The Best Cornbread Ever!

First - I got new canisters and a matching utensil caddy! How cute!

On to the food. Over Christmas, my mom and I were intending on having a cornbread cookoff. Sadly, her cornbread didn't turn out (that says something, doesn't it?), so we had to put off our contest. Seeing a I was cleaning out my cabinets, had a lot of cornmeal, and it's a lovely afternoon suitible for baking, I decided that a batch of cornbread was in order. The original recipe is extremely highly rated on AllRecipes.com. It's super easy, and you do all the mixing in one skillet!

Ingredients

• 1/2 c butter
• 2/3 c sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 c buttermilk
• 1/2 t baking soda
• 1 c cornmeal
• 1 c all-purpose flour
• 1/2 t salt

Melt butter in a large skillet.

Remove from heat and stir. Add eggs and quickly beat until mixed.

Combine buttermilk and baking soda separately, and then add the buttermilk mixture to the egg/sugar/butter goodness. Add cornmeal, flour, and salt, mix until mostly smooth (it should still be a little lumpy). 

Normally this is where I add about 1/2 c canned corn.

However, I didn't have any  this time, so I  made do without.

Pour into a greased 8" x 8" pan, and bake 30-40 minutes at 375.

Eat and Enjoy!

Guess What I Made for Pi Day!

Lemon Meringue Pie!

It's been a while since I've updated, and honestly, it's been a while since I've made anything worthy of an update either. Anyways! In honor of Pi Day (yes, today is March 14, or 3.14) I decided that a good, homemade Lemon Meringue Pie would be appropriate.

It was totally apparent  looking at my shopping cart

that I was about  to go on a sweet, lemony adventure

The original recipe is from Allrecipes.com: 

Ingredients:

     1 baked pie crust

     1 1/2 c white sugar

     1/2 t salt

     1 1/2 c water

     1/2 c cornstarch

     1/3 c water

     4 eggs, separated

     1/2 c lemon juice

     2 t lemon zest

     3 T butter

     1/4 t salt

     

Directions

1. Bake pie crust as directed. 

I used the same recipe I always use for  pie crust, but this time

 I tried dry garbanzos as pie weights - big difference! The sides 

of the crust didn't sag like they have in the past.

2. Combine 1 1/2 c sugar, salt, and 1 1/2 c water in a heavy saucepan. Place over high heat and bring to a boil. 

In a small bowl, whisk together cornstarch and 1/3 c water. Gradually whisk into boiling sugar mixture. Boil mixture until thick and clear, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.

3. Juice lemons. 

It took me about 10 small lemons (just under 2 lbs.)

to get the requisite half cup of lemon juice. Fresh

squeezed juice makes a big difference!  Make sure 

to strain your juice for seeds/excessive pulp if you 

squeezed by hand (like me!).

Whisk together egg yolks and lemon juice. Gradually whisk egg yolk mixture into hot sugar mixture. Return pan to heat and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in grated lemon rind and butter or margarine. 

Let mixture cool until lukewarm.

4. In a large glass or metal bowl, combine egg whites and salt. Whip until foamy. Gradually add 1/2 c sugar while continuing to whip. Beat until whites for stiff peaks. 

I really  want a copper mixing bowl now. 

Spoon filling into the baked pie crust. Cover pie with meringue. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until meringue is slightly brown. Cool 1 hour before cutting. 

It took SO MUCH WILLPOWER to wait a whole

hour to cut this! Doesn't it look delicious?

In the end, the lemon filling was a bit runny, so next time I may bake slightly longer, add a tad more cornstarch, or cool more fully before cutting :)