Gluten Free Southern Cornbread

in less than 30 minutes

Delicious, traditional cornbread!

Cornbread is one of those foods I love but don't eat often enough. The key to this southern comfort and soul food is buttermilk. Enjoy!

What You Need (makes 8x8 dish)

1 cup stoneground yellow corn meal (I like "Indian Head" brand)

1 cup gluten free all-purpose baking mix (I used "Maple Grove Farms")

3 t baking powder

1/2 t salt

1 cup buttermilk

1 egg

1/4 cup vegetable oil

How To Prepare

Preheat oven to 425. Grease 8 by 8 pan. Add corn meal, flour, baking powder and salt to bowl. In separate bowl, combine buttermilk, egg and oil and beat together. Add to the dry ingredients and mix until just blended, not too thoroughly. Pour into pan and bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. 

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Let me know how you decided to incorporate this into your meal!

Pecan Crumble Pumpkin Pie

My favorite Thanksgiving dessert from my grandmother's restaurant.

I can't remember a Thanksgiving growing up where we didn't have "Our" Pumpkin Pie, as my grandmother called it. In fact, my first year at college it was too expensive for me to travel home, and I was tremendously homesick. My most favorite person in the world, Modo (my grandmother), FedExed me this pie. I think I ate almost all of it by myself.

I've adapted the recipe a bit, as I don't have near the sweet tooth that she did....and it's still as wonderful as ever. Easy, packed full of fiber and Vitamin A and the perfect ending to a Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner.

What You Need

1 package pie crust mix (in sticks)

1 16 oz can pumpkin

1 can Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk

1 egg

1 t pumpkin pie spice

1/2 t salt

1/2 t cinnamon

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup chopped pecans

How To Prepare

Preheat oven to 375. Roll pie crust into pie pan and crimp along edges to remove excess. Set aside to use for topping. Add pumpkin, milk, egg, salt and spices into bowl and stir until blended. Pour into pie crust. Tear extra pie crust into small crumbles and mix with brown sugar and pecans. Sprinkle on top of pie.

Crimp edges of pie crust. Cover outer edges of crust with foil to prevent burning. Place on cookie sheet and cook pie for 50 minutes.

Serve with fresh whipped cream on top or as is. Makes a wonderful breakfast dish with berries and yogurt.

ENJOY!!!

Let's Connect

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Please let me hear from you and how you liked the recipe.

Here's to great eating!

Jayme's Mac N Cheese

Smothered Mac N Cheese

Ooey, gooey, artery clogging good!

This is not something we have for Thanksgiving but it might be something we begin to include. My neighbor, Jayme, made this the other night for her family and we were hanging around. I snapped a few pics, got the recipe and it's a sure fire winner. 

Creamy noodles smothered in cheesy goodness with a crisp, cheese topping!

What You Need

Elbow macaroni, 16 oz

9 T butter

3/4 cup shredded monterey jack cheese

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 cup 4 cheese mexican blend

8 oz cubed Velveeta

1 1/2 cups half and half

2 eggs, beaten

1 t hot sauce

Seasoning salt to taste

How To Prepare

Preheat oven to 350. Bring water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain well and return to pot. Melt 8 tablespoons butter and add to macaroni. In a large bowl, mix together 1 3/4  cups of the different cheeses, cubed processed cheese food, half and half, eggs, hot sauce, seasoning salt. Add macaroni to this mixture. Transfer to a lightly greased deep 2 1/2 quart casserole dish. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup of cheese mixture and 1 tablespoon of butter. Bake in preheated oven for 35 minutes or until hot and bubbling around the edges; serve.

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Enjoy!

Chicken Cheese Delite

from my grandmother's restaurant

A classic from my grandmother's famous catering business and an entree perfect for family and guests!

 This was last night's dinner. And the centerpiece of this meal is a recipe I've known about since I was 10 years old, but hadn't made in too long. You see, my late grandmother was one of those rare people whose life force was palpable in every gesture she made. When she was 60 years old, she decided it was high time she worked for herself. And even though she suffered several major heart attacks during the decade plus she ran her successful wedding and catering business....she wasn't about to let her age keep her from a lifelong dream of being a self-made business owner. 

One of the numerous books by my grandmother. This recipe is inside!

