Buttermilk Cornbread
- 1/2 cup butter, melted
- 2/3 cup white sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup buttermilk [I make this ahead of time with vinegar and milk]
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 cup cornmeal
- 1 cup flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
Stir together butter and sugar. Add eggs and beat until well blended. Combine buttermilk with baking soda and stir into mixture. Stir in cornmeal, flour, and salt until well blended. Pour batter into greased 8 inch square pan. Bake for 30-40min at 375 degrees until toothpick comes out clean. [This also makes 12 cornmeal muffins. If you do muffins, cook for much less time, about 20 minutes.]
Creamy Sweet Potato Soup
- 2 TB olive oil
- 1 1/2 lbs peeled raw sweet potatoes, cut into 1 inch chunks
- 1 large onion, cut into large dice
- 1 TB butter
- 1 pinch sugar
- 3 large garlic cloves, thickly sliced
- 1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 1 1/2 cups half-and-half [I used milk, but Jaime even liked it without]
- salt and pepper, to taste
- garnish: chopped honey-roasted peanuts
Heat oil over medium-high heat in medium soup pot. Add sweet potatoes and onion and saute 7-8 minutes until golden brown. Reduce heat to low and add butter, sugar and garlic. Cook about 10 minutes until vegetables are a rich spotty caramel color. Add ginger, nutmeg and cayenne and saute 1 minute until fragrant. Add broth, bring to a simmer over med-high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer partially covered until sweet potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes. Blend mixture in blender or food processor until smooth, venting appropriately for steam release. Return to pot and add half-and-half or milk until desired consistency. Taste and add salt and pepper if needed. Heat through and ladle into bowls. Enjoy!
