"Beth beth beth you make better corn bread than anyone else in the world"

INGREDIENTS
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup cornmeal
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 cup sour cream
1/3 cup milk
1/4 cup butter, melted

DIRECTIONS
1. In a large bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Combine the egg, sour cream, milk and butter; stir into dry ingredients just until moistened.
2. Pour into a greased 8-in. square baking dish. Bake at 400 degrees F for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Serve warm.

*I added more sugar to taste and more milk to make the batter thinner like a brownie mix... It added to the cooking time by about 20 minutes, the last 10 at 350. At least in my oven.

My first time ever making cornbread and it was so good I couldn't believe it.

Bran Muffins

Yum!

2 cups Nabisco 100% bran
2 cups brown sugar or Honey
1 cup melted butter
4 eggs
1 quart buttermilk
1 tsp. salt
5 cups flour (I use fresh ground hard white wheat)
4 cups Kellogg's All-Bran
5 tsp. soda dissolved in 2 cups of boiling water
Optional raisins

Mix all the dry ingredients together, mix all the wet ingredients togetherand pour over the dry. Last pour the water and soda over. Stir and let sitin the fridge overnight to soak up the moisture.
Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

Thanks to Vicki's sister in law Lori.
Ps. I love the new look of the blog, Jen!

the mystery meat

Last week I ordered a Pastrami Sandwich from Hugo's Deli.
It was delicious, but I wasn't sure what in the world pastrami was.
This is what I have learned (thanks alanskitchen.com)
and I thought I would share it with you.
Quite interesting.

Pastrami is a popular deli meat made from (chiefly red) meat. The raw meat is salted (infused in a thick brine), then dried, seasoned with various herbs and spices (such as garlic, black pepper, marjoram, basil) and smoked. Aside from the pepper and smoking, it is similar in process and flavor to Corned beef. In the United Kingdom and the United States beef is used and the meat is boiled after the salting stage. Recently, turkey pastrami was produced in the United States.

The etymology is from Romanian pastramă, probably from the verb a păstra (to preserve, to keep), being brought to the English language via Yiddish. Early references spelled "pastrama", while its current form is associated with a Jewish store selling "pastrami" in New York City in 1887. It is likely that this spelling was introduced to sound related to the Italian salami. Another theory (as it is argued in this Ladino text asserts that it is a variant of Turkish pastirma, or basturma, which is a Middle Eastern dried meat, usually made with veal.

In the original Romanian tradition, sheep meat was used, but over time pork became the prevalent choice. Romanians distinguish between different kinds of pastrami, depending on the meat used. When not specified, pork is implied.

In the United States, however, beef pastrami is by far the most common form, made from the brisket.

It usually is served as a cold cut on a sandwich, but it can also be heated and served as a side dish. One such example is fried pastrami, with corn polenta and green onions.

"Traditional" New York pastrami was made from the navel end of the brisket, which contains considerably more fat than the chest area. It was typically served hot in a rye bread sandwich, often with cole slaw and Russian dressing. In recent years, this version of pastrami has become much harder to find.

Oven-Baked Rosemary Potato Chips

These sound Super Good! Ingredients

2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 medium russet potato, peeled and cut into 1/8-inch-thick slices

1 teaspoon crumbled dried rosemary

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt Directions Heat oven to 375 degree F. Brush 2 large cookie sheets with 1 teaspoon oil. Arrange potato slices in one flat layer on prepared sheets. Brush potatoes with remaining oil and bake until golden, checking often since they brown at different rates, about 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer to paper towels and sprinkle with rosemary and salt while hot. Makes 4 servings. I need to try too! <3>

Have you ever gotten unintentionally drunk (or slap happy) by fondue?

I have, so as a memoir to that, here you are:

Swiss Cheese Fondue

1 pound Swiss* cheese

2 cloves of Garlic

3 T. All-Purpose Flour

2 T. Butter

1 1/2 cups Milk

½ T. Lemon Juice

1/8 tsp. ground Nutmeg

Salt and Pepper to taste

*You can mix Swiss and Gruyere for a stronger taste. Some people prefer Cheddar.

Dippers – Italian or French Bread cut into about 1 ¼ to 1 ½ inch pieces is a must!

Apple slices, cut veggies, chicken or sausage.

Peel garlic and slice the cloves in half the long way so the most inner surface is showing. Rub a heavy saucepan with two halves of the garlic for flavoring. Rub the fondue pot with the other two garlic halves. Grate the cheese and mix with 1 T. of the flour.Melt the butter in saucepan over medium-low heat. Add rest of flour. Stir well till smooth. Add about ½ cup of milk and stir till smooth. Slowly add the rest of the milk, stirring constantly until the mixture thickens to about the consistency of light cream. Add a handful of cheese and keep stirring. Let the cheese melt and then add another handful and stir until it melts. Repeat the process until all the cheese is melted.Once all the cheese has been added and the mixture is smooth, you can stir in the nutmeg, salt and pepper. Finally, add the lemon juice. Stir well till the mixture is smooth once again.Light the sterno and add cheese mixture to the fondue pot. Eat immediately! Spear bread and dunk in fondue and enjoy. Scrape the bottom of the pot with whatever you’re dipping from time to time to keep it from burning.Bon Appétit!

Chocolate Fondue

8 oz Premium Chocolate (chopped)

1 cup Whipping Cream

Over low flame, heat Cream until warm (DO NOT BOIL)

Slowly add chocolate while stirring. Mixture will become smooth

To Dip: Strawberries, Banannas, Apple Slices, Pound Cake, Angel Food Cake, Pretzels, Pineapple Chunks, Marshmallows, Donuts

Toblerone Fondue

1/2 cup Heavy Cream

12 oz Toblerone

1 tablespoon Milk

Warm the cream in fondue pot on low heat. Break chocolate into small piecees add to the cream and stir until melted. Thin slightly with milk.

To Dip:Pound Cake, Angel Food Cake, Pears, Apples, Grapes