Cornbread Pudding

 

Cornbread Pudding

I wanted some cornbread pudding, but I didn't have exactly what the recipe called for. I came up with a second version, and it's even better than the first! Yay!

1 can Corn, drained
1 Onion, chopped
2 Eggs
1 cup Heavy Cream
1/2 stick Butter, melted
1 package Jiffy Cornbread Mix
1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
Salt and Pepper to taste

In a large bowl, combine the first five ingredients. Stir in cornbread mix and seasonings. Pour into a greased 13X9 baking dish.

Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 40-45 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Serve warm. 

Chili and Cornbread

I found some beans, onions and tomatoes in the pantry, and I had some hamburger in the freezer! Good time for a giant pot of chili! 

For the Beans:

1 lb dried Red Kidney Beans

4 cups water, or stock

1/2 tsp dried, minced onion

1 tsp minced garlic

salt and pepper to taste

Rinse and drain the beans several times. Add the water, onion, garlic, salt and pepper to a large pot and cook for a few hours or until beans are tender.

To finish the Chili:

1-2 pounds ground lean beef

1 onion, chopped

2 cans diced tomatoes, drained

4 tablespoons of chili powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 teaspoons paprika

2 tablespoons ground cumin
salt and pepper to taste

Cook hamburger and onion until meat is done. Drain off fat. Add tomato and stir. Add to the beans. Add the seasonings and stir until dissolved and mixed well. Simmer until chili is the thickness you like. I usually let mine simmer for about 45 minutes. Serve with cheddar cheese, sour cream and cornbread!

For the Cornbread: I cheated and just used a mix with 1/3 cup milk and 1 egg. I used my mini muffin ceramic pan. 

If you'd like some homemade cornbread recipes click on this link: Cornbread Recipes

Southern Cornbread Salad

This is a great way to use that leftover cornbread, if you have any. I know it sounds and looks strange, but trust me, it is delicious! Everyone that has tried it has asked for the recipe!

Prepared 8x8 pan of Cornbread (I use 1 Jiffy mix, 1 egg and 1/3 cup milk)
1 package Hidden Valley Ranch dip mix
2 cups Sour Cream (or 1 1/2 cups Sour Cream and 1/2 cup Mayonnaise)
1 - 16 oz diced Tomatoes, drained
1 - 16 oz Black Beans, drained
1 - 16 oz Corn, drained
1/4 cup Bacon crumbles
1 cup Cheddar Cheese

(optional) ½ cup each Green Onions, Red Bell Pepper, Green Bell Pepper

Make Cornbread, and cool completely. Stir together HVR dressing mix, sour cream and mayo. Crumble cornbread into a 9X13 casserole dish. Top with beans, tomatoes, (optional onion and peppers), corn, bacon and cheese. Finally top with dressing. Cover and chill at least 3 hrs. When it is time to serve, take a spoon and stir a little section at a time to mix the ingredients to get a nice moist salad.

* I use twice as much dressing for mine, so it's not too dry.

Cornbread Pudding

I wanted some cornbread pudding, but I didn't have exactly what the recipe called for. I came up with a second version, and it's even better than the first! Yay!

1 can Corn
2 small Onions
2 Eggs
1 cup Heavy Cream
1/2 stick Butter, melted
1 package Jiffy Cornbread Mix
1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
Salt and Pepper to taste

In a large bowl, combine the first five ingredients. Stir in cornbread mix and seasonings. Pour into a greased 13X9 baking dish.

Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 40-45 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center. Serve warm. 

Winter Comfort Food... Soups, Stews, Bread and Cornbread

With the threat of winter weather (ice, freezing rain and snow) this weekend, I think we could all use some comfort food! Check out these recipe links to my favorites soups, stews, breads and cornbread! The links are under each picture! Thanks and Enjoy!

