Trisha Yearwood's Tamale Pie

 

I just love Trisha Yearwood.  Besides being a great singer, she just seems so down to earth and seems like someone I would like to be friends with.  Plus, she is a fabulous cook.

A friend gifted me a couple of her cookbooks and I use them quite regularly.  

One recipe that I have really been wanting to try is her Tamale Pie.  I love Tamale's so what could be better, right?

While this appears to have a few ingredients, it is really quite easy to make!

Trisha Yearwood's Tamale Pie

1 tablespoon corn oil
1 1/2 pounds ground beef (85 percent lean)
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
Kosher salt
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 1/2 cups green or red enchilada sauce (I used red)
1 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro  (you can leave this out if you don't like it)
1 1/2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
3 cups self-rising cornmeal
2 1/2 to 3 cups buttermilk
2 tablespoons corn oil
4 scallions, chopped (I didn't use these)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Heat the oil in a 10-inch cast-iron skillet over medium / high heat. Add the beef, onions, garlic and 1 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring and breaking up any clumps with a wooden spoon, until the meat is brown and the onions are softened, about 6 minutes. 

Add the tomato paste, chili powder and cumin and cook, stirring, about 1 minute. Stir in the enchilada sauce, beans, corn and cilantro and season with salt. Bring to a simmer. 

Remove from the heat and sprinkle with the cheese.

Add the cornmeal to a mixing bowl. Mix in the buttermilk and oil. You want the mixture to
be thick but pourable. Stir in the scallions, if desired. Pour on top of the meat mixture in the skillet
and spread in an even layer. 

Bake until the meat is bubbling and the cornbread is golden
brown, 20 to 25 minutes.

VERDICT: Pretty easy to make and oh so good!!  

Beefy Rice-A-Roni Casserole

 
In case you can't tell, I like quick recipes that don't have a ton of ingredients.  I came across this Beefy Rice-A-Ronie Casserole on Plain Chicken's website and decided to give it a try!

Beefy Rice-A-Roni Casserole

 1 lb lean ground beef

 1 (6.8-oz) box Beef Rice-A-Roni

 1 (10.5-oz) can Cream of Chicken Soup 

1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese 

1 (6-oz) container French fried onions 

Pre-heat oven to 350ºF. Lightly spray a 9×13-inch pan with cooking spray.

Prepare Rice-A-Roni according to package directions.

While rice is cooking, cook ground beef in a skillet. Drain fat.

 

Once drained, return to skillet. Combine cooked beef, prepared rice, and soup. 

Spread into 9 x 13 Casserole Dish. Top rice mixture with cheese and French fried onions.

 
Bake for 20-25 minutes.

 

VERDICT:  Delicious - easy to make, not too expensive - it's a keeper!!

 

 

Bible Verse - 1 Corinthians 10:31

 
Sometimes when reading the Bible, a verse will just pop out at me and stick with me.  A few days ago I was reading in Corinthians and this verse has been on my mind since. 

 So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. - 1 Corinthians 10:31

I remember reading this verse a long time ago and I guess that's why it stuck with me again.  Everything we do, we are doing for God's glory...EVERYTHING - everything from picking up trash on the street, to doing our jobs, to cleaning our house, to running errands, to smiling at a stranger, to doing our laundry, to picking clothes off the floor, to doing dishes, to talking to a friend, to praying for others...EVERYTHING we do is for God's glory.

If you remember that, it puts a whole different perspective on what you do in your daily life.

Mayberry's Orange Cookies a.k.a. Harvey's Little Big Orange Cookies

Yesterday, I was looking at a vintage recipe Facebook group and she had a link to a cookie recipe.  She called them "Aunt Bee's Little Big Orange Cookies".

Well, I have this cookbook and they are actually called "Harvey's Little Big Orange Cookies".  The recipe was submitted for the cookbook by the Andy Griffith Show's writer, Harvey Bullock.

I love this cookbook - it's so fun.  I originally bought it so I could make Aunt Bee's Nesselrode Pie (which actually turned out to be Clara's recipe)

So...when I saw the recipe posted on the Facebook group, I pulled out my copy of the cookbook and see it that is isn't Aunt Bee's recipe, but rather Harvey's

It is a super simple recipe, and I had everything on hand so I thought...let's give it a go.

 

 

Well...the first batch looked a bit over-baked and they really spread out and were super thin

The cookies,  however, were quite tasty and didn't taste over-baked.  They were a perfect crispy cookie.

But, I decided to chill the dough for a few hours and see what happened.  I baked the cookies 8 minutes instead of 10, for the 2nd batch and guess what?

