BROWN BUTTER MAPLE CORNBREAD (a 2 banana level difficulty)

I made this Cornbread earlier this year & it was quite good. Thanksgiving comes around & I decide I want to serve Cornbread, but I couldn't find this recipe. So I went with the 'Joy of Cooking' version & was frankly underwhelmed. However, it's a bit like bringing a knife to a gun fight. JoC called for 2-3 T of butter & the one we are making originally called for 1 1/2 STICKS of butter, but I've found 1 stick works quite well! Luckily I re-discovered my recipe & today we will be making "Brown Butter Maple Cornbread." (adapted from NYT)

WHAT YOU NEED:
8 T (1 stick) of Unsalted Butter
1/2 c Maple Syrup
2 1/4 c Buttermilk (it's Christmas so I made it with eggnog bc 'why not?')
3 Large Eggs
1 1/2 c Yellow Cornmeal
1/2 c Whole Wheat Flour
1/2 c All-Purpose Flour
1 1/2 T Baking Powder
1 1/2 t Kosher Salt
1/2 t Baking Soda

WHAT ELSE YOU NEED:
Whisk
Large Bowl
Medium Bowl (nice to measure your dry ingredients into while the butter is melting)
Large Cast Iron Skillet or other oven proof skillet (12 inches)
Cooling Rack (optional as all cooling can be done in the skillet)
Rubber Spatula

WHAT YOU DO:
1. Pre-Heat Oven to 375 degrees & Melt Butter over Medium-High heat. (Swirl occasionally to avoid burning & to coat sides of the skillet)

2. Pour Melted Butter into Large Bowl (don't wipe out the skillet, turn off the burner and place the skillet BACK on the burner so it remains warm). Whisk in the Maple Syrup followed by the Buttermilk (or eggnog).

3. Next whisk in the eggs & then finally the Dry Ingredients (Cornmeal, Flours, Baking Powder, Salt, & Baking Soda)

4. Pour batter back into your skillet & Bake for 30-40 minutes until the top is a lovely golden brown color & a toothpick can be inserted & removed clean.

5. Cool in the Skillet for 10 minutes & then it's time to enjoy!

Yeah, this isn't going to earn any awards from the American Heart Association, but it sure is good! I mean maple syrup AND a stick of butter, that is some good stuff! Honestly, you don't even need to put butter on it...

Until next time...your favorite neighbor-web monkey!

(ABRIDGED RECIPE)

WHAT YOU DO:
1. Pre-Heat Oven to 375 degrees & Melt Butter over Medium-High heat. (Swirl occasionally to avoid burning & to coat sides of the skillet)
2. Pour Melted Butter into Large Bowl (don't wipe out the skillet, turn off the burner and place the skillet BACK on the burner so it remains warm). Whisk in the Maple Syrup followed by the Buttermilk (or eggnog).
3. Next whisk in the eggs & then finally the Dry Ingredients (Cornmeal, Flours, Baking Powder, Salt, & Baking Soda)
4. Pour batter back into your skillet & Bake for 30-40 minutes until the top is a lovely golden brown color & a toothpick can be inserted & removed clean.
5. Cool in the Skillet for 10 minutes & then it's time to enjoy!

ROASTED SWEET POTATO and CARROT SOUP (a 3 banana level difficulty)

I was a little worried that this would be my first post in 2015, however it does look like I managed to post in 2015 so this is #2! Even though it has been sunny & 70 in Texas this past week, it is still the time of year for soup!

This is a nice, healthy fall/winter soup...unless you go for the optional heavy cream and/or top the finished product with shredded cheese! There's also a neat, little trick I'll show you along the way to make potato peeling easier.

'This monkey' will show you how to make a delicious Roasted Sweet Potato & Carrot Soup. This isn't that difficult to make, however it does take some time to roast the veggies, bring things to a boil, & then blend it into a soup (about 90 minutes)...let's get started!

WHAT YOU NEED:
2 lbs Baby Carrots
4 lbs Sweet Potatoes (4-5 potatoes)
1/2 Red Onion (diced)
4-5 Garlic Cloves (peeled & diced)
2 T Butter
8 c Vegetable Stock
Kosher or Sea Salt (to taste)
Extra Water/Stock (for thinning as needed)
Up to 1 c Heavy Cream (Optional)
Shredded Cheese for topping (Optional)

WHAT ELSE YOU NEED:
Chef's Knife
Paring Knife
Fork
Large Pot (at least 6 quarts)
Large Roasting Pan
Immersion Blender

WHAT YOU DO:
1. Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees
2. Wash & lightly scrub Sweet Potatoes as needed. Pierce with fork & shallowly score the Potatoes with the paring knife (this is the start of the peeling trick!)