 Loaded Baked Potato Soup

15 Bean Soup with Ham

 Beef Stew

Mama's Catfish Stew 

Deluxe Cheeseburger Soup 

Simple Old Fashioned Chicken Noodle Soup 

Greek Lemon Chicken Soup 

Tuscan Soup 

Hushpuppies 

Cornbread Recipes 

Upside Down Vidalia Cornbread

Pizza Monkey Bread 

Italian Herb and Cheddar Loaf 

 Stuffed French Loaf

Stuffed Biscuits 

Cheddar Bay Biscuits

Vidalia Upside Down Cornbread

Here's a twist on your usual cornbread. It's great with a big ole bowl of chili or chowder! Yum!!! When Vidalia Onions are not in season, I use any sweet onion. They all work, but my favorite is the Vidalia! 

I didn't quite let the onions cook long enough.
I should have put them on the

bottom rack to get more color.

1 stick butter, melted
3 large Vidalia onion, sliced 1/2 inch thick
   (or enough to cover the bottom of the pan)
3 (8 ounce) packages cornbread mix
3 eggs, beaten
1 cup whole milk
1 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

In a 13x9 pan, add melted butter and onion slices. Bake for 10 minutes. In a large bowl, combine the cornbread mix, egg, milk, sour cream, cheese, and salt. Remove the onions from the oven and add the cornbread mix over the top. Bake for 30 minutes, until set and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cornbread comes out clean. Loosen the edges with a knife and invert on a serving plate. Allow to cool slightly before cutting into squares.

This is a mini version,

I made in my little cast iron skillet!

Soups, Stews, Bread and Cornbreads... Oh My!

In this crazy Polar Vortex of a winter, I think we all need a little something to warm up our bones. Yesterday/last night, our temperatures dropped 34 degrees. Not dropped to 34 degrees, but the temp dropped BY 34 degrees back into the 20s. That's a shocker down in the deep South in March with "Spring" arriving in about 15 days! I've put together a group of my bone warming recipes in this post. Choose what looks good to you and click the link below the picture...

15 Beans Soup with Ham

Tuscan Soup with Italian Sausage

Baked Potato Soup

Cheeseburger Soup

 Beef Stew

Mama's Catfish Stew

Hush Puppies

 Vidalia Cornbread

Cornbread Recipes

Italian Herb and Cheddar Bread Loaf

Red Lobster Biscuits

Southern Style Butter Beans

Some days, nothing will do but a big ole pot of butter beans seasoned with pork fat and a big ole hunk of cornbread slathered with the pot liquor (pot likker)!

1 pound of dried Butter Beans
Salt Pork or Fatback
1 medium Onion, chopped
2 cloves Garlic, minced
4 cups Water
4 beef bouillon cubes or 4 tsp beef bouillon granules
1/2 tsp Black Pepper
1 tsp Kosher Salt

Slice the salt pork or fatback and fry in the stock pot until completely fried and crispy. Add the onion and garlic and fry until a little soft, but don't let the garlic burn. Add the water, beans and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer beans for 2 or 3 hours or until the beans take in the flavor of the seasonings. Taste the juice and adjust the seasonings. The juices will darken as they cook down. This juice is awesome with a chunk of cornbread!

Cornbread Pudding

After my hubby's Grandmother passed away, two different churches in the family brought food over to her house which is a tradition in the South. One of the dishes that was most talked about was the Cornbread Pudding. My daughter-in-law asked me about it, and asked if I could get her the recipe. I decided it was the perfect recipe to share here! It is an awesome casserole!

Cornbread Pudding

2 eggs

1 cup sour cream

1 can whole kernel corn, drained

1 can cream-style corn

1 stick of butter, melted

1 package Jiffy cornbread mix

Salt and Pepper, to taste

In a large bowl, combine the first five ingredients. Stir in cornbread mix and seasonings. Pour into a greased 13X9 baking dish.

Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 40-45 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center. Serve warm. 

Stuffed Pork Chops

This recipe is very easy to make, but it looks like it took you all day. It's very moist and delicious!

4 Thick Pork Chops*
Salt, Pepper and Garlic Powder
1/4 cup Beef Broth

Stuffing:
1 prepared Jiffy Mix cornbread, crumbled
1 Cream of Chicken Soup
1 can Mushrooms and liquid
Salt, Pepper & Garlic

Glaze:
2 Tbsp Maple pancake syrup & 2 Tbsp Spicy Brown Mustard

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix stuffing ingredients in a medium size bowl. Spoon into cut side of the pork chop. Place chops in a casserole dish sprayed with oil. Pour 1/4 cup beef both in the bottom of the dish to keep the pork moist. Sprinkle pork with salt, pepper and garlic.

