I can still remember when I was in college my roommate came back to our dorm so excited about a recent purchase she had made. You can imagine my surprise when it turned out to be an ice tea maker. People...you do not need to go out and waste your hard earned money on such a contraption. Literally you might as well go flush $20.00 down the toilet. Sweet tea is something that is in my frig about 90% of the time and I have never in my life made it with an ice tea maker. Tea is full of antioxidants and can help to fight free radicals in the body. It gets a bad rap because the trend in the south is to make it sickeningly sweet. As you will see in my recipe I don't follow that trend!
Sweet Tea
Ingredients
1. 3 family sized tea bags - I always buy Lipton Tea Naturally Decaffeinated Family Size Tea Bags
2. sugar (1/2 cup)
3. water
Directions
1. In a medium sized saucepan fill halfway full with water. Put teabags in and bring to a boil.
2. Once the water is boiling, immediately turn the heat down to a simmer. Let simmer for about 10 minutes.
3. Take a 1 gallon pitcher and pour 1/2 cup of sugar into it.
4. Pour the hot tea into the pitcher and use a wooden spoon to stir the tea with the sugar until the sugar dissolves.
5. Run water to the top of the pitcher. Stir a few times to incorporate the tea with the water.
That's all there is to it! To jazz it up a little, I like to make a gallon of unsweetened tea and mix half a glass of tea with half a glass of lemonade to make an Arnold Palmer.
Showing posts with label essentials. Show all posts
Showing posts with label essentials. Show all posts
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Teaser Post
I say this is a teaser post because I don't actually have a recipe to impart to you. I have ingested so many pounds of this cornbread during my lifetime and just the smell of it cooking takes me back to my childhood. My granny even used to serve this with a wedge of onion for a "snack" when I was little. As disgusting as that sounds...try it...you'd be surprised! This is the base for so many southern staples (and hopefully future posts!) such as stewed potatoes and cabbage and cornbread. I always shake my head at people in the grocery store buying those boxed cornbread mixes. Cornbread is WAY to simple to make from scratch to buy those Jiffy mixes. To be a true southern woman there are a few food staples which you must be able to make: fried chicken, deviled eggs, turnip greens and of course cornbread. Please try this cornbread so you won't be one of those people I pity in the grocery store! I'm sorry I don't have exact measurements for you but this really is one of those things where once you make it a few times you learn what the mixture is supposed to look and feel like so measurements become obsolete. My mom used to hand me the whisk when she was making this and tell me to stir it a few time to learn how it is supposed to feel. Anyway I will give it my best shot!
Cornbread
Ingredients
1. Cornmeal - I like to use Martha White Corn Meal, Plain White
2. 1 large egg
3. milk - I just use what I always have on hand which is 2% but I'm sure it would work with regular
4. canola oil
Directions
* You are going to need a cast iron skillet to make this cornbread. If you don't already have one and want to purchase one I would recommend an 8 inch skillet. It produces 8 slices of cornbread which is enough for most families. Try to find a skillet which says it is "pre-seasoned" . That means it will already be non stick and protected from rust.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
1. In a large bowl combine: egg, cornmeal and milk. This is the tricky part since I don't have exact measurements. I just take a regular table spoon and put about a dozen heaping spoonfuls of cornmeal in the bowl along with the egg. Add enough milk so that the mixture is slightly runny. The great thing about this is that if it gets too thin you just add some more cornmeal and if it gets too thick you just add some more milk. Use a whisk to mix everything together. Don't overmix or it will get gluey (if that is even a word!)
2. Turn a stove eye on about medium heat
3. Put about 2 tbsps. canola oil in the cast iron skillet and put the skillet on the stove eye
4. Wait for the oil in the skillet to get warm. You don't want it to be too hot or otherwise the cornmeal will cook too rapidly when it hits the oil. When you think it is warm enough take a pinch of cornmeal and put in the skillet. It should sizzle a little.
5. Pour the cornmeal mix you have made into the skillet on the stove. The oil from the bottom will come up the sides a little bit. Take a spoon and pull some of the oil across the cornmeal so that it will be nice and golden.
6. Put in the oven for about 30 minutes.
7. Remove and run a butter knife around the edge and then invert it onto a dinner plate.
8. Slice and serve. YUM!
Cornbread
Ingredients
1. Cornmeal - I like to use Martha White Corn Meal, Plain White
2. 1 large egg
3. milk - I just use what I always have on hand which is 2% but I'm sure it would work with regular
4. canola oil
Directions
* You are going to need a cast iron skillet to make this cornbread. If you don't already have one and want to purchase one I would recommend an 8 inch skillet. It produces 8 slices of cornbread which is enough for most families. Try to find a skillet which says it is "pre-seasoned" . That means it will already be non stick and protected from rust.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
1. In a large bowl combine: egg, cornmeal and milk. This is the tricky part since I don't have exact measurements. I just take a regular table spoon and put about a dozen heaping spoonfuls of cornmeal in the bowl along with the egg. Add enough milk so that the mixture is slightly runny. The great thing about this is that if it gets too thin you just add some more cornmeal and if it gets too thick you just add some more milk. Use a whisk to mix everything together. Don't overmix or it will get gluey (if that is even a word!)
2. Turn a stove eye on about medium heat
3. Put about 2 tbsps. canola oil in the cast iron skillet and put the skillet on the stove eye
4. Wait for the oil in the skillet to get warm. You don't want it to be too hot or otherwise the cornmeal will cook too rapidly when it hits the oil. When you think it is warm enough take a pinch of cornmeal and put in the skillet. It should sizzle a little.
5. Pour the cornmeal mix you have made into the skillet on the stove. The oil from the bottom will come up the sides a little bit. Take a spoon and pull some of the oil across the cornmeal so that it will be nice and golden.
6. Put in the oven for about 30 minutes.
7. Remove and run a butter knife around the edge and then invert it onto a dinner plate.
8. Slice and serve. YUM!
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