Family recipes are the heart of the fall season. Comfort foods bring families and friends together and make us feel at home in the midst of our busy holiday schedules. From baked good to savory dinners, check out some favorite recipes from familiar faces around the Center!
Jeanne Millsaps
Bud’s Seafood Grille
Bud’s parents relocated to California from Arkansas when he was 2 years old. His mother was a wonderful southern cook. As a wedding shower gift, she gave me two cast iron skillets, a must-have in southern cooking, and the only pan she used to make cornbread in. I loved her cornbread – it’s not sweet or cakey like most cornbread recipes because it doesn’t contain sugar or eggs. It is a simple, bread-like cornbread, and I not only make it go with a meal but it is the bread base I use for cornbread dressing, another favorite recipe of hers. She made many of her recipes without measuring, so it was hard for me to recreate them without watching her closely and guessing the measurements. I’ve been making this cornbread in my trusty, well-seasoned, cast iron skillet for almost 49 years now and it’s good, but I don’t think it will ever taste as good as hers!
Ruby Nell’s Cornbread
1 cup white cornmeal
1 cup flour
1 tbsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
1 ¼ cup buttermilk
2 tbsp canola oil
Wisk dry ingredients together. Add buttermilk and mix well. Consistency should be wet like cake batter. Don’t be afraid to add more buttermilk. Head 8-inch skillet on the stove with 2 tablespoons oil. Truth be told, the oil was often bacon grease and more than the 2 tablespoons listed. When skillet is hot, pour batter and put the skillet in a hot 400-degree oven for about 25 minutes until cornbread turns a beautiful brown. It should make eight nice size pieces of cornbread.
Todd Traut
Cell Phone Repair
I am an Ohio native and a big Ohio State Buckeye fan! My family and I love to enjoy this chocolate peanut butter treat around the holidays every year. It’s so simple to make and is always a crowd favorite!
Easy Buckeye Candy
10 oz. package Reese’s peanut butter chips
16 oz. can vanilla frosting (not whipped)
12 oz. package chocolate candy melts
Line cookie sheets with waxed paper. Melt peanut butter chips in medium saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly. Add frosting and stir until fully combined. Let stand until cool enough to handle and roll mixture into 1-inch balls and place on cookie sheets. Refrigerate for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, place candy melts in tall microwave-safe mug according to package directions. Coat each ball with candy – pierce ball with a wooden skewer, leaving the area around skewer uncoated. Place dipped ball back on waxed paper – pushing candy off the skewer. Smooth skewer hole with finger or back of a spoon. Makes 6 dozen candies.
Art Gallegos
Trader Joes
I have been at Trader Joe’s for three years so it’s safe to say I’ve tried just about every food in the store. I’d love to share with you my go to recipe from Trader Joe’s. Did you know, there is an extensive collection of easy recipes on the Trader Joe’s website? This recipe for Hot & Sweet Cheesy Jalapeno Dip is so easy to make and everyone who tries it loves it. And of course, everything needed to make it can be found in one stop at Trader Joe’s!
Hot & Sweet Cheesy Jalapeno Dip
6 oz. cream cheese
1/3 cup mayonnaise
½ cup sour cream
1 tsp garlic powder
¾ cup shredded cheddar cheese
¾ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
½ cup Trader Joe’s Hot & Sweet Jalapenos patted dry and chopped
½ tsp salt
1 tbsp butter, melted
½ cup breadcrumbs
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix cream cheese, mayonnaise and sour cream in a large bowl. Add garlic powder, shredded cheeses, jalapenos, and salt – stir to combine. Spread mixture into a glass baking dish and set aside. In a small bowl, mix melted butter and breadcrumbs. Sprinkle over dip mixture. Bake for 25 minutes or until breadcrumbs are golden brown and dip is bubbling. Let cool slightly and serve with Trader Joes Blue Corn Tortilla Chips, Pretzel.
Enjoy!