cornbread from the box but playing with it...

I make an awesome cornbread from scratch, modifying a Greek dessert recipe, but it is very time consuming, even though it tastes awesome.  If i want something quick, this is what i do.

Corn bread from the box

modifying the box

1.   2 boxes Jiffy corn muffin mix

2.   4 eggs (twice what the box tells you), whipped

        (makes it fluffy and light)

3.   1/3 cup flour

        (adds strength so it does not crumble so easy from the gluten)

4.   1/2 cup milk

       (creaminess)

5.   1/3 cup beer

       (carbonation so it rises more and bitterness)

6.   1 tablespoon raw sugar

7.   12 oz sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

       (adds firmness and the sharp flavor of the cheese)

8.   1/2 cup whole kernel corn (frozen is great, but thaw it first)

       (adds texture)

9.   1 tablespoon hot, green peppers, diced

10.                     1/4 stick of butter, melted

             (adds sweetness and makes everything more moist)

11.                     1/4 cup shelled, roasted pumpkin seeds

             (adds crunch)

12.                     standard large baking dish 9 x 12, greased

pre-heat oven to 400 F

into the dry mix add:

the eggs, milk, beer, sugar, peppers, corn and half of the cheese

mix thoroughly, it should pour into the pan, if not add more beer

top with the remainder of the cheese and the pumpkin seeds

cooked at 400 F for 20 minutes.

turn off the oven and watch carefully for 5 minutes while it is in the oven

do not let it turn dark brown!   The cheese will be dark, but there is a difference between dark and burned.

remove and pour melted butter around the edges and center of the pan

cool and then cut (do not cut while hot!)

Recipes..what to do?

Ever tried to make a tempting sounding recipe you have found,
only to find following it left you wanting?
Lately, that has been my story...
I tried an apple cake, twice...
the first time following the recipe exactly, the second trying to "fix" it.
Neither came out well.
I cook a mean Pastitsio, but do not follow a recipe and invariably forget to put the eggs in béchamel sauce, so it is not as light and fluffy as it should be, so i found similar recipes and tried to follow the steps presented...twice also.
I was extremely disappointed, again.
Why does it seem that when i do things "on the fly", so to speak, it works and when i try to follow a recipe exactly, it does not?
I know to much...
I know that there is always variability in the flour and that some times more or less must be added, you have to have it look and feel right and recipes can not tell you what experience can.
Sometimes there are misprints, sometimes they are just wrong.
Apples, even using the same variety, will differ in flavor and juiciness.
Sometimes someones flavors are not what you remember from your mother's cooking...that was true in the Pastitsio,  neither recipe i found used allspice, yet that was the secondary spice of choice from my mom and i missed it terribly.

So i am back to doing things as i often do, "off the cuff"  and i will share what i did and hopefully it will come out okay for you.

cooking from the wild

thee are many things that i will take that grow wild,
concord grapes are a simple one, dandelion greens in the spring are another, but around this time there is something special that comes out here in the New England area, giant puff ball mushrooms.
I know, you are suppose to be an expert in order to harvest wild mushrooms, but for this giant, there are no equal in the toxic world, yet there is some information you need to enjoy your meal.

First they are big, big enough to be mistaken for a soccer ball.

this one is over 9 inches and it was not the largest!

second pick them when they first show up and cook them the same day!
The insides MUST be all white!  Any discoloration means the spores are beginning to ripen and they will upset your stomach.

this is how white they should be!

you notice the different dates on the pictures?  Normally there is only one crop and this year there were two, i did not mind!

Cleaning is as any other mushroom, but you want to minimize the skin, which is tough.
Cut 1/2 inch pieces of steak and discard the ends.
Now to cook them.
It should be noted that they absorb any butter, oil or cooking liquid in large quantities - a single 1/2 inch slice will completely absorb 1 stick of butter!
Use a non-stick pan or grill them getting a crust with a small amount of cooking oil or butter.
I add salt, pepper and tarragon to my pan to add flavors i like.

