Biscuit Muffins
O.K. folks – I’m real excited about this recipe. Why? Because, it is so simple and there is nothing quite like homemade biscuits/muffins/bread. Like a really good dessert, they can make a meal special.
I found these recipes while going through Medora #3’s collections of recipe books, clippings, etc. I came across some long forgotten family favorites no longer made because she no longer cooks. At the age of 92, we’ll give her a pass. I never recall her making these muffins, but after making them myself, I’m so glad she clipped the recipes!
Besides being yummy, another great thing about them is that they can be frozen and pulled out one at a time for future meals. So enjoy! Oh, and if you want to make sure that they taste their best, use real butter and not margarine. Butter makes anything taste better!
BISCUIT MUFFINS
2 variations
Buttermilk version:
Preheat oven to 350°
2 cups of self-rising flour
1 cup buttermilk
½ cup mayonnaise
In a large bowl, stir together the above ingredients until thoroughly combined and fill greased muffin cups in a muffin pan one-half full. Bake for about 15 minutes or until lightly brown. Makes about 2 dozen.
Whole milk version:
Preheat oven to 375°
1 ½ cups self-rising flour
¾ cup milk
3 TBSP. sugar
1 ½ TBSP. mayonnaise
In a large bowl, stir together the above ingredients until thoroughly combined and fill greased
muffin cups in a muffin pan one-half full. Bake for about 18 – 20 minutes or until lightly brown. Makes about 1 dozen.
I am NOT a Guy!!
This may or may not be the only blog I write about on this particular topic – I’m not making any
promises either way.
One of my ABSOLUTE pet peeves is to be called “a guy.” My birth certificate verifies the fact that I am, indeed, female. The last time I checked, I was still a female. Never, at any time, have I ever been – nor have I ever wanted to be male. Yet everywhere I go, especially when I am part of a group, people address me as “a guy.” And, I don’t like it.
Addressing a group of mixed gendered people as “guys” or “you guys” is -well – (I’ll be nice)
inaccurate. For me, besides being irritating, it smacks of sexism. Think about it. If, instead, groups of people were addressed as “gals” or “you gals” do you think men would be comfortable with this salutation? I think not. In fact, I have heard men derogatorily address each other as “girls” or “ladies” but I have yet to hear a group of women address each other as “boys” or “gentlemen” – even in jest. BUT, I can’t count the number of times I’ve heard all female groups addressed as “guy.” It doesn’t make sense.
I kept these feelings to myself until about 10 years ago when I heard a talk given by a female
neuroscientist from Maine (important little detail). Her talk was about the differences between
male and female brains and the impact those differences have on learning styles. As an aside, she mentioned that she realized that the most “politically correct way to address ANYONE – and
especially a mixed group of people – was to use the plural second person pronoun ‘y’all’.” While the rest of her talk was fascinating – this aside made me want to jump up at that moment and give this woman a standing o! I knew it!! The Yankee professor had confirmed what this Southern girl had known in her heart all along.
So, you’ll never hear me address either a mixed gender group or an all female group as “guys.” Ever. Since that fateful day 10 years ago, I have unabashedly and proudly used y’all whenever appropriate. And, on those occasions when I have been rudely chided for being “so southern” because I use “ya’ll” – I very politely and briefly tell the story about having been given permission to do so by a Yankee neuroscientist and that I’m only being“gender sensitive.” That usually shuts them up.
Labor Relations
Today is Labor Day – a day that commemorates the economic and social contributions of workers from all professions. It is also the “official” end of summer. And, in the Southern United States, it also signals that it is time to put away your summer whites until Easter which is 6 – 8 weeks earlier than other parts of the U.S. for practical reasons due to our earlier hot temperatures. In particular, in the northeast, white is “allowed” after Memorial Day, when the summer resort season officially begins. I digress, but the “white rule” is important to this G.R.I.T. (Girl Raised in the South). Can’t explain why – other than I think it is coded in my DNA.
What I want to write about this month is about work and our relationship to it and with it. We all have to work in some way. Very few of us escape this life without having to contribute our time and talents to society in some form or fashion so it is a topic that everyone can relate to.
Recently, a close family member experienced a protracted period of unemployment and I learned so much as I walked with her on that frightening path of uncertainty. Thankfully, she is now employed – but how things have changed in the workforce!
