Marie Calendar's Cornbread

 When I was growing up in Southern California my family loved eating out at Marie Callendar's, and of course one of the highlights was that they always served their famous cornbread and honey butter.  I used to buy the mix to make it at home from Costco, and then they stopped carrying it and I thought it was too expensive to buy with too few servings at the regular grocery store.  So I decided to search for a copycat recipe or a sweet cornbread online.  I tried a few, and this was by far our family's favorite one.  We all just love it!!  I make this often when we are having soup or chili for dinner.  If you are visiting for the first time, I'll let you know that I have 6 kids and almost always double recipes!!!  So I am including here the regular recipe that goes in an 8x8 pan, and my doubled recipe that I cook in a 9x13 pan.  The 9x13 pan makes enough for our family to eat this for 2 meals, and it freezes absolutely perfectly.  So I just whip it our of the freezer and into the microwave when that second meal that calls for cornbread comes around!!  

1-1/4 cups Flour

3/4 cups Cornmeal

2 tsp Baking Powder

1/3 cup Sugar

3/4 tsp Salt

1/4 cup Shortening

1-1/4 cups Milk

1 egg

Put all dry ingredients into a bowl and whisk to combine. Cut in the shortening. Add milk and egg and mix until just combined. Put into a greased 8x8" pan and bake at 400°F for 25-30 minutes.

Orange Cinnamon Roll Cake

This cake is the perfect answer when your kids ask "mom can you make cinnamon rolls?" and you just don't have the time or energy to make them--this morning.  It is SOOOO good and easy to throw together.  I first tried it when some friends brought it over to our house for a get together, and when I asked for the recipe, they told me that they had seen it on JamieCooksItUp.  The original recipe doesn't have orange in it, but when I went to make the cake one weekend morning, I had a ton of oranges and decided to add some orange flavor to it.  It is amazing both ways, so I'll include directions for both.

Orange Cinnamon Roll Cake
Print Recipe
Cake:
3 cups Flour
1/4 teaspoon Salt
4 teaspoons Baking Powder
2 Eggs
2 teaspoons Vanilla
1 1/2 cups Milk
1/2 cup Butter, melted

Cinnamon Filling:
1 cup Butter, softened
1 cup Brown Sugar
2 Tablespoons Flour
1 Tablespoon Cinnamon
2-3 teaspoons Orange Zest **

Glaze:
4 Tablespoons Orange Juice **
1-2 Tablespoons Butter, melted
1 teaspoon Vanilla
Grated Orange Zest, to taste
2 cups Powdered Sugar

**To make a Cinnamon Roll Cake without the orange flavor, omit the orange zest from the filling.  In the glaze, use milk, half and half, and/or some cream cheese in place of the orange juice.

Preheat Oven to 350.
1. In an electric or stand mixer mix the flour, salt, sugar, baking powder, milk, eggs and vanilla. Once combined well, slowly stir in melted butter. Pour batter into a greased 9 x 13 inch baking pan.

2. In a large bowl, mix the 2 sticks of softened butter, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon and orange zest until well combined. Drop evenly over cake batter by the tablespoonfuls and use a knife to marble/swirl through the cake.

3. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until toothpick comes out nearly clean from center.

4. Place powdered sugar, milk and vanilla in a large bowl. Whisk until smooth. Drizzle over warm cake.

Serve warm or at room temperature. YUM!!!

Recipe Source: Adapted from Jamie Cooks It Up

Corn Salsa

This is the best stuff ever!!  If you are looking for a delicious, crowd pleasing, easy side dish for your Memorial Day cookout, then this is it!!  I make this salsa often for my family and for gatherings, and everyone loves it.  I got this recipe from my friend Adrienne Finch after I couldn't stop eating it when she brought it to a lunch I was at.  Just last weekend I made it when my son had his basketball team over to swim, and it was a huge hit!!  We like a little "kick" to our food so I added jalapeno pepper and fresh lime juice to the recipe, it doesn't make it very spicy at all, just adds to the yummy flavor.

Corn Salsa
Print Recipe
 
1 can Black-eyed peas, drained
1 can Corn, drained
2-3  Green Onions, sliced
5 small-medium Tomatoes, diced or 1 14 oz. can Diced Tomatoes
2 Avocados, chopped
1 Jalapeno pepper, diced and seeded
1/2 cup Cilantro, chopped
1 packet Good Seasonings Italian Dressing Mix, prepared according to package directions
Juice of 1 Key Lime, optional

Combine all ingredients and pour Italian dressing over and stir well, add lime juice.  Chill before serving.  Serve with Fritos Scoops Chips or Tortilla chips.  ***Tip: I can't remember where or who I learned this from, but to keep your avocados from browning while you chill the salsa, you can put the pit from one of your avocados in the salsa while it chills, then remove it before serving.  I have no idea why this works, but it's kind of cool!!  The vinegar in the dressing and lime juice help too. 

