Cornbread Dressing with Sage

"You can keep your stuffing. My favorite Thanksgiving side is just that—on the side—and we call it dressing."
- Rick Bragg

Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner is not complete without a pan of cornbread dressing.  Don't ever call it stuffing, and please, I beg of you, do NOT buy that nasty boxed stuff that uses bread crumbs.  Ick.  'Nuff said.  Now, let's get down to business...  Dressing is delicious.  Full of celery, onion, cornbread, and sage, this is what dreams are made of.  I could sit down and eat nothing but the dressing and be completely satisfied, until the sage gave me raging heartburn.  When we make a batch, the pan weighs at least 5 pounds.  We also typically make enough cornbread and chop enough celery and onions to freeze some for a second batch - this comes in particularly handy when you've got Thanksgiving followed by two Christmas dinners where at least one pan of dressing is required at each.  For this purpose we always make the cornbread in well-seasoned cast iron skillets that have been oiled and preheated in the oven before the batter is divided.  That is what gives it that crackly fried crust that is so delicious.  If you don't have a cast iron skillet, just use whatever you've got.  That's enough talk.

Cornbread Dressing with Sage

2 batches White Lily Cornbread
2 cups celery, chopped fine
1 cups onion, chopped fine
5 Tb rubbed sage
2-14oz cans low-sodium chicken broth

1a.  Bake cornbread in well-seasoned, oiled, preheated cast iron skillets until golden brown.  Turn out into a very large bowl (think dishpan size), crumble cornbread once it is cool enough to handle.

1b.  Chop vegetables.  Quite a few of the following pictures are of the steps I take to prep and chop the celery.  What can I say?  I'm particular about the methodology of chopping celery :)

Wash celery thoroughly

Dry celery

Trim white root end and top leafy end

Use a vegetable peeler to remove any "bad" spots

Slice each stalk lengthwise into 4 strips

Finely chop, but do not pulverize celery, ~1/8" dice

2.  Sprinkle sage on top of crumbled cornbread and stir well.

3.  Add celery and onion and stir.

4.  Add broth and mix well.  It has enough broth when you can press on it with a spoon and it holds together.

5.  Line 9" x 13" cake pan with foil and coat. with nonstick cooking spray.  Spoon dressing into pan and gently press down to compact mixture.

6.  Bake at 350º F for 30-45 minutes, depending on how thick it is and how crisp you like the top, until the top is browned.

Pumpkin Banana Streusel Coffee Cake Muffins

"How big are muffins going to get before we all join hands across America?  Have you seen them?  They're huge.  'Yeah, I'll take a coffee and...Oh, my gosh!  Yeah, I'll have the beanbag chair with raisins.'"

- Kevin James

These muffins are big, just not quite to the degree of those thousand-calorie-each raisin-studded beanbag-chair muffins you get at the bakery.  I was driving my daughter home from dance class yesterday when it dawned on me that I had half a can of pumpkin puree sitting in my parents' refrigerator, and it was four days into its short out-of-can lifespan.  On Wednesdays we typically have breakfast for dinner because it is quick, easy, and everyone loves biscuits or pancakes as a midweek treat.  My daughter had told me earlier in the day she wanted waffles, so I was trying to figure out some way to sneak the pumpkin puree into the waffles and still guarantee the kids would eat it.  Then I segued to pancakes, until I remembered that I had tried making pumpkin pancakes, with disastrous results, when my son was a baby.  So, my next stop on the thought-train was muffins.  Muffins are so incredibly versatile, and kids love them because they are like cupcakes...only marginally more nutritious.  I can sneak pumpkin into a muffin.  Thinking of the cookbooks on my mom's shelf, I decided to modify the Banana Nut Muffin recipe she uses.  It wasn't a far stretch to think pumpkin/banana together, especially since a couple of years ago I made Tyler Florence's Whipped Sweet Potatoes and Bananas with Honey.  Sweet potatoes and pumpkin are kind of similar, and since pecans and sweet potatoes are delish together, and I had used candied pecans on my Caramel Pecan Pumpkin Cake I had solved the dilemma of which nut to use (I prefer pecans anyway as walnuts irritate my mouth).  I tinkered a bit, added in the spices, accidentally doubled the sugar (eek!) which turned out just fine, and forgot to put butter in the streusel...but it's all good.  My kids love them!  My daughter ate two for breakfast this morning - declaring them to be spice cake muffins - and it is always a struggle to get her to eat before school.  My son who is so picky he would eat PBJ three times a day loves them, too (incidentally, he also loves the Pumpkin Cake).  Get your bake on and dig into these fall-infused goodies!

