Corn Pudding!

 

Today we celebrate the birthday of our good friend J.T. Madison.  J.T. is like the older brother you never had, and we are glad he showed up! He arrived while you were in high school and charmed us with his Italian dog, his Volvo and his music skills.  He took you on retreats at Covenant Harbor and Covenant Point, organized sick bands for VBS, lead the troops to Chic and taught you a few things about life and God along the way.  He lulled us into a stupor with his coffee making talent.  Then, he became a Dad and bewitched us with his darling daughter.  As a result we are hopelessly under the Madison Family spell!  Now, it is his birthday and probably the best gift I can give J.T. is my recipe for corn pudding.  I know he will love it, and take care of it, and raise Lily to be a corn pudding fan! Happy Birthday J.T.!  Eat it in good health!

Corn Pudding

1 can whole kernel corn

1 can cream style corn

2 pkgs, Jiffy cornbread mix

4 eggs, beaten

1 stick butter, softened

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

16 oz. carton sour cream

1/2 cup sugar

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Grease a large casserole dish.  In a large bowl add the cornbread mix to the corn, mix until moistened.  Add the eggs, butter, sour cream, sugar, salt and pepper.  Pour into the casserole dish.  Bake for 1 hour.  

This is a perfect side dish for grilled turkey!

Time and temperature can be adjusted to share the oven with other foods if needed. 

Baked Apple Doughnuts

 It is another beautiful autumn day!  The perfect day for baking something with apples!  When you were in high school at GBN I found a recipe that was perfect for a Saturday mornings like today.  You might have had a friend or two sleep over, and you almost certainly slept late.  That gave me time to bake a yummy breakfast treat.  I've been told that Grandma Warnygora made wonderful doughnuts from scratch.  Unfortunately, that is not one of my skills.  But these muffins have the wonderful flavor of apple doughnuts without all the fat from being cooked in oil.  Ty and Luke especially loved them, so if Luke was hanging out, these were a guaranteed hit! Have fun making and eating these "doughnuts"!

Baked Apple Doughnuts

1 1/2 cups flour

3/4 teaspoon salt or 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup shortening (I use butter)

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 eggs

1/2 cup buttermilk

1 1/2 cups finely chopped, unpeeled apples

1/2 cup sugar 

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Grease 24 muffin cups well; set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a medium bowl, stir together flour, salt, and baking soda; set aside.

In a large bowl, beat shortening with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds.  Gradually add the 1 1/2 cups sugar, about 1/4 cup at a time, beating on medium speed until well combined, scraping sides of bowl often.  Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes more.  Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating after each addition.  Alternately add flour mixture and buttermilk to shortening mixture, beating on low speed after each addition, just until combined.  Fold in apples.

Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups, filling each 2/3 full.  Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until dark golden brown and a wooden toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean.  Doughnuts will dip in the middle.  Cool in muffin pans on a wire rack for 15 minutes.  Loosen edges of the doughnuts with a thin spatula.  

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the 1/2 cup sugar and cinnamon.  Carefully remove doughnuts from muffin cups; doughnuts will be tender.  While still warm, roll doughnuts in the sugar mixture.  Serve warm.  Makes 24 doughnuts. 

Macaroni and cheese

 Our family went to Wauconda Farms on a beautiful fall day.  You both had fun climbing on this huge pile of pumpkins.  This year we have been enjoying a beautiful fall as well.  But today it is a cool and rainy fall day in Chicagoland.  I've just gotten home from a nice walk with Kim.  We walked to Starbucks, which is a very pleasant routine we got into over the summer.   Since I don't have to be to work until 11:00 we are able to start walking at 7:00, enjoy a nice long chat over coffee, walk home and still have time to do a few things at home before work.  This has become our guilty pleasure 3 days a week, if we are lucky!

Today we had walked about halfway to the Bucks when we noticed the sky seemed kinda dark.  And then we heard thunder.  We walked faster.  Luckily, we were seated at our cozy table with our steaming cups in our hands when the rain came pouring down!  By the time we finished our chat and our lovely beverages, the rain was letting up, although the sky was still dark.  We walked home at a brisk pace with thunder reminding us to hurry along.

Now, I'm snuggled under a blanket watching CNN as the Chilean miners are being rescued.  It's amazing to watch and I'm wishing I could stay right here all day.  Wow!  They have been trapped since before Ty's birthday!  I can't imagine being trapped underground for 69 or 70 days, with my claustrophobia I would have driven everyone crazy.  It is wonderful to see the men reunited with their families.  Even though I don't know any of these people, I find my eyes filling with tears each time another miner climbs out of the rescue capsule.  (Okay, I'm sure it is no surprise to either of you that your mother is crying about drama on TV!)

All this to say that this is the kind of day that makes me think of "comfort food".  That phrase means different things to different people.  For me it makes me think of foods I grew up with, like mashed potatoes or meatloaf.  Or maybe pizza, my all time favorite food.  But today my taste buds are wishing for macaroni and cheese.  And not the stuff from the blue box!  I'm talking about homemade.  A few years ago I found a good recipe that is easy to make and has the cheesy goodness you expect from a classic mac-n-cheese!

Macaroni and Cheese with Buttery Crumbs

3 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons flour

2 1/2 cups half and half or whole milk*

1 pound cheddar cheese, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1/2 pound Colby cheese, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard*

pinch of nutmeg

pinch of cayenne pepper

salt and pepper

1 pound macaroni

2 tablespoons butter

3/4 cup plain dry bread crumbs

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a shallow 2 quart baking dish.  Begin cooking macaroni in a large pot, according to package directions.  Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a large saucepan.  Add the flour and cook over low heat for 2 minutes stirring constantly.  Add the milk and cook over medium heat, whisking constantly until thickened, about 3 minutes.  Add half of the cheddar and Colby cheeses and cook over low heat, stirring, until melted.  Stir in the  mustard, nutmeg and cayenne; season with the salt and pepper.  

Drain the cooked macaroni and return to the pot.  Add the cheese sauce and the remaining cheese and stir until combined.  Spread the macaroni in the prepared baking dish.

In a small glass bowl, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter in a microwave.  Add the bread crumbs, season with salt and pepper and stir until evenly moistened.  Sprinkle the buttered crumbs over the macaroni and bake for 45 minutes, or until bubbling and golden on top.  Let stand for 15 minutes before serving.  Serves 6.

*I use skim milk.

*I use 1/2 tablespoon of Dijon mustard.

This is a great dish to bring to a potluck and the leftovers are great!  I wonder what the rescued miners will be choosing for their first hot meal?  I'm praying that they are enjoying good food, family and peace in their hearts tonight.