French Froday With Dorie: Pissaladiere

PISSALADIERE WITH A FEW CHANGES

We LOVE pizza at our house!  Hubby could live on pizza; could eat it every day.  Today’s assignment was like pizza.  So, to compare, I made a batch of Dorie’s dough and a batch of my dough...mine has no egg...I wanted to see what that egg contributed to a similar ingredient recipe.

Then, I found a bag of plum tomatoes that had to be used, so I thought, “Good, I’ll have fresh sauce.”

ONIONS SAUTEED UNTIL TRANSLUCENT

And I couldn’t bring myself to add anchovies, so I wondered what might look similar, and... I found lovely Portobelo mushrooms which, when sliced, look just like anchovies, right?  Gills and all.

PORTOBELO MUSHROOMS

ALSO SAUTEED

And, I thought that the 6 medium onions on one “pizza” were a bit much, so I cut the onion amount way down.  Then I sliced my olives...just because that was requested by a drooling bystander.  And to this point, those were my changes.

THE SPONGE HAS RISEN

THE KNEADED DOUGH LEFT TO RISE

THE DOUGH HAS RISEN

Oh, and of necessity, there was one additional change.  Because I had made bread earlier in the week and it did not rise well even though I used fresh yeast...must have gotten hot in Sam’s Club warehouse or truck somewhere and been killed; it’s Arizona...I decided to make a sponge using my new yeast...just to be sure.   I mixed the yeast, sugar, water, and partial flour...just to make certain the yeast was alive, and a sponge for this type of recipe is a good thing.

THE PISSALADIERE IS OVEN_READY

After putting the pizza into the hot oven, I saw that I had actually made other “mistake” changes...in my brain-dead mode I had added some of my freshly made sauce.  Well, don’t most pizza’s have sauce?  Just a habit.  And I had added a little cheese, not much.  Oh well, it was a paperwork day today and it will do it to you.

WHILE BAKING ON ITS HOT STONE, I THROW ON THE OLIVES

Panic...my nicely sliced olives were sitting on the counter, not on my baking pizza.  So, I opened the oven and threw them on...and curled my eyelashes at the same time.  But in AZ we are used to blasts of heat. (Az heat is a good thing for rising dough...mine was ready in 30 minutes.)

 

THE FINISHED PISSALADIERE LOOKS BEAUTIFUL!

I had considered making a fresh garden salad to accompany the pizza, but after sweeping the fridge and finding veges, in addition to those tomatoes needing use, I decided to bake a few vege pizzas and call it good.
 

I baked the pissaladiere/pizzas on my pizza stone in a 450^ oven.  With the crust rolled thin, baking time was only 5 minutes and they were perfectly done.

I cut a piece of the pissaladiere and liked the flavors, however, I thought the onions were a bit oily from being sauteed in a little olive oil, but I’m used to unoiled, fresh veges on my pizza’s.  All the flavors were really good, and I loved my mushrooms.  This was a good choice for me.

MY FAVORITE PIZZA IS READY FOR THE OVEN

MY PERSONAL BEST CHOICE

PIZZA WITH "LEFTOVER" INGREDIENTS

 

THE "LEFTOVERS" PIZZA #2

And my choice to make a few pizzas was good...just as I finished, Hubby and #1 Son and a friend walked into the kitchen and had only 20 minutes before they had to leave for a Town of Gilbert committee meeting.  They were excited to find pizza on the menu.

FRESH SPINACH PIZZA

I love working with dough...works my stresses out.  And all the delicious flavors and smells in Kris’ Pizzeria get my mind off everything else.  The best part is having family come home and be excited about my kitchen work. #1 Son returned here after the meeting and took the leftovers home. ..said he had been dreaming about eating more all through the meeting.  

 

HONEY'S FAVORITE...OLIVE PIZZA

And what about my comparison of Dorie’s “egg” dough vs my more traditional dough?  Not much difference.  Dorie’s dough was a bit softer bottom crust...the edges were crisped just right.  The flavor: not enough difference to write about.  Being a little softer dough, it was an easier roll out for the thin crust....did not spring back into shape as I rolled.  My dough was a similar size batch.....I got several thin crust pizzas from these two batches of dough.  Dorie’s dough definitely makes 3 thin crust home-size pizzas.

