Sopa Paraguaya~ Paraguayan Cornbread

Cornbread may be a misleading name for this recipe.  What comes to my mind when I hear 'cornbread' is a very crumbly, often dry texture of food. The corn is simply a backup singer for the cheese and onions in the recipe.  Around our house we do not call this Paraguayan Cornbread; we call it Aunt Claudia's cheesy~onion~casserole.

My sister~in~law, Claudia, has an interesting heritage.  She is American by birth but her parents are from Argentina, and she was often cared for by a family friend {much like a nanny} who is from Paraguay.  So the food she makes has many influences and is always a hit with us.  Perhaps my favorite is this cheesy dish.

I really, really, really, like cheese and onions.  I will warn you, that if are not too fond of either, this is not the dish for you. It is loaded with two pounds of cheese and four onions.  If you do like cheese and onions, this may be the side dish of your dreams.  It makes an excellent side for roasted chicken {just put some chicken pieces in a baking dish and season with Adobe then roast}.

Paraguayan Cornbread
4 medium sweet onions, sliced
3 tbsp olive oil
1 c fine white corn meal
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 c unsalted butter, softened
1 15 oz can corn
1 c whole milk
3 eggs
1/2 lb Muenster cheese
1 lb Monterrey ~Jack cheese

Preheat oven to 350F.
Saute onions in olive oil until tender and slightly browned.  While onions are cooking, cube cheeses.  Combine baking powder, corn meal and salt.  Place softened butter, creamed corn and corn meal mixture in bowl; combine well.  Slowly add milk and eggs and mix well.

Add cooked onions to corn mixture and then add cheese.  Spoon into a greased 9x13" casserole dish.  Bake in preheated oven for 35~45 minutes, until golden on top.  Let cool for 10~15 minutes before serving {it needs to set or it will be to soft to hold any shape}.

Tips and Tricks~
*The cornbread should be served warm, not hot.  If you cut into while it's hot, you'll need a spoon to eat it with and the rest of the casserole will ooze in and take over the empty space from the missing piece.
*If you buy white corn meal in the regular grocery {instead of an international market} you may only find self~rising corn meal.  If so, you can use it; just skip the baking powder and salt in this recipe.
*The casserole is even tastier after it has been refrigerated for a day and reheated.  I don't really know why, but it is.  It can be reheated in the oven {covered}.


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Easy Fried Rice

Everyone in my family enjoys Chinese food but we don't like the headache and puffy hands and face that often come later from the high MSG content in most restaurant Chinese food. I've learned to make dumplings or wontons, spring rolls and now the best fried rice. I especially like to have our Chinese 'make~in' around Chinese New Year {which is January 23 this year}, complete with chopsticks and tea and a bright red table covering.

Why red?  The holiday has its roots in a myth that a monster, Nian, would come on the eve of the new year and eat animals and even children.  To keep him appeased, villagers would set out food on their doorposts.  Once someone noticed a child wearing red running toward the monster, and it was terrified and ran off.  It was decided that red would scare Nian away.  Today children receive red envelopes filled with money as gifts on the Chinese New Year.

So what about the food?  Often the feasts in China include chicken and fish, dumplings and mandarin oranges as well as some sweets like Chinese rice pudding.  We just enjoy a festive occasion therefore we eat  some of our favorite, very Americanized Chinese dishes, like fried rice.

Tips and Tricks for No Fail Fried Rice~
*The key to fried rice is using cold, day old rice.  Make your rice at least one day ahead and use it to make this no fail recipe.
*Use sesame oil, not vegetable or canola or another.  The only seasoning you need for this recipe comes from the sesame oil and the soy sauce.  And they are the only seasoning you need.
*I prefer white rice in this dish.  Before I actually made fried, I thought the brown color came from brown rice.  After making it I learned the color is from the soy sauce.
*This is wonderful even after it has been made and sits in the fridge for a day or two.  My children love it when I make extra so they can pack it for their lunches.
*Easily add pork, beef or chicken to the dish by sauteing the meat in sesame oil first, then add veggies with a bit more sesame oil.  Follow remainder of recipe as written.


