Take a Megabite

Cornmeal Yeast Rolls

Putting a sandwich on these guys is like having a sandwich on a corn muffin. Honestly, I can’t imagine anything better.

I’m excited to make these the next time Jake makes pulled pork …  ribs or briskit. Basically, these would accompany BBQ-ed goodness in a dreamy way.  But for now peanut butter and strawberry jam will do.

Oh yeah! It’s September! So I guess instead of BBQ-ing we should be thinking about beef stew and pumpkin everything. Well, these rolls are cool in that they can transition effortlessly from summer to fall. Like wearing your favorite dress with tights, or something.

Cornmeal Yeast Rolls
Recipe adapted from cdkitchen

Ingredient:

• 1 envelope active dry yeast
• 1/4 cup lukewarm water
• 1 t sugar + 1/4 cup granulated sugar, divided
• 1/4 cup butter, melted and cooled
• 1 cup milk
• 1 egg
• 1 t salt
• 3/4 cup cornmeal
• 3+ cups all-purpose flour

Directions:

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook (or any large bowl+ an electric mixer), combine the yeast, water and 1 teaspoon sugar and let stand until bubbly, about 5 minutes.
2. Mix in 1/4 cup sugar, butter, milk, egg, salt and cornmeal. (If mixing by hand switch from your hand mixer to a wooden spoon before adding the flour.) Add 2 1/2 cups flour and mix until combined.
3. Knead in the remaining 1/2 cup of flour on a lightly floured surface for 7-10 minutes or in a stand mixer for about 5 minutes. Add more flour as needed to keep the dough from being too sticky.
4. Transfer to a medium lightly greased bowl, turning to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and set in a warm place to rise until double in bulk  (1-2 hours).
5. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Form the dough into about 14 (2.5 oz.) rolls and place on the prepared baking sheets leaving a couple inches of space between. Cover lightly with a dish towel and set aside to rise until puffy and almost double in size (45 minutes – 1 hour).
6. Meanwhile preheat oven to 375ºF. Bake for 10-14 minutes, or until golden brown. Allow to cool completely on a wire rack before storing in an airtight container to enjoy for days.

Just dunk this in some beef stew already.

Multi-Grain Waffles for Two

I’ve been trying to be more like Fergie lately. You know, the whole “up in the gym, just workin’ on my fitness” thing. So when I wanted waffles for Sunday breakfast, I figured I’d look for one packed with oats and protein and all that good stuff. And on top of all that, the brown sugar makes you totally doubt the need for syrup. So there you go!

These waffles are healthy, but don’t hold it against them. They are go-od.

Next time I make these, I think I’ll mash up the berries so the juices get all up in the waffle nooks.

Multi-Grain Waffles for Two {makes 4 waffles}
Recipe adapted in half from Eating Well

Ingredients:

• 1 cup buttermilk*
• 1/4 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1/3 cup whole-wheat flour
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 T cornmeal (or toasted wheat germ)
• 3/4 t baking powder
• 1/4 t baking soda
• 1/8 t salt
• 1/2 t ground cinnamon
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 2 T brown sugar
• 1 1/2 t canola oil
• 1 t vanilla extract
• fruit, for topping

* If you don’t have buttermilk pour 1 tablespoon lemon juice in the bottom of a 1-cup measuring cup and fill to the top with milk. Set aside for a few minutes then use.

Directions:

1. Mix buttermilk and oats in a medium bowl, let stand for 15 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, whisk the whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, cornmeal (or wheat germ), baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon together.
3. Whisk the egg, sugar, and vanilla into the oat mixture. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients; mix with a rubber spatula until just moistened.
4. Coat a waffle iron with cooking spray and preheat. Spoon enough better to cover three-fourths of the surface (about 2/3 cup for an 8-by-8-inch waffle iron). Cook until waffles are crisp and golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Repeat with remaining batter.
5. Top with fresh fruit and a sprinkle of powered sugar.

I over-filled the waffle maker every single time. So, now you know.

Whole Wheat Banana Walnut Pancakes

I’m accomplishing things today! I have a double batch of Light Brioche Burger Buns on the rise for a 4th of July BBQ tomorrow at my best friend in the world’s house and I even made these pancakes for breakfast.

These pancakes are hearty … as in a burley dude would like them. They have both whole wheat flour and corn meal in them and not a speck of white flour. They are so good that you’ll only need a smidgen of maple syrup. These guys are independent ladies that can stand on their own.

Whole Wheat Banana Walnut Pancakes
Recipe from the Gourmet Cookbook via Joy the Baker

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/3 cup corn meal
• 1 T sugar
• 2 t baking powder
• 1 t salt
• 2 large eggs, separated
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 cup milk
• 1 ripe banana, diced or mashed
• 1/4 cup walnuts, chopped

Directions:

1. Whisk together flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Whisk together yolks, oil and milk in another bowl and add to the flour mixture, whisking until smooth. Let batter stand for 5 minutes to allow flour to absorb liquid (batter will thicken). If batter is too thick to fall easily from a spoon, stir in 1 to 2 tablespoons additional milk. Fold in banana and walnuts
2. Beat egg whites in a large bowl with an electric mixer at moderately high speed until they just hold stiff peaks. With a whisk, gently but thoroughly fold into batter.
3. Brush a griddle or 12-inch nonstick skillet with oil and heat over medium high heat until hot, but not smoking. Reduce heat to medium. Working in batches of 3 or 4, spoon 2 tablespoons batter per pancake onto skillet. Cook pancakes until bubbles appear on surface, edges are set and undersides are golden, 45 seconds to 1 minute. Flip pancakes and cook until undersides are golden and pancakes are cooked through. Lower heat if pancakes brown too quickly and insides aren’t set. Transfer pancakes to plate and serve with maple syrup.

