Corny Cornbread

This Simply in Season cornbread was smooth & the flavors were spot on. Spicy-corny sweetness with a golden-crisp crust.

However, honey was in order & sadly nowhere to be found. & if you desire a traditional or crumbly bread we recommend trying more milk & nixing the plain yogurt.

Combine: 2 cups cornmeal, 1/4 cup honey or brown sugar, 1 tsp salt, & 1 tsp baking soda.

Mix in: 2 cups milk, yogurt, or combination & 3 beaten eggs.

Optionally, Mix in: 2 cups corn & 1 tsp minced hot or mild green chilies.

Pour into greased 2.5 quart casserole or fry pan & bake at 350 until a toothpick poked in the center comes out clean. (It was about an hour for us. Start checking around forty minutes, though!)

My brother really helped me out with this one, so much so I feel he deserves the credit for this dish.

Favorite Song for today (led to in a more or less direct way by my favorite radio station):

Neutral Milk Hotel- King of Carrot Flowers Part 1-3

Strawberry Bread

You've got to try this! The crust is crisp & the rest is fluffy & it all truly melts in the mouth. The sweet acidity of the strawberries is not overpowered by sugar & pairs well with cinnamon.

This bread also goes well with one of my favourite beverages, chai tea.

These beautiful plates were a Valentine from my sweet husband. They each have two unique birds on them. (I am a bird watcher.)

I've been waiting for a good day to feature them on here. And today we are in for a treat, because I found strawberries for rather cheap! Some rather nice looking ones. And here's hoping that means Spring isn't too far around the corner.

This is the first recipe I've tried from Simply in Season's Spring section...

1. Combine one and one half cup of flour, two tsp ground cinnamon, one half tsp salt, & one half tsp baking soda.

2. Combine in large bowl two eggs, one and one quarter cup mashed strawberries, two thirds cup of oil, & three quarter cup of sugar.

3. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients.

4. Bake in greased pan at 350 for one hour or until toothpick comes out clean.

Favorite Song (on my favorite radio station during prep time):

J Tillman- No Occasion

Naan, Cilantro Chutney, & Cilantro-Mint Yogurt

We discovered our love of Naan several years ago, & have made it a few times since. It's a rather lovely sweet flat-bread. Recently I've been longing to make it again, & I was excited to find a quite different recipe for it in

Simply in Season.

On a whim I also decided a Cilantro Chutney would be nice. However, it turned out rather spicy. So on another whim we whipped up some Cilantro-Mint Yogurt to help balance out the meal. All in all it was a revitalizing & flavorful meal.

For Naan:

1. Mix in a small bowl until dissolved:

one quarter cup water, one tbsp dry active yeast, one tbsp sugar.

2. Mix in another bowl:

one cup lukewarm water, one quarter cup plain yogurt,

one beaten egg, two tbsp oil, & two tsp salt.

3. Stir in yeast mixture & then five cups of flour. Make a soft dough.

4. Knead 5-10 minutes.

5. Put in a greased bowl, turning to grease both sides.

Cover with damp cloth & allow to rise for an hour.

6. Separate into golf ball sized portions & fry as thin as possible in pan.

For Cilantro Chutney:

Combine in food processor: two cups cilantro, three chilies, the juice of a lime, half inch of fresh ginger finely sliced, & two cloves of garlic. Blend. May also add mint. (For milder chutney, use fewer &/or milder chilies. Thai chilies are recommended.)

For Cilantro-Mint Yogurt:

Combine in food processor: one cup plain yogurt, three or four sprigs fresh mint, cilantro. Blend. Will be runny. Scoop up with Naan.

Favorite Song (originally heard on my favorite radio station website):

Nancy Elizabeth-Coriander

Everyday Oatmeal Bread

That's right! Simply in Season also features baking recipes! Though, I am generally more interested in cooking, there are some days that something bread or something sweet are so fulfilling to make.

I am pleased to say the bread recipe was as simple as most of the other recipes I have tried. Granted, it takes a bit more time/physical effort, but the results are worth it.

The whole project cost next to nothing. All were ingredients I had sitting in the cupboard, but they also were purchased rather cheaply to begin with.

So here goes...

1. Boil one and one half cups water. Add one cup rolled oats. Let sit for half an hour.

2. Stir into oatmeal 3/4 cup molasses, 3tbsp butter or oil, & two tsp salt.

3. Dissolve one tbsp of active dry yeast in two cups of lukewarm water. Add to oatmeal mixture.

4. Work in six cups flour & two cups wheat flour. Make a medium-soft dough, adding flour if needed.

5. Turn onto a floured surface & knead for nine minutes or until smooth.

6. Put into a greased bowl & turn over to grease both sides of the loaf. Cover with a damp cloth & allow to rise until doubled, about an hour.

7. Punch down & separate into two loaves. Put into greased 9x9 bread pans, cover with a damp cloth, put somewhere warm until doubled, about forty-five minutes.

8. Bake in preheated oven at 400 for five minutes. Then lower temp to 350 and bake about forty minutes, or until loaves sound hollow when tapped.

We had ours with Dijon mustard, ham, provolone, tomato, onion, & basil. For dessert we tried some with butter & Lingonberries.

It's a sweet bread, but not overly so. With a nice wheat taste & a smooth texture. Perfect for sandwiches of any kind.

And you can't beat the smell of bread baking. Or the feel of pulling it from the hot oven. Or the joy of eating it still warm.


Favorite Song (on my favorite radio station during prep time):

Emily and the Woods- Never Play