Southwest Scrub - Bath Blend of the Month

The main ingredients in this scrub is blue cornmeal.  Blue cornmeal is an ancient food that can also make a full-body treatment that is rejuvenating.  The Hopi Indians of New Mexico have used blue cornmeal ritually and to improve vitality and make their skin more youthful.  If you cannot find blue cornmeal you can substitute white or yellow.

Southwest Scrub (makes 12 oz.)

• ½ cup ground blue cornmeal
• ½ cup grated castile soap
• ¼ cup oatmeal
• 1 tsp dried calendula petals
• ½ tsp rosemary
• 1 tsp lavender buds

Place corn meal and soap in a large bowl.  Finely grind the oatmeal and herbs together using a spice grinder of a coffee grinder.  Add this mixture to the cornmeal mixture, stir well. Pour into a clean airtight container.

TO USE: Combine 2 Tablespoons to ¼ cup of mixture with enough water to make a paste and apply to damp face. Gently scrub and rinse off with warm water, then moisturize skin with a natural oil rich body lotion.  If you have sensitive skin you should avoid using this on your face.

 

Apple Bacon Dinner Pie - recipe theme pie

I figure by this time of the month, you are sick of fruit pie, so I thought a dinner pie might be a nice change.  This one uses apple, which is perfect for November, but also includes blue cheese and bacon.  You know what they say, everything is better with bacon.  The herbs are a savory mix that enhances and supports apple and bacon flavors.

Apple Bacon Dinner Pie

6 slices bacon

1 (8 1/2-ounce) package corn muffin mix

2/3 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon savory

1 teaspoon marjoram

1 egg, lightly beaten

1/4 cup 2 % reduced-fat milk

2 large Granny Smith apples, cored and thinly sliced

1/3 cup crumbled blue cheese

Directions

Preheat oven to 400F. Lightly grease 2 baking sheets.

Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp. Remove and drain on paper towels. Reserve drippings, and coarsely crumble bacon when cool enough to handle.

Combine muffin mix, flour, paprika, egg and milk; stir well to form a dough. Divide into 4 portions, and put 2 portions on each of the prepared pans. Press into 7-inch circles with your fingers.

Top each dough circle with a layer of apple slices, leaving a 1-inch border. Fold edges roughly around outer edges of apple slices. Brush apples and crust with bacon drippings. Bake 10 minutes. Top with blue cheese and crumbled bacon. Bake 7 minutes longer or until edges are golden brown. Cut into halves and serve warm. Serves 8.

RECIPE THEME

Each month a theme is chosen and a number of recipes on that theme from my massive archive will be shared.  This year we have 12 new topics, different from the topics of last year.  To find the recipes of last year, check out this recipe link or search the blog with the topic Recipe2018. 

You can search the monthly theme by looking for the theme keyword in the search box and it will pull up the recipes on that theme as posted, so look at the bottom of the recipe in each posting for the KEYWORD in the () to search for each  month.  All recipes this year will be tagged Recipe2019 so you can find them all.

The themes are:

Jan 2019 – Chicken and Dumplings (CDumpsJan)

Feb 2019 - Pasta Dishes (PastaFeb)
March 2019 - Edible Flowers (FlowerMar)
April 2019 - Seafood Recipes (SeafoodApr)
May 2019 - Cajun And Creole (C&CMay)
June 2019 - Vegetarian Dishes (VegJun)
July 2019 - Zucchini Recipes (ZucJul)
August 2019 - National Mustard Day – mustard recipes (MustardAug)
September 2019 - Quiche (QuicheSep)
October 2019 - Crock Pot meals (CrockOct)

November 2019 - Pies (PieNov)

December 2019 - Mocktails

National Indian Pudding Day

Do not let the name fool you.  This is not a Native American dish.  It does, however, seems appropriate to hold this day in mid November, as we approach Thanksgiving. With Native Americans and the foods they introduced the starving settlers to very much a part of the first Thanksgiving feast, this dish made with cornmeal is a perfect complement.  It is slightly possible these puddings were served, and enjoyed, at that first Thanksgiving.

Early colonists brought with them to America a fondness for British “hasty pudding,” a dish made by boiling wheat flour in water or milk until it thickened into porridge. Since wheat flour was scarce in the New World, settlers adapted by using native cornmeal, dubbed “indian flour,” and flavoring the resulting mush to be either sweet (with maple syrup or molasses) or savory (with drippings or salted meat). In time, Indian pudding evolved into a dish that was resoundingly sweet, with lots of molasses and additional ingredients such as butter, cinnamon, ginger, eggs, and sometimes even raisins or nuts. Recipes for Indian pudding began appearing in cookery books in the late 1700s.

Indian puddings are as diverse as the population making them.  Generally, they include molasses and cornmeal. Apples were often an ingredient, or raisins, and they were usually baked.

Make sure to enjoy your American heritage, and a dish or bowl of Indian pudding, as you celebrate National Indian Pudding Day.  These days they generally a baked custard with milk, butter, molasses, eggs, spices, and cornmeal. The name is likely derived from the cornmeal, which was known as indian meal way back when, not from the American Indians.

Now served as a dessert it is rather unappetizing looking as it is a lumpy brown mush.  But served with a bit of vanilla ice cream, it can be a great holiday pleaser. I looked for the oldest version I could find and this one adapted from a book published in 1980 called An Olde Concord Christmas, may be the best tasting and closest to the authentic New England tradition.

