spicy pepper cornbread

based on your temperament, peppers used can vary. in this version, both habañero and jalapeño peppers were used, so this one left a nice tingle on the lips when you finished eating it.



ingredients:

2 cups yellow cornmeal
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup buttermilk
2 eggs
3 tablespoons honey
3 peppers of your choice, seeds removed and diced (1 habañero and 2 jalapeño peppers were used in mine)
2 tablespoons canola oil

directions:

preheat oven to 425°.

place 10 inch cast iron skillet in oven.

in a bowl, combine the cornmeal, salt, sugar, baking powder, and baking soda. whisk together to combine well.

in a large bowl, combine the buttermilk, eggs, honey, and peppers, whisking together to combine thoroughly. add the dry ingredients slowly to the buttermilk mixture and stir to combine. if the batter will not pour, add more buttermilk to the batter. also make sure to check for bits of unmixed cornmeal. this stuff kicks up dust like nobody's business, and tends to bake mealy if it's not combined well with the wet mixture.

swirl the canola oil in the hot cast iron skillet, making sure to get the sides oiled as well. pour the batter into the skillet. bake until the cornbread is golden brown and springs back upon the touch, about 20 minutes.

you can serve this many ways, but because i love sweet and spicy, an easy salsa or honey butter accompany this nicely.

for the salsa:

tomatoes
chives
cilantro
salt & pepper

my salsa recipe changes every time i make it and it's pretty consistently based on what was at the farmers' market last weekend. i left out any peppers in this recipe because of the peppers in the cornbread, but there is more than enough flavor to make this a great bruschetta topping as well.



for the honey butter:

unsalted, sweet cream butter
honey

one part honey to two parts butter.

this is also the ratio for buttered syrup, which is the only way to eat pancakes, waffles, or french toast.

better than bottled vinaigrette

Thanks to Rani for this comment on the diced tomato post!

Drizzle a little of this on that sliced tomato and you will be high with deliciousness!

Better Than Bottled Balsamic Vinaigrette

* 2.5 tablespoons balsamic, white, or red wine vinegar
* 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
* 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard or regular mustard
* 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
* 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
* Ground black pepper to taste
* 1/2 minced clove of garlic (optional)
* 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Toss all ingredients into a bowl and whisk! (I mix it in a blender to make sure it's emulsified) Makes about 1/2 cup of dressing

dicing a tomato

i have watched the food network for years. i have seen people chop, slice, dice, and otherwise cut things in ways that would have me in the emergency room. recently, however, i have finally learned the easiest way to dice a tomato. this may seem incredibly basic, but it saves time and fingers. you can also apply this technique to any roundish vegetable or fruit, though it is mostly used for tomatoes and onions.

1. slice the top off the tomato and sit it on it's end, or flat side down. once you've got that on the board, you'll start to make your first series of cuts. slice the tomato lengthwise as pictured below, but do not cut through the tomato, leave a small amount uncut at the bottom. this is what holds the tomato together as you continue to make cuts.



2. turn tomato and slice crosswise. again do not cut through the tomato.



3. here's the tricky part. the tomato will want to assist you in it's dicing, but do not let it. once you've got the tomato on it's side in your hand watch your fingers and make slices the same way you did earlier. it will look like it's not going to happen with this thing, but be patient.



4. finally, you're left with diced tomato and a few big chunks. just dice the remaining chunks and your done. phew!

stawberry spinach bruschetta with chevre

unique take on an italian classic.

ingredients:

1 1/2 cups fresh strawberries, sliced
1/2 cup fresh spinach, stems removed (arugula can also be used)
one baguette
one package chevre, usually sold in 4oz logs
olive oil
ground sea salt & pepper

directions:

place rack in oven about midway down. based on your ovens (in)ability to broil properly, you may need to place it one rack up. i wouldn't preheat too much on the broiler, but i tend to burn things when broiling.

slice baguette to your preference. for smaller pieces make slice crosswise first then lengthwise. brush with olive oil. on large cookie sheet, broil until lightly toasted.

spread chevre onto toasts and top with sliced berries. broil until cheese and berries are soft.

top with spinach, or arugula, salt and pepper, and drizzle a bit of oil on the whole mess.

in a pickle

i have a crush on alton brown. what? have you seen good eats? you can't deny the man's acumen in all matters culinary.

moving on, our farmers' market is chocked full of cucumbers right now, so pickles seem to be in season. here is "in a pickle" for some fresh refrigerator pickles.

chessmen banana pudding

this is a pretty straight forward banana pudding recipe, but it's the chessmen that make it special. i got this from an old friend. i don't know where he got it, but it's pretty darn good.

ingredients:

2 packages Pepperidge Farms chessmen cookies
6-8 bananas, peeled/sliced
2 cups milk
1 (15 oz) box of french vanilla pudding mix
8 oz cream cheese
14 oz condensed milk
12 oz whipped cream

directions:

line bottom of 13x9x2" receptacle with chessmen. you can also use two 8/9" square pans, in case you want to share. just cover the bottom, there will be enough for the top too, no matter what size pan you use.




peel and slice bananas. place those on top of the cookies. i personally prefer a lot of bananas, so i just sort of dump them on top. you can nicely layer them as well, if so inclined.




you'll need three bowls for this. in a medium sized bowl, mix milk and pudding mix with an electric mixer until well combined. a stand mixer for this is overkill, and hand mixing doesn't quite get all the lumps out.




in another bowl, do the same with cream cheese and condensed milk until smooth.

...and yet another bowl you'll need whipped cream, unless you get the store bought stuff.

now fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese/condensed milk concoction. after you've gotten those two fairly well mixed, introduce the pudding mixture.




pour the pudding goodness over the cookies and bananas.



add remaining chessmen to top of pudding.



it's preferable for some to serve immediately. i like it this way, but others like to let it set first. if you go that route, cover it and refridgerate for a minimum of one hour.

simple whipped cream

1/2 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon confectioner's sugar (i've substituted fine sugar and the result is the same)

mix all ingredients in bowl until stiff peaks form. you'll know it's right when you pull the whisk up and your cream stands up on its own. do not overdue it. if you whip too much, your whipped cream will get lumpy. no one likes lumpy whipped cream. also, the first time i did this, i believe it may have taken about 20 minutes to whip the cream. be patient.

robin's helpful hint:
using fresh cream from a local dairy is a good way to cut the time in half for whipping, especially if you're doing this by hand.

you may have seen this reddi whip commercial, oil versus cream. well, this is better than both of those.