Cornbread Poundcake

Last summer, we renovated our kitchen.  I know you know this.  But you don't know about the cornbread my mom brought us one night from the Fresh Market while our kitchen was out of commission.

She brought us a whole dinner to go with the cornbread, but really all I remember is the cornbread.

It was memorable, to say the least.  Almost worth renovating an entire room of my house again, just so I might get another delivery of Fresh Market cornbread.

The packaging of this cornbread is totally deceiving, too, because it looks completely innocuous.  Like just a regular chunk of cornbread.

It's so not.

It's so amazing.

So, being that it's January and cold and snowing and I'm pregnant and inside with three (wild) children, I thought it would be a good time to try to knock off Fresh Market's cornbread.

I stirred together some dry ingredients (using my favorite coarse-ground yellow cornmeal from Weisenberger Mill, naturally) and then stirred in some wet ingredients...

and while my girls licked the spatula (we have no fear of raw eggs in this house), the cornbread baked.

And when it came out, I put butter and honey on top.  And called it lunch.

This recipe makes a LOT of cornbread.  Fortunately, I was taking my friend half of it with some vegetable soup, so it was perfect for two families.  But if I were just making it for my crew?  I'd definitely halve it.

Lastly, this recipe isn't quite as heavy and dense as Fresh Market's, but I've decided that's a good thing?  It feels a bit less heavy.

Oh! And one more thing.  The original recipe calls for whole milk, but I subbed half of the milk for buttermilk (it was in my fridge and I was afraid it would go bad before I used the whole thing), and it was great.  But all milk would be great too.  Whatever you have on hand.

Cornbread Poundcake
Adapted from Daily Dish Recipes

1 1/2 cups yellow cornmeal (I like coarse ground if you can find it)
2 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 T baking powder
1 tsp salt
2/3 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup butter, melted
2 T honey
2 tsp vanilla extract
4 eggs
2 1/2 cups milk (use all whole milk or a combo of whole milk/buttermilk)

Whisk together the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl.  Add the remaining ingredients and whisk until just moistened (there may be a few lumps left).

Pour the batter into a well-greased 9x13 baking dish (it would be a good idea to use parchment paper in the bottom...I'll do that next time).  Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 40 minutes, until just set (a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out with just a few crumbs sticking to it).

Cheeseburger Pie

Hey.  Have you had this before?  It's certainly not my original recipe, but it is a good one.

My husband and I had this as an appetizer at a Christmas party.  I was all, "What is this stuff?  Where has this been all my life?"  It was during a reprieve from my nausea and I'm pretty sure I could have polished off at least half of the casserole dish.  By myself.  But I didn't, because that would have been embarrassing!

And I try not to embarrass myself more than necessary.

So I asked for the recipe and came home and made it.  It's a great appetizer.  It also makes a great dinner.  I probably don't even need to tell you that this was a huge hit with my husband and kids.

That's a no-brainer.

So it's just a layer of crescent rolls (don't you like where this is going), a layer of ground beef mixed with onion soup mix (I love that stuff), American cheese, pickles (hang with me here) and a top crust of crescent rolls.

Bake it and voila!  Cheeseburger pie. Portable.  Delicious.

And here's the kicker: it's generally called White Castle Casserole.  But I just can't do it.  I. Just Can't.  So I renamed it.  Some people apparently serve it with yellow mustard.  The mustard adds a nice tang but isn't required.  It's your call.

Aren't you glad to know that.

Cheeseburger Pie

2 8 oz. cans crescent roll sheets
1 1/3 lbs ground beef (I used 80/20)
1 envelope dry onion soup mix
Dill pickle slices (enough to cover the surface of a 9x13 baking dish)
10-12 slices American cheese
Yellow mustard, for serving

Grease a 9x13 baking dish and fit one sheet (from one can) of crescent rolls in the bottom.

Meanwhile, brown the meat in a skillet and drain any excess fat.  Stir in the onion soup mix and combine well.  Sprinkle meat mixture on top of the crescent roll crust.

Evenly spread the pickles on top of the meat mixture.  Layer the cheese on top.  Use the second roll of crescent roll dough to form a crust on top.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes, until golden.  Serve with yellow mustard.

Spaghetti Pie

One of my New Year's Resolutions is to post all the recipes my mama made for us growing up.

