Last weekend I got inspired and wanted to try some new recipes. The funny thing is that both came from "Southern" magazines (yes...magazines...again!). I made
Southern Living magazine's Corn-and-Crab* Chowder with
Southern Lady's homemade Garlic Cheddar Muffins. Oh my, they were yummy and so nice for an early fall dinner.
*The Corn-and-Crab Chowder gave the option of using a pound of peeled and cooked shrimp instead of the crab meat and that is what I opted for (which was about a $12 difference in the cost of the meal).
I am, admittedly not a gourmet, but this meal turned out so good! It is
definitely a "company meal"!
Garlic Cheddar Muffins* from September/October 2007
Southern Lady magazine, page 70
makes 12
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
¼ Cup Butter
¼ Cup Chopped Fresh Chives
1-½ teaspoons Minced Garlic
2 Cups Baking Mix
1 Cup Grated Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese
¼ teaspoon Garlic Powder
¼ teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
1 Cup Buttermilk
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 12-cup muffin pan with olive oil.
- In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add chives and garlic, and cook for 2 minutes; remove from heat and set aside
- In a medium bowl, combine baking mix, cheese, garlic powder, and pepper. In a separate bowl, combine buttermilk and butter mixture. Add buttermilk mixture to baking mixture, stirring until dry ingredients are moistened. Let batter stand for 5 minutes.
- Evenly spoon batter into prepared muffin pan. Bake for 30 minutes, until golden brown. Cool in pan for 5 minutes before removing.
NOTE: I brushed on a bit of melted butter mixed with garlic before serving.
Corn-and-Crab Chowder
*from October 2007
Southern Living, page 102
6 Bacon Slices
2 Celery Ribs, Diced
1 Medium-size Green Bell Pepper, Diced
1 Medium Onion, Diced
1 Jalapeño Pepper, Seeded and Diced
1 (32 oz) Container Chicken Broth
3 Tablespoons All-Purpose Flour
3 Cups Fresh Corn Kernels (6 ears)
1 lb. Fresh Lump Crab Meat, Drained and Picked***
1 Cup Whipping Cream
¼ Cup Chopped Fresh Cilantro
½ Teaspoon Salt
¼ Teaspoon Pepper
Oyster Crackers
Garnish: Chopped Fresh Cilantro
- Cook bacon in Dutch oven over medium heat 8 to 10 minutes or until crisp; remove bacon, and drain on paper towels, reserving 2 Tbsp. drippings in Dutch Oven. Crumble bacon and set aside.
- Saute' celery and next 3 ingredients in hot drippings 5 to 6 minutes or until tender.
- Whisk together broth and flour until smooth. Add to celery mixture. Stir in corn. Bring to boil; reduce heat, and simmer, stirring occasionally, 30 minutes. Gently stir in crab meat (or shrimp) and next 4 ingredients; cook 4 to 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated.
- Serve warm with crumbled bacon and oyster crackers. Garnish, if desired.
***1 lb. peeled cooked shrimp or chopped cooked chicken may be substituted.
I grew up in what is known as the Peach State but it didn't take me long to realize South Carolina actually has the best peaches. I suppose no matter where you live, fresh peaches are hard to beat. There is just something about peach season that makes me want to bake. It doesn't matter that it may be hot as blue blazes outside—if fresh peaches are on the counter, you can't risk letting them go bad, so you bake. Today, I was also lucky enough to have a nice amount of fresh blueberries, so a recipe was made.
