Kickin' Creamed Corn

My favorite way to eat corn has to be fresh corn on the cob with butter, salt and pepper. I don't think I'll ever get tired of it! But I do like to change things up now and then, and Saturday night I decided to make a corn casserole for a party we were having. Last summer I tried one a friend had made and I enjoyed it so much I thought I'd recreate it - adding my own twist, naturally. If I'm remembering correctly, hers called for a can of diced green chilies, which you could certainly use instead of the jalapeño if you don't want quite so much kick.


Kickin' Creamed Corn
3 cans whole kernel corn (you can use fresh-off-the-cob, frozen, whatever)
1 (8 ounce) package reduced-fat cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
2 green onions
1 jalapeño, finely diced
salt and pepper to taste

In a medium-sized bowl, combine the cream cheese, cilantro, onions, jalapeño, salt and pepper. Stir in corn. Transfer to a greased 8-inch square baking dish. Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes, until heated through.

Potato Soup for 2

... Or potato soup for 1 if you're really hungry.

I definitely make a habit of making lunch for myself that no one else in the house will eat. It's worth it to me that I get to enjoy my favorite foods without having to worry about the rest of the family. So while the kiddos are munching on PB&J and yogurt, I get to enjoy salmon or spinach soup or whatever, and everybody's happy! (Of course, the exception is our little one. She loves anything Mommy is eating. "Mommy, you share wif me?" *big, pleading blue eyes*) Potato soup, unfortunately, is one of those things. It will get eaten at dinner with the family, but not necessarily enjoyed the way it should be.

Potato Soup for 2

1 large baking potato, peeled and cubed
1 garlic clove, peeled and coarsely chopped
3 cups chicken (or veggie) stock
salt and pepper to taste
2-3 tablespoons cream (you can use any milk here - 1/2 & 1/2, whipping cream, 2%, I've done it all.)
1/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Toppings/variations of your choice - chopped broccoli, cooked/crumbled bacon, diced ham, fresh herbs, green onions, sour cream, corn

In a small saucepan, bring the broth, garlic and potatoes up to a boil. Simmer for 12-15 minutes, until potatoes get very soft, stirring occasionally. This is important: using a whisk, stir up the potatoes. You want to break them down to get that velvety potato soup texture. Whisk until the soup reaches desired consistency - it won't be completely smooth, but I love leaving chunks of potato, anyway. Stir in cream, adding more if necessary to thin it the way you like it (add more chicken stock if it's super thick). Salt and pepper to your taste, stir in cheese. Remove from heat and serve with your favorite toppings!

(This is also a great way to use up the last bits of leftover side veggies like broccoli or corn.)

Pizza For Lunch

Our normal lunch routine is that I have taught the kids some basic recipes and they make their own lunches. Kaity or I take care of Selah, but the two oldest generally do their own thing. Joe's favorite is to make grits with cheese, or a ham sandwich with yogurt/apple/crackers on the side. Kaity is a bit more creative (and allowed to use the stove!) so she makes PB & J Croissants or angel hair pasta, or yes, even canned pasta once in a while. They also like to do tortilla roll-ups instead of standard sandwiches. But sometimes we have leftovers, or I'll cook something we all like (not easy to find!). Today, I made pizza.

I don't make pizza often because we can get it from a chain restaurant cheaper than I can make it. However, I had all the ingredients today and the kids were bored with their lunch choices. I started with this simple dough. We had leftover spaghetti sauce (made with onion, garlic, green pepper, tomatoes, herbs) complete with beef that I spread over the top of the crust. I topped that layer with chopped fresh spinach, then layered on torn slices of Muenster. Next came a layer of shredded cheddar, then a bit of mozzarella. (It sounds like a lot of cheese, but I only had a little of each.) I also put the last of the deli ham on one part - just for mommy.

After baking it at 400° for about 15 minutes, our lunch was ready! Easy as (pizza) pie!