New England Indian Pudding

6 cups of milk

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter

1/2 cup yellow cornmeal

1/4 cup flour

1 tsp salt

1/2 cup molasses

3 eggs, beaten

1/3 cup of granulated sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

1 cup golden raisins (optional)

Whipped cream or vanilla ice cream

Directions:

Preheat oven to 250°F. Scald the milk and butter in a large double boiler. Or heat the milk and butter for 5 or 6 minutes on high heat in the microwave, until it is boiling, then transfer it to a pot on the stove. Keep hot on medium heat.

In a separate bowl, mix cornmeal, flour, and salt; stir in molasses. Thin the mixture with about 1/2 cup of scalded milk, a few tablespoons at a time, then gradually add the mixture back to the large pot of scalded milk. Cook, stirring until thickened.

Temper the eggs by slowly adding a half cup of the hot milk cornmeal mixture to the beaten eggs, whisking constantly. Add the egg mixture back in with the hot milk cornmeal mixture, stir to combine.

Stir in the sugar and spices, until smooth. At this point, if the mixture is clumpy, you can run it through a blender to smooth it out. Stir in the raisins (optional).

Pour into a 2 1/2 quart shallow casserole dish. Bake for 2 hours at 250°F.

Allow the pudding to cool about an hour to be at its best. It should be reheated to warm temperature if it has been chilled. Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Bath Blend of the Month -- Southwest Scrub

I always think of cornmeal as a fall items.  The cooler weather means soup time and cornbread so I save this recipe for fall.  Plus exfoliating all the flakes sunburned skin is good to do this time of year also!

Blue cornmeal is an ancient food that also makes a rejuvenating full-body treatment. The Hopi Indians of New Mexico have used blue cornmeal for years to improve vitality and make their skin look more youthful. Mixing it with dried herbs, ground oatmeal and a mild soap enhances this age-old cleanser. If you cannot find blue cornmeal at your market, you may substitute white or yellow cornmeal for a different colored, but just as effective, scrub.

calendula

SOUTHWEST SCRUB 

1/2 cup ground blue cornmeal

1/2 cup grated castile soap (or other mild bar soap)

1/4 cup oatmeal

1 teaspoon dried calendula flower petals

1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary leaves

1 teaspoon dried lavender flowers

Place cornmeal and grated soap in a large bowl. Using a spice or coffee grinder, finely grind oatmeal and dried herbs. Add this mixture to cornmeal mixture and stir well. Pour into a clean, airtight container. 

To use: Apply as you would any cleanser, and massage all over. Rinse well and then moisturize your skin with a natural oil or rich body lotion. If you have very sensitive skin avoid using this cleanser on your face.

Herbed Cornmeal Pancakes - Weekend Recipe

Pancakes and waffles are my husband and my favorite breakfast food, especially with a side of bacon!  I strive to find pancake recipes he can experiment with and this was one of my favorites.  The robust flavor of cornmeal makes these a great recipe to make in the winter.

Mix the dry ingredients together ahead of time and place in an airtight container, then on the day you want to serve them, add only the liquid ingredients.  It will save you time and mess.  It also makes a great gift idea too!  Serve these with a real maple syrup to bring out the natural cornmeal flavors. Makes 9 5-inch pancakes.

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

2  Tbls. sugar

1/2 cup yellow cornmeal

4 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 tsp. salt

½ tsp. savory, thyme or marjoram (I like a mixture of thyme and savory together)

1 cup milk

5 Tbls. unsalted butter

2 large eggs, beaten

Vegetable oil

In a large bowl, thoroughly combine flour, sugar, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt.

Combine milk and butter in a small saucepan and warm over low heat until butter melts. Let cool to lukewarm, then beat in eggs.

Pour wet mixture over dry ingredients and, using a wooden spoon, combine with a few swift strokes. Don’t try to work out all the lumps, they will take care of themselves in the cooking.

Heat a griddle or skillet over medium heat until hot enough to make a few drops of water bounce. Lightly oil griddle using a brush or paper towel.(You may need to re-oil the griddle between batches of pancakes.) 

Spoon enough batter onto griddle to make 5-inch rounds. Cook until bubbles on the surface break and edges begin to look dry, about 2 minutes. Flip pancakes and cook until bottoms brown, about 1 more minute. Continue until all pancakes are made. 

Dill-Sage Cornmeal Muffins

My husband will sometimes out of the blue suddenly disappear into the kitchen and turn up a half hour later with a treat of some kind.  A couple weeks ago it was Cornbread Muffins.  They really hit the spot and I enjoyed them.  When he wanted to make more, I gave him this recipe for an even better muffin that we used with dinner and breakfast.

Sage-Dill Cornbread Muffins

1 1/4 cups sifted flour                                                                         

3/4 cup cornmeal

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon minced fresh sage or 1 teaspoon dried sage

2 tablespoon minced fresh dill or 2 teaspoon dried dill

1 cup milk

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 egg

4 to 6 calendula flowers, pull out the petals

Preparation:

Grease 12 muffin cups. Preheat oven to 400 F. Sift the dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl. If using dried herbs, add them to the dry ingredients.

If using fresh herbs, add them to another bowl with milk, vegetable oil and eggs and use a whisk to beat together until they are smooth.

Add the liquid ingredients to the dry, mixing just until the flour is moistened. Do not over mix. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups to 2/3 full. Sprinkle flower petals on top of each muffin.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until muffins are golden. Serve warm.