Savory Pizza Muffins – Out of the Ordinary

Give them a lunch that will be the envy of the cafeteria.  Pizza muffins are a way to break the sandwich routine.   The cornbread is made using tomato juice with a center of pepperoni and cheese as the finishing pizza touch. Pizza muffins are also great for after school, and have been known to appear even at breakfast!

Serve them with plenty of sliced fresh vegetables and some creamy Italian dressing used as a dip.  We baked them in a brownie pan that makes square muffins just for fun, but they work fine in regular muffin pans.

Tenda-Bake® Corn Meal Mixes come in white, yellow or buttermilk corn meal.  Use any of them to make this recipe.  If you have never tried this mix, you are in for a real Southern cornbread experience.  Not too fine or too coarse, this is the cornbread you have been looking for, nice and moist.

 

Pepperoni Pizza Muffins

 

Makes 12 muffins

1 ½ cups Tenda-Bake Self-Rising Corn Meal Mix

½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon sugar (just to balance the tomato juice flavor, not to add sweetness)

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1/4 cup light olive oil (not extra virgin)

1 cup tomato juice (about 6 ounces)

6 ounces sliced mozzarella cheese, cut into 2- inch squares

36 pepperoni slices (about 4 ounces)

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line muffin pans with paper liners or with nonstick cooking spray.

Combine corn meal mix, grated Parmesan cheese, and sugar in a large bowl.  Make a well in the center and add egg, olive oil and tomato juice.  Stir to combine.

Spoon 1 tablespoon of the batter into each muffin cup.  Spread to cover the bottom of the cup if needed. Top with a small slice of mozzarella cheese over each.  Place 3 pepperoni slices on top of the cheese layer and then and top with another slice of cheese.  Spoon remaining batter over the top, spreading if needed to cover the cheese.  Fill muffin cups no more than 2/3 full.

Bake for 30 minutes or until the muffins are set.

Remove to cooling rack and cook for 10 minutes.  Remove muffins from pan and eat warm or cool completely.

 

 

 

 

Peach Cobbler

 

This is a Simple Summer Recipe!

This is just about the best peach cobbler ever!  If you like cinnamon, sprinkle a bit of cinnamon and sugar on the top just before baking.  Then be sure to top with ice cream.

Everyone who has tried this, loves the cobbler either hot or cold.

 

Peach Cobbler:

½ cup (1 stick) butter, melted

1 cup Southern Biscuit All Purpose Flour

2 ½ cups sugar, divided

2 ½ teaspoons baking powder

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 cup milk

2 ½ cups peeled, sliced fresh peaches, about 6 peaches

Preheat to 350 degrees.  Coat a 2-quart baking dish with nonstick cooking spray

Pour melted butter into baking dish.

Combine flour, 1 ¼ cup sugar, baking powder, and salt.  Whisk until smooth.

In another bowl, toss peaches with 1 ¼ cup sugar.

Remove the baking dish from oven.  Pour batter over melted butter.  Do not stir.

Then pour the peaches over the batter.  Do not stir.

Return to oven and bake for 60 minutes or until brown and bubbly.

 

Makes 6 servings.

Summer Vegetable Casserole

Free Up Your Summer With EASY and Healthful Main Dishes

Summer is time to take it easy…and to enjoy all those fresh summer vegetables.
We have some tips for an easy on the budget, time saving, and healthy summer meal! That’s a lot to pack into one recipe!

START WITH CORNBREAD:
One batch of cornbread made using Tenda-Bake® Corn Meal Mix costs less than 20 cents a serving! It is the perfect bread to go along with any meal without breaking the bank, and your family won’t know you are stretching the budget, they will only thank you for the bread that tastes go good with summer vegetables.

COOK TODAY NOT TOMORROW:
One-dish meals mean the bread, meat, vegetables, and dairy are all in one. There is not a single thing to add – so clean up and preparation is super easy.
You can even do the prep work on the weekend when you have more time, so dinner is just simply warmed up and served on weeknights.
Cook once, and eat twice – since this recipe serves 8.