 

MY AFTERNOON'S WORK

Note: I know my pans look gross.  After baking the pizzas I put them out on my super old cookie sheets...sheets that are older than some of you reading this post.  I don’t mind hubby using them out on the grill, and I don’t mind pizza eaters cutting their pizzas on these pans...I would not want all the cuts made on my good baking sheets.   

French Friday with Dorie: Buckwheat Blini and Traditional Blini

BUCKWHEAT AND TRADITIONAL BLINI

 Blini wrappers make such pretty and delicious containers for a variety of foods.  They are delicious both savory and sweet and with both savory and sweet fillings.  These wrappers are filled and used as a "Russian sandwich"...they do not eat sandwiches like Americans do...with bread on both the bottom and the top, but these packets are filled with cooked veges, meats, and fruits, and are usually eaten as finger foods.

FOR TRADITIONAL:  WHISK THE EGGS UNTIL THEY ARE CREAMY AND THICK

We began experiencing a new phenomena as soon as we brought home our 2 adopted Russian daughters.  Everywhere we went we met Russian immigrants and many become our friends.  One became an employee for a year.  Others helped translate for us before our girls could speak English.

COMBINE BUTTER WITH OIL IN THE COOKING PAN--PREVENTS THE BUTTER FROM BURNING

The people we met while in  Slavic countries love to come here, to America, often to visit for 6 months at a time.  Some have had our help to come on student visas to get an education and training which are not available in their own countries.  One of these, Julia, is like another daughter to me.

TOOLS:  PARCHMENT PAPER LAYERED BETWEEN THE WRAPPERS AND A SILICONE SPATULA PERFECTLY FLIPS THE BLIN IN THE PAN

This weekend, a dear “Russian” family will be returning to Moldova after a 6 month stay.  We met them, Alex and Marina, who now have a small son, at our children’s orphanage, and they have been to America twice since then, living only a 10 minute walk from us.  Their first stay was for 2 years and this stay has been for 6 months.

STACK OF ALL PURPOSE FLOUR BLINI WRAPPERS

All these Russians have a common skill of not cooking with cookbooks.  In fact, Russian cookbooks are rare.  (But they all do very little baking.) We had difficulty finding cookbooks for our girls who wanted to learn to cook Russian foods as they missed tastes from their country that could not be explained to me.
      
Both Julia and Marina often bring me gifts of blintz, or blini, which are the same thing, just in a different language, containing a variety of fillings.  Theirs include mashed potatoes, meats such as chicken, cheeses, or fruits such as sour cherries.  These treats are either rolled, like crepes, or they are folded into “envelop” packets, similar to a Chinese eggroll.

The old Russian or Ukrainian blini (or blinchiki) are traditionally made with buckwheat flour and contain yeast.  More modern blini are similar to French crepes and do not contain yeast.  The Russians I know also call this food “pancakes,” and they do not use yeast.  When Julia first came we made our pancakes for her and she made her pancakes for us...we called hers “crepes.”

The Orthodox Church carries on a tradition of honoring the round, new sun, following winter, which began in pre-Christian times. Hence the round crepe shape makes the perfect food to serve for this ritual.   This tradition continues to this day.  Blini, or blintz, are also the traditional food served at wakes to honor the recently deceased.  (My girls associate buckwheat with wakes and therefore buckwheat is not desirable to them.)

All my Russian friends use all purpose flour to make this food and none of them like buckwheat.  A couple of years ago I thought I was doing them a favor when I purchased a package of buckwheat flour and made blini for them; it was rejected as being “yucky” and I was asked to never bake or cook with that type of flour again.  None of their friends or family use buckwheat which is actually grown only in one distant country, I think Lithunia, part of the old USSR, but not Russia or other USSR break-offs, according to my friends.

