breakfast – Grit Cooking- A Southern Girls Taste

Warm English Muffins

April 20, 2022 Gritcooking- A Southern Girls Taste

Im a huge fan of the english muffin. I love the cornmeal crunch and nooks and crannies that butter can seep into. I also enjoy topping with my favorite seasonal jams. Spring favorite, there is always my orange marmalade. So when Jason ate the last english muffin- of course I pondered how to make. I will never store buy again. If you have a cast iron skillet you can make and freeze these light fluffy muffins to enjoy any day.

This is a two day process to make to ultimate product. But a two hour rest for the dough will suffice. I like to make the easy dough the night before and then skillet hot muffins in the morning. A kitchen aide is really needed or a short dough cycle bread machine.

Ingredients

Flour 2-3/4 c
1-T salt
1/2 cup water
3/4 cup milk
2 T sugar
2. 1/4 tsp yeast
1egg beaten
Light cornmeal or semolina flour for dusting
Veg oil to make overnight bowl non- stick

Mix yeast, milk, water, sugar in a microwave safe glass container. Warm to 110 degrees

Add egg and melted butter mix.

With electric mixer. Take dry ingredients and slowly incorporate wet liquid. Then run on medium and mix for 7 minutes. Dough will be wet and really sticky with a stretch. This step is key and a hand mixer will not paddle the dough accurately.

Cover and allow to rise 30 minutes at room temperature. Transfer to a generously oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate over night.

Preheat oven 350

On a floured surface hand pat dough to 1/4 inch thick. Cut muffins into 3 inch rounds. Reforming scraps. Do t over work.

Rest on parchment paper sprinkled with cornmeal. Lightly dust cornmeal on the tops as well. Cover with light flour towel to rise and rest 30 minutes. Start warming black skillet on low to med low. Dust pan with cornmeal. Bake muffins three or four at a time. 5 minutes on each side with a light lid checking after three minutes to be sure to not cook to fast and avoid burning.

Store in airtight container and consume in four days or freeze.

These muffins are so fresh and light in texture. So delicious.

breakfast, Desserts, Traditions

Pear and Ricotta cheese Danish with puffed pastry

March 27, 2021March 29, 2021 Gritcooking- A Southern Girls Taste

Simple puffed pastry dough from the freezer makes this an easy so tasty desert.

My dear friend gave me fresh pears but any fruit works well in this recipe. I made a delicious fresh raspberry before and the fruit cooked so bright in color.

Ingredients:

Boxed puffed pastry dough thawed

Fresh fruit of choice pictured I used three peeled halved and sliced pear

Tbl jam (I used orange marmalade)

Lemon zest 1 heap Tbs

1 cup ricotta

1 egg

Two Tbs sugar ( add more to sweet taste)

tsp ground cardamon

Pinch salt

Tsp vanilla

Egg white- for egg wash

Mix cheese, egg , cardamom, zest, vanilla and salt in small bowl. Set aside

Take peeled and moon shaped sliced pear mix with marmalade in separate bowl. Set aside

Roll out dough on floured surface to just smooth edges and creases. Spread 1/2 cheese mixture down center of pastry. Assemble half fruit and gently fold together overlapping top.

Carefully slice diagonal top for venting. Crimp ends with fork to seal cheese in.

Assemble second roll. Assemble on baking sheet with parchment paper.

Egg wash tops and lightly sprinkle w sugar.

Preheated 400 degree oven. Bake 15 min- turn even to 375 bake addition 10 min or until golden brown.

Serve warm w vanilla ice-cream or whipped cream.

breakfast, Canning, Condiments, kitchen Tips, Traditions

Awe JAM! Its Strawberry Season

June 6, 2020June 10, 2020 Gritcooking- A Southern Girls Taste

Fresh Oregon Strawberries can you smell them? Delicious

Have you noticed the produce and fruit has been sweeter than ever this year? Is it the change in the environment or us all finding more appreciation of the tasty simple things? Well I probably squealed at the produce stand to smell and see such beauties. Quadruple the normal size and so red and sweet. Yes my yearly jam time for holiday gifts. Nothing taste better than Oregon Strawberry jam in the middle of a December snow. A sweet reminder of summer beauty to hug your memory and taste buds. If you ever visit my home in the winter you will always leave with a jar in hand. Making jam/ preserves is easy and so long term rewarding. Enjoy!

