Wednesday, February 24, 2016

Creamed Corn Recipes

Wow, there are many ways to make creamed corn.

There is this way:  frying then add cream & stock
http://eatingcleanandsavinggreen.blogspot.com/2013/04/homemade-cream-corn.html

and this way: pureeing with milk & cornstarch
http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/creamed_corn.html

and this way: make a rue then add corn & cream
http://www.asweetpeachef.com/sides/fresh-creamed-corn/

and even in a slow cooker, with cream cheese!
http://www.cleaneatingcorner.com/rudys-slow-cooker-creamed-corn/

and with cottage cheese:
http://www.cleaneatingmag.com/recipes/under-45-minutes/creamed-corn-tuna-spirals/

southern style;
http://wholesomemommy.com/southern-style-creamed-corn/

lastly, cause I could be here all night, a version from one of my favorite recipe sites:
http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/creamed_corn/

Going to have to buy a big old bag of frozen organic corn from Costco this week and try each method out.  Maybe. Or I'll just stop when I get to one I like.

Will report back...in the meantime,

Happy Eating!
Kathy

Monday, February 15, 2016

Product and/or recipe to find

Today I was CRAVING potato and corn chowder.  Caps important there.  Craving so much I had to make it right away.  Pulled out my trusty recipe that I've had for about 15 years, if not more.  Have not made in a long time.  Could be why I was craving it?  Not sure.  Went to my grocery to pick up the ingredients that I didn't have and was very disappointed I couldn't find organic creamed corn.  Reading the ingredients on the store brand...I put it back on the shelf. And walked away.  No chowder for me, I guess.  Go almost to the register...and went back to the aisle and picked up the store brand, rationalizing that they claim all of their store-brand items are non-gmo.  Wasn't born yesterday, so of course I don't believe it.

On a normal day, I'd hit one of the other two groceries in town, in hopes of finding an organic creamed corn.  Or I'd trek 20 minutes to a store that would most likely have it.  But today it's very very cold (under 20 degrees F) and it's snowing, with an icy mix.  Wasn't traveling too far to satisfy my craving.

While my chowder is a-cookin, I thought I'd ask you all about it.  Anyone found an acceptable, clean, creamed corn?  Going to do some recipe searching tonight.  Put it on my list to search for when I shop.

But tonight, I had to do it.  So this week I might be 85% clean instead of 90%.  But still pretty darn good.  Rest of the ingredients in the soup are organic.   Yes, I use dairy milk which to a lot of people is not "clean."  But it's organic...which is clean to me.  The recipe came from a published cook book, and I do not have permission to copy it here.  But pretty easy to make if you know how to cook.  Onions, garlic, sauteed in butter.  Add potatoes, spices (marjoram, pepper, dash nutmeg, bay leaf,) broth, and a diced pepper if you wish,  Boil, simmer about 20 minutes.  Add can of creamed corn, regular corn, and evaporated milk.  Boil, simmer for a few more minutes.  Remove bay leaves, sprinkle with paprika.  Delish!

Next time I'll try to convince my cravings to let me plan in advance. :D



Happy eating!
Kathy


Sunday, January 17, 2016

Baked Apple

Happy 100th post!!!

It's snowing here today, so it got me thinking.  Is there anything better, on a cold day, than hot comfort food?

Here's one of my favorite, simple desserts.  Baked apples.

I modified this recipe:  Bloomin Baked Apples Recipe

It uses store bought caramels, which of course are a no-no in  my house.  So a simple caramel recipe gets poured in the middle instead.  And the rest of the caramel goes in the fridge for ice cream.  :D


Step 1: gather your ingredients.


 I use small apples most of the time, but every now & then, I can find these monsters!





Those are really good.


Cut the apples as described in the recipe, pour some caramel in the middle, and bake.  Yum!!!

For the non-regulars, here is my favorite caramel recipe:  Caramel Sauce

Unfortunately I don't have a picture of the apple after it was baked.  It was too good, that I ate it before realizing I needed the picture!  Ugh...next time, I promise.

Happy eating!
Kathy








Saturday, January 2, 2016

Simple crackers!

We love crackers.  They are great for snacking, great for a side to soups, wet salads like chicken salad, anything where you need an extra crunch,  Originally, crackers were one of my "exceptions" as I thought I would never be able to make them myself,  But they ARE so simple to make!