CHEESE FILLING--TRADITIONAL

PUMPKIN FILLING--MY INVENTION

My friends also like to fill these packets with sauteed mushrooms; their favorite along with potatoes, onions, cabbage, and some like caviar.    They also like to layer the “crepes” and drizzle melted butter between the layers.  They add sour cream and jam or honey.  They also roll them with a cherry filling and layer the rolls on a large platter, forming a pyramid shape.  Whipped cream is added to the top.

According to wikipedia, Russian Jewish immigrants brought blini to America.  Their traditional fillings are with cheeses like our cream cheese, ricotta or cottage cheese and a sweetener.

COVERED WITH PLASTIC WRAP THE BUCKWHEAT/YEAST BATTER IS RESTING

GETS BUBBLY AFTER AN HOUR

My friend Marina, recently made blini for me with mashed potatoes, and some with a seasoned meat.  Because I wanted to try a few different things, I decided to make dessert blini today, and in honor of the fall holidays, I chose to fill some with a pumpkin mixture, and one with a traditional cheese mixture.  I am making lots for both my family to try, and to take to Alex and Marina and their son as a parting gift.  It is possible I will not see them again...takes lots of money to come to America and they are from an extremely poor country with an unemployment rate of 68%.

THE BUCKWHEAT WRAPPERS ARE COOKING

STACK OF BUCKWHEAT WRAPPERS

For the pumpkin filling,  I decided to open the cupboard and see what looked good.  I used the following and would do it again...it’s delicious!  Honest...this is really good!

1 large can pumpkin puree–the 2 pie size
3/4 C sugar
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 T cinnamon
1 t  nutmeg

I mixed these ingredients together and used as my pumpkin filling.

After rolling or folding the “crepes”, I sprinkled cinnamon and powdered sugar on top.  A little drizzle of maple syrup or other sweet topping would be great as would whipped cream, however, today mine are finger foods.

For the AP flour  blini wrappers I used:
2 C all purpose flour
½ C sugar
2 T cornstarch
1 t salt
1 1/3 C whole milk
2/3 C water
3/4 stick melted butter
8 large eggs

I cooked the batter in non-stick small fry pans coated with a little butter mixed with oil between each batch so the butter would not burn and the blini would slide right out of the pans onto my stack...about 1/4 cup batter used for each blini.

I whisked the eggs till thick and creamy yellow.  Then added all other liquids and mixed together.  I whisked the dry ingredients together in a separate bowl.  Then I mixed the dry all at once with the wet.  Whisked just until the little flour lumps were gone.  I cooked immediately like I would a pancake.  I made a stack of these wrappers with a square of parchment between each...so they don’t stick together.

For the cheesy filling I used:
2   8-oz packages room temperature cream cheese, whisked till smooth.
1 cup cottage cheese, which I had. I also like ricotta cheese.
2/3 cup sugar
1 t vanilla

Mix these ingredients together just until combined.

These blintz are good with fruit such as strawberries.

Note: blintz or blini are plural; blin is singular

If the filled and folded blintz are re-fried, the heat seals them shut.

For today’s project, I also made Dorie’s buckwheat, yeasted recipe which I will also take to my Russian friends.  Just for fun, I’ll see if they can enjoy buckwheat in this recipe.  Personally, I think it will be good, especially with my sweet fillings.

As always, I’ll be interested to see how my cyberfriends fared with this recipe, using the requested FfwD ingredients.  Personally, I really like both types.  The buckwheat makes me feel like I'm eating something a little more healthy as my flour is freshly ground and a whole grain flour.

Happy Friday to ALL!

NOTE:  I actually rolled the "gift" blini that went to my friends...my rolling looks lots better than my folding.

Baked Sunday Mornings: Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cake with (Cream Cheese Frosting) Coconut, Pecan Topping

TOPPING ADDED WHILE CAKE IS STILL WARM, AND THIS PIECE WAS EATEN WHILE STILL WARM...YUM!

