I decided I needed red beans and rice and cornbread today.  The recipe card has my mother's writing, but it's my granny's (or older) recipe.





I will say that it is improved if you grease the skillet with bacon grease rather than vegetable oil.

I sorta mostly kinda followed this recipe for the beans, http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/red-beans-and-rice-recipe2.html, I don't think we actually have one written down in the family.  I used a hambone we had in the freezer, and cut the cooking time by a bit by using the pressure cooker, though I did have to let it simmer uncovered for half an hour or so to thicken up while the rice and cornbread were cooking.

I have this idea to cook through the recipe cards I have from my grandmothers.  I was looking through my card file for one of my Mutti's (paternal grandmother) recipes to make a batch to bring to my father for the holidays.   This is the one I settled on:



What's missing here?  How about oven temperature and baking time?  Sheesh, Mutti, way to make things difficult.  I didn't have enough molasses so I substituted some brown sugar and a smidge more hot water.  AND, I had a brain fart and uses 2 tsp of baking powder rather than the 2 tsp of SODA dissolved in water.  I have no idea if it'll make a big difference.   The dough seemed pretty loose before chilling … though not dissimilar to the dough of the ginger bread men from the other side of my family.  I also can't be bothered to grease and flour a cookie sheet, so on to the parchment they go.

I pre-heated the oven to 400 and checked the cookies at 5 minute intervals.  10 Minutes seems to do it.  The resulting cookie is more of a little mounded cake.  They're not that pretty even with the frosting, but they are very tasty.  Something in the spice drop family.  I'll have to ask Dad if they're anything like what he remembers.