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

 

PINK PICKLED TURNIPS

After two freezes (and snow!) this winter, I’m grateful to see the first signs of spring starting to appear.  The very first blooms that “turnip” — even before the trees sport their glossy spring green new leaves — are mostly pink.  If you pay attention, you’ll see these early pink signs of spring everywhere  — azaleas, redbuds, roses, japanese magnolias, lorapetalum.

Azaleas and Japanese magnolias

Lorapetalum and Peggy Martin roses

Redbuds

Soon, Houston will be ablaze in color.  It’s a magnificent show  I look forward to every year. Spring hopes eternal.

To celebrate this pink spring awakening, I made a batch of bright pink pickled turnips — they often “turnip” as a bright pop of color on plates in middle eastern restaurants.  On a recent trip to the farmers market, I came across ginormous turnips that had just fallen off the proverbial turnip truck:

The one I brought home was just shy of two pounds.  For context, here it is next to a quarter:

Whoa

This is what I refer to as the “Ebay cans and coins method of measurement” — you know, for those times when it’s just too much bother to find a ruler.  A few examples:

Coins

Cans

Fun fact — if you leave your turnip sitting around long enough, it will sprout a miniature forest of turnip greens:

I am tickled pink by these neon bright pickled turnips and how easy they are to make.  I would never “turnip” my nose at them.

5 from 1 reviews
PINK PICKLED TURNIPS
Author: 
 
Ingredients
  • 3 cups water
  • ⅓ cup kosher salt
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 cup distilled white vinegar
  • 2 large turnips, peeled and sliced into ½" thick batons
  • 1 small red beet, peeled and cut into ½" thick batons
  • 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
  • 2 cayenne chilis (optional)
  • Sprig of dill (optional)
Instructions
  1. Heat 2 cups of water in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the salt and bay leaf, stirring until the salt is dissolved. Remove from heat and let cool, then add the vinegar and the remaining 1 cup of water.
  2. Place the turnips, beets, and garlic (and cayenne and/or dill, if using) into a large glass jar, then pour the brine, including the bay leaf, over them. Cover and set aside at room temperature for 2-3 days, then refrigerate until ready to serve.

 

The pink show starts immediately

After a few days, the pickled turnips are ready, willing, and pink

Think pink!