3. Place the Carrots & the Sweet Potatoes in the Roasting Pan & Roast at 425 degrees for 45-60 minutes. (Sweet Potatoes need to feel soft when a fork is inserted)
4. Prep the Garlic & Onions while you are roasting the other veggies

4. Melt the Butter over Medium-High heat, add the Onions & saute for 2 minutes. (Be sure to stir occasionally)
5. Reduce heat to Medium, add the Garlic & cook with the Onions for another 6 minutes (Continue to occasionally stir)

6. Peel the Sweet Potatoes while the Onions & Garlic are sauteing, Briefly rinse each Sweet Potato under cold water to make the skin easier to handle (I use a fork to help hold the hot potato while rinsing under cold water)

Evidently this scoring trick also works while boiling potatoes

7. Add the Roasted Carrots to the sauteed Onions & Garlic. Stir to coat the Carrots. (This actually makes a good side dish...go ahead & try a carrot!)

8. Turn the heat to High & pour in the Vegetable Stock.

9. Cube the Roasted Sweet Potatoes & carefully add them to the pot.

I needed a little bigger pot or a little less ingredients!

10. Bring to a soft boil (add the heavy cream if you'd like), then reduce heat to Low & allow to simmer for 20 minutes.
11. Carefully use the Immersion Blender to puree your soup (Be careful as this can be messy & this is hot soup!) Add Water or extra Stock to thin as needed.

12. Salt & Pepper to taste...enjoy with some good bread and/or shredded cheese!

This does make A LOT of soup! I imagine it freezes pretty well so it may be worth making a bunch so you can freeze, then eat later.

Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays...until next time...

your favorite neighbor-web monkey!

(ABRIDGED RECIPE)

WHAT YOU DO:

1. Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees
2. Wash & lightly scrub Sweet Potatoes as needed. Pierce with fork & shallowly score the Potatoes with the paring knife (this is the start of the peeling trick!)
3. Place the Carrots & the Sweet Potatoes in the Roasting Pan & Roast at 425 degrees for 45-60 minutes. (Sweet Potatoes need to feel soft when a fork is inserted)
4. Prep the Garlic & Onions while you are roasting the other veggies
5. Reduce heat to Medium, add the Garlic & cook with the Onions for another 6 minutes (Continue to occasionally stir)
6. Peel the Sweet Potatoes while the Onions & Garlic are sauteing, Briefly rinse each Sweet Potato under cold water to make the skin easier to handle (I use a fork to help hold the hot potato while rinsing under cold water)
7. Add the Roasted Carrots to the sauteed Onions & Garlic. Stir to coat the Carrots. (This actually makes a good side dish...go ahead & try a carrot!)
8. Turn the heat to High & pour in the Vegetable Stock.
9. Cube the Roasted Sweet Potatoes & carefully add them to the pot.
10. Bring to a soft boil (add the heavy cream if you'd like), then reduce heat to Low & allow to simmer for 20 minutes.
11. Carefully use the Immersion Blender to puree your soup (Be careful as this can be messy & this is hot soup!) Add Water or extra Stock to thin as needed.
12. Salt & Pepper to taste...enjoy with some good bread and/or shredded cheese!

FRIED EGG SANDWICH with SPINACH & AVOCADO (a 2 banana level difficulty)

Unfortunately my cooking exploits have been dark for awhile. I've just been a bit too busy to be adverturesome in the kitchen and try out new things! However this rainy weekend has given me a brief respite and allowed me to cook up something AND to shoot some photos!

So..........today 'this monkey' will show you how to make a quick & easy (and of course delicious) Fried-Egg Sandwich!

WHAT YOU NEED:
2-3 Eggs (depends on how big you want your sandwich)
1/4 Avocado (sliced)
1/2 c Fresh Spinach (loose & dry)
2-3 T Parmesan Cheese (shredded) 
2 T Salsa (Mrs. Renfro's Medium Salsa)
2 Slices of Good Bread
1 T Butter
1-2 T Olive Oil
Freshly Ground Black Pepper
Kosher Salt

WHAT ELSE YOU NEED:
Spatula
1 Small Frying Pan
1 Med/Large Frying Pan

WHAT YOU DO:
1. Heat the Smaller Pan over Medium & the Larger Pan over Medium High for 2-3 minutes.
2. Once the Pans are heated, add Olive Oil to the Smaller Pan and Butter to the Larger Pan
3. After the Oil & Butter are heated, add Spinach to the Smaller Pan & carefully add the Eggs to the Larger Pan.

4. Frequently stir the Spinach until it is nicely wilted (3-ish minutes). Be sure to monitor the progress of the Eggs...

5. Reduce Heat to Low for the Spinach. I like to add Avocado & Cheese at this point to warm them up a bit. 

6. Once the bottom part of the Eggs have cooked nicely (3-ish minutes), it's time to carefully flip them. 

7. At this point, you have a decision to make...over-easy or over-hard. I reduce heat to Medium & cook for 2-3 more minutes because I like them a little runny. If you like eggs over-hard, then cook a little longer.

8. Start building your Fried-Egg Sandwich...

and there you have it...A Fried-Egg Sandwich for a rainy day!

Until next time...your favorite neighbor-web monkey!