So, my “Mondays With Medora” blogs this month will hopefully provide some insight into how to help you with your relationship to work: how to increase your chances of being hired, remain employed and enjoy the job you do have. If you’ve been reading my previous blogs, you know I tend to take a light hearted approach so that you’ll be entertained as you are also being informed. “See” you next week!
THE Best Chocolate Cake Recipe…..Really!
Last month’s “Foodie Friday’s” blogs began with dessert – and that is what I’ll continue to do with “Foodie Friday’s” – start each month with a dessert recipe. Why? Because – as most folks will admit – dessert is really what they want and they eat other foods so that they can get to the sweet ending of a meal. You know I’m right.
As I have a natural aversion to boxed cake mixes, for the past several years, I’ve been on a quest to find the absolute best recipes for classic cakes that are made from scratch. Scratch just tastes better because there aren’t the preservatives and chemicals as found in boxed cake mixes. Now, I’m not a purist – there are recipes I make that use boxed cake mixes as the base for other ingredients and flavors. However if I want to make a special dessert – and especially if I am making a cake for someone’s birthday – it will be from scratch.
Today, I’ll share with you a recipe for chocolate cake I’ve developed that really, truly makes people
roll and close their eyes in ecstasy. My philosophy is that dessert needs to be worth the calories – and I assure you, this cake recipe is worth EVERY calorie. Enjoy!
*THE Best Chocolate Cake Recipe…..Really!
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour two 9” round cake pans. Set aside.
Cake:
1 cup of hot coffee
¾ cup of cocoa
½ tsp. cinnamon
In a small/medium sized bowl, combine the above ingredients, stirring until the cocoa is dissolved. Set aside.
2 cups sugar
1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ tsp. baking powder
1 ½ tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the above dry ingredients.
1 cup of milk
½ cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
In a small/medium bowl, stir the above wet ingredients together. Add to the dry ingredients and using a mixer, beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Stir in the cocoa/coffee mixture (batter will be thin) by hand until everything is mixed well together. Pour into the prepared cake pans.
Bake for 25 – 30 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. After cake is done, remove from oven and let cool in the pans for 10 minutes. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool completely (about 30 – 45 minutes). Frost.
Milk Chocolate Frosting:
2 sticks (1 cup) butter melted in the microwave for 30 – 45 secs.
2/3 cup cocoa
6 cups of powdered sugar
2/3 cup milk
2 tsp. vanilla extract
In a large mixing bowl, stir the cocoa into the melted butter. Beating on medium speed, alternately add the powdered sugar and milk and vanilla extract until everything is smooth.
*Special Note: If desired, this recipe makes about 30 cupcakes. To do so, line a muffin pan with paper baking cups. Fill the cups 2/3 full with batter. Bake at 350 degrees F, 20 – 25 minutes. Remove from oven. Allow to cool for 10 minutes in the pan before removing cupcakes and cool
completely on wire racks before frosting.
It’s Getting Ugly
In the August 28th,2011 New York Times, there was a very interesting article about how ugly people are discriminated against. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/28/opinion/sunday/ugly-you-may-have-a-case.html?_r=1&ref=discrimination
Ugly women are most often discriminated against when looking for a mate and men when looking for a job. Is this a surprise to anyone? I think people have instinctively known this for centuries. And, the truth is that we all subconsciously “discriminate” based on personal and subjective preferences when it comes to looks. We just do. Some folks like blondes – others brunettes or redheads. The article argues that ugly people deserve to fall under federal affirmative action laws that offer legal protection to racial, ethnic and religious minorities, women and handicapped individuals. It is further argued that ugly people would be allowed to seek help from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and other agencies in overcoming the effects of discrimination.
I’m not getting into the politics of this proposal but, what I do want to know, just who is going to tell someone “you’re ugly, therefore you deserve special consideration?” Would there be special panels established to determine whether or not someone falls under a governmental guideline of attractiveness?Does this possibility sound in any way cruel to anyone other than me?
Standards of beauty vary across cultures and there is no one standard. I remember being startled the very first time I encountered an Australian Aborigine. Fortunately for both of us, she did not see me reflexively flinch as her looks were so very different from anything I’d ever seen. Yet, within her own people – she was probably a beauty. According to the NYT article, however, she might be eligible to fall under legal protection should she move to the U.S. to seek employment.