They also taste different than any other mushroom you have ever had, the outside crisp and tender and the inside, while it still has the mushroom texture, taste very much like a pudding (especially if you add to much butter, like i did on the first slice.)
this is a full meal and just needs some vegetables to round it out.

what to do?

I had a really good crop of tomatoes this year,
all shapes and sizes, but we are getting a freeze tonight and to i have picked them all!

What to do now?
Many will ripen and still taste better than the store's tomatoes.
some i will make into a green tomato relish (no recipe yet)
and some i will smoke and serve with southern style food.
I do not do fried foods, so no fried green tomatoes.

Yes, this is my smoker!  4 years in service and in this picture smoking some beautiful pork ribs and eggplant - ...
hickory, maple, hazelnut, cherry and apple woods are what i have available.
This is maple with onions skins.
I also keep my onion skins, oregano stems and sage to add extra flavor when they are warranted ...Onion skins work with everything, fish, beef, pork, sausage and chicken
oregano works with sausage, pork and chicken
and sage works mostly with sausage and chicken.

It is not like i have not been cooking

I have, but just forget to take pictures, write down the recipes here and so forth...
that apology given, i share the following: 24 hour smoked brisket and this is all that is left after 2 days:

firm yet fork tender and juicy!

I changed my rub and went with something very different:
I also cooked 2 full briskets at a time

Brisket Rub 2

Ratio:

3 chipolte peppers, dry, crushed fine

6 paprika

1 rosemary

6 black pepper

6 salt

1 cayenne pepper

1 turbo sugar

The method was slightly different

 - the brisket is slow cooked 24 hours (200 F) with a liquid barrier between the brisket and the heat

rub applied the previous day.

smoke is from Hickory

After 8 hours in the smoker, the brisket is wrapped in tinfoil and cooking continues for the remainder of the 24 hours at 200 F

no extra wood is added for smoke

this is a keeper and reminded me of the best i ever had in Texas

Hot Dog Truck - again

One of my best memories when coming to Stamford some 30+ years ago, was a hot dog truck on Atlantic St.
I had never seen a food truck at that time, but a dollar for a hot dog with anything on it seemed like a cheap lunch (and i did not have much money at the time).
The vendor retired or moved on, i never found out, but there were no hot dog trucks for many years.
There were other trucks, some operating out of restaurants or promoting them and then an onslaught of many food trucks came, started by Melt Mobile, initially promoted by the Food Network and Bobby Flay.
I loved what they did, but i had a hankering for a hot dog truck and there were none out of the dozen or so that popped onto the food scene.

To my delight, last year a hot dog truck appeared on Washington Blvd. by the Mill River Park.
The hot dogs were more expensive than 25 years ago (2 for $5), but they filled a notch I NEEDED!
They sold a spicy sausage also.
I liked their hot dog chili and all the other standard "fixins'" that you would expect for a hot dog.
The owner and operator would be quick to tell me that the dogs are Sabrett as is the mustard, but they are good!

They are still there on good days so a shout out to something very simple!

Grilling time

I have done this before, but refined the recipe.  It is not so simple now and it has a picture!

Cod on a Grill

·       1 package of bacon

·       2 pieces of Cod, trimmed and halved

·       1/2 teaspoon salt

·       1/2 teaspoon ginger

·       1/4 teaspoon hot pepper

·       juice of 1 lime

·       2 tablespoons chives or scallions, minced

·       1 tablespoon parsley, minced

·       1 teaspoon butter, soft

Mix the salt, ginger and lime juice together and slather the Cob pieces

mix the herbs and butter and place on one side of one piece of cod

place the second piece of cod on top and wrap completely in bacon

place in a removable wire rack

The grill must be a 2 tier grill

The charcoal should be getting white

add wood for some smoke just before placing the cod on the grill

The target temperature for the grill is 275 F

·       if the temperature goes above 300 F or

·       if the fire starts to flame

use these methods to reduce the temperature as the fat renders from the bacon:

·       use a pan of water to place between the cod and the fire

·       keep the grill closed and reduce the air flow

allow the bacon to cook to a soft doneness, it should not crisp about 20 minutes

Remove and serve