Cast Iron Broccoli Cornbread

Cast Iron Broccoli Cornbread

Dorcas Annette Walker

After the whirl of holiday activities when the last dirty dish, glasses, and utensils have been washed and put back where they belong and once more the counter and stove has been wiped clean, all I want is something quick and easy to fix. That’s when I like to take out ole faithful (my cast iron skillet) and cook up a simple meal. You can’t go wrong and the beauty of it all is that you only have one pan to wash up. Also when winter ice storms hit the mountain causing power outages- that still happen frequently up here in Fentress county- I simply transfer my cast iron skillet over to the top of my woodstove and soon have a meal cooking. No matter how advanced technology gets, I remain connected to the past whenever I cook with my iron skillet. Some things only get better with age and my iron skillet is one. As handy as all my modern, time-saving, gadgets are in my kitchen if I was stripped of everything save my iron skillet, I could still survive. A reassuring fact as we face a New Year full of change and uncertainty is that as we re-adjust our priorities we begin to focus on what is truly important in life.

To start off the New Year I am going to give you two recipes for using your cast iron skillet. I hope it triggers off creative ideas for other nutritious meals in your kitchen. Not only does an iron skillet retain more heat than other cookware, which costs less energy to use, but cast iron also boosts the iron levels in your prepared food making iron skillets more nutritious to use. So grab your iron skillet and let’s get to cookin!

My Cast Iron Broccoli Cornbread is a colorful cheesy dish perfect for chasing away winter blues and bringing back the taste of summer while my Taco Cornbread Casserole is packed full of nutritious vitamins that will help to keep you healthy all winter and guarantee to warm up a cold winter day. Both recipes make a meal in themselves and would be a perfect to prepare when unexpected company arrives. Both the Cast Iron Broccoli Cornbread and my Taco Cornbread Casserole recipe serve eight.

Cast Iron Broccoli Cornbread

In a greased 10 inch iron skillet mix together:
2 eggs
1 stick of melted margarine
½ of a medium-sized onion chopped fine
½ (12 oz) carton cottage cheese of your choice
½ (16 oz) frozen pkg of broccoli chopped into small pieces
1 (8.5 oz) pkg Jiffy Cornmeal mix
Bake at 350º for one hour. Cut into serving pieces and eat while hot!

Taco Cornbread Casserole

Brown 1 lb of hamburger in a 10 inch iron skillet.
Add one quart of salsa (your choice) and simmer for five minutes.
Spread ½ pkg of shredded cheese (your choice) on top.
Prepare 1 box of Jiffy Cornmeal mix as instructed and pour over cheese.
Bake at 350º for 30-35 minutes until brown. Serve hot right out of the oven!

Weekly tip: Cast iron skillets are easy to care for when you soak with water encrusted food before washing in hot soapy water to avoid any hard scrubbing, and then thoroughly dry your iron skillet using a paper towel before storing (don’t cover with any lids) with your other pots and pans!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a published author, columnist, speaker, freelance magazine writer, and photographer from Jamestown, Tennessee. Contact her at: dorcaswalker@twlakes.net. For more recipes check out her Creative Mountain Cookin page and blog at: www.dorcasannettewalker.com

Ole Fashion Fruit Cake

Ole Fashion Fruit Cake

Dorcas Annette Walker

Fruit cake is like olives. You either love it or hate it. My mother loved fruit cake. The way she handled and stored her wedge of fruit cake each year at Christmas was like a ceremony that intrigued us kids. The fact that our dad couldn’t stand fruit cake only heightened our curiosity. We’d watch our mother carefully slice a small piece, take a bite, and savor the flavor. Not a crumb was wasted. Then she’d generously offer us a taste. The fruit cake would hit our taste buds with its exotic flavor and only the very brave among us would venture a second bite. It wasn’t until I was older that I really fell in love with fruit cake. After I was married I began searching and trying out different recipes. Once you’ve tasted a homemade fruit cake you’ll never enjoy a store version again. I’ve hesitated to share my recipe because many do not like fruit cake. Despite having fruit cake each Christmas both of my kids still roll their eyes and excuse themselves from eating any declaring it is a “parent thing” and not for them. Several times my husband, who is a great fan of my fruitcake, has urged me to share my recipe.

Since I am unable to get out and enjoy the holiday festivities like I used to, I started a tradition of inviting friends to our house for an evening of singing carols by the fire. I gather all the bells I’ve collected of each state we traveled through and we have a merry time ringing them as we sing. There is no program planned and everyone is free to join in as they wish. Last night after singing for an half an hour around the fire our pastor asked for past Christmas memories. Only a generation ago children didn’t receive toys for Christmas. To them Christmas meant getting an apple, orange, and some candy. One lady confessed that the first doll she ever received she never took out of the package it came in. Instead she would hold and stare mesmerized through the cellophane at her doll. Our pastor reminisced about the first train set he received for Christmas. He played with it all day long. The general census was that we feel sorry for this generation of kids, who are so used to receiving candy and toys throughout the year until Christmas doesn’t have the meaning it used to have. We finished our evening with a snack of Christmas cookies, candy, fruit cake and hot drinks. One fellow was simply enraptured over my homemade fruit cake. So to those of you who believe that Christmas is not complete without a fruitcake this recipe is for you.