Actually, that's not true.  While I do plan to eventually post all of my mom's recipes, I don't do New Year's Resolutions.

And here's why: I don't do resolutions because they're annoying.  And everyone's sound the same: lose 10 pounds, eat healthier, work out 8 days/week, drink more water, don't sweat the small stuff, etc. etc. etc.

Resolutions are either too vague to be measurable or too unrealistic to be accomplished.

And yes, I was raised by a father that said if you can't measure it, you can't reach it.  A goal, that is.

So where was I?  Yes. Spaghetti pie. I love spaghetti pie.  And I don't think it probably fits your New Year's Resolutions.  But since I didn't make any resolutions, I'm going to have some spaghetti pie.

My mom did make this for us.  A lot.  We loved it.  We still do.  It's so good.  What's not to love?  New Year's or not.

You've probably had this in some version or another.  It's called "pie" because you make a "crust" with the spaghetti, eggs and parmesan cheese.

Then you spread on a layer of sour cream.

And then you top it with sauce.  You can do any kind of sauce you want.  Sometimes I make my own marinara; sometimes I add ground beef to it; sometimes I use a jar of Prego.  Whatever you want.

And then you want to top it with cheese, of course.  I think my mom always used mozzarella, which is great.  But I usually combine mozzarella with cheddar.  Something about the cheddar sets it off, I think.  But you could also use a 5-cheese Italian blend.  Or colby jack.  It doesn't matter a whole heck of a lot. As long as you use a lot of cheese.

So good luck with those resolutions.  And eat a few carbs while you're at it.

Spaghetti Pie

12 oz. (or so) angel hair pasta
2 eggs
1 cup parmesan cheese
2 cups sour cream
Marinara sauce (one recipe of homemade; if using jarred, you'll need 2 jars); add 1 1/2 lbs ground beef cooked with an onion if desired
4 cups (about a pound) shredded cheese - I like a combo of mozzarella & sharp cheddar

Cook the pasta in boiling salted water for the recommended time on the package.  Drain it and return it to the pot.  Scramble together the eggs with the parmesan cheese.  Dump it on top of the pasta and quickly stir it around with a fork, tongs or a pasta scoop to coat the noodles (but stir quickly so the eggs don't scramble!).  Spread the pasta "crust" in a 9x13 baking dish sprayed with cooking spray.

Spread the sour cream on top of the pasta.  Top with marinara sauce.  Top the whole thing with cheese and cover loosely with foil.  Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 45 minutes.  Remove the foil and bake for another 10-15 minutes uncovered until the cheese is bubbly.

Let it sit for about 10 minutes before cutting and serving.

WINNER ANNOUNCED & Pumpkin Crunch Cake

SARAH GRAY, you are the winner of your very own Pampered Chef Mix 'n Chop!  Congratulations! Contact me at pithyskitchen (at) gmail (dot) com with your address and I'll send it your way!!!

This giveaway was so fun!  I loved reading your entries - I love knowing everyone's favorite holiday dishes!  So fun!  I have several favorite holiday dishes...all traditional in my family!  Cheese grits, roasted beef tenderloin, my mom's lasagna made with fresh pasta, breakfast enchiladas (I'll have to share that recipe someday...my mom makes the best!), Sweet Spots.  It's hard to pick just one!!!  I love it all!!!

I made a pumpkin crunch cake awhile back and forgot to share it with you...this is a recipe that everyone knows about but it's just so good!  Great flavors and texture.  I'm not a huge pumpkin person but topped with cake mix and butter?  Seriously???

All you do is mix up a pumpkin pie filling-like mixture, pour it into a baking dish...

And then you sprinkle on a dry yellow cake mix, pecans and toffee chips.

Oh, and then cover the whole thing with melted butter.

How bad does that sound?

Just don't bake it too long.  We want this to be nice and moist, not dry and cake-like.

So take it out of the oven when it's still jiggly, because it will set up as it cools.

Which goes along with my motto: DON'T OVERBAKE IT.  And you're good.

