Southern Style Corn Cakes

Southern Style Corn Cakes

These babies are so easy and quick to make. In fact, they could pretty much be an after thought, when you main course is almost ready, that pops into your mind for an extra side. They only take about 15 minutes to complete.

Serve With: Sour cream & salsa on top. Great to serve as a side with my 'Down South Smothered Liver & Onions with Gravy' recipe.
Prep Time: 5 min
Cook Time: 10 min
Yield: ~ 12 corn cakes

These Corn Cakes are also good with Black Beans or a mixture of the black beans and corn.
~ Kimberly Edwards

Ingredients:
Instructions:

1. Mix all ingredients (except butter or oil) in the same rectangular casserole dish with a whisk or a fork. It should be the consistency of pancake batter.

* Don't be afraid to add either more liquid or flour/cornmeal to make it the consistency of pancake batter.

2. Get pan warm on medium heat and coat pan with peanut oil and/or butter.

3. With a 1/2 cup measuring cup, scoop the mixture in the pan, like you would make pancakes. Pan will fit 3-4 depending on how big you make them.

4. When the corn cakes have little bubbles forming on the top side, flip them over. They should be golden brown on the bottom.

5. When the other side is golden brown, repeat with the rest of the mixture.

6. Enjoy!

* Note: I made this last night and served it as a side with my 'Down South Smothered Liver & Onions with Gravy' recipe. It was great and we only have 2 left over...

...I guess that means they enjoyed it...LOL!

...As I hope you enjoy it!

Kimberly Edwards :D

P.S. Are you Crazy for Corn? Are you always looking for new ways to use corn in recipes? Here is the book for you:

Technorati Tags: cooking corn corn cakes pancakes soul food southern cooking

Down South Smothered Liver & Onions with Gravy

Okay, I really really disliked liver and onions when I was a kid. Uhhhhh. The reason why? Well, apart from the fact that my parents told me it was beaver tail (uh, yeah, true story), but it tasted so disgustingly nasty to me.

I still have a liver block to this day. However, my husband, mother and sister are liver freaks! Well, I will have a few little tastes of it, just because I am cooking it, and I must admit that it is pretty good. ...BUT...Everyone seems to love the way I cook liver.

I also must admit that I took a few pointers from my fabulous mother-in-law. With my own recipe, I even passed the southern grandma test by Kenney's grandmother from Texas! If you can pass this test, you are liver queen! I hope you enjoy it the way everyone else does... ~~Kimberly Edwards :D

Dish Type: Main
Serve With: mashed potatoes, corn cakes, greens (any)
Prep Time: ~ 10 - 15 min
Cook Time: ~ 45 min
Yield: 4 servings

Nutrition Facts:
Organically grown is best for you.

Recipe:

1. Rinse liver steaks gently in cold running water.

2. In a rectangular casserole dish, mix flour, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper and cayenne pepper.

3. Warm 2 large frying pans on medium heat with 2 tbsp olive oil in each.

4. Once pans are warm enough to sizzle a drop of water, dredge each liver steak well in the flour mixture in the casserole dish, and place into the pan (2/pan).

5. While liver is cooking, slice the 2 onions.

7. When liver steaks are golden brown on both sides, take them out of the pan and reserve them on a plate.

8. In one pan, on low heat, start sauteeing sliced onions in 1 tbsp olive oil and 1 tbsp butter (=1 pat). 1/2 way through cooking them to be soft and slightly caramelized (golden brown), you may add 2 tbsp of the left over dredging flour to help give a nice crust.

9. In the other pan, start making a roux (which is a term for cooking 1/2 oil, 1/2 flour into a paste and then browning it before adding any type of liquid for a gravy, sauce or soup) with 2 tbsp olive oil, 2 tbsp butter, and ~ 1/2 cup of the left over dredging flour, on medium low heat. It should be a very thick paste.

10. Constantly stirring the roux, wait until it is a peanut butter color (or slightly darker depending on the richness of flavor you desire), then start adding the chicken or beef stock slowly. At first, add a small amount of liquid (~ 4 tbsp), and mix in thoroughly with the roux. Gradually adding increasingly more stock, thin out the paste until it is the consistency of gravy you desire. This will take approximately 2 cups of stock. It may be more depending on exactly how much flour you used and the conditions.

* Tip: Don't be afraid to add more liquid if you feel you need it. If you have run out of stock at this point, just add water, or even some more red wine.

11. Add the red wine and honey to the gravy (and any other seasoning you feel you may need) at this point.

12. When the gravy is ready add the golden brown sliced onions (you may need to add a little bit more liquid as some evaporates during the rest of the cooking...don't be afraid to add a little more.).

