A NEW KIND OF BREAD?

While I was visiting my son in Nashville we were making dinner for the night and was in a hurry as we were running late. I was in the process of making a big kettle of chicken and dumplings and also trying to get other dishes together. To me chicken and dumplings are no good unless you have cornbread to eat with them.
 So I got my stuff together to began making the bread. I told my son to hand me the cornmeal and he reach me a bag. I was in a hurry so I just measured out almost a cup full and put in the bowl with the egg and flour. I stirred it up with the milk and poured it in the pan. As I was pouring it I thought there was something about it that just didn't look quite right but I put it in the oven anyway.
I got to noticing how it had raised up in the middle very big. So I browned the bread and turned it out on a cutting board to cut it. I began to cut it and I knew something sure was strange about it.
After baking bread for around 30 years I knew that bread should have cut like a whiz. It would not cut. I told my son this cornmeal must be old as this bread won't even cut. So I got a larger knife and tryed it. When I got it cut it looked like biscuit instead of cornbread.
 I began to laugh and ask him what kind of cornmeal had he handed me. He said Martha White which we all use. He had thrown the bag in the trash can so he got it out and looked at the bag and guess what.  He began to laugh and laugh. It was Martha White flour not cornmeal. So I had mixed up 11/2 cups of flour for meal and around another cup of flour for the flour. 1 egg and milk. Now that was some eating. It was crunchy on the outside like cornbread and soft in the middle like biscuits. We just tasted it and thru it in the trash. I sure don't like to waste but that was one time I was glad to get rid of a new un-recipe. lol.
 Maybe I invented a new kind of bread. I had heard my mom years ago talking about a bread they made in the old days called batter-bread that was made in a iron skillet like biscuits. Maybe that was what that was but take my advice it sure did not taste good. From now on look at your bags before measuring. With the Martha White cornmeal and flour bag looking so much alike you can sure get mixed up. They have all had a good laugh over it. Now that would have sure been somthing if I had used cornmeal to make up the dumplings. I just wonder what those would taste like lol. It's a good thing that I have mine in two seprate containers here at home or I would be making more goofy recipes.
I am not braging but everyone loves my cornbread. The trick to good cornbread is the oil in the bottom of the pan and stirring it. A friend told me a long time ago the more you stir it the better it is. That is sure right. Just don't be on a diet when you eat it.
 I love it in a cup with cut up onions, black pepper and milk. Have you ever had that for bread and milk. Try it sometimes.
 That's like putting sliced cucumbers and onions in milk with salt and pepper in them and  letting them sit in the ref. awhile before eating. I guess it is just one of those mountain recipes.

ORANGE FLUFF DESSERT

1 1/2 CUPS HOT WATER
1 1/2 CUPS COLD WATER
1 LARGE BOX ORANGE GELATIN
8 OZ. CREAM CHEESE, softened
1 CUP MINIATURE MARSHMALLOWS
9 OZ. BOWL COOL WHIP


Put the gelatin in a unbreakable bowl. Boil the water until it is hot and then pour over the gelatin. Stir until the gelatin is dissolved. Cut the cream cheese into small blocks to make it easier to dissolve and add the blocks to the gelatin. Beat the gelatin and cream cheese on low for several minutes. It will have a lumpy texture. Stir in cold water and let sit in ref. until thicker. Add marshmallows and cool whip and stir well.

CROCKPOT BAKED POTATOES

With it being so hot these days and if you like baked potatoes like we do here is a simple and easy way to fix them and not have to heat up your house. Thse are also good to fix if you have electric and are camping.

POTATOES
ALUM. FOIL
CROCKPOT
SOUR CREAM
BUTTER
BACON BITS

Wash and dry your potatoes. Wrap each one in the alum. foil. Put in the crockpot the big ones on the bottom first. Put lid on and turn on and let cook for 8 hours on low. They are done when you get ready for supper. Take out and split each one and add whatever you like to the top. They may not be as good as baking them in the oven but they are still good. Make sure you wrap them in foil. If they are big you may need to bake them a little longer. You can take one of the top ones out and test it to see if it is done. If not cook a little longer. Do not add any water to the crockpot. I would not want to go off and leave it on all day without being home. But that is just me. lol. You can also do sweet potatoes like this.

POTATO SKINS

With the garden coming in we have a lot of potatoes. I love to make these things but they take so many potatoes. I love to take the hulled out potato and make potato salad with them as not to waste the potato.