What You Need (serves 4)

4 chicken breast cutlets

1 cup croutons, ground

1/4 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

1 egg

1 1/2 t minced garlic

1 1/2 T parmesan

2 T vegetable oil

How To Prepare

Beat egg. Grind croutons in a blender or by hand (we like Ranch or Cheesy Garlic flavor). Heat oil in skillet on medium high. Place croutons, garlic, parmesan and cheddar cheese in bowl and mix. Coat chicken in egg and then crouton/cheese mixture. Place in skillet and on cook each side for about 8 minutes or until done. May need to add a bit more oil when you flip chicken, as the coating will absorb oil. THE CHEESE COATING THAT STICKS TO THE PAN IS THE BEST PART. DON'T THROW IT AWAY. ADD THE CRUNCHY TOPPING TO THE ENTREE.

At Gazebo 1, we served this over rice topped with a white wine sauce and accompanied by vegetables and bread. THIS WAS ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR ENTREES WE SERVED!

Truly, that's how good it is.

Let's Connect

Please help me reach 100 Likes on FB by visiting me here https://www.facebook.com/monicawritesblogspot?ref=aymt_homepage_panel and sharing with family and friends.

You can also still purchase my beloved grandmother's cookbooks  here http://www.amazon.com/Gazebo-Christmas-Cookbook-Rex-Barrington/dp/0933095023/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1447012978&sr=8-1&keywords=rex+barrington+cookbook

Would make a great holiday gift!

Until next time...

Porn Potatoes?

Crispy Italian Potatoes

aka Porn Potatoes???

Baked with fresh garlic, parmesan, italian seasoning and olive oil. Healthy alternative to fries.

 So many alternatives for this recipe...Kid friendly, gluten-free, healthier than fries, quick and easy!

The note with "porn, corn, and oven baked potatoes." Let me explain!

As you see above, I'm a list maker. I'm a visual person, have made lists as long as I can remember and they usually resemble something like the one above. The lists give me a mental prep for the next day. And even though I'm pretty sure I would still get my kids fed and their lunches made, I like the reminder...it's reassurance for a tired mama. One less thing I have to think about before my head hits the pillow. 

Now, this particular note has an interesting story behind it. I'll start at the beginning, because the beginning is always a good place to start. I've been watching a lot of "Sex and the City" re-runs. It just happened the Friday before Halloween. I was waiting downstairs for my daughter to be picked up to go to a friend's house and I was too tired to do anything. The channel just happened to be on "E" and there were Carrie, Charlotte, Miranda and Samantha. After one episode turned into 5, I remembered how great this show is and the time in my life it invoked. Given that I write my notes right before I go upstairs to bed (I magnet them to the stove top so they are eye level...everything is up there...drives my husband CRAZY) I'm already half asleep. And on this night, probably because of my recent obsession with S and the C, my mind was altered and instead of writing "pork, corn and oven baked potatoes, I wrote, "porn, corn and oven baked potatoes." The even funnier thing, to me, is that I awoke that night in the wee hours and came down for a snack. I just happened to see my list and chuckled...however, I quickly edited it because my high school son would have had a field day with that Freudian slip..whew.

So, after my long-winded spiel, that's how Crispy Italian Potatoes also became known as Porn Potatoes!

Would you like the recipe, now?

What You Need (enough for 4)

2 regular potatoes, medium size

italian seasoning

minced garlic, fresh

parmesan cheese

olive oil

garlic salt

How To Prepare

Preheat oven to 350. Wash, dry and slice potatoes between 1/4 to 1/8 inch thickness. Add a few dashes of italian seasoning (roughly 2 T); a few dashes of garlic salt (roughly 1/2 t); 1/2 t of minced garlic and roughly 3 T olive oil to a mixing bowl. Stir together until blended. Add potatoes and coat well. Spread out potatoes on a baking sheet lined with foil. Bake in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until most are getting golden. Shake vigorously parmesan cheese over potatoes and cook for an additional 5 to 10 minutes. 

Serve with porn (ha, ha ha). No seriously, makes a wonderful side. I served with bbq pork and corn but next time I will serve with a marinara chicken. The potatoes are a nice alternative to pasta.

Let's Connect

1. First, this recipe was inspired by my dear childhood friend Stephanie Parker and her fabulous blog, Plain Chicken. I adapted her recipe for Easy Oven Roasted Potatoes. You can find her recipe here http://www.plainchicken.com/2010/04/easy-oven-roasted-potatoes.html
2. Secondly, I want to know how you liked these and how you made them. Please SHARE with friends and visit me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/monicawritesblogspot/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel
3. You can also follow me on Google+ under "Monica Resa"

Until next time...keep on keepin' on

BreakDin

Peppered Potatoes with Steak, Cheese, & Egg

aka BreakDin

Homestyle potatoes with pepper mix, topped with cheddar, NY Strip and Egg. Protein Packed and Delicious.