Pumpkin Banana Streusel Coffee Cake Muffins

Muffins:

3 1/2 cups self-rising flour (we ONLY use White Lily)

1 cup granulated sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp ginger

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp allspice

1/4 tsp cloves

1 cup 100% pumpkin puree (Libby's is preferred - NOT pumpkin pie filling)

1 cup banana, mashed (I used 1 medium, 1 smallish)

2 eggs

1 cup milk

2/3 cup oil

Streusel:

1 1/3 cup old-fashioned rolled oats (NOT instant)

2/3 cup light brown sugar, packed

1 cup pecans, broken or chopped

1 stick butter (optional)

*NOTE:  I Googled a streusel recipe while typing this up, and my ratio of brown sugar and oats was the same as their ratio of brown sugar and flour, however if I increased the amount of butter from their recipe at the same ratio it would be 1 1/3 cup butter!!!  EGAD!  However, I did not add ANY butter to my streusel topping...because I forgot.  So, use your own judgment until I can try this recipe again to see if the butter ratio needs to be increased.

1.  Preheat oven to 400º F.  Spray (or line with paper baking cups) 24 regular-sized muffin cups and 1 6" round cake pan, or 28 regular-sized muffin cups.  Mash banana with a fork and measure to be sure there is 1 cup each of pumpkin puree and mashed banana.

2.  Mix dry ingredients in large bowl (I used a wire whisk).

3.  In separate bowl, mix wet ingredients (wire whisk).

4.  Add wet ingredients to dry (switch to a wooden spoon).  Stir until dry ingredients are evenly moist, but do not beat the lumps out or your muffins will be peaked and cracked.

5.  Scoop 3 TB batter into each muffin cup and the remaining batter into the cake pan (if you are using 28 muffin cups, continue scooping 3 TB batter into each) - I used the large Pampered Chef scoop, an ice cream scoop would work.

6.  Mix together ingredients for streusel topping.  I did not use the butter, I simply combined the oats, brown sugar, and pecans.  This meant that some of the topping fell off, but it was OK.  If you want to use butter, you can mix it together in a number of ways:  put it in the food processor and pulse until combined (this will also chop your pecans into finer pieces), mix it with your fingers - pinch the butter into pieces, use a fork or pastry blender, or use an electric mixer with a paddle attachment.

7.  Sprinkle topping over muffins and cake.

8.  Bake 20 minutes for muffins, 30 for cake.  Test with a toothpick for doneness.  FYI the muffins in the stoneware (bottom rack) burned just a wee bit on the bottoms while the ones on the top rack in metal pans stayed blond.  You may want to rotate the muffins halfway through.

9.  Cool in pan 5 minutes.  Carefully remove to a serving tray or plate (use an icing spatula or butter knife so you can easily get under the muffin to lift it straight up out of the pan).

Mashed Cauliflower

"Cauliflower is nothing but cabbage with a college education."
- Mark Twain

"What I say is that, if a fellow really likes potatoes, he must be a pretty decent sort of fellow."
- A.A. Milne

Scene:  dreary, drizzly, misty, foggy fall day.  Three-year-old boy watches Cars.  Adult female grows hungry, decides a bowl of steaming mashed potatoes would be good.  Unfortunately, traditional mashed potatoes are not quite a menu option.  Enter a bag of cauliflower florets prepared earlier in the week to eat with Ranch Veggie Dip.