POTATOES
OLIVE OIL OR COOKING OIL
SALT AND PEPPER
CHEDDAR CHEESE, shredded
BACON, crumbled
SOUR CREAM

Take and wash and dry the potatoes. Cut into quarters. Or can just cut them in half.  Take a 13 x 9 sprayed pan and put the  potatoes in it. Bake them until done. Take and hull out most of the potato. Add your seasoning to the top of them. I add some garlic powder but if you have Emeril or Paula Dean seasoning you can sprinkle it on them. Drizzle olive oil or canola oil to the top of them and put back in the oven on 400. Watch and do not let them burn. Bake them until the skins are crisp. Take out and put the crumbled bacon and cheddar cheese in them and put back in the oven and let the cheese melt. Take out and add sour cream and chopped green onion if you like. These are so good you can't stop eating them. It takes a lot of potatoes tho. I use the hulled out potatoes for potato salad so not to waste them. (You can even put them in a little oil and fry them on the stove). 

PANCAKES OLD TIME WAY

With all of the pancake mixes that are out we can just pick and chose. They even have them now in the little jug that you can just add water and shake and pour. These are good to use when in a hurry. But if you don't want to do all that mixing just use this recipe. Most people call it fried bread but we use them as pancakes.

1 CUP FLOUR
1/3 CUP MILK or less
OIL
BUTTER
PANCAKE SYRUP

In a bowl mix the flour and milk together. If to thin add more flour not a lot tho. If to thick add some more milk. Should be like store bought mix made up. Take a skillet and put some oil in it not a lot or they will be to greasy. Pour the pancake mix in, I usually fix this in a small skillet to just fry one at a time. Turn down on medium or low heat and let fry or cook until bubbles form around the edge. Lift it up to make sure it is not burning on the bottom. You want it to be a little brown. Flip over, if you do not have enough oil, then add a little more. I take my pancake turner and flatten them if they are not done in the middle. Not to much tho. Sometimes I take and use the edge of the turner and sort of make splits in them, small ones, so they will get done. Put in a plate. We usually just eat one. But they can be stacked. Put butter on top and let melt and then add the warm pancake syrup to it. Now I wonder if my hubby may not want one this morning for breakfast. lol. They may not sound to good but trust me they puff up and are thicker than regular pancakes and are so good. Just don't burn them and make sure they are done in the middle. This is a simple and quick way for a instant pancake.

SWEET RICE FOR BREAKFAST

Some people have never heard of eating sweet rice for breakfast. We all use rice but most in the city use it as a dinner or lunch recipe. This is to be eaten for breakfast.

1 CUP WATER
1 CUP INSTANT RICE
1/2 CUP SUGAR
3 Tablespoon Blue Bonnet
1/3 CUP MILK or maybe a little less

In a saucepan bring the water to a boil. Add the rice, stir and take off the stove, (you can use regular rice and cook it using directions). Put a lid on the rice and let sit until water is absorbed or until fluffy. Add the sugar and butter and milk to it and put back on stove and let simmer until butter or marg. melts but watch it as it will burn on the bottom. Use low heat. I let mine simmer for a little before taking off stove to combine the sugar milk and butter. If to much milk drain some of it off.
Take off stove and serve. Eat with biscuits. We like to serve it with biscuits, eggs, fried bologna or bacon. This makes enough for three people.

CHOCOLATE GRAVEY FOR BISCUITS

When you say chocolate gravy for biscuits some people look at you like you have lost it. But here in the mountains it is a favorite thing to eat for breakfast. If you are like me and just have to have that chocolate. Make sure you are not a diabetic tho. As it is loaded with calories. It is not good unless you put some sliced blue bonnet or other marg. on top of it and let it melt before eating it. That is the trick.  More calories lol.

3 Tablespoons Cocoa (I use Hershey's)
2 Tablespoons flour
3/4 Cup Sugar
2  Cups Milk
Sliced Marg.

In a bowl combine the flour, sugar, cocoa. In a medium saucepan pour the milk in it and add the combined ings. Wisk it good. Sometimes it is hard to combine but just work with it. Turn the stove on medium and keep stirring it as it will stick to the bottom of the pan. Cook until it becomes a little thick. Just keep stirring. I think it takes forever sometimes.lol.
 Take off of the stove and stir again. It gets thick all at once. Put some in a bowl and put some sliced marg. on top of the gravy. Crumble your biscuit in the gravy, do not add a lot of biscuit to the bowl as it makes it to dry. Or you can just put some marg. in the kettle and then pour the gravey over your whole biscuit either way it is choc. heaven. You can taste it as it is cooking to see if it is sweet enough. If not you can add some more sugar. You do not want it to be real sweet. Some people like it so sweet it is just like eating liquid fudge. This is good to eat with bacon or ham. The sweet and the salty is just a good combination. Also some fried eggs to. To me Hershey's is the best to use as it is more choc. flavor and is also unsweetened.