I’ve run into several people over the past few months who are not “cake” people.  They are “pie” people, or “cookie” monsters, or “ice cream” lovers, but cake does not excite them.  Maybe a good cheesecake, but not cake-cake.

When I ask, “Why?” they answer that  cake is dry, or it lacks good flavor, or has nasty frosting or too much frosting, or needs something to wash it down, or it is just made from a box, or it is too sweet, leaving one feeling sick, or it tastes like a sponge covered in Crisco icing.  Who wants to really eat one of these kinds of traditional birthday cake?  Many feel that the birthday or wedding cake is just for tradition or for a candle-blowing-out moment...not really for eating.

I admit that in my younger years there were not many cakes I enjoyed: 

German chocolate cake (because I liked the special topping)  

Carrot cake with a cream cheese frosting

Grandma’s lemon sponge cake with a lemony icing

Oatmeal cake, again with a special topping   

ONE OF MY FAVORITE SPECIAL CAKE TOPPINGS--GREAT ON OATMEAL CAKE

NEVER anything from a box!

My mom could ruin the German chocolate cake as she liked to use Nestle’s hot chocolate mix instead of cocoa powder.  Unbelievable...she did it to brownies too, and still does to this day.  “We like a mild chocolate.” she says.  She’s an all-around good cook, but cake was never a specialty.  And she’ll never understand chocolate.

And I remember years of no butter in the house.  It was the Crisco and margarine era.  Butter was considered “bad for you,” but now it’s the other way around.

Growing up, cake usually came from a box, and for women in my mother’s age group (she's 84), cakes still do.   And judging from the large space given to  boxed cake mixes in grocery stores, that’s where most cakes still originate...and frostings too.   In the past there was one good use, but since we can no longer take home-kitchen made cupcakes into the school room to share for a child's birthday, I don't understand why anyone would use a boxed cakemix...EVER!

And that’s the problem with most cakes.  The typical person does not bake...so the choice is store bought cake with shortening frosting, or if they do bake, they are unwilling to use the best ingredients or methods.

THIS CAKE WILL SOON BE GONE...AND IT'S STILL WARM

The good thing about those boxed goods was that I could bake a cake all by myself at the age of 6; boxed cake and jello were my specialties.  When my mom had her daily nap...I was the oldest of 5 closely spaced kids and we wore her out...I ruled the kitchen. (My siblings remember I ruled with a sturdy wooden spoon.) I'll bet I made lots of sticky floors, but my mom never complained.  Back then, before all the kid safety, my mom thought it was great to wake up to the foods I had cooked.  Yes, I did get burned or cut on occasion, but I learned fast.  (There was a neighborhood market, Ernie's store, only 1 block from our house and I could take my small change and purchase dinner ingredients...yes, a quarter bought something back then....I remember cake mixes being 4/$100.)

Today’s Oatmeal Cake is a treasure.  I’ve always loved this type of cake, however, I could not get excited about a cream cheese frosting.   Like German chocolate cake, this cake traditionally comes with a special topping made with a caramely-coconut-pecan type of ingredient list.  I decided to go with tradition.

With all the oats, this cake is great for breakfast, and of course, it is perfect at any other time...like every time I walk into the kitchen.  And, I noticed everyone coming into the kitchen had the same problem. Before the cake had cooled, it had been mostly eaten.  This cake can’t miss...has all the flavors found in my favorite chewy oatmeal chocolate chip cookie recipe.

This is a moist, dense cake, and adding chocolate chips made a lovely treat.  My traditional recipe does not call for chocolate chips, however, adding the chips gives me a new way to enjoy this dessert.   And I do appreciate good chocolate.  Not long ago I baked a version of this cake that is a chocolate-chocolate chip oatmeal cake with a chocolate ganache topping; also very good.

This is a fun cake to bake...made with typical pantry items... and more fun to eat.  I’m sure  those “not cake” people just need to try some of these kinds of yummy cakes and they may change their minds.  With good ingredients, lots of flavor,  a  moist texture, and a great topping,  I’m sure this cake could turn more dessert eaters into cake choosers.

