Crate and Barrel, King Arthur Flour also offers these terra cotta disc.
Now here's a site that sets forth a homemade 'brown sugar softener'
Say goodbye to clumpy hard brown sugar (for 30 cents)
Posted on 05/21/2015 3:20:53 PM PDT by Jamestown1630
I grew up with cornbread and spoon bread as meal staples, usually made from mixes. Some years ago my husband and I discovered this recipe for cornbread that we think is the best we've had.
The only problem is that while it's wonderful warm out of the oven, it doesn't keep-over well to the next day - it gets heavy and dry, and I've never figured out how to fix that. But perhaps it's true of all cornbread.
Anyway, here's the recipe; I cut it from a newspaper or magazine, and can't attribute it; but it was called
Extreme Corn Bread
1 T vegetable shortening (or other method of greasing the pan)
8-1/2 oz. box of Jiffy Corn Bread mix
1 Cup Sour Cream (plus additional for garnish)
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
2 eggs
8-3/4 oz. can Kernel Corn, drained
8-1/4 oz. can Creamed Corn
Corn Salsa for garnish
Preheat oven to 350. Grease the bottom and sides of a 10-inch cast-iron skillet with the shortening.
In a large bowl using an electric mixer on medium speed, combine the corn bread mix, sour cream, butter and eggs until blended, about 30 seconds.
Using a spatula or wooden spoon, stir in the drained corn kernels and creamed corn until well-blended. Pour the mixture into the skillet and bake 40 to 45 minutes, or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
It's suggested to serve it with a dollop of sour cream and a spoonful of corn salsa.
Another one we like a lot is this, originally from Gourmet Magazine, Cheddar-Jalapeno Corn sticks:
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/cheddar-jalapeno-corn-sticks-104644
And here's a traditional Southern spoon bread recipe:
http://southernfood.about.com/od/spoonbreadrecipes/r/bl00927a.htm
-JT
Mmmm....they all look scrumptious in the muffin tins....great idea.
IMHO the only way that dry crumble cb mistake can be eaten is crumbled into a bowl with the chili, beans or soup..lots of tasty liquid. Suppose those who do like the dry crumbles must have learned to do so. Southern folk enjoy cornbread and milk....like cereal for breakfast. This, however is not my cup of tea :) Well, ‘kiss my grits!’ :) Here grits are not eaten often. Dad (from the North) didn’t care for them so Mom didn’t make them much. They are liked and are eaten, but just don’t think about making them too often. LOL every time grits are mentioned the movie ‘My Cousin Vinnie’ comes to mind. A large passel of ‘Southern foods’ are not cooked in this household...fried green tomatoes being the first to be ignored. Red, ripe, raw tomatoes are much preferred.
Amazing ingenuity WTP can produce. Will begin searching for the terra cotta piece. Thus far, the apple slice seems to work; however, the brown sugar container is used often, depleted and replenished. Remember years ago brown sugar was needed and the only bag/box in our small country store was grabbed off the shelf. It could have been used to replace a broken brick on the house. Hard as a rock, it would have caused a concussion. Ice Pick?? about the only solution to a waste of time and money. Time for a Bed Bath and Beyond visit I suppose. Thanks for the info!!
Now here's a site that sets forth a homemade 'brown sugar softener'
Say goodbye to clumpy hard brown sugar (for 30 cents)
That’s exactly what she talked about - having cornbread and milk for a meal growing up.
I’m going there for dinner tonight - I wonder if we’ll be having that cornbread!
I love grits! And one or two fried green tomatoes- they are a but sour too have very many. So I guess I’ll survive here after all. Just have to keep my mouth shut about the cornbread!
What other foods are southern?
SOUTHERN EATS
We love candy - divinity, pecan pralines, fudge
desserts - peach cobbler, pecan pie, meringue pies
vegetables - collard greens, okra, squash (not a fav here), string beans, tomatoes,potatoes, Vidalia Onions
meat/fish -BBQ, catfish, turkey and cornbread dressing,Texas loves chicken fried steak, fried chicken, chicken and dumplings, shrimp and seafood gumbos, pulled pork
beverage - bourbon, sweet tea with a splash of Welch’s grape juice added (my GM kept a beautiful pitcher of this on her dining table at every meal. It was the way we youngsters learneD to drink iced dea. Still have that beautiful pitcher in my china cabinet. Oh, and in Texas many of us drink nothing but Dr. Pepper (some even subbing this for the caffeine in coffee (hand raised)
Basically the same foods eaten elsewhere, just a twist of some substitution or addition to make them our own :)
For instance pickles - sweet gherkins, chow chow, watermelon rind pickles and sweet pickle relish LOL, see what is meant about Southerners and sweetness? :)
Here are a number of sites which might help give you ideas.