Creamy Cheese Dip

It's no secret that I consider cheese a major food group of its own. My kids thankfully agree! I've made fondue for dinner before and it's always anticipated and enjoyed by all. Tonight I decided to serve a simple meal of homemade cheese dip and tortilla chips, plus corn on the cob. I figure they've probably had worse, nutritionally speaking, and it's nice to serve a meal once in a while that prompts no complaints! And seriously, you can't go wrong with a recipe whose main step involves melting a bunch of cheese.


Creamy Cheese Dip

1/2 pound ground beef
1 can (10 ounces) diced tomatoes with chilies
8 ounces white American cheese (deli slices)
4 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1/4 cup chopped cilantro (optional, but I highly recommend it!)

In a small skillet, crumble and cook beef, seasoning with salt and pepper. In a small (3 quart) slow cooker, combine ground beef, American cheese and tomatoes. After about 2 hours on low, the cheese should be thoroughly melted. Stir in cheddar and cilantro. Cook until heated through, another 30 - 60 minutes.

This results in a fresh, creamy, mild dip. If you like it really spicy, Ro-Tel makes a diced tomatoes with habanero option that might suit you better! Or add in a diced jalapeño for a medium kick.

Note:  Especially if I'm cooking for a crowd, I'll use packaged, pre-shredded cheese for casseroles or taco topping, etc. When I need the cheese to melt beautifully, I always shred my own. The pre-shredded kind has cornstarch or some other kind of anti-caking agent that prevents it from melting nicely.

Tomato Tortellini Soup

For dinner last night, I made a creamy, simple soup using tomato soup and tortellini. I don't often make meat-free meals, but this one is hearty enough that it works for us. I served it with this incredible Rosemary Olive Oil Bread that has become a family favorite.

Tomato Tortellini Soup

1 32-ounce carton tomato soup (I use Imagine brand)
2 cups chicken broth (or veggie broth)
1 cup half and half (or milk)
1 9-ounce package refrigerated cheese tortellini
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
Feta or Parmesan cheese, to taste

In a large saucepan, combine the tomato soup, broth, half and half, and seasonings. Heat completely through, then stir in cheese if desired. I used a few tablespoons of feta. Meanwhile, in another pot, cook tortellini according to package directions, then drain and stir into soup. Serve immediately.

* Between the combination of ingredients, I found the soup didn't need any extra salt, but you might prefer a bit more.

* For a more intense tomato flavor you can add in a tablespoon of tomato paste.

* Because the Rosemary Olive Oil Bread is so flavorful, I didn't even use Italian seasoning in this batch of soup, and it was still delicious!

* I like the simplicity of this soup, but to stretch it further, cooked cubed or shredded chicken, cooked and crumbled Italian sausage, a can of canellini beans or a couple handfuls of raw spinach would be really great additions without adding to the cooking time.

Ham and Cheese Cups

I've seen recipes similar to this one over the years and they've intrigued me. Mostly, though, they involve simply cracking an egg into a muffin cup lined with ham or bacon and sometimes topping it with cheese. I am NOT a fan of the whole "runny yolk" deal, though, and I don't like eating the white and yolk separately like that unless it's a hard-boiled egg. Even then I have to have a taste of each with every bite! I'm weird like that. (But when it comes to candy bars like Kit-Kat, Reese's Cups, or Twix I eat each layer separately. Pretty sure I read an article addressing that in Psychiatry Monthly.) At any rate, the Ham and Cheese Cups I made today were fabulous! I made only 6 since I was doing them for my own lunch - plus, I happened to have 6 slices of ham leftover from Sunday night's deli sandwiches. I had a filling lunch and I'll have a nice breakfast in the morning, too!

Ham and Cheese Cups

12 slices deli ham
8 eggs
2 tablespoons Greek yogurt or sour cream
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 small potatoes, washed and peeled
1 tablespoon butter
salt and pepper

Spray 12 muffin cups with non-stick cooking spray. Line with one slice of ham. In a large measuring cup or a bowl with a spout for easy pouring, crack the eggs and whisk them together with the yogurt and salt and pepper to taste.

