt and syrup, and mix. Divide between 2 well greased loaf pans. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 40-60 minutes. Leave to cool slightly in pans and then turn out. Will taste better if tightly wrapped and put in tins – almost resembles a malt loaf. Serve sliced and buttered. Yields 4 Servings
