Corny Cornbread

Welcome to the Tasty Tuesday visitors!  I hope you'll stop by often.  This is just the beginning and I have some yummy recipes lined up to post over the next month.  Looking forward to hearing your thoughts, seeing your recipes and chatting often!

This is a family favorite recipe.  Hubby's grandmother's recipe for Corny Cornbread - fast, easy and yummy!  It's our favorite side for BBQ chicken!

1 box Jiffy cornbread mix
1 can corn (I used no salt added)
1 egg
1 C sour cream
1 stick butter, melted
well seasoned cast iron pan

Preheat oven to 400.
Grease and warm the cast iron pan.
Mix all ingredients and cook for 17 minutes (or just until the top browns).

Honey Yeast Rolls

These might easily be my favorite yeast rolls.  They easy, fluffy and sweet!

Ingredients:
1 envelope active dry yeast
1/4 cup very warm water
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup scalding hot milk

1/2 cup honey
1 egg -- lightly beaten
4 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons melted butter and honey -- for brushing rolls

Directions:

Sprinkle the yeast over very warm water in a large bowl (Very warm water should feel comfortably warm when dropped on wrist.) Stir until yeast dissolves. Add sugar, the 1/4 cup butter or margarine and salt to hot milk and stir until the sugar dissolves and butter and honey is melted. Cool mixture to 105 to 115 degrees.

Add milk mixture to yeast, then beat in egg. Beat in 4 cups of the flour, 1 cup at a time, to form a soft dough. Use some of the remaining 1/2 cup of the flour to dust a pastry cloth. Knead the dough lightly for 5 minutes, working in the remaining flour (I used a dough hook on my Kitchen Aid and it worked great). Place dough in a warm buttered bowl; turn greased-side up. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours.

Punch dough down and knead 4 to 5 minutes on a lightly floured pastry cloth. Dough will be sticky, but use as little flour as possible for flouring your hands and the pastry cloth, otherwise the rolls will not be as feathery light as they should be. Pinch off small chunks of dough and shape into round rolls about 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 inches in diameter. Place in neat rows, not quite touching, in a well-buttered 13- by 9- by 2-inch pan. Cover rolls and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, 30 to 40 minutes.

Brush tops of rolls with melted butter and honey, then bake in a 375 degree oven for 18 to 20 minutes or until nicely browned. Serve warm with plenty of butter.

 Getting ready to go into the oven

Ready to eat!

Butternut Squash Soup with Cheese and Herb Bread

This winter has been out of the ordinary for North Carolina.  We've had a measurable snow (read: no school, no work, etc.) roughly once every two weeks. During our last snow/ice event I made an amazing butternut squash soup with cheese and herb bread.  Enjoy the recipes - they're delish.

Cheese and Herb Bread:

• 2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 2 tablespoons margarine, softened
• 1 1/2 tablespoons dried oregano (I used a mix of Italian spices - threw in whatever I had on hand)
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 4 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese 

Sprinkle yeast over water in large bowl. Let stand a few minutes, then stir and dissolve yeast. Add sugar, salt, margarine, 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, oregano and 3 cups of the flour. Beat at slow speed for 2 minutes. Beat in rest of flour; cover the bowl with a sheet of wax paper and a kitchen towel. Let rise in a warm place 45 minutes, or until doubled in volume.
 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease one round, 2-quart casserole. Set aside.
Stir batter down for 1/2 a minute. Turn batter into casserole. Sprinkle with the remaining 1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese.
 

Bake at 350 degrees F for 55 minutes. 

 

Butternut Squash Soup: 

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, sliced
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, plus more for garnish (optional)
• Coarse salt
• 1 large butternut squash (about 4 pounds), peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 can (14 1/2 ounces) reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1 cup half-and-half
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• Sour cream, for serving

In a large saucepan, heat butter over medium. Add onion, garlic, thyme, cinnamon, and cayenne. Season with salt, and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened, 5 to 7 minutes.
 

Add squash, broth, half-and-half, and 3 cups water. Bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer, and cook until squash is tender, about 20 minutes.
 

Working in batches, puree in a blender until smooth. Stir in lemon juice; season with salt. Serve bisque with sour cream, garnished with cayenne, if desired.
   

Note: This would be excellent served with chunks of crab or lobster on top! 

 

To Freeze: Ladle cooled bisque (without sour cream) into airtight containers, leaving 1 inch of space; freeze up to 3 months.
 

To Reheat: Run container under hot water to release bisque. Heat with a bit of water, stirring occasionally. 

Thanks to Martha for the soup recipe