Most important is having all the right tools needed for success.

The right tools make Preserve making simple

I found this cool old funnel in an estate sale years ago. I think it gives my jam happy mojo.

You also want to be sure your jars are washed and dried. Have new lids with seals and lid rings. The sealed lids can be bought in small packs to assure you have a clean product.

Heated clean jars make process flawless. Ne sure to use thongs to hold they get hot. 225 degree oven.

I use sur-gel pectin to make the process simple and well sure to set up right. Follow the simple directions in package for what fruit your jarring. for strawberry as Im showing its as follows.

5 cups cleaned sliced smashed berried. (about 7 pints whole)
7 cups sugar
1 pac sur-gel pectin
Tsp lemon
Tsp butter

Stock pot
Canning pot of boiling water
Canning funnel
Canning jar tongs
Ladle
Masher
Jars- lids- rings
High temp spatula
Tongs to grab hot empty jars and lids

Prep wash jars and lids. Place jars on cookie sheet in 225 degree oven to heat. Place seal lids in small pan of water simmering til use. Fill canning pot with water to height will just cover jars. Get water heating to a slow boil.

Prep fruit. Clean and slice strawberries. Mash in bowl to desired consistency. I like big strawberry chunks in my jam.

Measure 5 cups mashed into your stock pot with pectin and butter and heat to a full boil. Butter will keep from foaming.

Add sugar. Bring back to a full rolling boil. Allow to roll boil for one solid minute at this point.

Its jarring time!

I like to work over a kitchen towel on my colder countertops. Take a hot jar from oven with tongs and ladle jame i. Thru funnel just below the rim. You can see the line on the funnel when just at bottom edge. Carefully placed lid on clean jar top and ring seal tight. Jars are hot. Be careful.

I like to water process my jars since these will be gifts as well.

After filling and sealing all your jars- place in water bath boiling for ten full minutes.

After process leave out on toweled counter to cool for the day. The seals will “pop” why they cool. I love the sound of its all done!

Shut my mouth! Soooo good. ❤️

breakfast, Entrees, Garden, Gluten Free, Dairy free, kitchen Tips, Traditions, Vegetable, Vegetarian

Morning Skillet Potatoes

June 5, 2020June 10, 2020 Gritcooking- A Southern Girls Taste

I am all about easy and fast these days. Not just because if time but with us all cooking so much more- we want to be useful with what we have as well as healthy and tasty. My FAVORITE is baked potato night at home. We do a big assembly line of toppings and you make your own. I always bake two extra potatoes just in case there is company. But we all know it’s for the easy morning skillet you can make with the left over spuds. Simple-Fast and add a dippy egg on top and you have breakfast bliss. Enjoy!

Ingredients

Two good sized bakers potatoes-cooked
Mixed bell peppers Green, yellow, red chopped
Small sweet onion cleaned and chopped
2 cloves chopped garlic fresh- heaping tsp Jarred
seasoned garlic salt to taste
two Tablespoons of Canola Oil
Black pepper
parsley garnish optional

Chop potatoes and place into a prepped heated to a sizzle(add salt to oil heating) hot deep skillet or cast iron with oil.

Chop peppers and onions on top of potatoes and press down to start a bottom crust. Flat spatula flip as bottom browns about 3-4 minutes. don’t let it burn- but should be good and crispy in 12 minutes.

Easy short cut- I like to have chopped peppers in easy grab bags in the freezer. Frozen peppers work great in this skillet.

Serve as a yummy side to the star of the plate with a glorious runny egg on top. Enjoy.