I mean – how do you determine who is ugly? It’s not like an obvious physical impairment, like being confined to a wheelchair or being a certain gender or age. No one can argue with those objective differences. But – your looks? If you watch people, you’ll see lots of what you might consider “ugly” who have found someone who could also be considered “ugly” and yet they each consider the other to be “beautiful.” And, because they have someone who loves them as they are and for whom they are, they emanate a beauty often lacking in other, more “beautiful” people.
My personal opinion is that this category of the affirmative action law should never be allowed as it is
just too painful. People who others might consider “ugly” don’t need to be reminded that they aren’t as attractive as a Hollywood star. In my personal experience some of the most beautiful people I’ve ever met were some of the most objectively unattractive and some of the ugliest folks were objectively attractive. What “ugly” folks need more than being singled out is to be affirmed by those who love and care about them. Beauty does fade (have you ever met or heard of a struggling plastic surgeon?) and a beautiful inner light shining forth is what makes someone truly beautiful. And,categorizing certain people as “ugly” only perpetuates the external beauty stereotypes that exist in all cultures even more so. The only antidote to discrimination against the “ugly” is for more folks – parents in particular – to recognize and affirm those postivive and eternal character qualities which make someone truly beautiful and not focus on or glorify external, superficial qualities that will eventutally be lost over time.
Give It A Year
In the movie “When Harry Met Sally” Sally was best friends with Harry and living with her boyfriend who had yet to “take it to the next level” and propose. Boyfriend told Sally that he just wasn’t into marriage and Sally accepted that as well as his request for “more space” – so he moved out…and on. Probably the most poignant scene in the movie was when Sally was crying on Harry’s shoulder several months after the “time out” over the fact that her former boyfriend had gotten married. She had thought that after she “gave him space” – and time – that he’d come back and they could resume their relationship where they’d left off. She tearfully realized that “he wanted to get married, just not to me.”
When I first saw that movie, I was reminded of some advice I heard from 2 completely different
sources (both older women): if a man – defined as someone who had completed his education, has a job, etc. – doesn’t decide within a year of serious dating that the woman he is keeping company with should be at least approached about taking things to the “next level,” (i.e., a permanent commitment) then that same woman needs to heed the experience of the aforementioned Sally. In other words, after a year, if a permanent relationship is something you want but he hasn’t at least begun to talk about “putting a
ring on it” – you probably need to move on, as painful as that might be.
But I love him! That may be true, but what if he doesn’t love you the same way? You can’t make him feel the way you do – and why would you want to “make” him anyway? Don’t you deserve to have someone be
as spontaneously crazy about you as you are about him? The reality – the simple truth – is that if a man wants you, he will pursue you, will want to make you his and his alone and he will want the world to know. And, he’ll want to do it sooner rather than later. Period. It’s just the way men are wired.
Now, there are plenty of men who will find a comfortable relationship and just park it with no intention
of ever making a permanent commitment. This doesn’t make them bad – lazy perhaps or opportunistic – but not bad. Sadly, the woman they are involved with may be so blinded by her own feelings that she allows the relationship to languish hoping that one day he will miraculously wake up and feel about her
the way she wants and needs him to. Highly unlikely. Again, if a permanent commitment is something you want, then you need to find a man who is like-minded. And, you won’t find that man as long as you are wasting time with someone who isn’t thinking along those lines. It doesn’t make him a bad man –
he’s just not the man for you.
The past month, I’ve talked about the only 3 things you really need to know about how to nourish and maintain a relationship with the man in your life. The key for you to be happy in a relationship is to find someone who is as interested in nourishing and maintaining his relationship with you as you are with him. It’s that simple. And, you won’t find that someone as you wait on a recalcitrant suitor to decide that you’re “the one” – because you probably aren’t.
The Big Yum
I made this casserole recipe for my handsome half recently, served him a normal portion and then discovered that he went back for another full helping when I wasn’t looking. He’s not as interested in food as I am – which is a very good thing for me as that means that he’s not demanding – pretty low maintenance, actually.
So, when he goes back for seconds, then suggests that we eat the leftovers 2 nights later – he’s also not a big leftover fan – and talks about the dish to friends, then I know that the recipe is a winner. The primary recipe is for a chicken casserole, but with 2 substitutions, you can also make a tuna casserole. Both are really yummy with the correct amount of creaminess and crunch. I’ve also included instructions for how to make ahead and/or freeze.