Bake for 30 minutes. Mix mustard and syrup. Baste pork loin and return to oven for 15 minutes.

* To prepare the chops, horizontally cut a pocket in the center of the chop, leaving the back and ends in tact. 

Chicken n Dressin' Casserole

I wanted to share a very simple, but tasty Chicken and Dressing Casserole recipe. It is Thanksgiving in a dish! When mixing you may think that the mixture is too wet, but it cooks perfectly! This is a dressing casserole that is so moist it doesn't even need gravy... but I love gravy, so I fix some on the side anyway! 

Chicken -n- Dressin' Casserole

4 chicken breasts cooked and cubed
1 8x8 pan prepared cornbread, cooled and crumbled 
4 eggs, boiled, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
2 cups chicken broth
1 can condensed cream of chicken soup (I use cream of mushroom if I don't have chicken.) 

Combine all ingredients and place in a 13x9 baking dish. Bake at 350 for about 30-45 minutes or until set.

Add sage if you like, but my family cannot have it because of Crohn's and reflux triggers. 

Beef Stroganoff

When I cook this for my Wednesday Night Church Supper crowd, I am on a very tight budget. So, I substitute Ground Chuck for the Round Steak, but check the sales for your favorite cut of beef. You can sub any cut you want.

1 pound Round Steak 

Salt, Pepper & Flour 

¼ cup Shortening or Butter 

½ cup Onion 

1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup

1 can sliced Mushrooms 

½ cup Sour Cream 

Cut steak in thin strips, salt pepper and flour. Brown in shortening or butter, add onions. Cook til tender. Add soup and mushrooms. Simmer 1/2 hour. Add sour cream and simmer 15 minutes. Serve over egg noodles. 

Vidalia Cornbread  is the perfect companion for beef stroganoff!

Chicken -n- Dressin' Casserole... Super Easy!

Me and Granddaddy Bradham

The Holidays got me thinking about family and loved ones past. I wanted to include this partial story from my short-stories book... Crazy People... Philosophy 101

"Mama included several pages of the 'Philosophy of Perry H Bradham' in the book she was writing for me. In Mama’s eyes, Granddaddy Bradham, was all-knowing. Very seldom in life does a little girl look to her father as a hero, ‘the greatest man that ever lived’ and keep that image with her throughout her life, untarnished. Mama used to say that she worshipped her father. ‘The sun rose and set on him. My eyes were never big enough to see him.' She could not bare the thought of ever disappointing him. She would get in trouble as a child and Granddaddy would come in to punish her. He would start to talk to her, “Honey, I am very disappointed in you.” Mama said that she would sob, “Daddy please just spank me! Please!”

Granddaddy Bradham was a simple yet complex man. He made homemade wine. He cooked a pretty mean Bar-B-Q Pig! (A recipe which my Daddy combined with his own to come up with the bar-b-que he cooks today.) He used old fashioned know-how and common sense to be a successful businessman, a husband and a father who helped raised five children.

Here are some of the thoughts of Perry H. Bradham, as written by his daughter:

°A little prayer is like a spiritual glass of iced tea on a hell of a day.
°We do not solve other people’s problems; we give them confidence so they can solve their own.
°What a great world this would be if we would forget our troubles as easily as we forget our blessings.
°In a way, to be criticized is to be complimented; it shows that you were doing something too important for the critics to ignore.
°If a hypocrite is between you and God, he is closer to God than you are.
°Be careful how you live; you may be the only Bible some people will ever read.
°To act is easy; to think is hard.
°The people whose company I enjoy most are the ones who know that I don’t always enjoy company.
°Love is like an onion. We taste it with delight; but when it’s gone we wonder whatever made us bite.
°Love is like lightning. It would just as soon strike the outhouse as the church..."