 On a paper towel, shred the potatoes. Use the paper towel to wring out some of the moisture in the potatoes. Place shredded potato in a small microwaveable bowl and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add the butter; microwave for about 1 minute, stirring halfway through. Divide the potato between the muffin cups and top with cheese. Pour the egg mixture evenly over each cup.

Bake at 350° for 16-20 minutes, until tops are nicely rounded and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

If I'd had spinach or broccoli or zucchini, I would have used that instead of, or in addition to, the potato. Either way these were delicious and I'll be making them again for sure!

Barbecue Cheddar Meatballs

Typical Thursday - I was scraping the bottom of the barrel, food-wise. Normally I have a meal planned out, but this week I just happened not to. I thawed a package of ground beef and hoped inspiration would strike. Thankfully, it did! Working with limited resources, I decided to make Barbecue Cheddar Meatballs. Little One and Handsome had seconds, and apparently they were good enough for The Boy to have seconds, too! He speared a meatball with his fork and declared, "Now you must face your demise!"

Barbecue Cheddar Meatballs

1-1/2 pounds lean ground beef
1/4 cup barbecue sauce (I used Spicy Honey from Kraft)
1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1/3 cup bread crumbs

1 cup barbecue sauce
1/2 cup salsa

Bring a large skillet up to medium to medium-high heat. In a bowl, mix together the first 7 ingredients. Form tablespoonfuls into meatballs. Saute in skillet until browned on all sides. Reduce heat to low; stir in BBQ sauce and salsa. Cover and simmer for 8-10 minutes, until cooked through, stirring occasionally.

These would have been great with some mashed potatoes, but we're out of milk ... So, I served them with Green Beans, Carrot Zucchini Fritters, and corn.

Strawberry Shortcake

I wasn't feeling 100% this weekend, so I took the easy route for dessert Sunday night. I usually make my own cake and whipped cream for Strawberry Shortcake, but I sent Handsome to the store instead this time!

Strawberry Shortcake

16 ounces fresh strawberries
1 small orange
2 tablespoons powdered sugar

Wash and hull strawberries; slice and place in a small bowl. Zest and juice the orange; add those to the strawberries. Stir in the powdered sugar. You may not need the full amount of sugar, if any at all! The sugar does help pull out the juices, though, which is optimal for strawberry shortcake.

For the super-easy version of this dessert, just use storebought:

dessert shells
whipped cream (frozen and thawed, or the kind in the can)

Then you simply layer the shells, berries and cream.

For a simple way to make your own whipped cream, check out my Cinnamon Cream Fruit Dip. For a plain version just use powdered instead of brown sugar, and omit the cinnamon.

Baked Potato Casserole

I've seen lots of different versions of this, but when I made it this time I didn't bother to use a recipe. I just tossed things together until they looked good! Apparently it worked because our folks cleaned out the pans and I got lots of positive feedback! I'm giving you the recipe as I made it, but of course you can cut it in half for a more reasonable amount.

Baked Potato Casserole

3 pounds red potatoes
10 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled - reserve 1/4 cup drippings
3 green onions, sliced
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup butter, melted
salt and pepper

Bake the potatoes until tender. (I just scrub them and pop them in the oven. They took about an hour at 400°.)

When the potatoes are cool enough to work with, cube them into bite-size pieces and divided them between two 9 x 13 pans. Sprinkle them with salt and pepper, onions, bacon, and cheese. Pour on the butter, bacon grease, and sour cream (divide it between the two pans). Carefully stir the potatoes until well coated. Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350° for 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake for another 10 minutes. I served them with more sour cream on the side for those that wanted it.

If you want to make this dish in shifts, you can bake the potatoes the day before and store them in the fridge whole. I wouldn't keep them longer than 24 hours like that, though, as the texture will not be as good.