DON’T PUT CASH IN THE TRASH:
Consider using leftovers from other meals to make this casserole, your leftover two grilled chicken breasts today could be a casserole tomorrow. The rest of the tomatoes sliced at lunch for a BLT will be part of this dish. You get the idea. We throw away about 1/3 of food purchased. Toss away less by using it!
When you cook bacon, save the drippings. Two tablespoons make a casserole with a terrific flavor, without adding much more than a ½ teaspoon of bacon fat per serving.

HEALTHY ON A BUDGET:
Most of us get more meat than we need, bulking up on more vegetables and less meat is good for you. Stretch your meat by making casseroles.
Eat fresh vegetables in season. Watch for what is on sale in the supermarket. Or better yet, wait until the summer squash and zucchini begin to overpower home gardeners. Most of the time, there’s plenty of free squash around if you are lucky enough to be a grower or a friend of a grower.
Eat out less. Did you know most of the time we consume more calories when we eat out as compared to eating at home? It costs less and is better for our waistline to cook!

WE WOULD LOVE TO HEAR YOUR BUDGET SAVING IDEAS!

COST TO MAKE THIS RECIPE:
One batch of Tenda-Bake Cornbread (the whole pan!) $ 1.25
Chicken Thighs 2.99
Tomatoes 1.99
Onion 1.29
Zucchini 0.80
Milk 0.36
Sour Cream 0.99
Cheese 1.80

TOTAL $ 11.50
COST PER SERVING $ 1.43

Think about that next time you are ordering off of the dollar menu!

Makes 8 servings

Cornbread Base
2 cups Tenda-Bake® Self-Rising Corn Meal Mix
1 ½ cup milk
1 large egg, lightly beaten
¼ cup vegetable oil
¾ corn, about two ears of fresh corn cut from cob

Filling
2 tablespoons vegetable oil or bacon drippings
1 ½ cups chopped onion (1 medium)
2 cups chopped zucchini (I medium)
4 chicken thighs, sliced thin
4 tablespoons Southern Biscuit ® All-Purpose Flour
1 teaspoon each salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup sour cream
½ cup milk
2 cups shredded Monterey jack cheese (about 8 ounces)

2 cups chopped fresh tomatoes (about 2 medium tomatoes)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Coat a 9×13-2-inch glass-baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Combine corn meal mix, milk, egg, oil, and corn. Pour into baling dish and bake for 15 minutes or until lightly browned.

Heat oil in a skilled over medium heat. Add onion and cook until translucent. Add the chicken and cook just until chicken turns white. Stir in the zucchini and cook for about 2 minutes or until slightly tender. Add flour and stir until flour is completely absorbed. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in sour cream, milk and 1 cup of Monterey Jack cheese. Remove from heat and very gently fold in the tomatoes just to combine.

Spoon the filling over the cornbread. Sprinkle the top with the remaining cheese and bake until cheese has melted and casserole is bubbling, about 20 minutes. Remove casserole from oven.

Allow casserole to sit for 5 minutes before serving. Cut into squares and enjoy.

Southern Panzenella

Celebrate summer with Panzanella, a Tuscan bread salad that we made Southern style by using cornbread.  Use some of the first tomatoes of the season and keep this recipe throughout the summer when the bumper crop arrives.

Never had panzanella?  Think bruschetta in a bowl.  Toss cornbread, tomatoes and some olive oil and vinegar and you have it.

Y’all will love this with cornbread. Of course, any real Italian cook would use tomatoes only, but we add anything on hand such as cucumbers, onion, celery, mozzarella or garlic. We make ours with truly fresh vegetables from our southern summer gardens.

If you don’t want to bake cornbread on a hot day, bake the cornbread in the evening and save it for a few days.  Dryer bread works better for this recipe anyway.  I even freeze leftover cornbread in chunks to use later for this salad.

Serves 6-8

1 recipe Tenda-Bake Cornbread, following the recipe on back of package, cut into cubes about 1-inch and let dry for a day, should measure 4 cups of cubes

1 cup thinly sliced red onion

1 cup halved cherry tomatoes such as sun gold or sweet 100’s

3 cups seeded and diced heirloom tomatoes, a mixture is preferred

12 large basil leaves, cut into a chiffonade

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

3 tablespoons fruity, like Sicilian, extra virgin olive oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
2. Place the corn bread cubes on a baking sheet that has been lightly greased.  Place in the oven and cook for about 4 minutes.  Check the corn bread and turn them over.  Cook about another 4 minutes.  Remove from the oven and set aside.
3. In a large bowl, a wooden salad bowl works nicely, toss the onion, tomatoes, and basil leaves together.  Add the red wine vinegar and olive oil, and toss again.  Pour in the corn bread cubes and gently toss to combine.  Taste and add salt and pepper if needed.