Pumpkin Crunch Cake

15 oz. can pureed pumpkin
12 oz. can evaporated milk
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp salt
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
18 oz. yellow cake mix
2 sticks butter, melted
1 cup finely chopped pecans
8 oz. bag toffee chips

Whisk together the pumpkin, evaporated milk, eggs, sugar, vanilla, salt and pumpkin pie spice.  Pour in a greased 9x13 baking dish.  Sprinkle the dry cake mix on top.  Sprinkle the pecans and toffee chips evenly on top and then pour the melted butter evenly on top.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 45 minutes or so - you want it to be jiggly (not set); it will set up as it cools and you want it to be a nice moist texture (not too cake-like).  Cool to room temp and serve!

Pampered Chef GIVEAWAY & Cheeseburger Casserole

Hey Y'all!  I am excited about this post because I have a GIVEAWAY!!!

It's a first.  And I'm doing this just in time for Christmas...but this is one of those gifts that you'll want to keep for yourself.

Because we all know that everyone shops for themselves while they're supposed to be Christmas shopping for others.

So! I teamed up with Erin Helbig, my Pampered Chef consultant friend, and the prize is this:

Pampered Chef's Mix 'n Chop.

When Erin asked me what Pampered Chef item I'd like to give away, I did not hesitate.  The Mix 'n Chop is my absolute favorite Pampered Chef tool...one of my favorite tools in the whole kitchen, as a matter of fact.

It's awesome.  I mainly use it when browning ground beef or turkey sausage...because nothing gets those tiny crumbles like this tool.  (Because we all know that big chunks of ground beef are gross.  The finer the better, in my world.)  But I also use it for banana bread (it squishes the bananas perfectly).  It works like a chopper or a whisk.  Or a stirrer.  It's multi-purpose and everyone needs at least one.

I'll show you how I made this cheeseburger bake which, by the way, is delicious.  And it's fun to make!  And husbands and kids love it.

And I love using my Mix 'n Chop.  And so will you.  If you're the lucky winner.

Brown some beef with onions and then add the normal things you'd find in a cheeseburger!  Tomatoes, ketchup, mustard, Worcestershire sauce...the usual.

Toss with pasta (it's a starch...sort of like the bread on a cheeseburger, I guess) and top with a mound of cheese.

I always serve this with green beans.  I don't know why.  I like the way they look together, I guess.

So here's how to enter: Leave a comment and tell me your favorite thing to eat in December.  It could be beef tenderloin, cookies, cranberry sauce, Snickers or Cheerios.  Or tomato soup.  Or smoked turkey.  Or mac 'n cheese.  I don't know what your favorite December food is, so that's up to you.

By the way, this Mix 'n Chop also makes great smashed potatoes, it chops cooked chicken perfectly for tacos or pasta salad...it pretty much chops anything you need to break up, crush or smash.

Winner will be chosen Thursday at noon.  Your very own Mix 'n Chop will be shipped on Thursday afternoon and (hopefully) will arrive by Christmas!  I'm only shipping to the lower 48, though (consider yourself warned).

Thanks a bunch, Erin, for the fabulous product to give away!  If you need Pampered Chef stuff, definitely contact Erin.  She's awesome.  She has a Facebook page, you can call her (859.537.8809) or email her at eeturtle06 (at) gmail (dot) com.

Pampered Chef sponsored this post but all opinions are mine.  Nothin' new there.

Cheeseburger Casserole
Adapted from Bakerette

1 lb ground beef
1 onion, chopped
3 T ketchup
2 T Dijon mustard
2 T Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp seasoned salt
1 tsp garlic powder
15 oz. can diced tomatoes
8 oz. (about 2 1/2 cups uncooked) rotini pasta, cooked in salted water and drained
2 cups (8 oz.) shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Brown the hamburger and onion in a large skillet, breaking up the meat with the Mix 'n Chop.  Drain any excess grease and return to the burner over medium heat.  Add the ketchup, mustard, Worcestershire, salt, garlic powder and diced tomatoes (not drained).  Cook for a couple of minutes.  Remove from the heat and stir in the pasta.

Pour into a greased 7x11 baking dish (or a 2 1/2 quart baking dish) and top with cheese.  Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes, until cheese melts.

Cranberry White Chocolate Cookies

It's that time of year...where I take cookies everywhere I go.  To Bible study.  To my daughter's school.  To multiple cookie exchanges.  To my children...because they want to "bake something fun."  I've taught them well.

But I get bored with the same 'ol, same 'ol cookies.  So I made up a new one.  White chocolate cranberry cookies!

