A Lemon Love Affair

It seems as if I've been on a lemon kick lately. First it was the Lemon Curd Icebox Cheesecake, then the Lemon Blueberry Marble Cake now these Lemon Cornmeal Shortbread. I even made something lemony again today- I can't get enough! I hope you guys don't mind :-)

I actually made these as a last minute treat to take to the book store to drink with my coffee :-) I know that's kind of like sneaking snacks into the movie theater, but I'm okay with that. Last week I was meeting a friend for coffee and chatting at B&N. Usually we just grab a couple of lattes, we walk around looking for a comfy chair or two and when we don't find one we head back to the noisy cafe area to chat about the weekly events. She mentioned that maybe next time we could get one of their desserts from the bakery counter and I agreed. Then I pondered that idea and changed my mind. Yes I wanted a sweet treat to accompany my beverage but I didn't want a cupcake, cereal treat or slice of cheesecake that had been sitting there for who knows how long. I wanted something fresh.

I did mention that I made these at the last minute right? When I say last minute, I mean I made these right before I hopped in the shower to meet her. They cooled while I was getting ready and I packaged them up before heading out the door while they were still a tad warm. They're simple and quick and they satisfied my craving for buttery shortbread. These shortbread fingers have the addition of lemon zest for added Summery flavor and cornmeal for a slight toothy crunch. I topped them with a little raw sugar for a little more sweetness and they were just right. They kind of reminded of lemon bars but without the gooey filling and a little more crumbly- delicious.

Lemon Cornmeal Shortbread adapted from Fine Cooking

Printer Friendly Version

• 1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup or 12 T.) unsalted butter, room temp.
• 3/4 cup powdered sugar
• 1 Tbsp. finely grated lemon zest
• 1/2 tsp. lemon extract
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup finely ground yellow cornmeal
• 1/4 tsp. table salt
• 2 Tbsp. Turbinado or sparkling sugar (optional)

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and heat oven to 325 degrees F. Lightly grease the sides and bottoms of an 8x8-inch square baking pan. Line with a sheet of parchment. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine butter, sugar, lemon zest and extract. With a hand mixer, beat on medium high speed til light and creamy; about 3 minutes. Add the flour, cornmeal and salt and mix on low speed until the dough begins to form moist clumps. Dump the dough into the prepared pan.

Using a rubber spatula (I used my hand moistened with water) spread the dough into the pan in a smooth even layer. Dip the tip of a knife or a bench scraper in flour to prevent sticking and score the dough all the way through the bars. Cut the bars into finger like shapes (I cut the bars into 6 pieces on one side and 3 on the other side for a total of 18 pieces). Sprinkle the tops of the uncooked shortbread with turbinado or coarse grain sugar.

Bake until the tops look dry and are golden, about 35-40 minutes. Transfer the pan to a rack. Immediately cut the shortbread into bars using the previously scored lines as a guide (they will have faded a bit during baking). Let the bars cool completely in the pan before removing them from the pan.

NOTES: It's important to cut the shortbread as soon as it comes out the oven . If you wait til it's cooled, it will crumble when you try to cut it.

~ If you leave an overhang on the parchment paper, it will be easier to remove from the pan.

Super Bowl Eats- Take 2!

Last year around Super Bowl time I posted baked corn dogs. I thought they were neat and clever and they served a crowd. But I didn't really like the corn bread all that much and by the time it baked all the way through it was a little dry. Now I've tried MANY different recipes for cornbread and I still think Jiffy Cornbread is still the best. You can argue with me and swear by your recipe (and I've tried a few of those too) but I still like Jiffy. And at 35 cents a box, I'm okay with that :-)

So I originally thought I would take that pan of baked corn dogs and use Jiffy instead but then I saw that Coleen of Coleen's Recipes made corn bread muffins and I thought "duh!". Why didn't I think of that? Actually it was her genius daughter that came up with them first so ever since seeing them last summer I have made them. I made them every few weeks when I actually have hot dogs in the house- which is not that often. I like to buy Hebrew National.