Easy Fried Rice
2 tbsp sesame oil
2 c frozen mixed veggies
1/2 c chopped yellow onion
2 eggs, slightly beaten
3 c cold, cooked rice {recommend white}
1/3-1/2  c soy sauce {recommend low-sodium}
1/4 c sliced green onions

Heat sesame oil in large skillet or wok over medium~high heat.  Add veggies and onions and cook until onions are slightly tender.  Move veggies to sides of pan, making a circle in which to place eggs.  Lower heat to medium and add eggs; scramble in middle to slightly cook then mix with veggies.  Add cold rice and soy sauce {just 1/3 cup, use 1/2 cup if you like the salty taste to come through more}; increase heat to high and stir fry to heat through.  Garnish with green onion slices before serving.

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Savory and Sweet Corn Bread Stuffing

Stuffing or dressing? Inside or out? As a child, I had never had stuffing. My mother always made dressing. Even when she made Stove Top Stuffing she called it dressing. Do you know the difference? As the name implies, stuffing is used to stuff meat, usually a whole bird for roasting. Dressing is synonymous with stuffing but is more often to refer to the method of cooking outside of the bird. Also, depending on the geographic location; stuffing is more often used in the the South and East. I prefer dressing to stuffing mostly because it is what I am used to eating and saying, though my favorite recipe is for a stuffing.

Here is my favorite stuffing recipe. It is sweet due to using sweet corn muffins and it is savory with bits of sausage and mushrooms. My children even like this {as long as I remember to chop up the mushrooms and resist the temptation to leave them in slices}. It could even be a meal on its own. The recipe is based on one from a cookbook my mother gave me many years ago. Using fresh corn muffins makes it especially moist. I have never used it to stuff a turkey, but I am certain it would be just as delicious if it was cooked inside your turkey as it is in a pretty casserole dish.

Savory and Sweet Corn Bread Stuffing

8 oz sliced mushrooms

1 c chopped celery

3/4 c chopped onion

1/2 c butter

1 1/2 c hot broth {chicken is best}

1 lb pork sausage, browned and drained

1 8x8 pan sweet corn bread, crumbled

Melt butter in large skillet; add mushrooms, celery and onion and cook until onions are tender. Place sausage in large bowl; add cooked mushroom mixture and crumbled corn muffins. Add hot broth {if using bouillon cubes, boil water and add the cubes and allow to sit for 5-10 minutes before adding to sausage and corn muffins}. Stir to combine all ingredients. Place stuffing in 2 qt. baking dish. Bake uncovered in 350F oven for 30 minutes or until hot.

A Note~

I often use sweet corn muffins from Costco {which are much larger than regular muffins}; I'll use 4 of those which may be equal to about 6-8 regular.

Cheesy Bacon Fries with Ranch Dip

A cousin to the loaded baked potato, Cheesy Bacon Fries often accompany our casual dinners of sandwiches or finger foods. But what makes these fries so delicious is not the bacon or cheese {though they both help immensely}. It is the ranch dip. Just a bit of this dip on fries changes them from good to insanely delicious.

Cheesy Bacon Fries

1 32 oz bag regular cut frozen French fries

2 c shredded cheddar cheese

1 lb bacon, fried and crumbled

ranch dipping sauce (recipe follows)

Cook fries in 450 degree oven for about 20 minutes. Turn half way through cooking. Remove fries to oven safe serving platter. Cover with 1 c shredded cheese and half of the crumbled bacon, then the remaining cheese and finish with the remaining bacon. Return to oven for five minutes to melt cheese. Serve with ranch dipping sauce. THIS IS A MUST! The sauce makes the fries!

Ranch Dipping Sauce

1 c mayo

1/2 c milk

1 0.4 oz pkg ranch dressing mix (recommend Hidden Valley)

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp paprika

1/4 tsp garlic powder

Mix all ingredients well. Refrigerate for an hour.