Avgolemono

Some time ago, I posted this recipe for Lemon Orzo Soup. Since then, I found two articles on the soup being referred to by its actual Greek name, Avgolemono, which literally means "egg lemon". Pretty descriptive name, don't you think? Anyway, I've been eating this soup a lot lately because it's so filling and easy to make, not to mention fairly cheap. I've not even had pasta to put in it, and it's still enough to tide me over for lunch. In my original post I mention several add-ins you can use to enhance the soup, and I've discovered a new one: Tabasco sauce! A few glugs of that really push the flavor to a whole new level!

As for the articles I read, I think this recipe is a bit heavy on the eggs, but in the comments section there's a recipe for someone's Yia Yia's (Greek: Grandmother) recipe that sounds perfect and gets rave reviews from commenters.

This recipe is actually inspired by the aforementioned Yia Yia's version. Authentically Greek, apparently, though more complicated than my version. I'll definitely be giving this method a try one day!

As I stated in my original post, this soup is perfect for when you're feeling under the weather with a stuffy nose and/or a sore throat. It's my favorite comfort food for cold, blue days!

Ginger-Lemon Pear Freezer Jam

A couple of weeks ago, we went to dinner at the home of some delightful friends. The lady of the house had spent the best part of the day canning pears and she served some of the fruits of her labor with us at the table. One special touch she'd added to her canning recipe was to use ginger and lemon, and the pears were lovely! She send me home with a large bag of pears so I could make some freezer jam. Already, I was feeling inspired to try out the combination of ginger and lemon!

Ginger-Lemon Pear Freezer Jam

6 cups crushed pears (peel, core, and pulse in food processor - do not pureé)
4 cups sugar
Juice and peel from one lemon
1-inch piece of ginger, peeled and grated (use a microplane, or chop finely)
1.75 ounce packet low-sugar pectin
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Place pear, lemon juice and peel, vanilla and ginger in a stock pot. Stir in pectin. Place pan over high heat; bring to a boil. Stir in sugar; cook 5 minutes or until sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil; cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Skim foam from surface; discard. Stir 5 minutes to ensure fruit is suspended in jam. Divide jam into jars, seal, and allow to come to room temperature. (Not more than 24 hours.) Store in refrigerator for 3 weeks or in the freezer for 12 - 18 months.

Cheddar Snack Crackers

My Little One (and everyone else in the family, honestly) loves Goldfish snack crackers. They're a fairly cheap, easy snack and I don't have a problem with them being not technically "healthy" because Little One's diet is generally free of junk food. I decided recently to try my hand at making the homemade version. The recipe I tried was perfect! I made one minor addition (of paprika) and loved the way they turned out. We call ours Daisies because the only cookie cutter I had that was small enough is flower-shaped.


Cheddar Snack Crackers

8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
4 tablespoons butter, cut up
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon paprika
2-3 tablespoons water

In a food processor, pulse the cheese, butter, flour, salt and paprika until the mixture resembles coarse sand. Add water, one tablespoon at a time, pulsing until mixture comes together. You just want it to stick together, not to make an actual smooth "dough". (Like a pie crust if you're familiar with that process.) Anyway, take the mixture out of the processor and place in a large square of plastic wrap. Wrap tightly, pressing together into a disc. Place in the refrigerator for 20 minutes. (If you leave it over an hour, you'll want to take it out to warm slightly before working with it.) On an area lightly dusted with flour, roll the dough out thinly, about an 1/8 of an inch. Use a small cookie cutter to make your crackers, transferring them to a greased baking sheet. You can make the sheet pretty full, as long as the shapes don't touch.

Bake at 350° for 12-14 minutes. They'll puff, but you don't want them to brown. Remove from the baking sheet onto a cooling rack lined with a paper towel.

This picture shows some of them flipped over so you can see the lightly browned bottoms.

I can't wait to try little variations on these like combining cheeses, dusting them with seasoning, and substituting whole wheat flour!

Sunday Night Review 9/11

I am a huge fan of warm weather! To me, the worst part of summer is how super-cooled people keep any given building. I dread that blast of air conditioning that hits after the warmth of the sun. But I know I'm mostly alone on that point, though Handsome shares my opinion, thankfully!

