The Cornbread Experiment

I needed to make some cornbread to go with dinner and discovered there were no eggs in the house. So I went to the pantry to have a look around for a substitute. That's when my mom suggested the can of cream corn that had been sitting on the shelf. I said, "Sure, why not!" Thus the experiment began. The cornbread turned out great. It was a dense cornbread, but very tasty. My family liked how it didn't crumble apart when cutting it open to spread butter and honey on it. Even the next day it was still very moist.



Ingredients please...
1 cup Flour, 1 cup Corn Meal, 1/4 cup Sugar, 2 t. Baking Powder, 1/2 t. Salt, 1 cup Milk, 1/4 c Oil, 1 can Cream Corn, grated Cheese



Begin by...
Measure your flour into a bowl. Tip: Use the back side of a knife to scrap off extra flour to make sure that you have a level cup of flour.



Next...
Add your cornmeal on top of the flour.



Then...
Some sugar please. Everything is better with a little bit of sugar added to it!



Continue by...
Measure your baking powder and add it to the mix. Be sure it is baking powder and not the baking soda!



Now...
Preheat your oven. Have a grown-up help you set it to 400 degrees.



Next...
Stir your dry ingredients together. Mix it up well.



Now...
Make a little hole (or well) in the middle of the mixture. Do this by using a spoon to pat the sides around the outer part of the bowl.



Start...
Adding your wet ingredients into the well. I began with the can of corn. Doesn't it look like a swimming pool of creamed corn?



Then...
Put in your oil. Be careful the oil comes out fast.



Top it off...
With a little milk. It is okay if it runs overboard. Just add it to the middle as best you can.



Next...
Sprinkle a couple of handfuls of grated cheese over the top. It doesn't matter what kind of cheese - any with do.



Then...
Mix it until it is just a little bit doughy. It is important not to over mix it. Don't put your fingers in it. This dough isn't the sweet kind you want to snitch!



Now...
Spray your pan with cooking spray so it doesn't stick to your pan while it is cooking.



Next...
Put the batter in the pan. Ask an adult to help you if the bowl is too heavy for you to handle.



Lastly...
Place in the oven and bake at 4oo degrees for 30 - 35 minutes. Don't forget your oven mitts - that oven will be hot!



Almost ready...
Take it out of the oven when it is golden brown on top and a tooth pick pushed into the middle comes out clean with no sticky dough on it. Let it cool for about 10 minutes or so before serving it.



To serve...
Cut out a generous sized square piece of this golden bread. Smather it in butter and honey and enjoy this tasty bread. My family likes to eat it with a warm bowl of soup or chili.



Now go have some fun in the kitchen!

- KK (Kid in the Kitchen)



Easy Corn Bread

Ingredients

1 cup Flour
1 cup Corn Meal
1/4 cup Sugar
2 t. Baking Powder
1/2 t. Salt
1 can Cream Corn
1 cup Milk
1/4 c Oil
Small amount of grated cheese (optional)

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease 8 or 9 inch pan. Combine dry ingredients. Make a well in the center of the dry mix and pour in can of corn. Add milk, oil, and small amount of grated cheese to the well. Mix gently until the dry ingredients are moistened. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 30 to 35 minutes until golden brown on top and wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool for 10 minutes and then cut into squares and serve.

Makes about 9 servings.

Kielbasa with Tomato and White Bean

Every Monday my family has this tradition of eating beans for dinner. Most of the recipes are pretty good. This one was great. My mom went on and on about how good it was to anyone she talked with for the next couple of weeks. It was really pretty easy for me to make. The recipe comes from Recipe Zaar.



Ingredients please...
You will need 1-2 Tablespoons oil, 1# smoked kielbasa*, 1 small onion, 2 cloves garlic, rosemary*, oregano*, basil*, 1 can diced tomatoes, and 2 cans white beans.

*Special note: We only had the tiniest amount of kielbasa so we used frozen breakfast sausage patties cut up into bite sized pieces. Also, the recipe calls for dried herbs - our garden had the fresh herbs so we used them and doubled the amount of herbs it called for since we were using fresh.



Begin by...Chopping up the onions into medium chunks. Make sure a grown up helps you with the knife!



The next step...
Use a garlic press and smoosh the garlic cloves through the holes. If this is too hard for you a grown up can help you.



Now...Prepare the herbs by taking the leaves off the stems and place them in a bowl. Or if you are using dried herbs, just measure them all out into one bowl.



Continue by...
Chopping up the herbs into little pieces using a pair of scissors.



Now...
You should have your onions, garlic, and herbs ready to go. Set them aside for just a minute or two and we'll get the meat cooking.



Next...
Put a little oil in the pan and add your kielbasa or sausage pieces. Remember the pan can be hot so ask a grown up for help.



Continue by...
Cooking the meat until it is browned up a bit. Watch out for the grease popping, it can hurt! It helps to use a long handled spoon.



