Masa Harina Cornbread by Erica

Masa Harina Cornbread by Erica

Growing up, Beans and Cornbread was a staple meal in our house. It sounds simple and boring, but it was actually one of my favorites. Mom would cook up a vat (I exaggerate) of Great Northern beans and throw in a chunk of leftover ham for flavor. But the real star of the meal was the from-scratch cornbread. To be honest, it’s what kept us from rebelling about the beans.

We ALWAYS slathered it with butter, and poured our homemade maple syrup on top.

 
 

The cornbread recipe I’m sharing today is a little different than the one we had growing up. My mom used regular cornmeal in her recipe. Over the years I discovered that I liked the flavor and texture of coarse-ground cornmeal better. One time, I even ground dried corn into flour. The flavor of that cornbread was fantastic.

But not everyone has access to a grain mill. Another way to get great flavor is to use masa harina instead of regular cornmeal. I’m not sure how to describe it, other than to say that the flavor is more intense. More corn-y? But in a very good way.

 

Another reason I love masa harina is that it’s prepared traditionally. Dried corn is soaked/cooked in an alkaline solution, which is usually lime water (not from lime juice), also called calcium hydroxide. This process is known as nixtamalization. It makes the corn more digestible, and allows you to absorb the niacin, AKA vitamin B3. In fact, if you eat a diet high in corn that isn’t properly prepared, it can lead to malnutrition!

But let’s get on with the cornbread…

 
 

The rest of the recipe is very similar to traditional Yankee (or Northern) cornbread. Whisk together the masa harina, all-purpose flour, salt, and baking powder.

 
 

In a measuring cup, mix the milk, maple syrup, and egg together with a fork.

 
 

Pour in some melted butter. Make sure to leave about 2 tablespoons in the pan!

 
 

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients.

 
 

Whisk just until everything in moistened and there aren’t any dry patches of flour.

 
 

Scrape the batter into the buttered baking dish and spread it out with a spatula.

 
 

Bake in a hot oven until the edges are golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

 
 

Now, this picture isn’t completely honest. This is NOT how I recommend eating your cornbread, but it looks pretty for pictures. The proper way to eat it is to split it in half first. That way you can get a higher butter to cornbread ratio. I always err on the side of maximum butter consumption.

 
 

This is the perfect accompaniment to a pot of chili, bean soup, chicken wild rice, or just about any soup! When I made this recipe my husband said, “Cornbread is really good. It goes with a lot of stuff.” I think that was a hint that I could make it more often…

 
 

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Masa Harina Cornbread by Erica

Growing up, Beans and Cornbread was a staple meal in our house. It sounds simple and boring, but it was actually one of my favorites. Mom would cook up a vat (I exaggerate) of Great Northern beans and throw in a chunk of leftover ham for flavor. But the real star of the meal was the from-scratch cornbread. To be honest, it’s what kept us from rebelling about the beans.

We ALWAYS slathered it with butter, and poured our homemade maple syrup on top.

 
 

The cornbread recipe I’m sharing today is a little different than the one we had growing up. My mom used regular cornmeal in her recipe. Over the years I discovered that I liked the flavor and texture of coarse-ground cornmeal better. One time, I even ground dried corn into flour. The flavor of that cornbread was fantastic.

But not everyone has access to a grain mill. Another way to get great flavor is to use masa harina instead of regular cornmeal. I’m not sure how to describe it, other than to say that the flavor is more intense. More corn-y? But in a very good way.

 

Another reason I love masa harina is that it’s prepared traditionally. Dried corn is soaked/cooked in an alkaline solution, which is usually lime water (not from lime juice), also called calcium hydroxide. This process is known as nixtamalization. It makes the corn more digestible, and allows you to absorb the niacin, AKA vitamin B3. In fact, if you eat a diet high in corn that isn’t properly prepared, it can lead to malnutrition!

But let’s get on with the cornbread…

 
 

The rest of the recipe is very similar to traditional Yankee (or Northern) cornbread. Whisk together the masa harina, all-purpose flour, salt, and baking powder.

 
 

In a measuring cup, mix the milk, maple syrup, and egg together with a fork.

 
 

Pour in some melted butter. Make sure to leave about 2 tablespoons in the pan!

 
 

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients.