Despite my preference for summer, I do love fall for various reasons: the leaves changing color, the crisp (not cold!) air, the smell of burning leaves, marching band season, and the fact that fall is so perfect for comfort food like soups and stews. Last night for dinner I made two simple soups - Veggie Beef, and Cheesy Potato. Both were very simple to throw together, and turned out to be quite tasty, too! I made Honey-Wheat Yeast Rolls to go with the soups, and Autumn Cupcakes for dessert.


Cheesy Potato Soup

1 (30 ounce) package shredded hash browns
1 (10-3/4 ounce) can cream of chicken soup
6 cups chicken broth (1-1/2 cartons)
1/2 onion, chopped
8 ounces shredded cheddar cheese 
salt and pepper
8 ounces cream cheese (I used reduced-fat, but fat-free will NOT melt)

In a slow cooker, combine all ingredients except the cream cheese. Cook on low for 6 hours. Add in cream cheese, stirring and continuing to heat until melted, about 30 minutes to an hour.


(See, I told you it was easy!)

Sunday Night Review 8/21

Every once in a while, I love to make breakfast for supper. It's my favorite meal, mainly because it doesn't generally include any vegetables! It tends to be my go-to meal when the cupboards are otherwise bare. Of course, I much prefer to plan ahead and actually make a really good breakfast menu! That's what I did for this past Sunday night. I never know ahead of time how many "college people" are going to show up from week to week, and breakfast usually stretches pretty easily. We had the most people I think we've ever had this time, with 20! Add our kids into the mix, and you know we had a packed house.

Here's the menu:

Hashbrown Casserole
*Brown Sugar Bacon (one of the college guys has dubbed it THE Bacon and that name has stuck!)
Grits
*Scrambled Eggs
Sausage
Cinnamon Rolls (2 pans, 32 rolls. Half with pecans, half without.)
**Apple-Carrot Muffins (These were just leftover from a Saturday baking session.)

I figure everyone has a recipe for Hashbrown Casserole, but I'll share mine with you here, anyway! It's really simple, and one of my favorite dishes.

Hashbrown Casserole
1 package frozen Southern-style hashbrowns
1 can (10-3/4 oz.) cream of chicken soup
8 ounces sour cream
8 ounces shredded sharp cheddar cheese
4 tablespoons butter, melted
Salt and pepper to taste

Stir all ingredients together in a large bowl. Pour into a greased 9 x 13 baking dish. Bake at 350 for 45-50 minutes, until bubbly and cheese is completely melted.

* These recipes are in my cookbook, but I haven't shared them on the blog yet.
** I'll share this recipe soon, in another post.

Venison Pot Roast

I know, it's been a while since I really updated, and I'm sorry! I've had a very busy week, in which The Boy turned 7, Handsome turned, um, another year older, and lots of other stuff happened. At any rate, I'm finally getting around to posting my recipe for venison roast!

Handsome's birthday is just two days apart from our good friend EC's birthday, so we had EC over to celebrate with us. I wanted to make something special and my sweet friend The Crazy Goat Lady had given us a venison roast which I thought would be perfect for the occasion. Except that I couldn't find a good recipe anywhere! I knew venison roasts could be gamey or tough if not cooked properly and I needed pointers. I eventually found inspiration in a couple of places and came up with this delicious recipe. The roast was really perfect. Tender, juicy, flavorful, not gamey at all! I served it with mashed potatoes, gravy, fried squash, carrots, green beans, and Bisclettes. And may I say that it is a such a joy to feed someone who (besides Handsome and me) actually enjoys eating what I cook!

Venison Pot Roast

1 venison roast, bone-in
4 slices bacon, cut into thirds
1/4 cup red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar
1 cup beef broth
1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1 onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, halved

Rinse the roast in cold water and place in a slow cooker, and top with remaining ingredients. Cook on low for 8-9 hours. I turned it over halfway through the time, just to make sure that it stayed in the cooking liquid. At that time, I also added in baby carrots so I'd have one side dish that didn't need tending!