With that said... I wanted to share a very simple, but tasty Chicken and Dressing Casserole recipe. It is Thanksgiving in a dish! When mixing you may think that the mixture is too wet, but it cooks perfectly! This is a dressing casserole that is so moist it doesn't even need gravy... but I love gravy, so I fix some on the side anyway!

Chicken -n- Dressin' Casserole

4 chicken breasts cooked and cubed
1 pan prepared cornbread, cooled and crumbled
4 eggs, boiled, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
2 cups chicken broth
1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup

Combine all ingredients and place in a 13x9 baking dish. Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes or until heated through.

Cornbread Dressing and Holiday Tummy Trouble?

Many of us complain about overeating during the holidays. Some of us even complain that we really didn't overindulge and still have that nagging heartburn or indigestion! I had that problem for years until I started listening to my Dad. He always complained about dressing (or stuffing) giving him heartburn/indigestion. I started investigating, and I couldn't figure out what the problem was... until I noticed that the pre-packaged mixes always have the pungent aroma of sage. My Dad always complained about sage being the culprit. We had homemade dressing and had the same result... heartburn! Come to find out, the homemade recipes called for poultry seasoning which is loaded with sage. Smell the poultry spice in your spice rack or smell the pre-packaged stuffing mix (if you use it). That strong herb smell is sage. I'm not knocking sage. It's a lovely herb to use. It's just not the friendliest to the tummy!

If you've had this trouble and never have been able to find out what the cause is, try this recipe for homemade dressing (or stuffing if you like) and see if it helps your tummy troubles.
P.S. It will not help the overindulgence problem however!

Cornbread Dressing

This is very basic. You can add or remove veggies or the eggs. You can also add 1 t poultry seasoning. I don't use it because sage causes a heartburn problem in my family, but you can add it if you like!

2 (16 ounce) pkgs Jiffy corn bread mix
1 onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 bunch celery, chopped
6 hard-cooked eggs, chopped
2 (14 ounce) cans chicken broth
2 cups turkey stock
salt and pepper to taste

Prepare cornbread according to directions on package. Cool and crumble.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Sauté the onion and celery in 1/4 cup butter. In a large bowl, combine the crumbled corn bread, onion, garlic, celery and eggs. Gently stir. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add the chicken and turkey broth 1 cup at a time until the cornbread becomes very moist but soupy. Place stuffing into a casserole dish. Bake for about 45 minutes or until stuffing sets.

Mama's Squash Casserole Recipes

Here are two of Mama's favorite squash casserole recipes. I thought I'd share these since my squash is coming in now... Thanks to my little brother watching over them!!! I've been really busy starting a new job, training, and everything else that's going on!
I'll be making many squash dishes very soon :-)

Creamy Squash Casserole

2 pounds Tender Yellow Squash
½ cup Onion, chopped
¾ cup Saltine Cracker Crumbs
2 T Butter
1 ½ cups White American Cheese, grated
Salt & Pepper to taste
3 Eggs, beaten
½ cup Light Cream or Evaporated Milk

Slice squash. Cook in water with onion until soft. Drain. Add cracker crumbs, butter and 1 cup of the cheese. Add salt and pepper. Mix beaten eggs and cream and mix into squash mixture. Pour into greased casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese. Bake at 425 until done.

Squash Casserole

1 pint Squash

1 small Onion
2 Carrots, grated
1 cup Sour Cream
1 can Cream of Chicken Soup
1 pkg Cornbread Stuffing Mix
1 stick Butter

Cook fresh squash until tender. Drain and mash with fork. Add onion, carrots, soup and sour cream. Mix stuffing and butter. Put some in bottom of a buttered baking dish. Pour in squash mixture and then the rest of the stuffing. Bake uncovered in a 350 oven for 30 minutes.
Mama's Notes: “Just another way to get ‘em to eat what they ‘think’ they don’t like! Ha!”

Southern Spoon Bread with Apple Butter

I thought, to celebrate Thanksgiving, I would post a very old recipe that was my Grandmama Elliott and Great-Uncle Perry's favorite. It's very old and very basic. Something that could be made on the farm out of items on hand. Probably part of some of the oldest Thanksgivings in the south...