Chicken Casserole
(with a Tuna Variation)
3 cups of frozen mixed microwaveable-in-the-bag vegetables
2 cups small, cooked and drained shell or elbow pasta (1 cup dry)
2 cups shredded, sharp Cheddar cheese, divided use
2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken (which is ½ of a chicken)
1 (10.75 ounce) can of cream of chicken soup
1 (6 ounce) can of French-fried onions, divided use
1 5 ounce (2/3 cup) can of evaporated milk
1 tsp. of ground black pepper
1 tsp. garlic powder
½ tsp. salt
Preheat oven to 350°. Spray a glass, 9” x 13” with cooking spray.
In a large mixing bowl, combine: cooked vegetables, cooked pasta, 1 cup of cheese, shredded chicken, soup, half of the can of onions, milk, pepper, garlic powder and salt. Spoon into the prepared baking dish.
Mix remaining French-fried onions and cheese in a small bowl and set aside.
Bake for 25 minutes. Remove from oven and top with remaining French-fried onions and cheddar cheese mixture. Put back into the oven and bake another 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted.
Tuna Variation
Replace the chicken with 4 (5 ounce) cans of undrained chunk light tuna.
Replace the cream of chicken soup with 1 (10.75 ounce) can of cream of mushroom soup.
Use all the other ingredients and follow the recipe per the above instructions.
To Make Ahead and Freeze
You can make this a day ahead and place in the refrigerator until ready to bake. Also, refrigerate the onion and cheese mixture until ready to bake.
To freeze: Place frozen casserole in the fridge the night before you plan to bake it and bake it when ready. If you bake it while it is still frozen, place it in a cold oven, then turn the oven on to 350° as this allows the casserole to thaw as the oven preheats and then bake.
Remember to not add the onion/cheese mixture until after the casserole has baked for the required time (25 minutes)
I Need Your Touch…..AND Time
I truly appreciate the positive aspects of technology. I’m not one of those who yearn for the “good ol’ days.” Who wants to live in world without some of the things we enjoy today that enhance our lives and makes them safer and healthier? Not me. But, I do enjoy reading and hearing about how folks lived “back in the day” – always have and always will. Appreciating history helps you understand the present and plan for the future, I believe.
However, I also believe that some of us are allowing technology to take the place of “face time” that is critical to the development of deep relational connections. Texting, tweeting and talking on the phone are all efficient ways to stay connected but they will never take the place of being able to touch and see the person with whom you have a relationship – whether it is a familial, friendly or romantic one. We all need to feel a physical connection with those we care about – and they with us – and the only way to do that is to put whatever device you are tethered to down and focus on that person.
I read an article in USA Today that talks about our obsession with technology. The quote that really jumped out at me in the article was this one:
“What stands out today as a gesture is the handwritten note or shutting off your phone to sit and talk with someone,” Rainie says. “We’re navigating new spaces with new norms of etiquette.”
How sad that simple good manners “stands out” as something abnormal. Anyway, I thought that the article made some good points and I wanted to share it with you:
http://www.usatoday.com/life/lifestyle/2011-08-21-obsession-with-technology_n.htm
Never Stop Being His Girlfriend
You’ve probably already guessed what the third “F” is. Because I like to consider myself a lady and also because I do NOT want to have the other pre-deceased Medora’s spinning in their graves, I’ll refer to it as:
F3
If you are in the beginning stages of a new relationship, some of what I have to say is premature because sex too early in a relationship isn’t recommended for a whole bunch of valid reasons. One of which is that you need to allow yourselves time to discover each other – to find out if you are compatible – if you like and accept each other “as is.” So, the following information is better suited for those in committed relationships (in the Medoras’ perspectives that means marriage) who want to either maintain or recapture the romance. And, yes, it can be done.
I want to share some realities that some of you reading this just don’t want to accept. But these realities are based on research, biology, observation and plain old common sense. And, the basic reality is this: Men seek quantity – period. They want sex as much as they can get it and sadly, sometimes, love has nothing to do with it. Most women, on the other hand, want quality which means that women are seeking love through sex.
We ALL need physical contact but in an intimate relationship this physical contact takes on much deeper meaning and connection. I – and I think most women – sincerely believe that monogamy is the only way to achieve this deeper connection. And, regardless of all the press the “players” receive, most men also want, and indeed need, this deeper connection as well. Physical intimacy, then, is vital to a healthy, romantic relationship if you want your relationship to be loving and long lasting.