So anyway, we love these and they are so simple to make. I like them with some mustard and ketchup and a spoonful of dill pickle relish. Mr. H likes to top his with chili. Each box of muffins mix makes about 7 muffins but it's easy to double or triple this recipe. They would be awesome this weekend at your Super Bowl party. Go Cowboys! Oh wait, who's playing?

Baked Corn Dog Muffins inspired by Coleen

• 1 box Jiffy Corn Bread Mix (plus milk and egg as directed on box)
• Hot Dogs (2-3) or Kielbasa Sausage
• Grated Cheddar Cheese

Make corn bread mix according to the package instructions and set aside. Spray 7 openings of a muffin tin with nonstick spray and set aside. Chop hot dogs into 3rd (about 1 1/2-2 inch pieces).

Place a tablespoon or two of the cornbread mix into greased muffin tins. Add a piece of the hot dog and a sprinkling of cheese. Top with more corn bread mix filling each tin about 2/3 of the way full. Sprinkle with a little more cheese.

Bake in a preheated 400F oven for 15-20minutes or until lightly golden on the edges. Let cool for a few minutes before removing from tin. Serve with condiments of your choice such as ketchup, mustard, chili, cheese or relish.

Use whatever toppings you like on your corn dogs or hot dogs and let the kids have fun!

I hope your team wins!

Super Bowl Eats

Football is not really my thing. It never has been....well I take that back. When I was a wee girl and a major tom boy, all my cousins and I would hang out at my my grandmothers house and play Simon Says, Red Rover and flag football. I LOVED flag football. It was so much fun, but even then I don't really think I understood what I was doing. I was running across the field, sometimes with and sometimes without a ball and hoping to not be caught. Fun! Then we'd walk on over to Dairy Queen and get a dip cone or a Dilly bar. Oh, the good ol' days.

But regular football, not so interesting or fun to me. I just don't get it. And honestly, I have no desire to "get it". But I do appreciate a good Superbowl party. The family, the friends, the beer (even though I don't drink), the food, the snacks, the God-given right to pig out and veg on the couch. That's fun! and so are these baked corn dogs. A perfect and simple meal for game day or any day. BTW, I'm rooting for the Steelers, but only because they used to be my brothers favorite team and he had a Starter Jacket of theirs. Familiarity, ya know?

Baked Corn Dogs from BRK via Vanilla Sugar

• 3 cups yellow self-rising corn meal mix* (see note)
• 3 eggs
• 1/4 cup oil
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 cup freshly grated Cheddar cheese
• 1-2 dashes Cayenne pepper (optional)
• 7 hot dogs

Preheat oven to 425°.

In a large bowl, mix all of the ingredients but the hot dogs together. Once the mix is smooth, pour into a very greased 9x13 inch baking dish. Place the hot dogs in the batter so that the dogs are placed evenly apart. So that’s about 5 vertically placed hot dogs across the top and two placed horizontally on the bottom. See picture.

Bake for 22-25 minutes or until corn bread is cooked through.Let cool slightly, then with a sharp knife cut around each hot dog insuring each dog is surrounded by corn bread. Serve with your favorite hot dog/corn dog condiments.

*NOTE: I didn't have self rising cornmeal mix. If you don't, don't panic. Use this substitution for the 3 cups self rising cornmeal mix instead, then follow the recipe as follows.

Self-Rising Cornmeal Mix (makes 3 cups)

• 2 1/4 cup cornmeal
• 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon flour
• 3 tablespoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoon salt

____________________________________________

Loaded

Here's my happy little corn zipper hanging out in the corn!

I love making cornbread and chili during the cooler months. The problem is, it doesn't get very cold here until late November. I still make this even when it's warm outside, but it's so much nicer to curl up on the couch with a mug of chili than it is to be sweating and eating chili. Don't you think?

I was surfing the web a few months ago and spotted this recipe. It looked really hearty and filling. And I thought it would be a nice accompaniment to my chili. I generally prefer to bake Jiffy cornbread muffins with a little added sugar for sweetness. I LOVE sweet cornbread and this brand is consistently good and it is so inexpensive (like 40 cents). I've tried different mixes and they don't usually compare to Jiffy. I have also made homemade cornbread and it's not as good either.