13. Add the liver back into the gravy and smother it.

14. After it is warmed back through, serve and ENJOY!

Southern Style Corn Cakes:

~1 cup white flour (what is left over from dredging the liver steaks)
3/4 cup corn meal
1/2 can creamed corn
1 egg
~ 3/4 cup milk
1 splash of white wine (if desired)
1 tsp baking powder
peanut oil or butter for the pan
Salt & Pepper to taste

1. Mix all ingredients (except butter or oil) in the same rectangular casserole dish with a whisk or a fork.

2. Get pan warm on medium heat and coat pan with peanut oil and/or butter.

3. With a 1/2 cup measuring cup, scoop the mixture in the pan, like you would make pancakes. Pan will fit 3-4 depending on how big you make them.

4. When the corn cakes have little bubbles forming on the top side, flip them over. They should be golden brown on the bottom.

5. When the other side is golden brown, repeat with the rest of the mixture.

6. Enjoy!

* Note: I made this tonight, and it was my best batch ever. Honestly...

Kenney looks happy, and his plate in this picture is almost clean...He had another helping after this...LOL :D

I even had a few bites, and kind of liked it...Maybe it's an acquired taste. Maybe I just didn't like my mom's...(Sorry Mom!)...LOL

Thank you for reading, and let me know if you are a new liver lover!

Have a blessed weekend!

Kimberly Edwards :D

P.S. If you're interested in learning how to eat healthier and do your part to help the environment by eating and cooking with organic foods,
Click Here For More Information!

Fried Green Tomatoes - Can I Say Wow?!

If you're not from the South of the United States, then you may very well have never eaten Fried Green Tomatoes...

Boy, oh boy, are you missing out! I love making and Eating these little gems! This is true Southern Soul Food.

Okay, to clear up the possible misconception, green tomatoes are not a type of tomato, but it is a green tomato meaning not ripe. I know it may feel weird to pick your tomatoes before they turn a beautiful, shiny red, but you will thank me you did!

Now, if you're not from down south, you may have never eaten okra either, which is probably the closest taste I can compare fried green tomatoes to. So, just try fried green tomatoes because I'm sure you'll like it.

I made them this morning, and they were just as fabulous as I was anticipating! This year's crop of our green tomatoes is delicious. As often as I can get my hands on green tomatoes, I get cooking!

Fried Green Tomatoes: This should be enough for 3-4 people.

1. Pick 4 large green tomatoes (or equivalent, depending upon how big your tomatoes are, and how much you think you'll eat). Clean and slice them about 1/3-1/2 of an inch thick. If you slice them thinner, they will turn into mush in the pan when you handle them.

2. In one plate, mix 1/2 white flour, and 1/2 cornmeal of your choice (you may use wheat flour if desired, but use 1/2 white, 1/2 wheat, and an equal amount of cornmeal). Season with salt and pepper (and if you really want to go southern, add some cayenne pepper or chili powder).

3. In one bowl, mix 1 egg, and about 1/2 cup of milk. Again, season with salt and pepper (cayenne pepper or chili powder if you wish).

4. Get your pan/s warmed up to about 1/2 heat with a pat of butter and about 1 tablespoon of olive oil (so your butter doesn't burn). You may use other oils such as peanut, soy, corn, or vegetable. Down south, as in my husband's grandmother's kitchen, they even use Crisco.

5. When the pan sizzles with a drop of water added, start placing the sliced and coated tomatoes into the pan using this method:
A) Dunk the tomato slices in the egg/milk mixture
B) Cover the tomato slices with the flour/cornmeal mixture, and make sure they are entirely coated.

6. Pan fry the tomato slices until they are golden brown on both sides.

* Ideas: You may enjoy these babies with breakfast alongside some eggs, grits and pea-meal bacon, or as a side dish with dinner. I even like them all by themselves as a snack.

* Tip: I have even used cherry or grape tomatoes and was satisfied with the results. You may slice them in half if you desire more crust on them. Otherwise, with the small tomatoes, the crust does not stick to the skin, so be aware of this beforehand.

* Key: The key is to make sure the slices are thick enough, and are as even as possible throughout.

I truly hope you enjoy these bad-boys, and I hope you add this recipe to your repertoire, as it will diversify you. People may even think you're from Alabama or something...LOL

Let me know if you liked them...

Kimberly :D

P.S. If you like Southern Cooking, check out this fantastic cookbook that is chocked full of wonderful soul food recipes.

Technorati Tags: fried green tomatoes | cooking | southern cooking | soul food | tomato