Twix Cookie Bars

 

Ok so seriously, what hits the sweet tooth spot like a mixture of creamy caramel, smooth chocolate, and shortbread?  Not much.  My family goes crazy over these, and they are worth every single last calorie.  Trust me.  This makes a very large pan, but you can freeze them and have them ready when you are asked to bring a treat somewhere, you have unexpected company, or you just need something amazing, creamy, and chocolatey.

 Twix Cookie Bars

Print Recipe

Shortbread Layer:
1 1/2 cups Butter, softened
1 1/2 cups Powdered Sugar
3 teaspoons Vanilla
3 cups Flour
1/4 teaspoon Salt

Preheat oven to 325.  Beat together butter and sugar til smooth, add vanilla.  Stir in flour and salt until smooth.  Press into a sheet cake pan, about 12x16 (or close to those measurements.)  Poke with a fork several times, should look something like this: 
 
Bake for about 25 minutes, or until edges are browning somewhat and top is turning a light golden brown, it will look something like this:
 

Remove and cool completely.

Caramel Layer:
1 1/2 cups Butter
1 1/2 cups Sweetened Condensed Milk
1 1/2 cups Brown Sugar
6 Tablespoons Corn Syrup
1 1/2 teaspoons Vanilla

Place butter in a saucepan and melt over low heat.  Stir in remaining ingredients except for vanilla.  Bring to a boil, stirring, and reduce heat to medium-low and cook and stir over a low rolling boil for about 7 minutes.  Stir in vanilla.  Pour caramel over shortbread layer.  Place in the fridge or freezer to set. 

Chocolate Layer:
3-4 cups Chocolate Chips, I like a mixture of semi-sweet and milk chocolate, but either works great!
2 Tablespoons Shortening

In a frying pan over low heat, melt chocolate, stirring frequently.  Stir in shortening, spread over caramel layer.  These bars are best kept in the fridge and set out a few minutes before you eat them.  

Creamy, Plate Lickin' Biscuits-n-Gravy

 I'm pretty sure I came up with the name for these biscuits from back in the days I needed earplugs good ole' days when my husband used to listen to country music.  I'm not a huge fan of sausage--unless it's in a fabulous recipe.  This is beyond fabulous.  I was lucky enough to be at a women's meeting at church when a lady named Jennifer Wirth taught a cooking class and demonstrated this dish.  She has changed our family's lives.  I'm totally serious.  My family literally licks their plates when I serve these!!  So maybe I just thought I remembered a country song about them.  Who the heck knows.  Anyway, you will not believe how SUPER EASY these are, with 5 simple ingredients, including the pepper! Don't limit yourself to thinking this is just a breakfast food, either.  My favorite time to serve this dish is for lunch right after church because I can throw it together so quickly, or as a hectic weeknight dinner.
Now a word about the biscuits in these, I was first introduced to these Pillsbury Oven Baked biscuits at our church meeting.  You can break out the flour, make a mess all over your counter top, and slave over your biscuits, but I'm willing to bet a lot of money they won't be as good as these. I couldn't believe they came out of a bag, but they are the only biscuits I will ever buy now!!  And I don't see much of a point in making homemade ones either, unless I'm making garlic cheese Bisquick biscuits, which I'll share another time.  Anyway, don't make the same mistake I made and buy the no name brand.  I did that the first time, trying to save $.  Then the next time I got the real ones and they were SOOO much better.  You can get these in a big bag at Sam's or a smaller bag in the freezer section of your grocery store.  They look like this:



Creamy, Plate Lickin' Biscuits-n-Gravy (this serves my family of 8, but there's none left over!)

Print Recipe

1 pound Sausage (not links, the kind in the roll that is the consistency of ground beef)
1/4 cup Flour
3 cups Milk (whole works best, but 2% works also.  If you are using 1 or 2% and have some half and half on hand, I would mix some of that in to total 3 cups, or you can use some evaporated milk too.  Skim milk should be against the law.)
1/8 teaspoon Pepper (don't use too much, everyone can season on their own later)
10 Biscuits, baked according to package directions.

Brown sausage.  Don't drain.  Stir in flour.  
 
It will mix right in beautifully.

