Mexican spoon bread, corn bread, yum!

So moist and delicious!

This type of "cornbread" is one of my very favorite.  The recipe I used for years in my twenties was lost to me and finding another was frustrating.  However, my mother left me several good cookbooks that she enjoyed.  For some reason I thought I'd find a recipe for fry bread in this little book from Arizona Highways magazine, which was not there, but a recipe for spoonbread was.  So, this is the first time in years that I've enjoyed this treat.  This is very easy to make and it's even better than what I made 30 years ago! 

First thing when cooking breads is to remember what altitude you reside at.  I'm at 7100 ft. above sea level, so for every teaspoon of baking soda or powder, you want to reduce this by 1/4 tsp. (give or take a little).  Being exact isn't necessary, but at 4000 ft. and higher, you will have a flatter bread if you use the given amount in a normal cookbook.  The closer you are to 4000 ft, the more you can get away with.  Add a tablespoon more moisture also, whether that is milk, water, or other moistening agent.  Now, lets cook (remember, I adjusted this recipe for my altitude, though this is the original below).

1    cup corn meal

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon salt (I used 1/2 or less)

1    medium onion, chopped (I used 1/4 cup sweet onion)

1    cup cream-style corn (I used the whole can)

1/4 cup bacon drippings or cooking oil (see below for comment)

2    eggs (I use extra large)

1    clove of garlic, chopped (I used pre-minced in a jar)

1    cup sour cream or milk (regular milk, but I used the sour cream)

1    small jalapeno, minced (I used Ortega fire roasted chilies, chopped)

1    cup grated cheddar cheese (I used Sergento shredded Mexican 4 cheese)

Mix the first 7 ingredients in a medium sized mixing bowl.  If you are not worried about cholesterol levels or diabetes, you can get away with the bacon drippings, however I strongly urge you not to.  Regular cooking oil is also a risk, though not as great.  I used sunflower oil because it has a nice flavor and is much better for you. 

After beating all contents of the bowl together well, pour half of the mix into a 10x10 baking dish that has been greased. 

Spread/sprinkle the chili over the mix in the pan.  If it's uneven, run a dinner knife blade through the top portion of the mix to obtain a more even distribution of chilies.  Sprinkle the cheese over the mixture (I used more than a cup by approximately 1/2 more).   

Pour the remainder of the corn mixture over the cheese, insuring you have an even cover of the layer below. 

Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for approximately 45 minutes (due to the altitude I'm at, 360 degrees works better here).  There should be a slight browning of the top part of the bread.  The recipe says it will serve 10, however, if you get 6 out of it, you are doing better than I.  Smaller portions would most definitely be better for me, but darn it's good!  Store leftover in the same pan so it is easily reheated for dinner the next day.  It's a good make ahead dish also. 

If you have the good fortune to find this wee booklet, grab it.  It has some nice recipes in it as well as a little history of the food. 

Wine:  We had Cline, 2008, Zinfandel, Sonoma, California.  This wine went terriffic with the entire meal (pork roast with winter veggies).   

Until the next blog, thank you for stopping by, hugs to my kids, and good health to all.

Boursin Chicken

So quick and simple!  So yummy!

This dish is very easy to make and it's so gourmet! 

You start with what ever kind of chicken parts you want, though I would recommend ones that have few bones.  

Rinse and dry the chicken with paper towels, then place them in a olive oil coated shallow dish that has been coated on the inside.  Make only one layer in the bottom so the chicken does not overlap.  Salt and pepper the chicken, turn it over and doing the same to the other side.

As you can see, I coated chicken breasts (pounded flat to about 3/4 inch thick) with my favorite seasoned bread crumbs and fried them before putting them into the baking dish.  This is an optional step and is more fattening.  However, it does add a bit more flavor and time to prepare, but less time to bake.  

 Place the Boursin cheese rounds in the middle of the dish atop the chicken. 

Pour enough white wine of your choice over the cheese and chicken so there is approximately 1/4 inch up the side of the baking dish. 

Place this into a preheated oven at 375 degrees.

About 15 minutes into the baking process, pull the oven rack out so you can use the back of a large spoon or a spatula to mix the cheeses if you use different flavors like I do. Then spread this over the chicken as evenly as possible.  Push the chicken dish and rack back into the oven and let it cook for another 25 minutes or so (15 if you fried or browned the chicken in a skillet first) . 

You don't want overcooked chicken.  It's dry!  So keep checking to see if it's bubbling, and remove after 5 minutes of first seeing this.  If you use thick pieces that have not been pounded thin, cut a the middle of one to see if it's still pink.  Return it to the oven if it's not done and check it again in about 10 minutes. 

I served the Boursin Chicken with another 2 other dishes that needed to go into the oven to bake.  That way I had time to set the table, open a bottle of wine to drink with dinner, and clean up before sitting down to eat.  A vegetable casserole (I used the eggplant one with orange bell peppers added to it), or scalloped potatoes would be a good choice.  Also, baked onions, either large ones cut in half or the baby Vidalia's you see in the picture above.  What ever your choice of vegetable, it's a great dinner for company, or on a cold winters day.

Wine:  Pictured with dinner here, is a 2008 Syrah from Spain.  It went incredibly well with this meal.  Whites from Spain will also go well, such as Verdejo or blend.  Argentina whites or California chardonnay is a good choice.  If you want a red, I would recommend a French Beaujolais, or a good chianti from Italy.  Chateau St. Jean, a winery in the Sonoma Valley, makes a nice chardonnay called Belle Terre (beautiful earth or land), which I highly recommend.  Robert Parker (my wine hero) rated the 2005 "93" points.  It's a steal for $18.00.