GOLDEN SWEET CORNBREAD

This past weekend Houston was threatened by the prospect of wintry precipitation.  So Houston did what it always does in these situations, and preemptively shut the city down.  Personally, I didn’t mind a few days of hanging around with nothing to do and nowhere to go.  Fortunately, it turned out to be a big old nothing burger, although it was pretty cold for these parts.  Another hard freeze is predicted for this weekend, although there is no ice or snow in the forecast, so it’s bundled up business as usual.

In preparation for the freeze, while parts of the country were blanketed by snow, Houstonians blanketed their plants with freeze cloth, which as best as I can tell, does nothing.  They also did panic shopping, myself included.  Surprisingly,  the grocery store was sold out of ground beef.  That can only mean one thing — Chili!  Fortunately, I had ground beef in my freezer, and made a big pot of chili with beans, which is always great on a cold evening.  Interestingly, conservatives tend to make not very good chili — they have trouble being liberal with their spices.

To go with the chili I made this recipe for Golden Sweet Cornbread, a favorite of mine and my kids.  The recipe is foolproof and delicious.   If you are feeling fancy, whip up a little cinnamon honey butter to spread on the hot cornbread, which will make it next level.

(By the way, if you want to make a vegetarian chili, just stick her in the freezer.)

GOLDEN SWEET CORNBREAD
Author: 
 
Ingredients
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1 cup yellow cornmeal
  • ⅔ cup sugar
  • 3-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup milk (can use low-fat)
  • ⅓ cup vegetable oil
  • 1 egg
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a 9-inch round cake pan.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
  3. Add milk, oil, and egg to dry ingredients, and whisk until thoroughly combined.
  4. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake until cornbread is golden on top and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, approximately 20-25 minutes.

A-maize-ing

 

CRANBERRY ORANGE QUICK BREAD

Cranberries!  Big, bouncy, bright red cranberries!

cranberry harvest found at oceanspray.com

Cranberries are harvested between mid-September and mid-November, when they are at their peak for color and flavor.  Their ruby red color makes them a favorite for holiday decorating, cooking, and baking.  They’re also known as bounceberries, and if you’ve ever dropped one on the floor, you know why.

Cranberry Orange Quick Bread, made with both fresh and dried cranberries, orange juice and zest, and pecans, is a favorite of ours this time of year.  It’s just sweet enough to balance the tartness of the cranberries, and the buttermilk keeps it moist.  The recipe makes 6 mini loaves or 2 regular loaves, which makes it a great recipe for sharing.

CRANBERRY ORANGE QUICK BREAD
Author: 
Recipe type: Breads and Muffins
 
Ingredients
  • 4 cups flour
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • 1-1/2 cups buttermilk
  • ½ cup orange juice
  • 1 tablespoon grated orange zest
  • 12 tablespoons (1-1/2 sticks) butter, melted and cooled
  • 2 eggs
  • 3 cups fresh cranberries, coarsely chopped
  • 1 cup pecan halves, coarsely chopped
  • ⅔ cup dried cranberries, coarsely chopped
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 6 mini loaf pans, or 2 regular loaf pans, or 1 bundt pan with cooking spray and set aside.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda.
  3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, orange juice, zest, and melted butter. Whisk in eggs until thoroughly combined.
  4. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and stir just until combined. Gently fold in cranberries and nuts.
  5. Divide batter among prepared pans, filling each approximately ¾ full.
  6. Bake for approximately 45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. The top of the bread will be golden, and the bread will have risen and the edges will be just pulling away from the sides of the pan.
  7. Allow to cool, then wrap in plastic and let sit at room temperature several hours (preferably overnight) before slicing and serving.

cranberry bread

Hot out of the oven, and they smell so good!

bread

Delicious giving