Yummy Cornbread Dressing

I've just gotta have cornbread dressing on Thanksgiving.  This recipe is similar to what I had growing up but without all the chunks of onion and celery.  It's easy and has great flavor.  I hope it'll end up on your Thanksgiving Day menu. 

Yummy Cornbread Dressing

Ingredients -

1 large skillet of cornbread or roughly 4 cups crumbled cornbread 
1/2 c chopped celery
1/2 c chopped onion
2 (14.5 oz) cans chicken broth
1 tsp sage
1/4 c butter
1 (10.75 oz) can cream of chicken soup)

Directions -

1. Saute celery and onions in butter until translucent. (I run them through the food processor to eliminate chunks.)  I don't like chunks.
2. Crumbled cooled cornbread (if not already done) and add broth and stir.
3. Mix cornbread with broth until thin.
4. Add sage and celery/onion mixture.
5. Stir in cream of chicken soup (do not add water).
6. Pour into a casserole dish and bake at 350 degrees until thick and brown (roughly 35 - 45 minutes).....maybe longer...just kinda gotta check it. 

Yield - 8 servings
Calories per serving - 322
Calories per batch - 2576

Basic Southern Cornbread

I was raised on cornbread; well cornbread and biscuits.  There is nothing like good ole' Southern cornbread screamin' hot right out of the cast iron skillet with a nice crispy golden brown crust.   I actually don't really use a recipe.  Mom taught me how to make cornbread when I was in elementary school.  So, I'm posting the recipe off the back of the Martha White Gladiola Buttermilk Cornmeal Mix bag.  So, if you want some great cornbread, you've just gotta try this. 

Basic Southern Cornbread

Ingredients -

1 egg, beaten
1 1/3 c milk (buttermilk is even better )
1/4 c oil or melted shortening
2 c Gladiola Buttermilk Self-Rising Corn Meal Mix
butter....real butter!

Directions -

1. Heat oven to 450.  Grease a 9-inch skillet or 9-inch square pan (cast iron skillet is the best); place in oven to heat. 
2. In large bowl, combine all ingredients; mix well. 
3. Pour batter into hot greased pan. 
4. Bake at 450 for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown.
5. Serve and enjoy with real butter.

Yeild - 8 servings
Calories per serving - roughly 232 per slice - before you add butter 

Tips - If batter seems too thick, add a little more milk. 

           *  Recipe can be baked in muffin cups or cornsticks pan.  Grease  12 muffin cups or cornsticks pan; place in oven to heat.  Fill muffin cups or cornsticks pan 2/3 full.  Bake at 450 for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Sometimes, I like to add some shredded cheddar cheese, a little bit of kernel corn, and a little diced jalapeno for "Mexican" cornbread.  Hubby likes it when I just add shredded cheddar. 
***Just don't add sugar!  If you add sugar you've made cake; it's no longer cornbread!  I think it actually may be a sin to add sugar to cornbread.  Just sayin'. 

Ingredients

The batter.....we're gettin' there.

I just love my cornbread skillet.
It makes 8 perfect slices!

Chocolate Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cinnamon Buttercream Frosting

These cupcakes were what we took to CF clinic yesterday.  It's fall and I wanted to take something with pumpkin.  Also, it had to be something I haven't made for the clinic team before.   I looked through some of my cookbooks - no luck.  Then I googled various key words and stumbled across this recipe at i am baker.  They looked so pretty in their cute little cupcake liners and the name sounded so delicious and unique.  So, I printed the recipe and went on over to amazon to order some of those cute cupcake liners she had!  I hope you try them and please take a look at i am baker's blog because you'll find lots of yummy treats to make. 

I know, I'm not a professional cake decorator.
Trust me - they do taste awesome.

Chocolate Pumpkin Cupcakes

Ingredients -

1 1/2 c all-purpose flour
2/3 c cocoa
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 c vanilla yogurt
1 c canned pumpkin
2 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 c softened butter
1/2 c brown sugar
1 1/2 c granulated sugar
4 large eggs

Directions -

1. Preheat oven to 325.  Prepare cupcake pans with your fun and festive liners.
2. In a mixer, beat butter and sugars until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.  Add in eggs, one at a time, until fully incorporated. 
3. In a medium bowl, sift the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together; set aside.
4. In a small bowl, stir yogurt, pumpkin, and vanilla extract together.
5. Reduce mixer speed to low and alternately beat in the flour and yogurt mixtures in thirds, starting and ending with flour.
6. Bake for 18-25 minutes, depending on your oven.  Remove once toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, or center springs back when touched.
7. Let cool completely before frosting. (recipe below)

Yield - 30 cupcakes
Calories per cupcake - 132  (5.7g fat)

Cinnamon Buttercream Frosting
from My Kitchen Addiction

Ingredients -

1 stick butter
1/4 c shortening
1/3 c dark brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
3 c powdered sugar
3 T half and half  ( I used 2% milk)

Directions -

1. In a large mixer, combine butter and shortening until light and fluffy (use whisk attachment if you have one). 
2. Add cinnamon and brown sugar until well combined.
3. Gradually add powdered sugar 1/2 c at a time. 
4. Alternately add the half and half, whipping the frosting on med.-high speed after each addition, until desired consistency is reached.

Yield - frosted 21 cupcakes (roughly 2 T per cupcake)
Calories per serving - 138 (again, for 2 T frosting per cupcake)
Calories per frosted cupcake - 270

mmm....happy I had extra!

My food critic approves!