Recipe: Buttermilk Cornmeal Pancakes ("Hoe Cakes")

I remember eating these often at my grandmothers' and great grandmothers' houses growing up - each time they'd never be made exactly the same, which admittedly was kinda the fun in it ;) Honey was the common accompaniment, usually fresh honey given to us by beekeepers in the family living nearby. As I got older, maple syrup or molasses would show up as an option, but I usually stuck with honey. And butter - at least a little bit :). They were usually topped with fresh sliced peaches or blueberries or blackberries from grandma's yard if served in the morning - they'd be a little less sweet and be served plain if in the evening. The version below is definitely slightly sweet. However, I don't have much of a sweet tooth, so I've reduced the sweetness down to a level I consider somewhere in between the "morning" and the "afternoon" version. I also remember cornstarch being used to add density - but I'm leaving that to the rice flour in my version (you can go with an almond or other nut flour instead of rice flour, just be prepared for a "nuttier" taste).

Buttermilk Cornmeal Pancakes ("Hoe Cakes")

Ingredients

2 cups of buttermilk

4 tbsp. of unsalted butter, melted

1 1/2 cups of cornmeal

2/3 cup of rice flour

1 1/3 tablespoons of sugar

2 teaspoons of baking powder

1/2 teaspoon of baking soda

1 teaspoon of salt

1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon of allspice

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

2 large eggs, beaten

Vegetable oil cooking spray (for the griddle)

Directions

Whisk together all dry ingredients in one bowl and whisk all wet ingredients together in another bowl thoroughly. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and whisk thoroughly until all dry ingredients are thoroughly combined into the batter. Let the batter sit in the bowl for approximately 15 minutes (this will lead to fluffier cakes).

Spray non-stick griddle or large skillet with cooking spray. Heat griddle over medium heat. Whisk the batter one last time to re-combine after resting. Once griddle is hot and slightly smoking, use a 1/3 cup measure and pour out 2 cakes into the skillet. Cook for 2 minutes on the first side, carefully flip and cook 2 minutes on the other side. Place onto a wire rack while cooking the remainder of the cakes. Top with fresh fruit, sifted confectioner's sugar, honey, molasses, or syrup of your choosing.

Makes approximately 12 - 14 cakes.

Recipe: Shrimp, Potato, and Scallion Quiche

This quiche was absolutely freakin' amazing. This totally made my Sunday morning!

Ingredients:

5 eggs

1 cup of milk

1 tbsp unsalted butter

1 large potato, diced

1 habanero pepper, minced

1 1/2 tbsp minced garlic

2/3 lb of large shrimp, peeled, deveined, tails removed, diced

1 bunch of scallions, finely chopped (approximately 2/3 cup)

2/3 cup of lean ham, diced

1 1/2 tbsp fresh dill, finely chopped (or 1 1/2 tsp dried)

2 tsp Herbs de Provence

2 tsp salt

1 tsp black pepper

3 oz Gruyere cheese, shredded (approximately 1 cup)

1 pre-made pie crust (suitable for 9" Pyrex pie dish)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large saute pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the diced potato, habanero pepper, and garlic. Cook, covered, stirring frequently until the potatoes soften and begin to brown. Add the shrimp and cook until the shrimp turns pink. Add the ham, scallions, Herbs de Provence, salt, pepper, and fresh dill. Mix thoroughly and cook for another 2 - 3 minutes. Roll pie crust out into a 9" Pyrex dish that's been coated lightly with cooking spray. Add ingredients from the saute pan into the crust and spread out evenly. Cover evenly with the shredded Gruyere. Whip the milk into the eggs in a mixing bowl. Pour the egg mixture into the crust over the other ingredients. Bake for 35 - 40 minutes until the top browns and a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.

Makes 8 servings.

Recipe: Easy Pepper Gravy

Serve over grits and/or biscuits on a Sunday morning, be in a food coma by lunch... guaranteed!