And being a baker who reads cookbooks and baking blogs for nighttime relaxation, I now enjoy many, many great cakes; way too many to list.

I’m interested to see how my cyberfriend’s cakes turned out...especially interested to see this cake dressed in a cream cheese frosting.  It will be fun to read your reviews.

OOZING WITH CARAMELY CHOCOLATEY COCONUT NUTTY GOODNESS, THIS CAKE'S A WINNER!

Recipe for my coconut-pecan topping:
Makes a generous amount; enough for two 9 X 13 cakes

1 1/2 (2 sticks) Cups butter
2 1/2 Cups brown sugar
1 can evaporated milk
1 Tablespoon vanilla
2 ½  Cups coconut
2 Cups chopped pecans

Using a heavy saucepan, combine butter, brown sugar, and evaporated milk.  Bring to a boil over medium heat; boil for 1 minute.  Remove from heat, and stir in vanilla, coconut, and pecans.  Spread on warm Oatmeal Cake.

Date Nut Bread

MY PORTION OF ONE OF MY FAVORITE MEALS

When our children were young we often visited Hubby's parents who lived a half hour drive from Gettysburg, PA  where we enjoyed visits to the battlegrounds and spent many days at this historic site.  Several times we took ghost tours, walked the beautiful grounds, and learned about the rich heritage of this sacred site where so many lost their lives.

My favorite place to eat was the Dobbin House with also included the Springhouse Tavern.  This structure is the oldest building in the town, and being built in 1776 it has a wonderful history of its own.  It is built over 2 springs and has a cellar room used by the "underground railroad" as a safe house for escaping slaves.  We always took our kids to eat in the dark, downstairs tavern which was lighted by candles.  This restaurant produces many wonderful menu items which have remained popular for years, but my consistent choice was  a large platter of fresh fruits accompanied by cottage cheese, applesauce and a wonderful sweet bread...I'd love to have that recipe.  I always ordered a mug of hot cider with my meal, even in the hot, humid summertime.  Irresistible.

To re-create this dinner at home is a treat.  Especially at this time of year when the melons and berries remain plentiful and I can add freshly picked apples, pears, and grapes to our platter; this meal is a dream that everyone enjoys.  At our house this meal can be simple or very involved depending on the platter size and the fruits included.  I always include a sweet bread of some type.  Today I made a Date Nut Bread for this meal.

JUST OUT OF THE OVEN

It is best to bake this bread a day in advance of eating to let the flavors come together and to create a moistness in the bread.  Bake and then when cooled, wrap tightly in plastic wrap or bag.  Store in refrigerator after bread is a day old...good for a week.

Ingredients:

4 C    Ap flour

4 t baking powder

1/2 t salt

If desired 1 t cinnamon can be added as well as lemon or orange zest.   A teaspoon or two of the citrus juice is also a nice flavor addition, but this liquid should be added, if desired, to the wet ingredients along with or instead of the other extracts.

Whisk these items together in a medium size bowl.

Add the following to the flour mixture and stir together, coating the piece with flour:

2 1/2 C pitted dates, each date sliced into 4-5 pieces

2 C chopped pecans--toasted is best

1 pound butter at room temperature

3/4 C sour cream at room temperature

Mix these two items in a mixer bowl with a paddle attachment until smooth and creamy.

Add to the butter mixture and beat after each addition:

1 1/2 C packed brown sugar

8 eggs

1 T vanilla

1/2 t almond extract

Add dry ingredients and mix just until combined.

Divide mixture into three 9 X 4 prepared loaf pans.
Bake for about 35 minutes at 325^ .

When done, breads should be browned and firm to the touch.

Cool on wire rack 10 minutes before removing from pan.  Then let the bread become completely cool before wrapping.

BEAUTIFUL AND DELICIOUS LOAF OF SWEET DATE NUT BREAD

Dark Chocolate Banana Muffins

DARK CHOCOLATE BANANA MUFFINS ARE GOOD FOR BREAKFAST OR ANY TIME OF THE DAY

It seems like I have overripe bananas to use every week.  When the kids were young, every Saturday morning  I made a batch of banana buttermilk pancake batter which was inhaled.  We always added special toppings like chocolate syrup, caramel sauce, fresh fruits, and ice cream.  I loved the chocolate with the banana; one of my all time favorites.