Turkey Ranch Quesadillas

My kids are picky in weird ways - they will eat spinach but not rice, cottage cheese but not potatoes, pineapple but not beef ... In short, the stuff that other kids live off of, they won't touch! Some of those choices are good, and some are not. I guess I just do what every mom does and hope for the best! The recipe I'm sharing today is a guaranteed hit with my kids. It combines many of their favorite ingredients so they're sure to gobble it up!

Turkey Ranch Quesadillas

4 thin slices smoked deli turkey
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
4 tablespoons Ranch dressing
1/2 cup fresh spinach leaves
Half and apple, your favorite, cored and thinly sliced
4 flour tortillas, fajita size

Spread Ranch dressing on two tortillas, sprinkle with half the cheese. Cover with spinach leaves, layer with turkey, apple slices, and remaining cheese. Top with remaining tortillas. Heat a medium skillet over medium hat. Add quesadilla, cook for 3-4 minutes per side, until heated through. Cut each quesadilla into quarters and serve warm.

Braised Venison

Recently I had a small amount of venison tenderloin that I needed to stretch to feed the family. I decided to try a little something new, and it certainly paid off! I was genuinely surprised that the venison was so tender and flavorful, since the preparation was pretty simple.

I started out by cutting the venison into bite-size cubes, seasoning them with salt, pepper, paprika and garlic powder. Then I heated olive oil in a skillet, adding in the venison. After browning it on all sides, I poured in a little chicken broth, covered it and let it simmer for about 30 minutes.

I'm thinking this would adapt quite well for beef, pork or chicken, too.

New Recipes

Well, out of the "Coming Soon ..." recipes I posted the other day, I've made two. I'm pleased to report that they were both delicious! I made the gnocchi one night for dinner, serving it with my homemade marinara instead of mushroom sauce, because in my book mushrooms = grody. Everyone loved it, which is a pretty rare feat in my household. The other recipe I tried was the one for Pretzel Rolls - and I did make Pretzel-Crusted Chicken to go with it. The rolls were really great, just like soft pretzels!

For breakfast this morning I spread one of the leftover rolls with Laughing Cow cheese and topped that with sliced ham. It's fantastic!

Veggie Stirfry

I don't eat many vegetables - far fewer than I should - but I do appreciate good produce and I enjoy cooking them. This simple saute is one of my favorite ways to round out a meal that I'm fixing for someone else. Obviously, many other veggies would work well in this, too, just keep in mind that carrots will take longer, broccoli not as long, etc. Also, though I like the tang of lemon-pepper seasoning you could substitute your favorite spice blend or combination of chopped fresh herbs.

Veggie Stirfry

1 yellow squash, cubed
1 zucchini, cubed
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt-free lemon pepper seasoning

In a skillet over medium heat, saute squash, zucchini and onion in olive oil for about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with garlic and seasoning, and cook for 3-5 minutes longer, until veggies are crisp-tender.

Make plenty of this and use the leftovers to add flavor and vitamins to an omelet, quiche, pasta dish, or quesadilla.

Recipe Contest

If you've been reading this blog for any length of time, you probably know that I love the Taste of Home "family" of magazines. They publish Taste of Home and Simple & Delicious, among others. I've been a subscriber to one or more of the magazines for a good 12 years. Well, a couple of years ago, their website had a couple of contests available for entry and I decided to go for it. I got an e-mail a few months later from an associate editor saying that I had won third place in one of the contests!

"Congratulations! You came in 3rd in our  "Easy, Healthy Suppers " Contest! My name is J--- M------ and I'm an editor here at Taste of Home's Healthy Cooking, and I want to congratulate you on taking third place! Your recipe was Thai Chicken Pasta. Your winnings include a check for $200, and we'd like to feature you and your recipe in the December 2009 issue of Healthy Cooking. (You'll receive a free copy of this issue, too.)"

Yay! He asked me to send a picture (Jeff told me immediately which one that would be) and some background information about the recipe. 

My check, the cover letter for my complimentary copy of the magazine, and the actual magazine!

Here's the link to the recipe on Taste of Home's website: Thai Chicken Pasta