Pineapple Pie

“This buttery, flaky pie crust is baked before filling. Then fill that flaky crust with this light filling. It is sweet and simple.”
~ By Tendabake

Ingredients:

   • 1 cup  chopped pecans
   • 1 large (20 ounce) can  crushed pineapple, drained
   • 2 tablespoons  fresh lemon juice
   • 1 can  sweetened condensed milk 
   • 1 large (16 ounce) container  whipped topping

Cooking Instructions:
Heat the oven to 425°F.

Prepare the Perfect Pie Crust Recipe and place in two pie plates. Pierce with a fork.

Use aluminum foil to line the inside of each crust and fill the crust with pie weights, dry beans or rice to weight the crust. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove the foil and beans and return crust to oven. Continue baking until it is completely browned, about 10 more minutes. Cool completely.

Fold all ingredients together and place in 2 baked pie shells. Chill until served.

Cranberry-Apple Cheddar Crunch

“When there isn’t time to bake a pie, cobbler is a fast way to bake up the season’s fresh fruit. This combination of apples and cranberries delivers the best of Fall’s bounty. Topped with a Cheddar cheese crunch crust, the texture and flavor of this dish reach new heights. This is one treat that both family and company will enjoy. “ By Tendabake

Recipe:

 Ingredients:
• 1 (16 ounce) can  whole cranberry sauce
• 2 cups  thinly sliced tart apples
• 1 teaspoon  cinnamon
• 4 tablespoons  melted butter
• 1 ½ cups  Southern Biscuit Self-Rising Flour
• ¾ cup  firmly packed brown sugar
• 1 cup  finely shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
• 1 egg, lightly beaten

Cooking Instructions:
Heat oven to 375°F.

Combine the cranberry sauce, apples and cinnamon. Pour into a 9×9-inch pan. Drizzle with melted butter.

Combine the flour, brown sugar and Cheddar cheese. Add the egg and stir until the mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle over the fruit.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the filling is bubbly. Let cool about 10 minutes and then serve warm.

Hot Cross Buns

Cinnamon and citrus buns marked with a cross are an Easter tradition from England, where sell of them was once banned except for religious holidays because they were made with communion water.

If you aren’t experienced in making yeast breads, this is a nice simple, starter recipe.  I have never had them go wrong.  The only key thing that is not complicated but is vital, is to use a thermometer, yeast needs just the right temperature of milk to grow.

Often recipes call for bread flour when using yeast.  High protein flour is needed for many yeast breads.  However for this recipe, I like the softness of these buns using Southern Biscuit All-Purpose Flour.  The protein is not too high and not too low so they come out with a perfect texture.

Makes 12 buns

3/4 cup warm milk (105˚-115˚F)

1 ¼-ounce packages active dry yeast

½ cup sugar

3 ½-4 cups Southern Biscuit All-Purpose Flour

¼ cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon salt

¼ cup unsalted butter, softened

1 large eggs

½ cup yellow raisins

¼ cup currants

Zest of one orange, grated

Zest of one lemon, grated

Egg wash:

1 large egg

1 tablespoon milk

Glaze:

½ cup confectioners sugar

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Heat milk in the microwave and use a thermometer to measure the temperature.  When milk reaches between 105˚ to 115˚F, stir in the yeast and add a pinch of sugar.  Set aside.

In large bowl, combine sugar, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.

When yeast is foamy, about 10 minutes, add it to the flour.  Stir in butter and eggs using electric mixer on low.  Use the dough hook to knead the dough until smooth and the dough starts to slap the side of the bowl.  You will hear it hitting, this takes 5 to 10 minutes.

Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface and knead in the raisins, currents, orange zest and lemon zest.

Place in a oiled bowl and turn to coat. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about an hour and a half.

