Breakfast Enjoy

I remember that Breakfast was Bill's favorite meal. So I am posting another recipe that he talked about making often. Hope you enjoy it, I do and know he did to.
This recipe comes from his cookbook. "Cookin' Texan

Pancakes:
Seems there is always a place for pancakes for breakfast. Almost every
restaurant has them. Nothing like a short stack with little sausage
links and a fried egg to start your day!!!! My mother used to make what I
thought were the best don't we all? I prefer buttermilk pancakes with
lots of whipped butter and homemade syrup of whatever fruit I have
available.
Ingredients:
1-1/4 C. All Purpose Flour 1/8 - ¼ C. Yellow Cornmeal
2 Tsp. Baking Powder 1 Tsp. Sugar
2 Eggs 1 TBS. Vegetable Oil
½ Tsp. Baking Soda
Buttermilk (just enough to make batter thin enough to pour
pancakes)

Sift flour, cornmeal, baking soda, and baking powder into a mixing bowl.
Mix to blend baking powder and baking soda evenly. Beat eggs, then add
sugar and salt to eggs and mix. Add egg mixture to dry ingredients and
mix only enough to moisten dry ingredients . Don t over mix. Add milk
enough to make consistency you like for pancake batter . Don't mind
lumps , if any. Rest batter for 10 to 15 minutes . Bake on hot griddle
(hot enough so a drop of water dances on it ). Grease griddle very
lightly between pancakes because pancakes absorb some oil.
Serve with a homemade syrup like raspberry puree syrup.

 

I haven't posted in a while.

It has not been because I have forgotten about what a great friend Bill Moran was to me. I see things every day that we shared. I know you won't believe this but I have kept all the emails from Bill. Naw, not gonna post them those are mine.
 The bright orange cannas are now blooming, they were really nice until the last storms came through. Yep, laid them down flat. Some are coming back up. We also lost several trees.
 Bill did write several cookbooks and I have most of the recipes. So I am thinking it would be a tribute to Bill to post some of the recipes. So Bill sure hope this meets with your approval.

Cookin' Texan by Bill Moran

Cookin' Texan Introduction

What is Texan Cooking?????? Why, that's very simple!! It is cowboy,

Mexican, Cajun, ranch, German, Czech, Polish, barbecue, chili, grits

and on and on!!!!!

Cookin Texan is a bout the eating eating habits of Texans As much as

cooking. Many dishes are wide spread throughout the US but more

specific to Texas.

Foods like BBQ and Chicken Fried Steak are especially Texas.

Texas is a big, big state and the 5 recognized regions of the state

have some very different foods. South Texas has a lot of Mexican

influence, East Texas has a lot of Southern and Cajun influence,

West Texas is influence by ranching tradition and to an extent some

New Mexico Mexican cooking. Central Texas has Czech and German

foods galore. And North Texas has a lot of dishes from the invasion

of people from the Northern US but still very Texan.

Anyway you look at it Texas has a great variety of food and some

mighty fine food at that !!!!!!!!!!

LARRY K s BUTTERMILK BISCUITS

Biscuits are and have been a part of Texas roadside Café, Cajun, and

Soul food for ages. I use this recipe because it is not only good but

representative of the product.

My friend Larry Crawford is living temporarily (2004) in Tulsa where

he is remodeling an old restaurant of his there. He is good at baking;

he says he got this from his mother.

2 C. Flour 2 Big TBS. Shortening

1 Tsp. Salt 4 Tsp. Baking Powder

¼ Tsp. Baking Soda Buttermilk

Mix together all the dry ingredients. Cut the shortening into the dry

ingredients until you have the consistency of rough corn meal.

Mix in the buttermilk gradually and stir until the dry ingredients are

just moist. The dough should pull away from the bowl.

Remove the dough from the bowl, dust with flour, and roll out and cut

out the biscuits. Bake at 400° for 10 to 20 minutes, or until just the

right brown.

Of course if you have biscuits you gotta have something to go with the, Butter and jelly is great but this is better

Sausage Gravy and Biscuits

This is a recent arrival to the Texas cooking. Only in the past 15 yrs.

had biscuits and gravy been so available. Used to be it was a regular

breakfast on thousands of farms and ranches as long as the homemade

sausage lasted. I was practically raised on biscuits and gravy but we

almost never had sausage gravy my loss!!!!!!!!!!!!

1 lb. Breakfast Sausage

1/3-1/2 C. Flour

2 TBS. Oil

2 C. Milk

Salt and Pepper to Taste

Fry sausage until brown. Break up any large pieces.

Make a roux with the flour and oil and then add the milk all at once and

stir like crazy to avoid lumps. Keep stirring until the gravy begins to

thicken then add salt and pepper to taste (I like lots of pepper). After

draining off the surplus grease, add the sausage to the gravy and stir

until well mixed.

Serve over halved buttermilk biscuits.

Reminders From Bill Moran

I have so many things around here that remind me of Bill, Most are plants and recipes. As you know by now that Bill loved to cook, grow plants and Family. Me? I could never in my lifetime ask for a better friend. We shared so much, seeing that our interest were so alike. I would like for you to enjoy a plant that Bill sent me way back when. Each year I rejoice just seeing this beautiful Canna. The Burgundy leaves with the bright orange blooms are just awesome. My Friend lives on in the things he shared with me. Bill You are still Missed.

Bill's Canna:

Food From the past

My friend Bill Moran grew up in rural America. (boy was he lucky). So am I with friends like Bill and living the rural life.
 Bill talked about his mother quite often. I never met her, but listing to Bill she was one heck of a great cook. Now we know where Bill got his love for food and cooking. Fresh tomatoes are in season right now. So lets get cooking. Here is a recipe that is from Bill's Mom. I have made this recipe and believe me it is a good one. Hope you try it.

On the farm we had a big garden and so many tomatoes we fed them to the hogs as well as ourselves. I’m not sure Breaded Tomatoes is a good name, but that’s what we called them. They make a quick meal using day-old bread and we really love ‘em. This is a dish that begs for experimenting (Romano cheese, hot sauce, etc.). I found a recipe online which sounds the same but is called Scalloped Tomatoes. Bill Moran

Thelma’s Breaded Tomatoes


3 Tbs. stick margarine

½ tsp. salt

1-1/2 tsp. sugar

1 (28 oz.) can Roma tomatoes, cut up

½ cup chopped onion

3 slices day-old bread, cubed

Lots of coarse ground black pepper

Sauté onions in margarine until translucent. Add bread cubes and fry

until lightly browned tossing now and then. Combine tomatoes, sugar,

salt and pepper. Layer tomatoes and bread in greased 1-1/2 quart

casserole, beginning with tomatoes and ending with bread. Bake in oven

at 350° for 50 minutes. Servings: 4 hungry; 6 easy-eaters.

This is a depression recipe. Mom used fresh garden tomatoes or

tomatoes she had canned. First she used bacon drippings, and then

when margarine came along she used it. Experiment: Use olive oil for

margarine or mix. Use French bread (she used homemade light bread.

A touch of basil or oregano sounds good, too.