This cornbread had a nice texture to it. It was very similar to my favorite brand, but with all the added goodness of cheese, fresh sweet corn, bacon, and green chiles. These were not as spicy as I anticipated though. And I think they needed a little something extra- maybe more salt, more pepper, more garlic, a sharper cheese??? They were very good and did not over shadow the main course. I may make these again and tweak the ingredients. Ooh, sausage crumbles would be good in these!

Spicy Cornbread Muffins adapted from What We're Eating

Dry Ingredients:

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 3/4 cups corn meal
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp freshly cracked black pepper

Add-ins:

• kernels from 2 ears of fresh corn
• 1 small can chopped green chiles, drained
• 4 thick slices of bacon, cooked crispy then chopped
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 oz sharp cheddar, shredded

Wet Ingredients:

• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Butter or spray 2 12-cup muffin tins or line with muffin liners and set aside.

Add all of the dry ingredients into a large bowl. Whisk to combine and set aside.

In a separate bowl, add the milk, buttermilk oil and eggs. Whisk ingredients together, making sure the egg yolks are broken up and well combined. Add wet ingredients to dry and stir til just combined. Place all of the add-ins into the batter. Stir batter until just combined. Do not overmix or you'll end up with tough muffins.

Pour the cornbread batter into the prepared muffin tins. Fill each muffin tin nearly to the top with batter. The muffins won’t rise too much while baking. Bake on the top rack in the oven for about 20 minutes or until just baked through. Insert a toothpick into the center of one of the muffins, if it comes out clean (without crumbs), they're done.

Allow muffins to cool in pan for at least 10 minutes before removing. Serve warm with butter or at room temp.

NOTE: This cornbread can also be baked in a cast-iron skillet or glass baking dish. Make sure to adjust the cooking time to about 30-35 minutes and test with a toothpick if using one of these alternate baking methods. I made 12 muffins and one pan of cornbread. The muffins baked for 20 minutes and the glass dish of cornbread for 30 minutes.

These weren't as spicy as I expected, perhaps it's because I didn't use the Serrano chiles the recipe suggested. They were still good, but mild. For a spicier version, follow the original recipe. The only things I changed were: I didn't add cilantro (because I don't like it- ick!) and I added a small can of green chopped chiles instead of roasted Serrano chiles.

Use any leftovers in my favorite Cornbread Stuffing.

Autumn's 3rd Birthday Cookies

I made these last year for Autumn when she turned 3. Her 4th birthday is coming up on the 15th, so stay tuned for a new treat!

Bacon & Cheese Doggie Treats

• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1/3 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup boiling water
• 3/4 cup cornmeal
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 egg, beaten
• 4 oz. shredded cheese (1 cup)
• 4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 1 tablespoon chicken or beef bullion granules
• 2 cups white or wheat flour (plus more for kneading)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray cookie sheets with nonstick spray. In a large bowl combine oats, butter and water. Let stand for 10 minutes to soften oats. Stir in cornmeal, sugar, bullion, milk, egg, cheese and bacon. Mix well. Add flour one cup at a time, mixing well after each addition to form stiff dough. Dough will be sticky.

On a floured surface, knead dough and add enough flour (1-2 cups) until dough is smooth and no longer sticky. Knead for about 4-5 minutes. Roll out dough to 1/2 inch thickness, cut dough into shapes using your favorite cookie cutter. Place on cookie sheets about 1/2 inch apart. Cookies will not spread.

Bake for 35-50 minutes or until golden brown. Bake time varies depending on the size of your cookies. Cool completely. Place back in hot oven then turn your oven off. Leave cookies in oven for at least 4 hours to remove any moisture in your cookies. If you don't want to do this step, cool cookies and place in airtight container in your refrigerator to reduce spoilage. Makes about 3-4 dozen cookies, depending on size.

She loved them!