1 cup Yellow Cornmeal
1 ½ t Baking Powder
½ t salt
2 Eggs, beaten
3 T Butter, melted
2 ¼ cups Milk

Stir dry ingredients together. In a greased one quart casserole pour eggs and butter. In a medium-sized pan heat milk to a boil. Stir to avoid scorching. As it starts to boil, sprinkle in the dry ingredients, stirring vigorously with a wooden spoon. Cook and stir for 2 to 3 minutes as it thickens. Mix with eggs in casserole. Bake at 425 for 45 minutes. Serve from casserole with a spoon. Eat with a fork!

And what better condiment to go with this than Good Old Fashioned Apple Butter!

Cornbread Dressing

This is very basic. You can add or remove veggies or the eggs. You can also add 1 t poultry seasoning. I don't use it because sage causes a heartburn problem in my family, but you can add it if you like!

2 (8.5 ounce) pkgs Jiffy corn bread mix
1 onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 bunch celery, chopped
6 hard-cooked eggs, chopped
2 (14 ounce) cans chicken broth
2 cups turkey stock
salt and pepper to taste

1. Prepare cornbread according to directions on package. Cool and crumble. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Saute the onion and celery in 1/4 cup butter.
3. In a large bowl, combine the crumbled corn bread, onion, garlic, celery and eggs. Gently stir. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
4. Add the chicken and turkey broth 1 cup at a time until the cornbread becomes moist but not wet.
5. Place stuffing into a casserole dish. Bake for 1 hour or until stuffing reaches a temperature of 175 degrees.

Chicken and Dressing Casserole



Me and Granddaddy Bradham

Thinking about the Holidays coming up got me thinking about family and loved ones past. I wanted to include this partial story from my short-stories book... Crazy People...  Philosophy 101 

"Mama included several pages of the 'Philosophy of Perry H Bradham'   in the book she was writing for me. In Mama’s eyes, Granddaddy Bradham, was all-knowing. Very seldom in life does a little girl look to her father as a hero, ‘the greatest man that ever lived’ and keep that image with her throughout her life, untarnished. Mama used to say that she worshipped her father. ‘The sun rose and set on him. My eyes were never big enough to see him.' She could not bare the thought of ever disappointing him. She would get in trouble as a child and Granddaddy would come in to punish her. He would start to talk to her, “Honey, I am very disappointed in you.” Mama said that she would sob, “Daddy please just spank me! Please!”

Granddaddy Bradham was a simple yet complex man. He made homemade wine. He cooked a pretty mean Bar-B-Q Pig! (A recipe which my Daddy combined with his own to come up with the bar-b-que he cooks today.) He used old fashioned know-how and common sense to be a successful businessman, a husband and a father who helped raised five children.

Here are some of the thoughts of Perry H. Bradham, as written by his daughter:

°A little prayer is like a spiritual glass of iced tea on a hell of a day.
°We do not solve other people’s problems; we give them confidence so they can solve their own.
°What a great world this would be if we would forget our troubles as easily as we forget our blessings.
°In a way, to be criticized is to be complimented; it shows that you were doing something too important for the critics to ignore.
°If a hypocrite is between you and God, he is closer to God than you are.
°Be careful how you live; you may be the only Bible some people will ever read.
°To act is easy; to think is hard.
°The people whose company I enjoy most are the ones who know that I don’t always enjoy company.
°Love is like an onion. We taste it with delight; but when it’s gone we wonder whatever made us bite.
°Love is like lightning. It would just as soon strike the outhouse as the church..."
 
With that said... I wanted to share a very simple, but tasty Chicken and Dressing Casserole recipe. When mixing you may think that the mixture is too wet, but it cooks perfectly! This is a dressing casserole that is so moist it doesn't even need gravy... but I love gravy, so I fix some on the side anyway!

1 chicken, boiled, deboned and cubed
1 (9x9 inch) pan cornbread, cooled and crumbled
8 slices day-old bread, torn into small pieces
4 eggs, beaten
1 onion, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 (14.5 ounce) cans chicken broth
2 (10.75 ounce) cans condensed cream of chicken soup

Combine all ingredients and place in a 13x9 baking dish. Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes or until set.