Of course.  The tart, red Craisins are so good with the sweetness from the white chocolate.

These were great and extremely easy. Beat the butter and sugar, add the eggs and vanilla, dump in the remaining ingredients and mix until just combined (if you overmix your dough, your cookies will taste like cake instead of soft, fluffy cookies) and scoop on a baking sheet.

I always line my baking sheet with parchment paper so I don't have to scrub my baking sheets.  It makes cookie-baking less annoying.

Pillowy, tender and soft on the inside, a little crunch on the outside...chewy Craisins and melty white chocolate chips.  You really should make these soon.  Your kids will love them, I promise.

Cranberry White Chocolate Cookies
Adapted from my White Chocolate-Macadamia Nut Cookies

2 sticks butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
3 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
12 oz. bag (about 2 cups) white chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups dried cranberries (I used Craisins)

Beat together the butter and sugars until combined and fluffy.  Add the vanilla and eggs and mix until combined.  Add the remaining ingredients and mix until just combined.  Don't overmix at this point.  Drop on a baking sheet and bake in a 350 degree oven for 8-10 minutes, until just done.  They will look a little underbaked when you take them out but will set up as they cool.

Turkey, Swiss & Cranberry Panini

You've just got to make this sandwich.  I promise you won't be disappointed.

And if you are, don't blame me.  It was all Pioneer Woman's idea to begin with.

In theory, this is the perfect sandwich for leftover turkey and cranberry sauce.

Which therein lies the problem.  I did not roast a turkey this year, as I never roast a turkey for Thanksgiving. Fortunately, I'm still in the stage of my life where I go to other people's houses for Thanksgiving dinner.  Like my aunt & uncle's.  Like my in-laws.

By default, I have no Thanksgiving leftovers.  But that's okay!  Because I went to the deli and got some sliced turkey and Swiss cheese and then I made my own cranberry sauce.  Only for this sandwich.

It's so worth it.

You can use a panini press or you can just toast the sandwich in a skillet like a grilled cheese.  I actually own a panini press but was too lazy to get it out.   Maybe I was tired from not cooking Thanksgiving dinner?  Not sure about my excuse on that one.

Just layer together butter (essential), bread, Dijon mustard (don't make the sandwich without Dijon...you'll totally regret it for the rest of your life), Swiss cheese, turkey, cranberry sauce and more Swiss.  Don't skimp on the Swiss or the mustard.  But don't overdo the cranberry sauce or you'll have a sliding mess of a sandwich.

Wow.  That was a lot of rules.  It really is an easy sandwich.  And absolutely delicious.  Worth making even if you have no Thanksgiving leftovers.  Worth making for the homemade cranberry sauce, actually.

I think I'm done now.

Turkey, Swiss & Cranberry Panini
Adapted from Pioneer Woman

Butter
2 slices bread (something good...this is not the time for squishy white bread...save that for PB&J)
Dijon mustard
2 nice slices of Swiss cheese
2-3 slices turkey
Cranberry sauce

Butter the bread on one side.  Smear Dijon on the other side.  Lay the bread, butter-side down, in a skillet (or in a panini press).  Layer on the Swiss, turkey, cranberry sauce, Swiss.  Smear Dijon mustard on the other piece of bread and place butter-side up.  Cook for about 5 minutes, medium-low heat, on each side.  You want the cheese to be melty, so you may need to cover it while it cooks to trap the heat and melt the cheese.

Serve immediately.  Then leave a comment that you loved it.

Cranberry Sauce

I almost forgot where my blog was.  It's been awhile, y'all.  Hope you had a great Thanksgiving.  I'm sad it's over!  One of my favorite days of the year; definitely one of my favorite meals of the year!

Growing up, I thought cranberry sauce came out of a can.  You know the round tube of congealed cranberry sauce with the can ridges down the side?

It weirded me out.  It still does, actually.

But!  Last year, I saw Jamie Deen make a homemade cranberry sauce.  I thought it looked really good. Cranberries, orange juice, sugar and cinnamon?  I mean, how could that be bad?

So I made it. And I LOVED it.  So very delicious.  Very simple.  But I never wrote about it...probably because I had no confidence that it would be edible.

But here we are, a year later...and I just made it.  After Thanksgiving.  I know.  My timetable is a little skewed this year.

