Grandmother's Buttermilk Cornbread (from allrecipes.com)

Jessi made a crock pot of chili tonight (Quick as Lightening Chili from Janet Fletcher) and it was fantastic (what we call, "Thowin' it down!") To accompany, we experienced Grandmother's Buttermilk Cornbread (if you don't use allrecipes.com, you're missing out - thanks to Megan Okimoto, we are not found wanting). It only has 2,870 reviews to the tune of a 5 star rating. It was good enough to bring this blog to mind and share it with all who enjoy cornbread. It has some of the classic crumble without the dryness. I hope I'm not committing any crimes by cutting and pasting from the website, but it would definitely be a crime if I didn't share it. Enjoy! (~Buck)

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter
• 2/3 cup white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup cornmeal
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease an 8 inch square pan.
2. Melt butter in large skillet. Remove from heat and stir in sugar. Quickly add eggs and beat until well blended. Combine buttermilk with baking soda and stir into mixture in pan. Stir in cornmeal, flour, and salt until well blended and few lumps remain. Pour batter into the prepared pan.
3. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Golden Toffee Blondies

1 C unsalted butter, plus extra for pan

1 3/4 C light brown sugar

2 large eggs

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 C flour

1/2 tsp salt

1 (12 oz) package semi-sweet choco chips

1 C toffee bits (like Heath)

1. Preheat oven to 350. Position rack to upper third of oven. Line a 9x13 glass baking dish with large sheets of foil, pressing foil so that it fits snugly into corners of the pan and overhanging edges serve a handles. Lightly butter foil.

2. Melt butter. In a large mixing bowl beat melted butter with sugar about 1 minute. Add eggs and vanilla; beat until combined and light in color. Add flour and salt and beat until just combined. Fold in chocolate chips and toffee bits.

3. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 25 minutes. Blondies will be golden brown on the edges yet still soft in the middle Do not overbake. (I probably over bake mine because I have a hard time knowing if it is soft and cooked or soft and raw. I probably add at least 10 minutes to the baking time.) Transfer to wire rack to cool. When completely cool, use foil edges to lift blondies out of pan and cut into squares.

Copy cat chicken lasagna

So, I'm interested in knowing what recipes some of you passed along to Becca. Tell you what, I'll start. The following is a Giles family classic. Chad's mom whips this one up pretty much any time we visit, and I know we've had it at any and every holiday feast; I think a few providence saints have also partaken. Anyway, this is a wonderful any-time-of-year dish.


1 box lasagna noodles (I usually get pre-cooked, but anything goes here)
1 whole chicken (I actually only use half if it's just my family, whole if we're sharing)
16 oz sour cream

1 pkg cream cheese, softened

1 family sized can cream of chicken soup (I have made this from scratch before, and I have to admit, it's way better.)
reserve 2 cups chicken broth after cooking chicken, OR 2 cups boxed broth/bouillon/whatever makes you happy

-Preheat oven to 350*
-Cook and dice up chicken
- If you decide to use noodles that require boiling, do that here.
-Mix sour cream and cream cheese
-Mix 2 Cups broth and soup
-Grease casserole pan (9x11)

-Layer ; Noodles, cheese mixture, and chicken, finishing with noodles (If using boil-free noodles, I spread the cheese mixture on them before laying them in the pan)
-Pour soup mixture over all

-Here, you can refrigerate overnight, for optimal setting or you can cook right away for optimal eating.
-Bake for about an hour.
-Eat, and be the happiest people alive. (Bonus! This step not included in Becca's card)

Serves 6

Pear Crisp

This is so much better than any apple crisp I have ever made, I don't know if I could ever go back.

Filling:

6 C peeled, cored, and sliced ripe pears (about 6)

1/3 C sugar

1 T chopped candied ginger

1 T lemon juice

1 T flour

Topping:

1 C flour

3/4 C packed light brown sugar

1/2 C rolled oats

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 C unsalted butter, room temp, cut in 1/4 inch slices

1.) Heat oven to 400. Butter a 9x13.

2.) Combine the filling ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Toss well. Spread fruit in bottom of pan and bake for 10 minutes.

3.) Combine flour, brown sugar, oats, cinnamon, and salt in a mixing bowl. Add the butter, with your fingers rub the ingredients together until well blended.

4.) Remove casserole from oven and top with topping. Bake about 20-25 minutes more. Let cool about 15 minutes.

Delicious with a bit of whipped cream!

Pumpkin Sage Penne

This is simply delicious. It is hard to stop eating.

