cayenne corn cakes

Soup and bread is the perfect combo...unless the soup is spicy.  When you add spice to the mix, you've gotta have corn to sweeten things up a bit!

These corn cakes are easy and delicious - the perfect accompaniment to your favorite spicy soup.  I like them with tortilla soup, but this week we had them with a black bean soup.  They contain green onions and cayenne, adding their own level of spice to the meal.  But the natural sweetness of corn rounds everything out.  They are a must for your next night of Mexican food.

Cayenne Corn Cakes
Adapted from Gooseberry Patch's Celebrate Year Round

• 1/2 cup cornmeal
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1 t. salt
• 1 t. sugar
• 1/2 t. baking powder
• 1/4 t. cayenne pepper
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 3 T. butter, melted
• 2 green onions, sliced
• 1 cup frozen corn

In a small bowl, combine cornmeal, flour, salt, sugar, baking powder, and cayenne pepper.  In a separate bowl, whisk egg, buttermilk and butter.  Add egg mixture to cornmeal mixture and stir lightly.  Fold in green onions and corn.  In a heated cast iron skillet coated with oil, place heaping tablespoons of batter; brown and flip as you would pancakes.  Top with sour cream and salsa.  Serves 4.

cast iron fried apples

I first discovered fried apples while at a Cracker Barrel, and I was instantly hooked.  If you've never had them...well, you need to.  And the stuff in the can in your grocery store doesn't count.

This recipe is my attempt to copycat my favorite Cracker Barrel side dish.  You bake them in the oven and finish them on the stove.

And no...you really don't need a cast iron to make these...but it does work nicely!

This makes a delicious breakfast, side dish, or even dessert.  And it definitely fulfills any Cracker Barrel cravings!

Cast Iron Fried Apples

• 4 sweet apples, cored and sliced
• 1/4 cup butter, sliced into pats
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1-2 T. cinnamon

Place apple slices into a large skillet (preferably cast iron) and top with pats of butter.  Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes, or until fork tender but not mushy.  Remove from oven and sprinkle brown sugar and cinnamon over top.  Over low heat, gently stir until sugar is dissolved and makes a syrup.  Serve warm.  Makes 4 servings.

slow cooker toasted nuts and pumpkin seeds

Did you know that you could toast nuts and pumpkin seeds in your slow cooker?  I didn't!  Well, that is, until I tried it.  It's now my favorite method - they always end up toasted evenly with lots of flavor, and if I forget them for a while, they don't get burned!

Slow Cooker Toasted Pecans and Pumpkin Seeds

• 2-4 cups pecans, pumpkin seeds, or other nut
• 2-3 T. olive oil
• seasonings (salt, pepper, chili powder, oregano)

Place all ingredients into a slow cooker and stir.  Cover and cook on high for 15 minutes; stir.  Uncover and continue cooking on high, stirring occasionally, until nuts or seeds are toasted to your liking (about 2 hours).

molasses baked beans

This. Was. Fabulous.  I think the picture says it all.

There are a few secrets to these baked beans that make them unlike any other I've ever tried.  First...the molasses.  Rich, creamy and dark, these molasses pack the perfect amount of spicy sweetness into these beans.

Second, this recipe calls for a clove-studded onion.  I had never heard of such a thing!  I have stuck cloves in ham...in oranges...but in an onion?  Never!

Yet, it was amazing.  The clove added the perfect flavoring, and sticking the whole cloves into an onion allowed for an even more complex taste with easy removal after everything was done cooking.  What a showstopper of a technique!

You should give these a try today.  And while you're at it, make some cornbread to go with them!

Molasses Baked Beans
adapted from Gooseberry Patch's Hometown Harvest

• 2 16oz. packages dried navy beans
• 1/2 lb. salt pork, cut into strips
• 1 cup molasses, divided
• 3/4 cup dark brown sugar, packed
• 1 T. dry mustard
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 2 onions, chopped
• 1 whole onion
• 10 whole cloves
• 1 lb. kielbasa or smoked sausage, sliced

Cover beans with water in a large pot; soak for 2 to 3 hours.  Drain beans, reserving liquid; place beans in a slow cooker.  Add salt pork, 3/4 cup molasses, brown sugar, mustard, salt, pepper, and chopped onions.  Stud whole onion with cloves; add to slow cooker.  Add sausage.  Pour in enough of reserved liquid to fill half full; stir. Cover and cook on high setting for 4 to 5 hours, or on low setting for 8 to 9 hours, until beans are tender.  After several hours, if a darker color is desired, stir in remaining molasses; continue cooking as directed.  Remove clove-studded onion and salt pork before serving.  Serves 8.

corn chowder

This soup was so easy to make, that there was no point in even putting together a picture tutorial.  You just dump all of the ingredients in a saucepan, turn on the stove, and 10 minutes later you have lunch.  I love it!

This soup is so easy that my dog could make it.  Okay, okay, that's not true.  I don't have a dog.  But...you get the picture.

It's also creamy, hearty, and absolutely delicious. 

Corn Chowder

• 1 cup frozen corn
• 1 can cream-style corn
• 1 cup milk
• 1 chicken breast, cooked and cubed
• 1/2 green bell pepper, diced
• 1 heaping tablespoon masa (you could also substitute cornmeal or flour)
• 1/2 t. thyme
• 1/4 t. white pepper
• 1/2 t. salt (or more, to taste)

In a medium saucepan, combine all ingredients.  Heat on medium-high until boiling, about 10 minutes, stirring constantly.  Serves 3-4.  Easy!