BRAINPAN LEAKAGE

Damn… Today “snuck” up on me. Seriously… O_o

So, I am so busy that I’m meeting myself coming and going. Just finished prepping elebenty-twelb-bazillion mini tea sammiches for the o-spring’s Tea Party Project with her Gifted Class today. (NO, not THAT kind of tea party, the REAL kind with tea, snacks, and etiquette. You know, the kind you can actually take seriously and not just shake your head…) Anywho, I have tons more stuff to do – and that’s just BEFORE I deliver the sammiches…

So… Here’s a quickie blog. Since everyone is always asking me for recipes whenever I mention foodstuffs, here’s my personal recipe for Cheese Stuffed Cornbread – just like we had last night with the Black Eyed Peas and Smoked Turkey:

Merp’s Cheese Stuffed Cornbread

Wet Ingredients

• 1/2 Cup Plain Yogurt
• 1.25 Cups Milk
• 1/4 Cup Vegetable Oil
• 2 Large Eggs
• 1 TBSP Jalapeño Juice (from jar of sliced Jalapeños)

Dry Ingredients

• 1 Cup Flour (AP)
• 1 Cup Yellow Cornmeal
• 1 TBSP Baking Powder
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1/4 Cup Sugar (Optional)

Other

• Bacon Grease or Lard
• 1 Cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese (Sharp or Mild, your choice)
• Cast Iron Skillet – 10″
• Butter

Preheat oven to 400F. Grease Skillet with Bacon Grease/Lard, set aside.

Beat eggs, then mix together with the rest of the wet ingredients until fully incorporated and smooth. Will be somewhat thick.

Sift together all dry ingredients in a large bowl, make a “well” in the center, and pour in pre-mixed wet ingredients. Stir with a rubber/silicone spatula, using a folding motion, until fully incorporated. Mixture should be wet but lumpy, do NOT overmix.

Pour 1/3 of mixture into skillet and smooth to edges with spatula. Sprinkle shredded cheese on top. Pour remaining 2/3 of mixture on top of cheese and carefully spread out.

Place in 400 degree oven and bake until a toothpick comes out clean. Approximately 30 minutes.

Poke several holes in top with toothpick or fork. Apply butter to top, return to oven for 2-3 minutes.

Serve with Beans, Greens, Soups, or just about anything where cornbread is desired.

Optional: Add crumbled bacon, or minced Jalapeños to the mix.

More to come…

Murv

They say a picture is worth 1000 words. I’ve never really been absolutely certain who “they” are, but they get quoted quite a bit. I guess it’s just one of those things. Personally, I’ve always sort of agreed with the concept, but then I’ve also been known to say why use 1000 words if 500 will do. I’m sort of divided like that. I know it doesn’t seem like I would only use 500 words instead of 1000 when you read my blogs, but that’s just because I have so many excess words left over from not using them elsewhere. Have to get rid of them somehow, and here seems to be the dumping ground…

But anyway… Back to that whole picture thing. The other night we were visiting friends for a gala “TikkiToberfest” party. You know the drill – sort of a blend between German and Polynesian culture. Hawaiian shirts, Lederhosen, Poi, Brats, Beer, and Fruity Drinks served in hollowed out pineapples with little paper umbrellas. A typical Saturday night party. Well, as it would happen, our host, Dave, had a mess of Habanero peppers on hand to go with the meal. Being a fan of peppers I had a couple. They were good. Excellent, in fact. However, as generally happens with large amounts of capsicum sticking to your tongue, a cupcake and mass quantities of beer were required to douse the fire.

THIS is where I learned an important lesson: Habanero Peppers + Red Velvet Cupcakes + Beer = A Very Powerful Hallucinogen.

How do I know this?

Well, to begin with, I consumed all three – duh. However, what really clinched it was when I went into the bathroom and saw the Zombie Cat.

Yes. A Zombie Cat. Kitten really. There it was, rolling around on its back as kittens will do, playing with some brains. Not really all that surprising, given that most cats like to play with their food, so why wouldn’t a Zombie Cat as well?

When I went back outside to the fire pit I announced this to everyone. I don’t think they believed me… that was, until my good friend, Celeste “The Blonde Bombshell” Webster went to investigate. With her trusty phone she snapped a picture for all to see… And there it is above, a 1000 word photo to go with the 389 regular words I just typed.

More to come…

Murv