Baking these chocolate banana muffins had only one surprise...they are really chocolatey...like good dark chocolate.  With all the other ingredients, and with lots of banana, I was expecting a more mild chocolate flavor.  These muffins disappeared quickly and I will make them again soon...like later this week when I have too many overripe bananas.

This recipe makes 4 dozen regular cupcake size muffins and uses that too-often-on-hand bunch of overripe bananas.

Preheat oven to 350^.  Baking time if the oven is filled with all the muffins will be about 30 minutes.  If the recipe is halved, baking time will be about 20 minutes. Every oven is different.  Begin checking at 20 minutes. If the entire recipe is baked at once; rotate pans 1/2 way through baking.  Use the center oven space for baking these muffins.

Ingredients:  

In a medium size bowl, whisk to combine:

3 C   AP flour

1 2/3 C cocoa

2 t  baking soda

1 t  salt

In a mixer bowl with paddle attachment, combine:

1 C sour cream--if liquid has formed at the top, pour it off before measuring out the sour cream.  There will be enough moisture in the bananas, especially if an extra one is added in.

3 sticks butter at room temperature

Beat above butter mixture until it is creamy and smooth.

Add:

2 C sugar

1 C brown sugar

6 eggs

Again, beat until creamy.

Then add 6 to 8--a nice size bunch--very ripe bananas.   Continue to mix 3-4 minutes on medium speed.  Bananas will have small chunks which are delicious in the muffins.   It's OK if this mixture looks curdled.

Add 1/2 the dry to the wet ingredients.  Mix just until combined.  Then add remainder of dry ingredients and mix again until combined.

Line cupcake/muffin pans with papers and fill 3/4 full...use a 1/4 cup ice cream scoop for no-mess.

When done, cool muffins on a rack while in the pans.

These muffins are good enough to be cupcakes...fooled my grandkids who asked for more....and they don't need frosting.

French Friday with Dorie: Deconstructed BLT and Eggs

BLT SALAD

I'm not going to think about this one very much because I can't believe that I ate this entire salad all by myself..in one sitting.  And it was all good down to the last morsel.

For this salad I visited the deli where I purchased some really good maple cured bacon, something I would enjoy in a tasty BLT.   While frying, it made the house smell so good that I started dreaming about the pancakes that would go with that syrupy smell.  Then I made  croutons using herb infused olive oil for sauteing cubes of day-old roasted garlic and thyme artisan bread.  This combo created a good flavor.  I'm not usually a crouton person, which are usually cubes of  hard, old bread with no great flavor.  I also made hard boiled eggs which I will show to Stephy-Wephy in this photograph as she accuses me of always hard boiling the eggs until the yolks turn grayish-green.  I was more careful today, but I enjoy them well-done rather than runny.

I CAN'T BELIEVE I ATE THE WHOLE THING!

Then I arranged "Spring" lettuces, carrot, peppers, and the important-to-BLT tomato slices like I would slice them for a BLT sandwich, and I used slow roasted grape tomatoes as a garnish.  (Since eggs are not really in BLT's, I figured I could also add carrots and peppers which are not really in BLT's).  And then I added my bacon and eggs to top the salad.  The eggs were sprinkled with salt and smoked paprika just to make them pretty.

A little vinaigrette and freshly ground pepper added flavor, but I chose not to add mayonnaise. 

All in all a good salad and substantial enough to make a meal...especially when I eat the whole thing.  Next time I make this salad, I promise I will share.

Baked Sunday Mornings: Honey Corn Muffins

CORN MUFFINS WITH CHILI

OR ADD A BAKED POTATO FOR A MAN-SIZE MEAL

The Baked Boys made a cornbread recipe that is their own and I wanted to create a recipe that is mine.  I read theirs and several others, and then decided to make some changes that I hoped would please my family.  Success.  My creation based on the Baked recipe is terrific.  It's a keeper.

