What do you use that for?

I get this question periodically; I'm always tempted to reply, What would you use it for? But snark doesn't sell pottery, so I answer seriously about hot dish and lasagna in the large square baker, coffee cake and potica in the small, steamed rice and summer vegetables in the covered casserole.

Yesterday morning I found a perfect new example in my kitchen: Making cornbread from the More-With-Less Cookbook. I've sized up the proportions to fill a 9x13" pan.

On the left, a small batter bowl containing 1.5 cups AP flour, 1.5 cups cornmeal, 3 T. brown sugar, 2 T. baking powder and 3/4 tsp. salt, whisked together. On the right, a mixing crock with 3 beaten eggs, 1.5 cups milk and 3/8 cup vegetable oil. I'm about to add liquid into dry, mix 'til smooth, and pour into a greased 9x13" pan. Bake 25 minutes at 400° F., and the result is this:

Golden brown and delicious!

Also in yesterday's kitchen

It's tomato season! Bought two 30-lb. lugs of romas from a local farm stand, along with three bunches of scallions and a big bag of mushrooms.


Rinse, stem, cut into wedges, then cook with a little olive oil, basil, oregano, and a couple of locally grown bay leaves (one of the potters from Club Mud also raises plants and does some occasional yard work, and brought in some pruned branches. Bay laurel grows more-or-less wild here). When cooked and reduced, a little, stir in an ice cream scoop of sweated onions and 3/4 cup of sautéed mushrooms. Proceed to fill every large bowl in the house.

I made all of these except the antique bread bowl that came from my great-aunt Aggie. (BTW, there's still one more bowl that didn't fit on the table.) Water-bath can quarts for 45 minutes. (These should be fine as is, but since tomato acidity varies, I add 2 tsp. lemon juice to each jar.

Wound up with 20 quarts of concentrated summer, with about a dozen pounds of tomatoes left for Denise to slice and dry.