Shape into 12 balls and place on a baking sheet that has been coated with nonstick cooking spray.  Place at least 3 inches apart.  Spray plastic wrap with nonstick cooking spray and cover the rolls.  Let rise in a warm place until double in size, about an hour.

Preheat oven to 400˚F.  Combine egg and milk to make egg wash. Brush the tops with egg wash. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown.  Place on a wire rack to cool.

Combine the confectioners sugar and lemon juice.  Place in a small plastic bag and snip the corner of the bag.  Pipe a cross on the buns.

Zucchini Bread

 

“At the end of each summer come the “gifts”. Neighbors with gardens bring over bags full of zucchini that grow so abundantly. What to do? Make a freezer full of zucchini bread and keep it for fall gatherings, holidays, quick breakfasts, and give some back to your “gift” bearing gardeners. They will thank you.” ~ By Tendabake

Ingredients:
• 3 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 2 cups sugar
• 3 cups Southern Biscuit All-Purpose Flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 cups grated zucchini
• 3 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• ½ cup chopped pecans

Cooking Instructions:
Heat oven to 325°F.

Coat two loaf pans with nonstick spray or shortening.

Whisk together eggs and vegetable oil in a large bowl. Whisk in sugar.

In another bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon.

Stir into egg mixture. Stir in zucchini, vanilla and pecans. Pour into the two loaf pans.

Bake for 1 hour and 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted is clean when removed.

Cool for 10 minutes in pan. Then remove from pan to cooling rack and cool completely.

Quick breads can be wrapped and frozen for up to 3 months.

Maple Pecan Scones

 

“Scones are rather expensive when you buy them at a coffee shop, and are so simple to make at home. The difference between a scone and a biscuit is that scones generally include egg and are a bit sweet. Our Tenda-Bake Pancake Mixes already have the egg in them so they are the perfect scone mix! If you don’t have Maple Burst Pancake Mix on hand, this recipe will work equally well with Tenda-Bake Buttermilk Pancake Mix. ”

~ By Tendabake

 

Ingredients:
• 2 cups Tenda-Bake Maple Burst Pancake Mix
• ½ cup s chopped pecan
• 1/3 cup milk or water
• 2 tablespoons melted butter

Cooking Instructions:
Heat oven to 400°F. Coat a cake pan or baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray.

Combine pancake mix and pecans. Stir in milk or water. The dough will be very dry.

If you cannot use your hands to pack it together, add additional milk or water 1 teaspoon at a time.

Turn onto a lightly floured surface. Knead the dough 8 to 10 times to form it into a smooth ball. Pat into a round 2/3-inch thick. Slice into 8 slices using a knife that has been coated with flour OR cut using a 1 ½-inch biscuit cutter.

Place on pan so they are close but not touching.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown. Brush the tops with melted butter.

St. Patrick’s Day – Fried Cabbage

St. Patrick’s Day

St. Patrick’s Day, the day everyone becomes Irish, is so often associated with corned beef and cabbage or meals with green food colored mashed potatoes, and the like – that I once thought it was required food for the day.  I never enjoyed it much, it was just what we always did.

Now, I discovered that cabbage and bacon make up the traditional Irish staple meal, not corned beef.  Rather, corned beef was the Irish immigrants inexpensive replacement for bacon.

Ok, now that we know, I decided to fry the cabbage, it to my great surprise, this is delicious!

I dipped mine in Bacon Ranch Dressing.  Coloring it green is optional.

 

Fried Cabbage

1 head cabbage, cored and cut into 8 wedges

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon butter

4 eggs

4 tablespoons buttermilk

1 package Tenda-Bake Seasoning and Coating Mix

Oil for frying

Makes 8 servings.

Place cabbage in a Dutch oven and cover the cabbage completely with water.  Add salt and butter.  Bring to a boil and allow cabbage to boil for 5 to 7 minutes or until tender.  Drain in a colander for several minutes.  Allow to drain completely.  Press with paper towels to be sure it is dry.

Heat the oil in a deep fryer or heavy, deep cast iron skillet to 350 degrees.

Whisk together the egg and buttermilk in a medium bowl.

In a separate medium bowl, pour the coating mix.

Dip the cooked cabbage into the egg mixture and then the coating mix.  Gently place in the hot oil and fry for 2 to 3 minutes on each side or until golden brown.