Eat at Home

Everyday Food for Busy People

side dish

Spinach Salad with Spiced Nuts

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I swiped this recipe from Julie at The Sporadic Cook. I made it at Thanksgiving but we ate it up so fast I didn’t get any pictures then. The small Super Bowl gathering we had was a good excuse to make it again.

The nuts should be easy to make, but I have a confession – for some reason I can’t seem to carmelize nuts properly. Instead of the butter and sugar turning into a smooth, yummy coating for the nuts, it just clumps and then begins to separate. I don’t know why this is, and if anybody can help me out, please give me some hints! I’m sure this step will go well for you though, so don’t hesitate to try. It really is supposed to be easy!

For the nuts you’ll need:

2 cups pecans
2 Tbs. butter
2 Tbs. sugar
1 tsp. seasoned salt
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper

Melt the butter in a skillet and add the sugar and spices. Stir over medium heat for about 2 minutes. Add the pecans and stir about 4 min. over medium heat. Pour them out onto a cutting board lined with wax paper and sprinkle them with sugar to make them sparkly.

To make the dressing you’ll need:

1/4 cup apple juice
2 Tbs. cider vinegar
2 Tbs. brown sugar
2 Tbs. dijon mustard
3/4 cup oil
2 Tbs. poppy seeds (I left these out)

Mix all the ingredients together and pour over the salad just before serving.

Now for the actual salad:

bag of baby spinach
2 apples, chopped and mixed with a bit of lemon juice to keep them from browning
1 cup chopped celery

Put it all together and turn yourself around – I mean toss the salad – and enjoy!

Cornbread

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corn bread done

Cornbread is a staple at our house. It comes together fast and goes with lots of meals. This version was passed down to me by my mom who learned it from her mom. The iron skillet is key, because it creates a crust better than a regular baking pan.

Here’s what you’ll need:

corn bread ingr

Print Recipe
4.29 from 7 votes

Cornbread

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups cornmeal
  • 3/4 cups flour
  • heaping TBS baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 egg
  • enough milk to make a batter about 1 cup

Instructions

  • Heat the oven to 425 degrees. Put the skillet in the oven to heat (mine is 10 1/4 inches).
  • Stir together the dry ingredients.
  • Add the egg and milk and stir till well blended.
  • Pull the hot skillet from the oven and add oil or spray with cooking spray.
  • Pour in the batter and bake for 15-20 minutes.

I’m showing this recipe off at Tasty Traditions hosted by Coupon Cookin’.

Fried Rice – Oven Style

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This is not your regular Asian style fried rice, but it is good.

The ingredients are simple: 1 cup of white, long grain rice (I used the cheap Walmart brand and saved my good Jasmine rice for something else), a bit of oil and a can of beef broth.

Brown the rice in a bit of oil on top of the stove until it gets toasty looking. I used a corning ware casserole dish. Anything that is both stove-top safe and oven proof would work.

Don’t worry about the two grains that jumped out of the dish while I was cooking them. I must have gotten carried away with stirring – it could happen to you too.

After the rice is brown, pour the can of beef broth over it but Do Not Stir! I don’t know why. My mom told me not to stir it, so I never do and it turns out every time. Put it in the oven at 375 degrees for about 30 minutes. If it starts to look too dry you can add a little water. I don’t usually have to do that.

My kids love this, consequently we never have any left overs.

Fried Rice – Oven Style
1 cup white rice
a bit of oil
1 can beef broth

Brown the rice in the oil on top of the stove. Add the beef broth after the rice is toasty. Remember not to stir the rice after adding the broth. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 min.