 
 

Whisk just until everything in moistened and there aren’t any dry patches of flour.

 
 

Scrape the batter into the buttered baking dish and spread it out with a spatula.

 
 

Bake in a hot oven until the edges are golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

 
 

Now, this picture isn’t completely honest. This is NOT how I recommend eating your cornbread, but it looks pretty for pictures. The proper way to eat it is to split it in half first. That way you can get a higher butter to cornbread ratio. I always err on the side of maximum butter consumption.

 
 

This is the perfect accompaniment to a pot of chili, bean soup, chicken wild rice, or just about any soup! When I made this recipe my husband said, “Cornbread is really good. It goes with a lot of stuff.” I think that was a hint that I could make it more often…

 
 

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Blocktech: la nueva colección de UNIQLO

Blocktech: la nueva colección de UNIQLO

Aunque cueste deshacerse de los vestidos veraniegos y las sandalias, cada vez queda menos para que llegue el frío, el viento y las lluvias. Por eso, UNIQLO se adelanta a los acontecimientos y lanza una nueva colección, para él y para ella, de parkas y abrigos: Blocktech.

¿Qué tienen de especial? Pues que son ligeros y altamente funcionales, además de ideales para aislarse del frío, el viento y la lluvia en los primeros días otoñales, caracterizados por la inestabilidad climatológica. ¡Pero eso sí! Sin perder el estilo.

 

El tejido Blocktech es elástico, para permitir la libertad de movimiento, y ha sido tratado con el objetivo de repeler el agua. Además, las cremalleras y los bolsillos han sido sometidos a un procedimiento exclusivo de sellado sin costuras para evitar que se cuele el agua y el frío dentro de la prenda. ¡La lluvia ya no te frenará ningún plan!

Pero no acaba ahí, y es que las prendas Blocktech son también completamente transpirables, dejando salir la humedad que genera el cuerpo y manteniéndolo seco y fresco en todo momento. Así mismo, una capa laminada especial situada entre las capas externa e interna actúa de barrera cortavientos.

 

Las 4 novedades que te conquistarán

• Se ajusta perfectamente al movimiento del cuerpo. Es una prenda versátil y válida para llevar tanto durante actividades deportivas como en el día a día.
• Los modelos de mujer, incorporan un nuevo sistema de ventilación para mejorar la transpiración.
• En los diseños de hombre, se actualiza el diseño del abrigo para que sea ideal para su uso diario y para llevar en ocasiones más especiales.
• Sus diseños combinan una estética vintage con una funcionalidad moderna.

No esperes a que te pille el mal tiempo y hazte ya con el tuyo en uniqlo.com.

The post Blocktech: la nueva colección de UNIQLO appeared first on StyleLovely.

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¿Cómo cuidar el cabello fino?

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How to Make Gravlax by Natalie

This is one of those recipes where I wonder why I hadn’t been doing this all of my life. Gravlax or cured salmon is super tasty and something I used to buy for our Christmas morning breakfast spread. It’s on the pricey side, too, and we considered it a treat.

Well, I think we might be spoiled since I started making it at home. It’s much more economical and easier than you think!

There are a lot of ways to make gravlax, including traditional Norwegian methods of burying the salmon in the ground for a few days while it cures.

Spoiler: I don’t have salmon buried in my backyard.

I’m going to get this right out in the open that I’m not a Norwegian gravlax purist. I’ll show you an easy way to make it that is great on its own, yet leaves you some wiggle room to experiment with flavors if you like.

 
 

Start off with some fresh salmon laying on top of a large piece of plastic wrap. I love the wild Alaska salmon that comes into stores during the summer. It’s one of my favorite seasonal treats!

You’ll want to find a fillet that’s relatively even in thickness. (It doesn’t need to be exact, though.) You also need some lemon juice, sugar, kosher salt, and fresh dill.

Don’t use fine salt or regular table salt or your salmon will be too salty. You could use coarse sea salt if you like, too.

 
 

Squirt the lemon juice over the salmon, the mix the salt, sugar, and chopped dill together. Pile the mixture on top of the salmon. This will be enough for 1 full salmon fillet (around 3 pounds).

I cut it in half to make it easier to prep and to take up less refrigerator space. I’ll show you in a minute.