 Then add milk and bring to a boil, stirring.  Reduce heat and stir for a few minutes.  It will thicken up.  Add pepper.  Cut biscuits in half horizontally, spoon gravy over, and serve!  

Chocolate Therapy Brownies

Are you sad, stressed, overwhelmed, having a bad hair or clothes or no one appreciates me day?  Thinking of making an appointment with a therapist?  Put down that phone and pick up your apron!!!  These brownies are all you need.  I love brownies with creamy frosting, but these are rich and fudgy and not the frosting kind of brownies, just FYI.

Chocolate Therapy Brownies 

Print Recipe

11 Tablespoons Butter
1/2 cup Milk
3/4 cup Cocoa
1 teaspoon Vanilla
2 Eggs
1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt
2 cups + 2 Tablespoons Sugar
1 1/3 cups Flour
1/2 cup chopped Walnuts or Pecans, optional (I add them if I have some because my husband loves nuts)
2 cups Chocolate Chips, milk chocolate or semi-sweet.  (My family loves them w/ milk chocolate, I prefer semi-sweet but either way they're amazing.)
Powdered Sugar for dusting

Preheat oven to 350.  In a large saucepan or soup pot, melt butter.  Stir in milk and cocoa over low heat til blended well and chocolate clumps are smooth.  Remove from heat, stir in vanilla and whisk in eggs til blended well.  Add baking soda and salt and stir well, then add sugar and stir til smooth.  Stir in flour.  Go ahead, have a taste, it will be therapeutic. Stir in nuts and chocolate chips.  Taste again.  By now, you should start to notice that your hair and clothes don't look so bad after all.  (You won't feel appreciated for all you do or blissfully happy until they are out of the oven, sorry.)  Place in a 9x13 pan that has been heavily greased or sprayed, or better yet lined with parchment.   Bake for 25-30 minutes or until brownies start to pull away from the pan, like this: 

Ovens vary greatly so watch closely!! They may even be done around 23 minutes if your oven cooks super fast.  Remove from the oven, and let cool.

Once they are cooled, dust with powdered sugar and watch your troubles disappear instantly.  Yum, the fudgy brownies with gooey chocolate chips inside are straight from Heaven.

Mexican Restaurant Rice

Ok so I know you all probably think Jessica and I are a little obsessed by now with Spanish rice, huh?  Or just Mexican food in general??  So a little while back Jessica posted an updated Spanish rice recipe that looks awesome, but I didn't have tomato base on hand even though I wanted to try it.   (Jessica how about you loan me some and I'll give you some pinto beans from Costco so you can make slow cooker beans? :)  Anyway, so I wanted to make a rice that was more mild that my little kids would eat and that tasted more like the rice they serve in Mexican sit down restaurants, because my little kids always gobble that stuff up.  So I experimented some and came up with this recipe that our family just LOVES.  It is super delicious, simple, and kid and adult friendly!!  I cook Mexican food a lot for our family and so I make this all the time now.  I love that you pretty much will always have the ingredients you need for it on hand as well.

Mexican Restaurant Rice
Print Recipe 

Regular Recipe, Serves 4-6
1 1/2 Tablespoons Olive Oil or Butter
1/2 of a medium onion, chopped or 1 1/2 green onions, chopped
1 1/2 cups Long Grain Rice
1-2 garlic cloves, minced.  **Depending on size, I sometimes leave this out if I'm in a rush.
1 8 oz. can Tomato Sauce
2 cups Water
2 teaspoons Chicken Bouillon Powder
1/2 teaspoon Oregano
1/4 teaspoon Chili Powder
1/8-1/4 teaspoon Cumin
1 Tablespoon Fresh Cilantro, chopped, optional-if I don't have it on hand I leave it out and it's still delicious

Large Recipe, Serves 10-12 
2 1/2 Tablespoons Olive Oil or Butter
1 small Onion, chopped or 2-3 Green Onions, chopped
3 Garlic cloves, minced
1 16 oz. can Tomato Sauce
3 cups Water
3 teaspoons Chicken Bouillon Powder
3/4 teaspoon Oregano
1/2 teaspoon Chili Powder
1/4- 1/2  teaspoon Cumin
2 Tablespoons Cilantro, chopped
 

Place olive oil in a sauce pan.  Add onion and rice and saute for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently to evenly and lightly brown the rice and cook the onions.  Then add garlic and stir for 1 more minute.  Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and cover and cook for about 20-24 minutes (cook large recipe for closer to 24 minutes).  Remove from heat and let stand for 5 minutes before stirring.