• Cakey and Sweet Cornbread
    Breads,  Breakfast,  Muffins,  Side Dishes,  Vegetarian

    Cakey and Sweet Cornbread

    This soft and sweet cornbread tastes cakey, but you probably wouldn’t mistake it for dessert. Its tiny cornmeal crunch and golden crust make it the perfect all-American side to soups, stews, chili and barbecue. And instead of going all crumbly, it stays moist and fluffy for breakfast or snacking the next day—in the unlikely event you have any left over. So where does this cornbread fit in geographically? Northern or Southern? We first snarfed down cakey and sweet cornbread at the Hangin 8 BBQ restaurant in Eufaula, Oklahoma. So we’d say it comes from right smack in the middle of the country.    Our version, adapted from Allrecipes, hits the same cakey chords. The…

  • Braid with Pesto
    Appetizers,  Breads,  Italian,  Side Dishes,  Vegetarian

    Braided Bread with Pesto (Treccia al Pesto)

    Got basil? Whirr it into pesto and swirl it into an elegant braid of Italian bread. You won’t believe how easily this Braided Bread with Pesto (Treccia al Pesto) comes together into a fragrant, flavorful appetizer. And as a side bread, it can spruce up an everyday meal. The twisted braid idea comes from our son-in-law Gordy. His “crown bread” filled with tapenade and blue cheese (from Nadiya Hussain of the Great British Baking Show) blew us away. With its dark filling and gorgeous layers, it got mistaken for dessert when he took it to a party.   We simplified the bread recipe and substituted pesto because our garden basil has gone berserk. And…