It's just as wonderful as I remembered!  Maybe even better.

And I can't wait to share this panini recipe with you...beyond delicious.  This is my lunch for the next week.

Here's the recipe.  I didn't change a thing, which may be the first time in history I haven't made some change to a recipe.  There's no room for improvement here.

Cranberry Sauce
From Bobby & Jamie Deen

12 oz. bag fresh cranberries
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup orange juice (100% juice)
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
Pinch of salt

Place all ingredients in a medium saucepan.  Bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer and cook 15 minutes.  Chill completely before serving.

Creamy Chicken & Rice Soup

I have made this soup for everyone I know that's had a baby in the last month!  It's cold outside; this soup is so warm and creamy and delicious.

And it's nice and thick, so kids can eat it easily.  My kids loved it!

My husband insisted that it needed cheese on top, so he sprinkled some parm on top of his.  For the first time in my life, I didn't feel compelled to add cheese.  It's good both ways!

All you do is saute some veggies in butter, add some flour to thicken it up, stir in some stock and 2 boxes of long-grain & wild rice mix (with the seasoning packets) and cook until the rice is done.  Add in the chicken and half-and-half (this is creamy soup, after all), and it's ready.

The longer it sits, the thicker it gets.

Voila, dinner.  No step-by-step pictures.  I'm doing really well to even make dinner these days.  Fortunately for my family, everyone's having babies right now so I just make double of whatever I'm making for the new baby's family and we get dinner too! My family is glad.

Creamy Chicken & Rice Soup

4 T butter
6 stalks celery, chopped
1 lb carrots, peeled and chopped
1 onion, chopped
2/3 cup flour
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
8 cups chicken stock
1 cup water
2 boxes Rice-a-Roni Long Grain & Wild Rice (with seasoning packets)
3 cups chopped cooked chicken (I used part of a rotisserie chicken)
2 cups half-and-half
Parmesan cheese, for serving

Melt the butter in a large soup pot and saute the celery, carrots and onions for about 10 minutes, until soft. Stir it frequently.  Stir in the flour and cook for about a minute.  Add the salt, pepper, chicken stock and water.  Add the rice and the seasoning packets.  Stir to combine and bring to a boil.  Reduce to a simmer and cook for about 25 minutes, until rice is cooked through.  Add the chicken and half-and-half and taste for seasonings.  (You may need more salt, believe it not!)  Serve with Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top.

Sunrise Muffins

I watched Pioneer Woman make these muffins a few weeks ago (I told you I was on a PW kick!).  I thought they looked great, but she used a combo of butter/shortening and cut it into the dry ingredients with a pastry cutter.

I hate cutting fat into flour.  It's just an annoying step I'd rather avoid.  And I think that oil makes things moister than butter, so I try to use oil in my muffins.

By all means, learn from my mistake and use a bigger bowl.  I made a huge mess.

But then I run into another problem...if I only use oil, I miss that buttery flavor.

Life is so complicated sometimes.

And then I read the reviews of these muffins on foodnetwork.com and they didn't get great reviews.  Everyone said they were not sweet enough.

Well, I solved that problem.  And I mixed oil with butter-flavored shortening to solve the moisture/butter-flavor problem.  And lastly, to solve the "cut the fat into the flour" problem, I melted the shortening.  No cutting necessary.

Just stir it together!

My family loved these muffins.  They were orange-y without being bitter, very moist and had a great crumb topping.

Needless to say, I'll be making these again.  For sure.

They were great with cheesy eggs and fruit!

Sunrise Muffins
Inspired by Pioneer Woman

1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup butter-flavored shortening
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup (about a 10-12 oz. jar) orange marmalade
1/2 cup orange juice
1 egg
1 T baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups flour

Topping:
1 T butter, melted
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg

Melt the shortening in a bowl in the microwave just until melted.  Stir in the oil, sugar, vanilla, marmalade and orange juice.  Add the egg and combine.  Add the remaining dry ingredients and stir until just combined.

Scoop into muffin tins that have been well greased with cooking spray.  This recipe makes 12 muffins.

For the topping, whisk together the melted butter with the remaining ingredients.  Sprinkle about a teaspoon over each muffin.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 13-16 minutes, until just set in the middle.