 
 

Wrap the salmon tightly in the plastic wrap.

 
 

Stack them in a bread pan. You can use any pan you like, but using a bread pan saves you some refrigerator space.

Place another bread pan on top of the salmon, nesting inside the first pan.

 
 

Now take a few cans of something—I used coconut milk—and put them in the upper bread pan to weigh it down.

Refrigerate it for 2–3 days. The curing time depends on the thickness of your fillets. If they are on the thick side, I’d let it go for at least 3 days.

 
 

You can check on it after a couple days by removing the weighted bread pan and poking the salmon. If it seems to be more firm than it was, then it’s well on its way. It should be firm enough to slice thinly and have a deep salty, dilly flavor.

There will also be quite a bit of liquid in the pan. It’s ok. Just drain it out.

If the texture and taste aren’t quite right, then return it to the fridge for 8–12 more hours and try again.

 
 

Slice up that salmon and make yourself a charcuterie platter! I loved this salmon on a baguette with some herbed cream cheese, sliced cucumber, and a sprig of fresh dill.

 
 

It’s even great without that baguette if you’re eating gluten-free. I may have had little cucumber bites for breakfast every day for a week.

 
 

After doing a little research I noticed many recipes call for vodka or other spices or even fresh garlic. I’d love to hear if you’ve made cured salmon and how you like to eat it!

 
 

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How to Make Gravlax by Natalie

How to Make Gravlax by Natalie

This is one of those recipes where I wonder why I hadn’t been doing this all of my life. Gravlax or cured salmon is super tasty and something I used to buy for our Christmas morning breakfast spread. It’s on the pricey side, too, and we considered it a treat.

Well, I think we might be spoiled since I started making it at home. It’s much more economical and easier than you think!

There are a lot of ways to make gravlax, including traditional Norwegian methods of burying the salmon in the ground for a few days while it cures.

Spoiler: I don’t have salmon buried in my backyard.

I’m going to get this right out in the open that I’m not a Norwegian gravlax purist. I’ll show you an easy way to make it that is great on its own, yet leaves you some wiggle room to experiment with flavors if you like.

 
 

Start off with some fresh salmon laying on top of a large piece of plastic wrap. I love the wild Alaska salmon that comes into stores during the summer. It’s one of my favorite seasonal treats!

You’ll want to find a fillet that’s relatively even in thickness. (It doesn’t need to be exact, though.) You also need some lemon juice, sugar, kosher salt, and fresh dill.

Don’t use fine salt or regular table salt or your salmon will be too salty. You could use coarse sea salt if you like, too.

 
 

Squirt the lemon juice over the salmon, the mix the salt, sugar, and chopped dill together. Pile the mixture on top of the salmon. This will be enough for 1 full salmon fillet (around 3 pounds).

I cut it in half to make it easier to prep and to take up less refrigerator space. I’ll show you in a minute.

 
 

Wrap the salmon tightly in the plastic wrap.

 
 

Stack them in a bread pan. You can use any pan you like, but using a bread pan saves you some refrigerator space.

Place another bread pan on top of the salmon, nesting inside the first pan.

 
 

Now take a few cans of something—I used coconut milk—and put them in the upper bread pan to weigh it down.

Refrigerate it for 2–3 days. The curing time depends on the thickness of your fillets. If they are on the thick side, I’d let it go for at least 3 days.

 
 

You can check on it after a couple days by removing the weighted bread pan and poking the salmon. If it seems to be more firm than it was, then it’s well on its way. It should be firm enough to slice thinly and have a deep salty, dilly flavor.

There will also be quite a bit of liquid in the pan. It’s ok. Just drain it out.

If the texture and taste aren’t quite right, then return it to the fridge for 8–12 more hours and try again.

 
 

Slice up that salmon and make yourself a charcuterie platter! I loved this salmon on a baguette with some herbed cream cheese, sliced cucumber, and a sprig of fresh dill.

 
 

It’s even great without that baguette if you’re eating gluten-free. I may have had little cucumber bites for breakfast every day for a week.

 
 

After doing a little research I noticed many recipes call for vodka or other spices or even fresh garlic. I’d love to hear if you’ve made cured salmon and how you like to eat it!

 
 

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Cómo conseguir una piel más firme

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