Leftover Extravaganza

Is anyone else swimming in left over ham?  Just mounds of it?  I hope that was a nice mental picture for you.  Me, hopefully in a swimming suit, swimming through mounds of ham.  I am partial to turkey, myself.  Never been much of a ham person but of course, Tyler is all about ham.  If there is a holiday that specifies ham to be made, I can't pull a fast one on him.  He has them all marked on his calendar.

Cornbread

I have been trying to make delicious cornbread, unsuccessfully, for at least 10 years.  I have always thought that things were better when made from scratch, until I tried making my own cornbread.  I have tried at least a dozen different recipes, with a huge array of ingredients including actual corn, but they all end up disappointing me.  Even recipes with rave reviews from others weren't quite what I was looking for.  Until yesterday.  I think this is the start of the rest of my life.  Either angels were shining down on my kitchen yesterday or I have finally found a cornbread recipe that was made just for me (and maybe you).  It is moist yet still somehow crumbly like cornbread should be, has an amazingly simple list of ingredients and it has the taste I have been searching for.  We had it with Chili last night and it. was. good.  Usually when I make cornbread with chili the only reason I eat it is because it has chili on it.  I would eat this cornbread by itself (and I did) or just with a little honey or butter, or honey butter.

Loaded Baked Potato Soup

I have been wanting to make a potato soup for a couple weeks.  It's been rolling around in my mind and today when I was at the grocery store, they had 10 lb bags of potatoes on sale.  I think it was a sign that tonight was the night.  I went into my kitchen, annoyed by the thought of trying to find a recipe, and decided to just go for it.  I wanted a potato soup that was good and cheesy and comforting.  Some days, when I go into my kitchen without a plan, it can end up being disastrous, but today, luckily, was not one of those days. I asked Tyler after we ate if he thought the soup was blog-worthy and he didn't hesitate at all before saying, "Yes!"  (I thought it was, I just wanted a second opinion.)

Pumpkin Buttermilk Pancakes and Buttermilk Syrup

I have been out of pumpkin and waiting, not so patiently, to go grocery shopping.   I want to make so many pumpkin things I can't think straight.  Saturday, min dreams came true and I finally got some pumpkin!!!  And I decided I am going to make it a goal to add pumpkin to something each day.  I started off this morning doing just that with our regular pancake recipe.  We changed it a bit to accommodate the pumpkin and it was quite a hit.  Such a hit, in fact, that I tried for a second pumpkin experiment later today (just in case I was on a roll).

Almost Cafe Rio Sweet Pork Burritos

I don't think I can call this actual Cafe Rio burritos since I didn't get the recipe from the restaurant itself. When I first got this recipe (from a friend at church), I didn't even know what Cafe Rio was.  I was sheltered.  I made it anyway because it seemed to be a big deal and I have been making it regularly ever since.  I have changed it a bit and I think I have it about how I like it. So if you like Cafe Rio (or Surfin' Tacos for my Hawaii friends), then you might like this.  The original recipe makes a ton and calls for a 5 lb pork roast.  I have scaled it back to be a bit more realistic.  Today when I made it, I only used a 1 lb pork roast and it was still plenty for our family of 4, leftovers included.

Pancakes with Buttermilk Syrup

One of our favorite morning breakfasts is pancakes with buttermilk syrup.  Both recipes call for buttermilk but that's not something I usually have on hand.  I have substituted sour milk (1 T vinegar or lemon juice and add milk to 1 cup) and both recipes do well with the substitution.  I usually add a little water to my batter because I don't like really thick pancakes, but that's just a personal preference.