Ingredients:

1/4 cup of unsalted butter

1/4 cup of canola oil

3/4 cup rice flour

2 teaspoons sea salt

2/3 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1 bunch of fresh chives, finely chopped

2/3 teaspoon ground black pepper

2/3 teaspoon cracked red pepper

2/3 teaspoon ground white pepper

2/3 teaspoon cayenne pepper

4 cups milk

Directions:

Melt the butter into the canola oil over medium heat. Once the butter is melted into the oil, whisk in all of the rice flour to make a roux. Continue cooking over medium heat, whisking frequently, until the roux starts to turn a light brown. Whisk in the milk one cup at a time, blending thoroughly. Add all of the salt and spices and whisk in thoroughly. Reduce heat to medium-low and continue heating, whisking occasionally, until the mixture becomes a thick, creamy crazy. Whisk in the fresh chives. Remove from heat and ladle over biscuits, grits, chicken, steak... whatever makes you comfortable.

Makes 8 - 10 servings.

Recipe: Baked Eggs Provencal

This is a very simple breakfast dish... serve with toasted sliced French bread!!! :)

Ingredients:

8 large eggs
3 tsp. of minced garlic
1/2 cup of heavy cream
3 tbsp. of butter
2 tsp. Herbs de Provence
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cracked red pepper
1 1/2 tbsp. of grated parmesan

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Crack all the eggs into a separate bowl, being careful to keep them whole and not puncture the yolks. In a small saucepan on the stove over medium heat, melt the butter into the heavy cream. Pour the cream and butter mixture into the bottom of a medium gratin dish. Slowly pour the eggs into the gratin dish - they will start to cook immediately. Sprinkle the garlic, Herbs de Provence, salt, cracked red pepper, and parmesan over the eggs. Place the gratin dish into the oven and bake for about 8 minutes. Serve immediately.

Makes 4 servings.

Recipe: Smoked Salmon and Egg Salad

I make this to put on toasted bagels in the morning. It's so easy and refrigerated, it lasts about a week. It's so darn tasty!!!

Ingredients:

4 - 6 oz. of smoked salmon (I prefer smoked sockeye for this recipe)
4 hard boiled eggs
8 slices of slab bacon, cooked to crispy and crumbled
1 1/2 cups of sour cream
1 cup of scallions, green and white parts, diced
1 large cucumber, diced
1 1/2 tbsp. of minced garlic
1/2 tsp. of white pepper
1/2 tsp. of black pepper
1 tsp. of lemon juice

Directions:

Dice up the smoked salmon and hard boiled eggs. In a bowl, mix all ingredients together thoroughly. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight to thicken. Serve on toasted bagels or English muffins.

Makes 4 - 6 servings.

Recipe: The Chicken and the Egg Tacos

This is a breakfast dish I cooked up that blends a little bit of my southern roots with some West Coast Mexican flavors. In the south, chicken and egg biscuits are a common breakfast dish because both chicken and eggs are so plentiful in the south. Heck, my home state of Georgia is the largest producer of both, which should tell you something. But, I didn't feel like going through the effort of making biscuits this morning, so I added a few Mexican touches to get a completely different concoction that turned out really well.

Ingredients:

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
4 large eggs
1 large green heirloom tomato (other colors are OK, I just prefer the green :))
1 red bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped scallions, green and white parts
2 tsp. minced garlic
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. of chipotle chili powder
1 tsp. kosher salt
2/3 cup of shredded pepper jack cheese
8 small flour tortillas (soft taco size)
2 1/2 tbsp. of olive oil
2 tbsp. of milk (I use non-fat)
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Dice the heirloom tomato and red bell pepper together into a medium sized bowl. Add the scallions, garlic, cumin, paprika, chipotle chili powder, and kosher salt and mix together. Cover and place in the refrigerator.

Pound the chicken breasts out between two sheets of wax paper until they are a little more than 1/4 inch thick. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Put 2 tbsp. of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Sautee the chicken breasts in the olive oil about 10 - 12 minutes, turning frequently, until browned and cooked completely through. Cut the cooked chicken into thin strips and set aside.

In a small skillet, put 1/2 tbsp. of olive oil over medium heat. In a small bowl, whisk the eggs together with a little salt and pepper and the milk until fully beaten. Place the eggs in the skillet and cook until fully scrambled, turning and separating constantly.

Warm the tortillas either in the microwave or in the oven according to package directions. Get the salsa mixture you made earlier from the refrigerator. In each tortilla, place equal portions of the scrambled egg, sliced chicken, pepper jack cheese, and salsa. Fold and serve!

Makes 4 servings (two tacos per serving).