Making a fruit cakes used to involve a complicated process that took days of soaking in prepared brine. My Ole Fashion Fruit Cake is a simpler version of the old recipes with the same moist nutty and fruity taste. You can add or substitute ingredients to personalize what your family enjoys. This Ole Fashion Fruit Cake takes ten minutes to prepare (not counting baking time) and serves at least sixteen.

Ole Fashion Fruit Cake

In a large mixing bowl cream together:
1 c shortening
1 c brown sugar
4 eggs
1 tb vanilla
1 tb lemon juice

Add:
2 lb candied mixed fruit
1 lb candied cherries
½ lb chopped pecans
Then stir in 2 c self-rising flour and mix until all the ingredients are blended. Pour batter into a 9 x 12 baking dish lined with wax paper. Bake at 350º for one hour. While still hot prepare glaze and pour over cake. Cool and store in an enclosed container!

Glaze
Bring to a hard boil for three minutes in a small saucepan:
½ c brown sugar
1 c syrup (or honey)
1 tb orange juice
1 tb lemon juice

Weekly tip: For a moister fruit cake: pour half a cup of orange juice over a baked fruit cake and seal in an enclosed container!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a published author, columnist, speaker, freelance magazine writer, and photographer from Jamestown, Tennessee. Contact her at: dorcaswalker@twlakes.net. For more recipes check out her Creative Mountain Cookin page at: www.dorcasannettewalker.com

Sugar Cookies

Sugar Cookies

Dorcas Annette Walker

There are times as a parent while raising children that you wonder what they will remember when they are grown. You try to instill the right principles, make sure they are fed and clothed, and give them all the opportunities possible in hopes that they will emerge as a responsible adult. Then one day you look around and they are gone leaving behind a huge empty spot. It was years of past memories they helped me adjust after my daughter got married and started a home of her own.

When Dawn was expecting her first child she confided to me that she wanted to always keep homemade cookies on hand. I was rather shocked as growing up store bought cookies were what my kids went wild over. Especially so after finding out that during the school years my homemade cookies were traded and exchanged for more modern delights. Dawn said, “I could always count on homemade cookies and milk as a snack every day after school.”

And my mind went back to a little girl, who always begged to help every time I baked. During those days I watched a preschooler concentrate to get the right amount of dough on the spoon, carefully space the cookies, and then count how many were on a tray. In a few more years she was measuring and beating the batter with a large spoon, reluctantly letting me stir at the end to make sure that all the ingredients were mixed. What a day of triumph when Dawn made her first batch of cookies by herself. I still smile every time I think of the teenage, who tended to burn the cookies due to her nose being stuck in a book.

Every holiday was celebrated with some kind of cookie. At Christmas we went into high gear turning out dozens of cookies. I’d always make up a decorative plateful to give to the neighbors and we’d take cookies to church holiday functions. I made plenty as everyone loved to sample whatever was baking. Gingerbread men cookies quickly became a Christmas tradition and are something that today Dawn makes every year at her house. My Gingerbread recipe is already on my Creative Mountain Cookin blog that can be accessed through my website at: http://www.dorcasannettewalker.com/ Another Christmas cookie standard is an old Sugar Cookie recipe that has been in our family for years. This recipe makes six dozen cookies.

Sugar Cookies

1 c shortening
2 c sugar
2 eggs
½ c milk
1 tsp vanilla
5 c self-rising flour
Stir the dough until well mixed. The dough will be stiff. Roll out thin like pie crust on a floured surface and cut into fancy shapes. Place on a greased cookies sheets and sprinkle with colored sugar. Bake for ten minutes at 350º. Cool and store in an enclosed container!

Weekly tip: Cookie tips: Dip the cookie cutter into flour before cutting into the dough. After pressing into the cookie dough, hold the cookie cutter firmly and wiggle gently to ensure a sharp cut. To keep baked cookies soft always add a piece of bread with the cookies!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a published author, columnist, speaker, freelance magazine writer, and photographer from Jamestown, Tennessee. Contact her at: dorcaswalker@twlakes.net. For more recipes check out her Creative Mountain Cookin page at: www.dorcasannettewalker.com

Christmas Truffles

Christmas Truffles

Dorcas Annette Walker

One of the neat things about cooking is the control involved. If you are the cook you have the distinction of choosing what to cook. One of my favorite sayings is that if you can cook you have the privilege of making whatever you want. Cooking is also very versatile. You can carefully plan ahead for days only for on a sudden whim decide to change your mind or find yourself at the last minute trying to conjure up something. What cook hasn’t frantically searched through the refrigerator, cupboards, or freezer for a sudden inspiration to whip up a quick meal. Other times leisure hours spent in the kitchen over the stove is sheer pleasure. To my way of thinking anyone who hasn’t cooked has missed out on a large part of life.

