Tuesday Treats - Chocolate Chip Cornbread

This recipe is incredibly easy to make, and perfect for breakfast. The chips bring the perfect amount of sweet to the savory cornbread, and served with butter makes a fun breakfast, and great for company. Next time I will make it in my mini-loaf pan so we each can have a baby loaf to ourselves.

Preheat oven to 375.
Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl.
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup yellow cornmeal
1/4 cup granulated sugar (scant)
2 teaspoons baking power
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Stir in chocolate chips.

Combine wet ingredients in a medium bowl. Whisk to combine. I love the word whisk.
1 cup whole milk
1/4 cup canola oil
2 large eggs
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until combined.

Pour into a greased loaf pan. I used cooking spray.

Bake for 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let it cool in the pan for a little while, around 10-15 minutes, then cool on a rack or serve warm, with butter. Reheat before serving if not serving immediately.

Chocolate Chip Cornbread

1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 cup yellow cornmeal

1/4 cup granulated sugar (scant)

2 teaspoons baking power

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 cup whole milk

1/4 cup canola oil

2 large eggs

Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl. Stir in chocolate chips. Combine wet ingredients in a medium bowl. Whisk to combine. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until combined.

Pour into a greased loaf pan. I used cooking spray.

Bake for 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let it cool in the pan for a little while, around 10-15 minutes, then cool on a rack or serve warm, with butter. Reheat before serving if not serving immediately.

Artichoke Dip

(Sorry, no pictures of this one, at least not this time. When I make it again I'll add some.)
This recipe is my mom's, and it is a staple at any gathering of people at her house. It's super easy to make, and it freezes and reheats well, so there is always one made up in Mom's freezer just waiting to go. That, and a quiche (another super easy recipe for another time).

Mom's Artichoke Dip
2 14 oz cans of artichoke hearts, drained and chopped (they are hard to chop when they are wet, so have them in a strainer and try to squish the liquid out of them before chopping)
1 8 oz package of cream cheese, softened (can use reduced fat if desired, I don't recommend fat free because of the texture)
1 cup grated mozzarella, plus more for topping
1 cup grated Parmesan (or whatever else you may have around, I've used a Mexican blend before)
1 4 oz can diced green chilies
garlic powder, salt, and pepper to taste (I usually just sprinkle a little of each)

Add all ingredients to a large bowl, stir to combine. Make sure to break up any lumps of cream cheese. Transfer to an oven-safe dish and top with additional mozzarella. Bake at 350 for 20 -25 minutes. Turn on the broiler for the last few minutes to brown the top. You can garnish it with chopped tomato or green onion, or serve with salsa on the side. It works with fresh bread, tortilla chips, crackers, vegetables, and just about anything else you could dip or spread.

Favorite Friday

Portobello Mushroom Burgers
(adapted from Bon Appetit)

This recipe is easy to make, perfect for a weeknight, and the only cooking happens on the grill, so cleanup is quick. We'll serve it with a green salad or this one if we're feeling fancy and have fennel. The pesto we get from Central Market, from their olive bar/prepared foods area. These quantities make two burgers.  Sometimes we'll each have one, sometimes we'll split one and have more substantial sides with it.

1/4 cup prepared pesto
2 T. mayonnaise
2 rolls (we prefer ciabatta, which stands up well to the substantial mushroom)
2 portobello mushroom caps (or one if they are really large)
1 red bell pepper (or roasted red pepper pieces from a jar)
2 cups arugula
2 slices provolone cheese (we've also used fresh mozzarella in a pinch)

Mix together pesto and mayo. Add salt and pepper if needed. Cut off the stems, scrape the brown gills out of the mushrooms and brush both sides with olive oil.  Heat the grill to medium-high.  Slice the rolls and grill, cut side down, until toasted, then spread the mayo-pesto on both cut sides.  Grill the mushrooms, rounded side up, for about 4 minutes, then turn them over and continue grilling.  At the same time, if using fresh red pepper, grill red pepper halves until tender, about 5 minutes/side.

Assemble the burgers: roll bottom, red pepper, mushroom, cheese, 1 cup arugula, roll top. This is the assembly we've found to work the best, but I'm sure there are other combinations.

 

Sometimes I'll serve it with potatoes, either little baby new potatoes or sliced potatoes drizzled in olive oil and sprinkled with rosemary, salt, and garlic, roasted in the oven until cooked through. These particular potatoes were coated in oil that had garlic and rosemary soaking in it, and then cooked in the skillet until tender and crispy on some sides.