Then...
Take out the sausages and dump them onto a paper towel with a plate under it. Make sure you don't drop any on the floor!



Now...
In the same pan as before, use your meat drippings and cook your onions until they are soft. Reduce the heat to medium-lowish.



Right now...
Would be a good time to open your cans of beans and drain them in a strainer. Don't forget to stir your onions once or twice!



Go ahead and...
Rinse your beans with a little water. Set them aside - you'll need them in just a minute. Hey did you remember to stir your onions?!



Now...
Reduce your stove heat to low and add your garlic.



At the same time...
Add your herbs too. Give the ingredients a stir or two and let it cook for just one minute! No more, no less.



Next...
Add your sausage back into the pan. Dump in your white beans and the can of undrained tomatoes. You want the tomato juices to go into the pot too.



Finish it off...
By giving it a few stirs to mix up the ingredients and let it simmer for about 10 minutes. Most of the time simmer means with the lid on the pan.



To serve...Just scoop some of the bean mixture into a bowl and top it off with a little bit of cheese if you want. My mom served it with some sauteed spinach greens and bread with jam. It was the most scrumptious beans we've had yet!



Now go have some fun in the kitchen!

- KK (Kid in the Kitchen)

Kielbasa with Tomato and White Beans

Ingredients

• 1-2 tablespoon oil or butter
• 1 lb smoked kielbasa, sliced 1/2 inch thick
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 (14 1/2 ounce) can peeled diced tomatoes
• 2 (16 ounce) can great northern beans or navy beans or any white beans, drained

Directions

1. Heat oil or butter in a large skillet, add Kielbasa and cook over medium high heat until lightly browned, remove with slotted spoon.

2. Reduce heat to medium, add onions and cook until transparent.

3. Reduce heat to low, add garlic and herbs and cook 1 minute.

4. Add kielbassa, tomatoes and white beans, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

Serves: 4-6

Two Easy Homemade Macaroni and Cheese

This is a family recipe that has been passed down throughout the generations. My mom calls this warm comfort food and its a quickie dinner meal. It is an easy recipe to remember because all it's ingredients are based around the number "two".



Ingredients Please...
First you'll need 2 cups milk, 2 eggs, 2 cups shredded cheese, 2 cups uncooked macaroni noodles, and a little salt and pepper.



Begin by....
Put hot water and a little salt into a pot and get the water boiling on the stove. Have a grown-up help with the knobs on the stove so you get the right burner on. Wait until the water boils and then dump the macaroni into the water. Follow the cooking time on the package of macaroni.



Next...
Pour 2 cups milk into a large measuring cup. Be careful not to spill!



Then...
Crack 2 eggs into the milk. Ooh it can be slimy! Try not to drop the egg shell in!



Continue by...
Shaking in a little salt and pepper. Now use a fork to beat the eggs and milk together a bit.



Next...
Grate 2 cups of cheese please. Be careful not to cut your fingers, it can be a little tricky.



Then...
When the macaroni is done cooking, strain the water out by using a colander. Be careful not to burn yourself with the hot water or steam. An adult should help with this.



Continue by...
Putting the noodles into a large bowl.



Next...
Add the milk mixture to the noodles in the bowl.



Then...
Add the 2 cups of shredded cheese.



Continue by...
Mixing it all together with a large spoon.



Next...
Spray an oven safe bowl with a non-stick spray.



Don't forget...
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Have an adult help you with this part.



Then...
Carefully pour the mixture into the oven safe bowl. An adult may need to help because it's pretty heavy.



Finish it off with...
For some extra color you can sprinkle paprika on the top. Then cover the dish with a lid or some aluminum foil.



Off to the oven...
Be careful not to touch the sides or top of the oven - it may be hot! Use pot holders to protect your hands. You may want to ask a grown-up to help with this part. Bake it for 50 minutes.



Almost done...
The last 10 minutes of cooking - remove the lid or aluminum foil to let the cheese on top get all bubbly.



Finally...
Use a toothpick to check to see if it is done. It should come out mostly clean when done. When it's done you'll have warm, melty, cheesy, homemade mac and cheese. Yummy!



To serve...
Let it set for 5 minutes before serving. Enjoy as a main dish or a side dish. It goes well with a salad and steamed green vegetables like broccoli or beans.



Now go have some fun in the kitchen!


-KK (Kid in the Kitchen)




Two Easy Homemade Macaroni and Cheese

Ingredients
2 c uncooked macaroni noodles
2c shredded cheese
2c milk
2 eggs
Salt and Pepper
Paprika (optional)

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook macaroni according to package directions. Drain the noodles. In large bowl beat eggs, milk, salt and pepper together. Add cooked macaroni noodles and cheese. Mix to blend. Spray oven safe bowl with nonstick spray. Pour noodle mixture into oven safe bowl. Sprinkle top with paprika. Bake covered for 50 minutes. The last 10 minutes of baking, uncover to brown up the top layer of the dish. Let sit for 5 minutes before serving.

Serves: 6