Cornmeal Pancakes

I bought the good corn meal this week, and right on the front of the bag was a recipe for my dream pancake. I might’ve been tempted to make these for dinner throughout the week, but I held out until this morning, and I’m going to be honest when I say that I ate these as I made them (I couldn’t resist!) … the ones on the party plate were reserved for Jake.

Last Sunday my friend and I hung out and spent a significant amount of time talking about how pretty much cornbread anything is amazing. So here you go, friend of mine: cornbread-esque pancakes. A breakfast miracle.

Make these the next time you’re feeling starry-eyed about cornbread. They sure won’t disappoint. Serving them on a party plate doesn’t hurt either.

Cornmeal Pancakes
Recipe adapted from Bob’s Red Mill

Ingredients:

• 1 cup boiling water
• 3/4 cup medium grind cornmeal
• 1 1/4 cups buttermilk
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/4+ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 T baking powder
• 1 t salt
• 1/4 t baking soda
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 vegetable oil (I only had olive oil! It worked too.)
• maple syrup to serve

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, pour water over cornmeal, stir until thick. Add milk; beat in eggs.
2. In a separate bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda and brown sugar. Stir into cornmeal mixture. Stir in oil. (If the batter seems thin, add 1/4 cup more flour.)
3. Cook on a hot non-stick skillet or griddle, leaving the temperature at a little below medium. (Feel free to melt a teensy bit of butter on the skillet or griddle before cooking. Chances are you won’t need to add anymore though, since these guys don’t bother sticking.)

What’s the batter with you?
See, it’s lookin’ a little thin so add some more flour, already!

Corn Bread Crackers

Don’t you just hate when you’re super excited about a recipe and then it just turns out ugly. Delicious, but ugly. This happened to me last night. I’m sure if I would have served them to a crowd of people they would have exclaimed, “I’m sure these cupcakes have really good personalities…” And beside their unfortunate looks, they baked up in a completely unpredictable way.

I want to say it was my oven’s fault. I want to say it was my tiny oven that probably gets just as hot as it wants instead of following the rules, but I won’t. Mostly it was just sad that such a pretty batter could turn on me.

So instead, here is a recipe for a cracker that I have wanted to taste promptly upon knowing it existed. And they’re good!

AND if crackers are misshapen they’re referred to as “rustic” not ugly.

Corn Bread Crackers
Recipe adapted from Recipe Zaar

Ingredients:

• 1 cup corn meal
• 1/2 t sea salt
• 1 t granulated sugar
• 1/8 t fresh ground pepper
• 2 T flour
• 1/2 t baking powder
• 1 cup boiling water
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2 T butter
• 2 T grated gruyere (or parmesan if you’ve got that on hand)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
2. In a medium bowl, mix corn meal, sea salt, sugar, pepper, flour, and baking powder.
3. Pour boiling water over this and mix well. Incorporate egg, butter and cheese. Stir until butter is melted.
4. Drop by tablespoon onto a parchment lined baking pan and spread thin (the thinner the better) with a flat knife. Sprinkle with additional salt and/or pepper if you’re feeling spicy. Which I am, so I did.
5. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until firm throughout, and darkening along the edges. (The longer you bake them, the crispier they will be. I found that some of mine were a bit chewy, and the ones that were darker were crispier.) Allow to cool for 30 minutes.

Serve these with your favorite cheese (perhaps dill havarti) around 3 pm when you’re starving at work or at home or in the car.

Corn Tortillas

There are a couple things that I’m spoiled about.

1. Homemade Strawberry Freezer Jam
2. Corn Tortillas for taco night

I really don’t like to buy strawberry jam ever. Growing up we had a never ending amount in the freezer. When I moved out there was a moment when I ran out of my strawberry jam and bought some… big mistake. So now I make it too.

Another thing is these corn tortillas. Whenever we had tacos, my  mom would make a ton of these corn tortillas, aka taco shells. I remember eating them too fast because I loved them too much to casually eat. That and the fact that I grew up in a family of six and wanted to make sure I got my share.

Once you make these, you’ll understand.
You’ll want Taco Tuesday to be a national holiday.
I’m just saying.

Corn Tortillas
Recipe from my childhood

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs
• 1/2-3/4 t salt
• 5 1/2 T corn meal
• 3/4 cup corn starch
• 1 cup milk ( room temperature)
• 2 T vegetable oil

Directions:

1. Beat eggs and add salt. Add corn meal and whisk until combined.
2. In a separate bowl (warm the milk for 30 seconds unless it was really room temperature) add the corn starch to the room temperature milk, one tablespoon at a time, whisking after each addition.
3. Pour the milk mixture and vegetable oil into the egg, salt, corn meal mixture and whisk until mixed. It will be a thin crepe-like consistency.
4. Pour 1/4 of a cup into the center of an oiled iron skillet at a medium/high heat. Cook until the top is bubbly and almost done (about 1 minute). Flip until bottom is done, about one more minute. Continue process for the rest of the batter, whisking the batter now and then. Makes enough for four. If using an iron skillet you will probably not need to re-oil the pan at all throughout cooking.

I made a half recipe last night since it was just Jacob and myself. If you have a big group double it like you mean it.