This week I had planned ahead as usual what recipe I was going to give. Then I received a couple emails asking for some holiday candy and cookies ideas. I put aside my planned recipe and instead experimented around in the kitchen with a new candy recipe I had collected. It was an instant hit. I’m not one to lick out the bowls when cooking, but this time I couldn’t resist. You’ll know what I mean if you try out these Christmas Truffles. The best part is that they are not complicated to make. Next week I’ll give you a Christmas cookie recipe. For other holiday recipes of candy and fudge check out my other blog recipes or email me for a copy at: dorcaswalker@twlakes.net .

My Christmas Truffles have a rich creamy chocolate center with a smooth chocolate coating of different flavors that melts in your mouth. This candy will make you the envy of your friends. These easy Christmas Truffles are great for using your imagination and catering to individual taste buds guaranteeing an instant hit with everyone. The Christmas Truffles have only two basic ingredients and takes about fifteen minutes to prepare not counting refrigeration/freezer time. This recipe makes thirty-six Christmas Truffles.

Christmas Truffles

24 oz pkg of almond chocolate bark
1 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese
Mix until creamy: softened cream cheese and eight squares of the chocolate. Freeze or refrigerate until firm. Then mold a teaspoon of the candy mixture into a small ball and place on a waxed tray. Melt the remaining chocolate squares. A tablespoon of crunchy peanut butter or a drop or two of mint extract to some of the melted chocolate will give a delightful flavor. You can also substitute white chocolate. Dip the truffles into the melted chocolate until coated and let harden on the waxed tray. Garnish with finely chopped nuts, crushed peppermints, sprinkles, coconut, or powdered sugar!

Weekly tip: Unopened packages or unused portions of the chocolate bark can be kept year round in your freezer for instant access!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a published author, columnist, speaker, freelance magazine writer, and photographer from Jamestown, Tennessee. Contact her at: dorcaswalker@twlakes.net. For more recipes check out her Creative Mountain Cookin page at: www.dorcasannettewalker.com

Holiday Cranberry Salad

Holiday Cranberry Salad

Dorcas Annette Walker

What end-of-the-year holiday isn’t complete without a cranberry salad? The bright red berries symbolize the holiday season brightening up our table while outside the world is bleak and bare. Cranberries can be used as an icy centerpiece by freezing them with evergreen sprigs and nuts in a bunt pan then placing a large candle in the middle or floating on water in a crystal dish with mini candles.

Cranberries are hard-shell berries that grow on vines only in certain conditions. They require an acid peat soil, fresh water supply, sand, and a growing season from April until November. Most cranberry bogs are in the northern hemisphere with Massachusetts being the largest producer of the entire cranberry industry. Some vines in Massachusetts are over one-hundred-and-fifty- years old. Cranberries were first used by the Native Americans for food, dye to color rugs and blankets, making pemmican with dried deer meat and melted fat, and to heal arrow wounds. Early pioneers decorated their Christmas trees with garlands of cranberries and popcorn to brighten their harsh wilderness surroundings. In 1683 the first cranberry juice was made by settlers and today is a popular health drink. Whalers and mariners carried cranberries along on voyages to prevent scurvy.

When I thumbed through my recipes I found four different cranberry salad recipes that I have used throughout the years. This Holiday Cranberry Salad is a quicker version of the traditional cranberry salad passed down in our family and is easy to make. My Holiday Cranberry Salad is a tangy fruity salad with a hint of nuts that can be served as individual molds or in a fancy dish and can be made up the day before. This festive Holiday Cranberry Salad is guaranteed to brighten any holiday meal. My Holiday Cranberry Salad takes only ten minutes to prepare- not counting the refrigeration time- and serves ten.

Holiday Cranberry Salad

1 (20 oz) can crushed pineapple
1 (16 oz) can of whole cranberry sauce
2 (3 oz) pkg raspberry jello
1 large peeled and diced apple (your choice)
1 c chopped nuts of your choice
2 c mini marshmallows (optional)
Drain pineapple juice and add enough water to make three cups. Bring to a boil and add jello. Pour into a medium sized bowl and stir in the cranberry sauce until dissolved. Refrigerate for one-and-one-half hours until slightly thickened. Fold in the pineapple, apple, nuts, and marshmallows. Place in individual molds or a large crystal bowl and refrigerate for four hours before serving.

Weekly tip: To make a festive side dish add canned whole cranberries to a jar of applesauce and garnish with mint!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a published author, columnist, speaker, freelance magazine writer, and photographer from Jamestown, Tennessee. Contact her at: dorcaswalker@twlakes.net. For more recipes check out her Creative Mountain Cookin page at: www.dorcasannettewalker.com