They were exactly the same as the first batch. In fact, they may have spread even more.

I am not exactly sure why they spread out so thin, but my guess is that it has too much butter.  I mean 8 oz of butter (2 sticks) is a lot.  

They really are very good though - a nice orange flavor but not too much, crispy and yummy!  If I make these again, I'd cut the butter in half and maybe use only 3/4 cup of sugar, just to see.  

The judges on the "Spring Baking Championship" would tell me they are not lookers but I would probably win on taste!

White Pizza With Corn

 
I saw this recipe in a recent Food Network magazine and thought I would give it a try.  I actually marked SEVERAL recipes in this particular edition, so you may see more.

 
Anyway, this one looked super simple to make, and it was so I tried it first.

Verdict:  DELICIOUS!!  This tasted even better than I expected.  I am so disappointed when I try a new recipe and it isn't all that great (or worse, it is bad), but luckily, this one was a keeper.

I revised it a bit to make it a bit easier for me.  Unfortunately, I didn't have any fresh basil, I wish I had because it would have been even better! 

WHITE PIZZA WITH CORN

SERVES: 4

1 Package of refrigerated Pillsbury Classic Pizza Dough

Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling

1 clove garlic, minced ounces fresh 

8 oz. fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced

1cup raw corn kernels (I used 1/2 package Bird's Eye Fire Roasted Corn Kernals)

¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese

Kosher salt

Fresh basil, for topping

 

1. Preheat oven to 400F degrees.  Place parchment paper on baking sheet.

2. Open pizza dough and unroll onto parchment paper.

3. Drizzle the dough with olive oil and rub into the dough.

4.Top with the garlic, mozzarella, corn kernels and Parmesan.

5. Drizzle with more olive oil and season with salt.

6. Bake the pizza for 10 minutes at 400F, until edges of crust are lightly brown

7. Top with fresh basil

 

Man, oh, man, it was good.  I saw another recipe on Food Network's website that included grape tomatoes - that would be a great topping and I found yet another one that included chopped smoked bacon.  I am sure that would be good too, but I rather like the fact that it is a vegetarian pizza so I probably wouldn't add bacon, but I can see how that would be good.

 

Prayer Shawl # 8

I finished another prayer shawl.  When I bought Lion Brand Scarfie yarn on clearance at Michael's, there were 2 different colors that were on clearance, and I got them both.  I enjoyed the pattern I used with this yarn on the last shawl, so decided to stick with what worked.

The pattern, called Shell Shawl, calls for 3 skeins, but I only use 2.  I can't imagine how huge it would be with 3 skeins!!  

The color of this yarn was Rose / Dusty Rose.  Like with the last one, it may not normally have been a color that would have "spoken" to me, but I'm glad it was on clearance, and I got it because it turned out to be so lovely.

I really like the detail you can see on the back of this shawl.

My kitty cat, Tarzan wanted to have his photo taken too, so I obliged. Isn't he a cutie? 💖

Project Life ~ March 2024

I can’t believe a fourth of the year is already over.  Time does fly, especially when you get to my age.

This month, I went to another premier of the Indigo Girls’ documentary “It’s Only Life After All” - it has finally been released in theaters!  We talked to the filmmaker and she interviewed us on video for possible DVD extras when it is released.  Amy and Emily were also there to answer some questions and perform a couple of songs.

My friend, Don, asked me to see Post Modern Jukebox with him at Symphony Hall.  It was fun, people dressed for the show (I had no idea), they sing modern day songs but in a different genre. For instance, they might sing a Spice Girls Song, but in the style of the Lennon Sisters.  We both really enjoyed it.

My friend Susan came for a week long visit and we went to see Beetlejuice, which was so good and so funny! Also, my little kitty turned 4 this month - which is so, so hard to believe!

A church member, who is well known in Georgia for building homes, John Weiland, has an incredible art collection and has set up an art gallery.  All the art is related to homes.  He has decided to  open his art gallery to the public and luckily, as someone he knows, I got was able to go with some other church members for a sneak preview.

A couple of less than happy things.  My poor little kitty niece, Bonnie Faye, was one sick little baby.  She had to spend time in the ER with overnight hospital stays.  She still isn’t 100% back to her pre-sickness self but she is doing much better, praise GOD!

Also, my friends Brian and Woody have officially moved to Beaufort, NC.  I am so happy for them, but boy am I going to miss my fellas!  I just can’t imagine what is is going to be like without them around.

(Click on photos to enlarge)