http://thesouthernladycooks.com/
http://www.southernliving.com/food/kitchen-assistant/southern-cooking-recipes
http://allrecipes.com/recipes/us-recipes/southern/
http://southern.food.com/
http://www.mrfood.com/editors-picks/country-cooking-48-best-loved-southern-comfort-recipes
http://farmflavor.com/category/recipes/theme/southern/
http://www.mommyskitchen.net/2008/06/old-fashioned-classics-soul-food.html
http://www.mamas-southern-cooking.com/
http://southernfood.about.com/
http://www.soulfoodandsoutherncooking.com/
http://www.southernstates.com/articles/southern-cooking-recipes.aspx
Of course, anything served becomes more enjoyable with friends and family gathered round the table.
Southern cooking is comfort, home and family. We do what we can with whatever we’ve got :)
Unless you really like dried out cornbread.
Thank you for the yummy list.
I have a lot to learn about my adopted - and gorgeous - homeland. God certainly spent extra time working on the south!
You reminded me of something. I’ve become interested in Thai food lately, and found out about Som Tom, a green papaya salad. I really want to try this - but I think I’ll leave out the dried shrimp, at least the first time ;-)
This looks very fresh and refreshing:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Wz4HVCNKr4
-JT
I don’t know if V.K.’s list included the ubiquitous Pimento Cheese Sandwich, but it’s a must :-)
-JT
MY LIME CRANBERRY COOLER
Mix Ocean Spray light cranberry juice w/ lime juice.
Pour over ice cubes. Add a few wheels of fresh lime.
I hope that’s not made with that processed spread!
Thank you. He certainly blessed all US here which is confirmed as one drives around the country. Been east to west coast, north to south borders (and beyond). Traveled on vacations with parents as a young child and we were shown just about every state in the USA. Most of those missed have been seen as an adult. Found some disappointments, but overall WTP have been raised in a country like no other - breathtaking sites, beautiful wide, blue skies and fields of sustenance to keep our bellies full. Welcome to The South..just don’t gaze on our rednecks! ;) PS you are in awe now, just wait till you smell the fragrance of Gardenias, Magnolias, Elaeagnus. Heaven scent!!!
It didn’t and it is. ALSO gads! how was THIS missed....Black Eyed Peas and Pinto Beans!!
If your interest in Thai cooking is profound, you might wish to visit this site
http://www.atasteofthai.com/
There is a tree in my front yard that blossomed about a month ago - it looked like it was frosted with snow white coconut. Whatever it was smelled divine! When sitting on the porch, as I do often - in awe i’m so lucky to get to live here, sometimes the wind would shift and the air would be filled with that perfumed scent. It was heavenly.
That was what she had to go with the cornbread bricks ;)
Soaking the cornbread in the beans was actually quite tasty. I’m going to make some myself (but with the unsouthern cornbread - sshhh!)
LOL -initiated to Southern Cooking—beans and cornbread!!
The Golden Sweet Cornbread recipe mentioned here earlier this week ...(once again, the site forgotten so must be searched) does make the BEST cb ever eaten!!! Ok, this is Texas and perhaps others in the South beg to differ. Texas has taken Southern Recipes and tweaked them to their taste and ingredient availability. Is Texas a Southern State? I certainly think so! :)
New Orleans has their own regional food preferences. This site gives a large assortment as to what is available in Creole Country. Remembering our Nation’s founding, France had a large role in the history of New Orleans.
http://neworleanswebsites.com/cat/fd/re/re.html
And those Black Eyed Peas....one must always eat them on New Years Day if they expect any good luck at all for the year. :)
BTW learning to love this new procedure for Google and all the pertinent information coming up on the screen. WHAT an undertaking just to give away everything to a third world country.
“Is Texas a Southern State?”
She has to be - wasn’t the capital of the confederacy there?
And my brother-in-law’s accent certainly wasn’t no yankee accent! I could hardly understand him but he wrote great country songs. He was from Victoria.
Ps chat new Google procedure? maybe I’m using it wrong!
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