Home made corn bread muffins

Homemade Cornbread muffins

1 cup flour

3/4 cup cornmeal (white)

1/2 cup sugar

2 1/2 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp salt

2 eggs (beaten)

1 cup of milk

1/4 cup cooking oil  (I used veg.)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Step 1 : In a medium bowl (or Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer bowl) stir together flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

Step 2 : In a small bowl, combine egg, milk and oil. Beat together till mixed thoroughly.  Add egg mixture all at once to flour mixture. Stir (for KASM I set it on the lowest setting until mixed). Spoon  batter into 12 muffin cups. Bake at 400 degrees F. for 15-19 minutes (I think I cooked mine for about 18/19 minutes.) until lightly browned and inserting a knife and comes up clean.

Makes 12.

Home made refried beans

Home made Refried beans

What you need:

1 (15.5oz) can of Goya Pinto Beans

1 Tbsp. vegetable oil

1/4 small onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

2 Tbsp. cheese of choice

Salt and Pepper to taste

In a medium bowl, mash beans. Cook the garlic and onion in the oil in am edium skillet on medium heat until soft. Add the beans, salt and pepper to skillet. Cook, stirring often, until bean liquid starts to evaporate. reduce heat and simmer till desired consistency-about five minutes. serve with cheese sprinkled on top (optional). 

This was really good and that is coming from a girl who doesn't like refried beans!

Homemade Cherry Cordials

So I remember Christmas' growing up and how my papa got at least one box of Queen Anne's Chocolate Cherry Cordials. He loves them! So this past Christmas season, when I came across this recipe, I had to make them for him.
And I was super nervous about it because it was my first time and I had to let them turn cordial for TWO weeks! So I had to wait and wonder if they were ok for two weeks! Insane! haha
But it was worth the wait. Everyone raved :) And too see the smile on my Papa's face :)

So here you go! Very easy to make just make sure you have a good storage place...That was the worst part - storing them for two weeks in a cool place (not a refrigerator ugh)

And the pictures are of my own cherry cordials!

CHERRY CORDIALS

adapted from cooks.com and this recipe

2 (10-oz) jars maraschino cherries (you’ll need 40-50)
¼ c butter, softened
2 ¼ c powdered sugar
1 T reserved cherry juice
½ t vanilla extract
¼ t almond extract
1 (12-oz) bag semi-sweet chocolate chips
¼ cake paraffin wax, shredded OR 2 T vegetable shortening

Drain the cherries, reserving the juice. Shake them out well in the colander (do not rinse) and then place them on a double layer of paper towels to dry. Place a paper towel on top and roll your hands around on top of it to help dry them off. Leave them on the paper towel (replacing if it is very wet) while you prepare the fondant.

Cream the butter with 1 cup of the powdered sugar, then add 1 T reserved cherry juice, the extracts, and the remaining sugar; stir until mixed. You may have to knead it with your hands as it will be firm like dough.

Line a baking sheet with wax paper. Take small pieces of fondant, about 1 or 2 teaspoons, and press them flat on your palm. Wrap around the cherries, pinching off the excess before rolling them smooth and placing on the wax paper. Repeat until all cherries are covered with the fondant. Set in the freezer until well chilled. I did this step a day in advance and proceeded with the dipping the following day, so they were frozen hard.

Melt the chocolate chips and shredded paraffin or shortening until smooth. Dip each cherry in the chocolate using a fork, drawing fork across rim of pan to remove excess coating. Drop coated cherry upside down onto waxed paper, swirling a thread of coating from fork across top for a decorative touch (after a while, I used my finger instead to swirl the chocolate on top).  Once all are coated, place in the refrigerator until the chocolate is set; check bottoms and reseal with additional melted coating, if necessary. You want every part of the center covered or it will start to leak out as it liquefies.  Store in a cool place (do not refrigerate) for 2 weeks to form cordial.

So below are some notes by the original person I got the recipe from so I thought I'd add them along since they were of a great help to me when  I made my cherries!

Notes: Using the cherry juice makes a pink center.  If you want it to be white, just use milk instead of the juice.  

*Update: the centers got softer but never completely liquefied before they were devoured. I dried the cherries extremely well, and I believe leaving them a little damp would allow the centers to better liquefy.

*Update 2/9/11: I made these again, this time only draining the cherries and not drying them at all.  I also made the fondant softer, using “Best Life Buttery Spread” in place of the butter b/c I was *gasp* out of butter.  It was quite soft when I wrapped it around the cherries.  I froze the wrapped cherries for two days before I had time to dip them and after dipping, the centers were already starting to liquefy after a few days.  It has now been a week and they are about 50 % clear centers.  I’m thinking in another week they’ll be completely liquid!

*Update 2/14/11: today the centers are about 50% liquified, but the liquid isn’t clear–it’s red!  To make sure your own centers liquify, I’d suggest not drying them at all, just draining the cherries, and adding less sugar or more liquid to the fondant so that it’s quite soft when you wrap it around the cherries.

 A night or so before Christmas I had my dad try one because I couldn't wait any longer. I made sure he bit into half of it so you can see how it was close to liquidation. (if that is the correct term. haha)