Since I always have a surplus of eggs I'm constantly looking for new recipes that feature them as one of the main ingredients. One of Hubby's favorites is an old-fashioned Chess Pie recipe I found in a church cookbook several years ago. I make it at least once a month, sometimes more... it's not a very rich pie, and occasionally we will have a slice along with breakfast.
3 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup half and half (or use 3/4 cup milk instead of 1/2 cup)
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 tbsp cornmeal
Mix all ingredients and pour into a regular (not deep-dish) pie crust; place 3 or 4 small slivers of butter on top of the pie (optional) and bake at 400 degrees F for approximately 35-40 minutes. Do not over-cook.
Potato chowder with bacon
This is one of our favorite winter recipes, and it's even heartier served in a homemade bread bowl and garnished with chives, bacon and shredded cheese.
12 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 medium onions, chopped
1/3 cup butter
1 cup all-purpose flour
8 cups milk
2 medium carrots, shredded
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
Crumbled bacon for garnish
Place potatoes in dutch oven and cover with water, bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and cook for 20 minutes or until tender. Drain and place potatoes into another container; meanwhile, in the dutch oven, melt butter and saute onions. stir in flour until smooth, then gradually stir in milk. Bring to a boil over medium heat, cook and stir for 2 minutes until thickened. Reduce heat, and add potatoes back into the onion mixture along with carrots, salt, and pepper. Simmer on low for 15-20 minutes. Sprinkle with crumbled bacon and serve.
(Click here for the bread bowl recipe I use- it's one of the best I've found, but I did cut the sugar content down from 1/2 cup to 1/4 cup.)
Basic corn muffins
These little muffins go great with everything from beans to beef stew. For variety, you can omit the sugar and add shredded cheese, jalapeno peppers, etc. for a yummy appetizer.
1 cup self-rising cornmeal
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup oil
1 cup milk
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F, grease muffin pan or line with paper liners.
Mix all ingredients together, then spoon batter into muffin cups. (Should be enough batter for 12 muffins)
Bake at 400 for 15-18 minutes.
Pear Butter:
3 cups of sugar
3 tablespoons of cinnamon
3 teaspoons of lemon juice
Core, peel, and slice pears; place in a large stockpot and add 1 cup of water. Cook over medium heat until soft. Drain off water and purée pear slices in a food processor. Combine pear purée, sugar, cinnamon, and lemon juice together in large pot and cook over medium to high heat until thickened, stirring continuously. Using normal canning preparations, (wash jars and lids, keep them in hot water until ready to fill) ladle mixture into jars, then process in a hot water bath canner for 10 minutes.
Makes approximately 4 pints, depending on the size of the pears.
Molasses cookies
Meanwhile, in another bowl I've put the dry ingredients:
2 1/4 cups of all-purpose flour
1tsp each of cinnamon, ginger, baking soda, and salt.
Add dry ingredients slowly to the batter and mix well. Batter should be sticky, but stiff enough to not stick to your fingers.
On the cookie sheets, sprinkle a small amount of sugar...Then scoop out a walnut-sized ball of batter and roll in the sugar. Once they're on the cookie sheet, sometimes I feel wild and sprinkle a little more sugar on the cookie dough. (*snicker* Our little secret, okay?)
Then, into the oven for 10-12 minutes... 10 minutes for me
because I like mine soft and chewy....
longer if you like them crisp.
Enjoy!because I like mine soft and chewy....
longer if you like them crisp.
Mexican Cornbread
This is a simple recipe with many variations- you can make it as hot or mild as you want to; as cheesy or low-calorie as you'd like, and you can use a cast-iron skillet for a crispier crust but I prefer a 13" x 9" baking dish so that the top and bottom come out with the same texture.
1 can of Mexicorn (preferable, but you can also use a small can of regular corn.)
2-3 small hot peppers, chopped finely. (Or if you use diced peppers from a jar like I do, about 2 spoonfuls.)
1 1/2 cup self-rising cornmeal
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup milk*
1 cup grated Cheddar cheese*
1 medium onion chopped. (optional)
*You can also substitute an 8 oz. carton of sour cream for the milk and cheese.
Mix all ingredients and pour into baking dish; bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes. (If you're using something smaller than a 13" x 9" dish, like a cast-iron skillet or an 8" x 8" baking dish, increase the baking time by about 10 minutes.)