While reading through the recipe I noted that it calls for a fairly large quantity of baking powder --1 Tablespoon--compared to what I would say is a relatively  small batch of only 12 muffins. With buttermilk, I'm used to including baking soda as an ingredient...maybe just a teaspoon, rather than baking powder.  But his recipe has no soda.

I ADDED CORN CUT OFF THE COB, SPICY CHEESE, SOUR CREAM, BAKING SODA, AND MORE SPICES

With several sweeteners: the honey, the brown sugar, and the granulated sugar I wanted something different than honey-butter as a spread, so I decided on a  tailgate party for dinner...there's always a game!

And looking through September magazines, I should be getting into Fall, however, we are still in triple digit temps, and Summer will be around for a few more months.  It probably sounds strange, but we usually eat Thanksgiving dinner on the patio, and we've often gone for a swim after dinner.  This is our outdoor time of year.

But I'll try to get into Fall just so I can pretend to have a change of seasons. I do enjoy the Fall foods and holidays, but it is hard to get into that mood.

DRY INGREDIENTS FOLDED INTO THE WET JUST UNTIL COMBINED

For a dinner built around the corn muffins, we'll have chili with some trimmings.  They just go together.  It's tradition.  Clam chowder would also be great with these muffins.  I am excited to see what my cyber friends have done.

These are the ingredients I chose, and they work really well.  Sometimes it is difficult to find the right balance between tender and crumbly when it comes to cornbread.  Most recipes create a vision that anticipates moist goodness, but results in a dry piece of bread that needs toppings or soppings to be really good.  I don't want dry.  I want a muffin that is good on its own.

Whisk together:
3 eggs  (recipe calls for 2)
1/2 C buttermilk
1/2 C sour cream
1/2 stick melted butter, cooled
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 T sugar

Stir in:
1/2 pound salsa cheese  (cheddar cheese with additions that would go into Mexican salsa)
corn cut from 1 cob

In a separate bowl  whisk together:
1 1/2 C yellow corn meal
3/4 C flour
1 t baking powder
1 t baking soda
1 t salt
a few turns of freshly ground pepper
a pinch of cayenne pepper

Fold the dry ingredients into the wet until just combined.

Fill buttered pans 3/4 full.  Bake in 400^ oven for 15 minutes.  24 minutes for the 9 X 13 pan.

I SIMPLY PIPED IN THE BATTER WHICH WAS A NO MESS AND FAST WAY TO USE THESE PANS

I wanted some fun shapes, not just the traditional muffin shape.   I like the edges which  crispy making a lovely contrast to the tender middle.  I found our old cast iron corn "muffin" pan, a scone pan, and  a couple of dark pans that make 2 "squares...all good choices for  crispier edges, and then I filled a 9 X 13 pan with all the rest of the batter...I four X the recipe, I have guests for dinner, and I'll send some home with my kids who will stop by later.  And leftovers can be toasted and are yummy according to the recipe.

With the corn, cheese, sour cream, baking soda,an extra egg,  and a few more spices, this recipe is scrumptious.  No. 1 Son who does not care for corn bread really liked this combination.  He asked for seconds.  Dentist-Son-IN-Law told me several times that the cornbread is especially good...he attributes the great flavor to the fresh corn.

JUST OUT OF THE OVEN

Because I did not want to detract for the good flavors in this cornbread, I chose to only use sour cream and shredded cheese with a little minced cilantro as a garnish for our chili.  These garnishes complement my recipe.  For the men, I also baked potatoes, which were topped by the chili and toppings.

We watched a good football game, ate our food, enjoyed good company and the evening was one of those fun family activities.

I'll be interested to see how your corn muffins turned out with only the baking powder.  I'll also want to see what additions my cyber friends have made and what was chosen to accompany this recipe.  Always enjoy your ideas and tips.

YUMMY, CRISP BROWNED EDGES ARE THE BEST PART