2 lbs. fresh pumpkin

5 T butter

1 big bunch of fresh sage, chopped (don't buy this from the store, grow it in your yard! It will stick around for many years and save you lots of money. In the meantime, come get some from my garden.)

1 tsp sugar

salt to taste

white pepper

1 C heavy cream

1 1/2 C freshly grated Reggiano Parmesan cheese

1 lb. penne pasta

1.) Trim all the flesh off the pumpkin, cup in small pieces and steam for 15 minutes.

2.) Melt 2 T butter in a small skillet over low. Add half of your chopped sage to the butter and increase heat to med-low. Fry until butter begins to brown. Remove from heat and set aside.

3.) Bring a big pot of water to a boil, add 1 T salt, bring back to a boil. (Don't add the pasta until you finish set 4 so the pasta will be piping hot when the sauce is done). Cook pasta about 9 minutes. Reserve 3/4 C of the pasta water!!!

4.) Melt 3 T butter in a really large skillet. Add pumpkin. Saute in butter, mashing about half (or more) of the pumpkin. Sprinkle with sugar, salt, and pepper. Add 2 T water and cover for 5 minutes.

5.) Remove lid from pumpkin and cook over med-high for 3 minutes. Add 1 C heavy cream, simmer 5 minutes.

6.) When pasta is done, reserve 3/4 C water before draining. Then combine pasta, butter sage mixture, and pumpkin mixture in a large bowl. Toss well, add the grated Reggiano cheese and chopped fresh sage. Add some pasta water to get the desired consistency. Save pasta water to reheat any leftovers (as if there will be any!)

Oh, my mouth is watering!!

Chicken in Cream Sauce over Happy Rice

This is a recipe from my Susan Branch Autumn cookbook. I love this cookbook! If you love the fall this is a great cookbook to have.

Chicken in Cream Sauce

Serves 4-6

2 lbs. chicken breasts

1 tsp. dried thyme

1/4 tsp. cayenne

s&p to taste

4 T butter

3 C sliced mushrooms (don't even think about using canned!)

1/3 C minced shallots

1 1/4 C chicken broth

1 C dry white wine

1 C heavy cream

1/3 C chopped parsley

Happy Rice (below)

3 red pears, diced (opt)

1.) Chop chicken into 1 inch pieces, sprinkle with thyme, cayenne, salt and pepper.

2.) Melt 2 T butter in a large skillet; cook chicken over med-high for 3 minutes(or until chicken is just about done).

3.) Add mushrooms and cook 2 minutes more. Remove chicken and mushrooms from skillet and set aside.

4.) Melt remaining 2 T butter and cook shallots for 2 min.

5.) Add broth and wine to pan, bring to a boil, scraping up brown bits from bottom of pan. Simmer 5 minutes.

6.)Add cream, simmer 5 minutes more.

7.)Put chicken and mushrooms back in skillet, add parsley and heat through. Spoon chicken over happy rice, top with red pears.

Happy Rice

Makes 6 servings

1 1/2 C uncooked rice

1/2 C sliced almonds

1/3 C golden raisins

seeds from a pomegranate (opt.)

1.) Cook rice according to pkg. instructions

2.) When done, stir in all additional ingredients

Sunday Morning Granola Bars

Hey ya'll! I went and joined this blog, and then went and took forever to post. Well, hopefully I can make up for that soon enough. Starting with this!

So, about Sunday mornings- still a bit of a challenge for us Giles folk. And just when I feel like we are getting better at them, we go and have a morning like this past Sunday where we showed up right on time... for confession. Well, Since I missed it in church, there it is. In writing. At any rate, the following recipe whips up pretty quickly the night before, (or, sometimes, if you're really on top of things, EARLY the morning of), and gets eaten pretty quickly by all of those sluggish toddlers, with crazy hair, stumbling around.

My mom's original recipe was:

Chewy granola bars

1 1/2 Cups of Bisquick (I know, I know. But if that absolutely turns your stomach, here is a bisquick substitute that I use from time to time.)

1 1/2 Cups quick oats

1/2 Cup butter, softened

1 Cup packed brown sugar

1 egg

1 Cup Chocolate chips, or raisins (with cinnamon and/or apples), or nuts, or whatever!

Mix everything, and spread it in a cookie sheet (about 1/2 an inch thick). Bake at 350* for 15-18 minutes. cut while warm.

Notes: If I am making this for just me and the kids, I use the above amounts, but I double it if Chad is sharing with us. Also, if it's just me and the kids, I half the amount of chocolate chips, and may add a bit of peanut butter.