Cornbread Stuffing

So I made one homemade stuffing that knocked everyone's socks off so I thought I would try my hand at another. Cornbread stuffing has always been a favorite of mine and I'm glad I finally tried it. The only thing I would have done differently in this recipe would be to add some sausage to it.

1 Recipe for cream corn cornbread (http://cookingmywayvideo.blogspot.com/2009/11/creamed-corn-cornbread.html)
1 Cup Celery, diced
1 Cup Carrots, diced or sliced
1/2 Cup Red Onion, diced
2 Garlic Cloves, minced
Chicken Stock, enough to make it all nice and moist
2 Tbsp Butter
Thyme
Marjoram
Sage
Cayenne pepper, pinch
Chipotle pepper, pinch
Salt
Pepper

Start by prepping up the veg. Melt a few tablespoons of butter in a saute pan over medium heat. Add the veg and a healthy pinch of salt to start the sweating process. While the veg is doing its thing, cut the cornbread into inch or so cubes. Be careful when cutting the cornbread because it's quite delicate. Just like in the last stuffing recipe - For the seasoning - I'm going to ask you to add amounts of these that make you happy. Start by adding a heavy pinch of the thyme, marjoram, and sage, and a small pinch of the cayenne and chipotle. Start small and add until it gives you a smell that you like. Once mine started smelling like a nice stuffing mix I stopped. I probably ended up with a few teaspoons of each (a little heaver on the thyme but that's just because I love thyme). You will want to cook this for about 5 minutes or just until everything starts to get a bit soft. Add about a cup of chicken stock to the pan and let it warm up. Once finished add the the bread bowl and carefully fold everything together well. Add enough stock to moisten everything well. Once you have a happy mixture, put into a baking dish and bake at 350 for an hour.

Again next time I make this I'm going to add some nice country sausage to the mix. It was good as it was, but that would have made it a lot better...

Happy Cooking & Eating!

~Nikko

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Pumpkin Pie

This was voted by some pie aficionados as the best freaking pumpkin pie ever... I'd love to tell you about the years of recipe development that went into the dish but to be honest the recipe came from the back of the pumpkin can... I'm not a pie kinda guy but I have to admit it was fantastic!

3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt - use table salt not kosher
1/2 tsp powdered ginger
1/4 tsp cloves
2 eggs, beaten well
1 can pumpkin
1 can evaporated milk
1 9" pie shell

In a large mixing bowl add the sugar and all the spices. Whisk these together well then add the remaining ingredients (ok not all of them hold out the pie shell). Mix everything together well then pour into a 9" pie shell. Bake at 425 for 25 min then reduce to 350 cook for 40-50 min

Happy Cooking & Eating!

~Nikko

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Creamed Corn Cornbread

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This is a tried and trued recipe that I've been using for years now. Most people will balk at the use of the Jiffy cornbread mix but I tell ya when you want to make a quick and delicious cornbread you just can't beat the ease of use. My x-wife was so much a southerner she wouldn't even let me bring the box into the house... Anyway if you want to have a nice plate of cornbread in under 30 minutes this is the way to go!

2 boxes Jiffy cornbread mix
1 can creamed corn - will only need about 3/4 of the can
2 eggs
pepper - I used white pepper just to keep it clean looking
cayenne pepper - just a pinch

Start by dumping the cornbread mix into a large mixing bowl. Use a whisk to break up any big lumps. Make a well in the middle of the mixture and crack in two eggs. Whisk the eggs until they are broken down. Add about a quarter teaspoon of white pepper (you can use black pepper if you want), a pinch of cayenne, the creamed corn and mix everything together well. Pour mixture into a baking dish and bake at 400 for 15 to 20 min...

You can dress this up as you wish. In the past I've added some sweated red onion and celery - have made it with blanched broccoli and cheddar cheese (that was a good one recipe coming soon) - feel free to add your own flair...

Happy cornbreadding!

~Nikko

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Green Bean Casserole

The Green Bean Casserole

I don't think a holiday has ever passed that this dish wasn't on the table. Prep time is about 2 minutes - if you take you time it couldn't take you more than 5 minutes...

2 Cans Green Beans drained
1 Can Mushrooms drained
1 Can Progresso Mushroom Soup
1 Can Frenches Fried Onions

Mix all but the onions in a oven save casserole dish, top with the onions, bake for 20-30 minutes at 400 - Eat & Enjoy - how hard is that?

Bon Appetit...

~Nikko



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