I have been hearing for years now how cauliflower makes an excellent substitute for potatoes, whether you are trying to lighten up or simply trying something new.  I made cauliflower puree a few months ago in an attempt to be "Deceptively Delicious" and get my kids to eat more veggies.  It was a disastrous first attempt, but I noticed that the puree did taste similar to potatoes.  Slightly earthy, but obviously easy to flavor up.  After searching for a recipe to suit me, I discovered that most of them called for things like sour cream, chicken broth, or other ingredients I didn't have available in small amounts.  So, I did what I usually do when faced with no recipe for what I want:  I experimented.  The end result is one you'll have to taste for yourself.  I couldn't believe how well it turned out, and as a bonus, I think I may have cracked open the flavor combination of my favorite fish dish, Scrod Jason, from Leverock's in the St. Pete Beach area of Florida.

Mashed Cauliflower

Serves:  2
Weight Watchers PP Value:  3

2 cups cauliflower florets, washed and trimmed of most of the stem
2 tbs water
1 tbs butter (I used Blue Bonnet vegetable oil blend)
1 tsp pre-minced garlic (or 1 clove of fresh, minced)
1 chicken bouillon cube
1/2 tsp dried Spanish thyme
2 tbs fat-free milk
2 tbs Parmesan, grated

1.  Place cauliflower and water in microwave safe bowl.  Cover tightly with plastic wrap.  Pierce wrap in about 4 places to vent the steam.  Microwave on high 3 minutes.

2.  In a small microwave safe bowl (I used a ramekin), mix together butter, garlic, bouillon, thyme, and milk.  In 30 second increments, microwave the butter mixture alongside the cauliflower for a total of 2 minutes on high.  Stir or swirl the small bowl every 30 seconds.

3.  Carefully remove the plastic wrap from the cauliflower.  Mash florets with a fork.

 4.  Add butter mixture, stir. 

5.  Add Parmesan cheese, stir.

Beef Stew

"There is a charm in making a stew, to the unaccustomed cook, from the excitement of wondering what the result will be, and whether any flavour save that of onions will survive the competition in the mixture."

- Annie Besant

With this recipe, you don't have to wonder what the result will be or whether any flavor but onion will survive.  This is a tried and true recipe that we have used every year in October for our annual camp out in the Daniel Boone National Forest.  Well, annual until this year that is, thanks to the government shut down.  Our favorite campground - Blue Heron - was closed.  So instead of cancelling a time-honored tradition celebrating my older brother's birthday (34th this year), we moved it to Jenny Wiley State Resort Park.  We refused to be denied our camp out, and we had a wonderful time.  The last time I remember camping during a shut down, we were locked inside the campgrounds...by ourselves...and I was in first grade...creepy and exciting at the same time.  Moving on to this recipe.  It is hearty, full of vegetables, and you can prepare it ahead of time and reheat it as needed.  Traditionally we prepared it by lantern and fire light, at the campsite, well after the sun had set, and cooked it in a huge cast iron Dutch oven over an open fire.  Ahhh...you've not had beef stew until you've had it that way.  Your fingers go numb while you are peeling and slicing the vegetables, but when you are holding that steaming bowl of stew a couple of hours later, it suddenly doesn't seem so bad.  This year I cooked the stew the day we were leaving and we transported it in 4 half-gallon canning jars.  Each was filled to the 6 cup line, so we ended up with 24 cups of stew, which would have just filled to the top 3 of the jars.  I didn't want to chance them turning over and spilling on the 2 hour drive, so I under-filled them...helped them cool faster as well.  So, here we go.  I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

Beef Stew

3 lbs boneless beef for stew (aka stew meat)

1 cup Kentucky Kernel Seasoned Flour

2-3 Tb canola oil

9 long carrots

15- 3" long potatoes (I used ~9 russet and 5 Idaho gold)

3- 3" diameter yellow onions (I used one humongous and one average-size)

8 cups water

Kitchen Bouquet (browning liquid, optional)

15oz can peas (optional)

1. Heat oil over medium-high heat (~6) in large Dutch oven (I used 7.5 qt enamel coated Lodge Cast Iron Dutch Oven and ran out of room for the potatoes!)