This recipe came about as most of mine do...from my experimental, creative mind. The thing is, I had bought a pack of Simply Potatoes' Steakhouse Seasoned Diced Potatoes (green bag) in the refrigerated section of the local store. I will sometimes buy this brand's mashed potatoes when I'm too busy or lazy to make ones from scratch..but I wanted to try something a bit healthier, so I grabbed the diced. I get tired of the same thing over and over.

Soooo easy. Literally took under 20 minutes for a gluten-free, low-carb and protein packed breakfast for dinner. Hence the name, 'BreakDin.' Kids enjoyed it too, sans steak for one and egg for the other.

Serve with toast if you want more of a breakfast flare or with salad for more of a dinner taste. Easy, simple, and yummy!

What You Need

1 bag Simply Potatoes Steakhouse Seasoned Diced Potatoes
1/2 bag frozen mixed peppers with onion (or use fresh)
Thin cut steak (normally, wouldn't use a cut like NY Strip in this kind of dish, but all I had)
Cheddar cheese, sliced
Eggs (scrambled, over-easy, sunny-side up)
Salt and Pepper to taste
Olive oil

How To Prepare

Saute peppers and onion in olive oil until mostly cooked through. Add potatoes and cook according to instructions on bag. Slice cheese. Sear steak on both sides until done to your liking. Remove steak and cook egg to your liking. Layer so the cheese melts onto the potatoes. (Told you it was easy!)

That's it! The potatoes definitely were enough for four people to have a good size portion, larger than in the photo above.

Let's Connect

Please connect with me on Google + by clicking to 'Follow' the blog or 'Like' my blog's FB page at https://www.facebook.com/monicawritesblogspot?ref=aymt_homepage_panel

Let me know how you liked it or twists you made to the recipe!

Until next time...

Gluten free Perfect Pumpkin Bread

conquering Pinterest, my oven and indolence

Moist, perfect amount of flavor and sweetness. Totally satisfied my craving. It's a keeper!

You can see the moistness glistening on the top of the bread, can't you? Yes, this recipe DID.NOT.DISAPPOINT!

If you've been following the blog, I've had a hankering for pumpkin bread, muffin, cake, something...just something for my hungry gluten-free-preferred stomach...for the past month. But you know my Achilles heel is baking, more specifically finding a recipe that isn't too difficult, lengthy, time-consuming or basically hard!

Luck was on my side yesterday. I was exhausted and hungry...not a great combination. I had yet to make anything from Pinterest. There is a season for everything, isn't there? Yes, I conquered Pinterest, my oven, and indolence. AMEN!

This recipe is adapted from Sweetphi. I basically halved her recipe and omitted the chocolate chips. #menolikeychocolateandpumpkin

I will definitely make this again (even my kids liked it and they don't do gluten-free). Next time, I will add walnuts and golden raisins for more chunkiness and possibly reduce the white sugar and add more pumpkin. I think this would also be awesome with dried cranberries and apples..yum!

If you're a skilled baker, you probably know how to substitute ingredients. PLEASE HELP A SISTER OUT AND LEAVE COMMENTS ON WHAT YOU DID...I like to learn!

What You Need  (Makes enough for 8x8 dish)

1 1/2 cups Gluten-free baking mix (I used Maple Grove Farms brand)
1 t baking soda
1/2 t baking powder
3/4 t cinnamon
1 t pumpkin pie spice

4 eggs
1/2 can pumpkin puree
1 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 t vanilla extract
Crisco

How To Prepare

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease an 8 by 8 pan with Crisco. In bowl, use a hand mixer to beat together eggs, sugar and vanilla. Mix on medium for one minute. And pumpkin and oil and mix again. Lastly, add the dry ingredients and mix until everything is combined and mix is smooth.

Bake for approximately 40 minutes or until toothpick, inserted in center, comes out clean. Let cool and serve with butter or by itself.

Perfect for breakfast, snack or dessert. 

Yep, that's the lollipop stick hole. Didn't have toothpicks. Smells heavenly while cooking.

Tip:

Cover the pan with foil while it's still hot and the bread will get moist on top.

Let's Connect

Please visit me on Google + and 'Like' the blog on FB at https://www.facebook.com/monicawritesblogspot/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel
Check out Sweetphi on Pinterest. This recipe was adapted from her "The best pumpkin loaf ever (gluten free and better than Starbucks"

Hope you enjoy! Let me know...