The primary thing about F3 that you need to know is that for it to work for you, is that you need to respect, admire, appreciate and like, as well as love, that special person in your life. I never cease to be amazed when I hear of women who marry or commit to someone for any other reason – such as status, money, etc. Personally, I could never be satisfied being with someone whom I didn’t particularly like – no matter who he was or how much money he had.
So, let’s just assume that you are in your relationship for all the right reasons. If you are, then there’s only one thing you need to keep in mind: never stop being his girlfriend. In the beginning stages of your relationship, you were probably flirtatious and flattering – besides your personality and looks, it’s how you most likely attracted him. I’ll bet you could hardly wait to see/talk to him, lighting up when he walked into the room. You cared about how you looked and you found positive things to say to him and about him. And, how did he react to you during that time? Remember? I’ll bet he behaved the same way. Even if you’ve been in your relationship for a long time and things like “life” have intervened, you can recapture some of the romance. Use your imagination – you know what he likes – then follow through. He wouldn’t be with you if he didn’t ultimately want you.
With that truth in mind, be forewarned, I’m going to be crude here with another reality: what you have between your 2 big toes isn’t so special. Gasp! What??!!? No matter what complaints you may have about him – and you may have some very valid ones – believe me when I say he has other options out there. Now I’m NOT saying that all men will check out those other options – that simply isn’t true – as I believe that most men do honor their vows and commitments. However, trust me when I say that, in spite of all of his flaws, somebody will gladly take your place given half the chance. And, one of the best ways to insure that your man won’t even consider checking out any other option is to make him feel appreciated. He needs to hear it from you, the woman he loves. But, he also needs to have you show him or else he’s not going to be happy in his relationship. And, if he’s not happy, you’re not going to feel the love that, as a woman, you crave……and need.
So the most simple, basic truth you need to know about F3 is this: Besides sex, which is one of the ways that men “fall in love” with a woman, a man also needs an emotional connection – the one only you, the woman he loves, can provide. So, don’t take anything for granted, focus on why you love/like him and be that someone he looks forward to coming home to.
7 Layer Salad
In my personal experience, I’ve met very few men – or children – who will willingly eat a salad. It’s not something that is usually on their list of favorite foods. Now, I’m not saying that this is true of ALL men or children, but as a general rule, I think that this is an accurate observation.
So, imagine my surprise when I first served this as a buffet offering awhile back and I noticed that men were actually eating it…..and in some cases coming back for seconds. The same can be said for teenagers. The following recipe is the one salad recipe that seems to be a favorite with all ages and genders.
There are 2 secrets to this salad: (1) it is topped with what I very-unpolitically-correct call “white trash croutons” – crushed Fritos corn chips; and (2) creamy Italian dressing. Now, if you do make this recipe, don’t go getting all experimental and make substitutions for these 2 key ingredients as it simply won’t taste as good. I know as I’ve tried and was disappointed anytime I changed either the Fritos chips or the dressing. For instance, if you try and use corn tortilla chips – they’ll be crunchy but simply won’t taste as good as Fritos. Or, if you use regular Italian or ranch dressing, again, it won’t taste the same. Sometimes, creamy Italian dressing is hard to find so I’ve provided a recipe for a home-made version.
So, follow the recipe just as written and I’ll bet anything that it also becomes one of your favorites. It makes enough for 10 – 12 people making it perfect for a buffet or dinner party.
7 LAYER SALAD
In a large salad or glass bowl, in this order, layer:
- 1 6 ounce bag of your favorite salad mix.
- 1 bunch of green onion, chopped
- 3 large or 4 medium ripe tomatoes, seeded and diced
- 1 can of pinto beans, drained
- 1 cup of creamy Italian dressing
- 2 cups of shredded, sharp cheddar cheese
- 2 cups of crushed Fritos corn chips
To serve, use salad tongs and dig deep down to the bottom of the bowl and pull straight up – salad isn’t salad if all you eat is Fritos and cheese! As the cook/chef, do this for those you are serving at least the first few times – explaining that you have to get to the bottom to enjoy the experience of the whole salad
CREAMY ITALIAN DRESSING
1 packet of Italian salad dressing mix
2 TBSP. sugar
3 TBSP. apple cider vinegar
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup milk
In a small bowl, whisk all ingredients together until completely mixed. Refrigerate until
ready to use.
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