2. Measure flour into gallon-size zipper bag.  Add meat.  Shake, wiggle, jiggle, and dance around the room until the meat is evenly coated.  There should be no excess flour in the bag!

3.  Begin slicing onions.  I peeled them, cut off the root and green ends, halved them top-to-bottom, and then sliced thin slices top-to-bottom.  Slice them into a bowl for now.

4. Once oil is hot, add meat.  Leave it alone for a minute before you stir it.  I used a wooden paddle type spoon to stir the meat around.  The objective is to brown the flour on the meat before adding any other ingredients.  It gives it a lovely color and thickens the stew.

5.  Once meat has started to brown (it will not be cooked at this point), maybe 5-7 minutes into the process, add the sliced onions and stir them around.  Cook for another couple of minutes.

6.  Slowly pour in water and stir so most of the meat and onions are partially submerged.
 

7.  While that comes to a simmer, get to work on the carrots.  Peel them, cut them into 1" long chunks, then halve the medium thickness ones (top-to-bottom again), quarter the thick ones, and leave the skinny ones alone.  Kind of like chopping wood...  Add the carrots to the beef and onions.

8.  Put a lid on it!  I offset my lid so steam could escape.  I didn't want it to boil over or splatter like the grape juice I recently processed, which is where that dark stain on my stove came from.

9.  Once the meat, onions, and carrots have cooked for about half an hour, start on the potatoes.  I added about an inch-and-a-half of water to the bottom of my T-Fal Dutch oven, peeled my potatoes, and dropped them in whole.  Once they were all peeled, I halved them top-to-bottom, placed one half in the water while I halved the other top-to-bottom and then quartered each piece.  The smaller potatoes got quartered.  You can see that the water in the pot, with the potatoes, only came to just below the second knuckle of my index finger.

10.  At this point, I stirred the stew and put the potatoes on medium heat to cook.  Remember, I ran out of room in my Lodge Dutch oven, so I had to do the potatoes separately.  Obviously, if you are paring down the recipe and doing a smaller batch, or if you had a larger pot, you would not need to do that.  If you are making a half batch or even a 2/3 batch, you would simply add the potatoes to the stew and cook it all in one pot.  I was trying to feed 14 people, so I needed a whopper of a batch of stew.

11.  Boil the potatoes until they are fork tender.  This took mine about 20 minutes.

12.  Check your meat and carrots to see if they are fork tender.  If they are, then you are done.

13. Again, if you are making a smaller batch you would be able to serve straight from the pan you cooked in because your potatoes would have cooked with the stew meat and other vegetables.  If, however, you are feeding a small army (or sports team), you would need to figure out some way of evenly mixing the potatoes and stew in another container.  I chose half-gallon canning jars as my storage method.  I filled each jar to the 4 cup mark with the stew meat, carrots, onions, and cooking liquid.  Then I added potatoes to each jar, which brought them up to the 6 cup mark.  The canning jars made it easier to put in the cooler since vertical storage takes up less room and isn't quite as awkward to fit as a bowl.  Please note that I did not "can" the stew.  I simply used the jars to transport it from my house to the campground.  I do not know whether this can be canned safely.  I also did not add any additional salt or seasonings beyond the seasoned flour.  However, you may want to adjust the seasoning.  I prefer to under-salt/season something when I'm not sure how everyone likes their food.  If you like peas, you can add a can of them about 10 minutes after the potatoes if you are cooking it all together.  We added them when we were reheating it at the campground.  You don't want them to be mush, but they need to be heated all the way through.