Right now I am sitting here being absolutely lazy, watching the Food Network.  On comes Trisha Yearwood, and what is one of her recipes?  Crackers!  I haven't tried these myself yet, but as the high temps will be around 30 degrees F today...they may end up in my oven sooner than later.  Like in a couple hours.  :D

Trisha's Homemade Herbed Crackers

Home made crackers I have made: simple cheese crackers!

Cheese Crackers

5 ingredients, you cam make them squares like Cheese Its, or if you have small cookie cutters, like a goldfish.  I've made these a few times, and the hardest part of grating the cheese.

Side note:  I haven't tried this recipe, but in the post there are instructions as to how to make little cutters.
Home made goldfish cracker cutters & recipe

So I wish I had a picture to share with you, of those lovely little crackers.  I make them without even thinking, so the camera never comes out.  Maybe I'll just have to make some later today, so I can share a picture with you.  So good!!!

This seems like a perfect day to turn on the oven and make crackers, lots of crackers.  Off to take out a stick of butter to soften...

EDIT: yum!!!  

Happy Eating!
Kathy

Tuesday, October 20, 2015

Simply...Macaroni and Cheese

I make home made macaroni and cheese quite often, either as a main dish or a side.  Probably every other week.  At least. To me, it's a very simple process that doesn't require a lot of pots or pans, dishes, or even work.  I found this recipe and have adapted it to meet my needs.  By meeting my needs, I mean changing it up based on which cheese(s) I have in the house at the moment.

One Pot Mac n Cheese

I'm such a bad blogger that I rarely remember to take pictures when I cook.  I'm such a bad blogger I rarely remember to blog.  Or I take pictures then never blog about them.  But I'm trying to do better.  I promise.

So why is this recipe so easy?  Doesn't mac n cheese require a cheese sauce, made separately then added once the pasta is cooked?  NOT THIS ONE.  The pasta cooks in milk, which turns into the sauce once you add a slurry and cheese.  Can you get any easier??

The original poster has a beautiful picture on the recipe page, so I won't try to copy that.  But I DID manage to snap a few while making it last week.

Step 1: Melt butter in dutch oven, add in spices. Add milk, bring to boil.
Step 2: Add pasta, then a few minutes later add in broccoli.

Here is the pasta and the broccoli (added a few minutes into cooking) boiling away in the milk.



Step 3: While step 2 is happening, grate cheese and make slurry.  I use the mason jar the recipe author suggests, but a small bowl works too.  Preheat oven.

Here is the slurry, before mixing and after.



Step 4: When pasta is cooked, stir in grated cheese, then slurry.  Sprinkle with extra cheese, then pop in oven till brown and bubbly.  My final picture does NOT do it justice.


I usually had a huge block of cheddar cheese in the house, but have been known to pretty much use ANY cheese I have in the house.  I also vary the pepper added in Step 1, based again on what I am in the mood for.  I have never owned the chipotle chili pepper called for in the recipe, so I will use a different red pepper.  Make sure you know your pepper though, as you may not need the same amount, depending on the hotness of it.  You can also vary the veggie added, again based on what you have in the house!

Love this simple recipe.  And all I have to wash is the dutch oven, the cheese grater, and the jar from the slurry.  Which usually goes in the dishwasher...

Happy Eating!
Kathy

Sunday, June 28, 2015

Simply...Cobbler!

OMG I am so bad.  I got up before everyone this morning, made my coffee and tuned into Food Network.

Little secret about me: one of my weekend rituals is to watch cooking shows every Saturday and/or Sunday morning for my dinnertime inspirations for the upcoming week.  First, I tune to my local news station to catch the seven day forecast.  That's important this time of year, as summer afternoons can be filled with quick rain showers and thunderstorms.  My husband doesn't mind standing next to the grill in the rain, but I do. So once I get an idea of the weather for the week, I'm ready to sit like a lump on the couch and plan my meals.

So why am I so bad?  Pioneer Woman Ree Drummond wasn't on for 5 minutes and I was up making one of her recipes.  It happened so fast I didn't take pictures!  My husband came down as I was putting the cobbler in the oven, I told him how simple this recipe was, and it hit me.  This was the perfect recipe for the blog!!

I've got a finished shot for you, but since Ree does such a good job with her photographs and documenting her recipes, I figured I didn't really need to recreate that here.  A link to her loveliness will do just fine, with a finished shot of my cobbler.

Cobblers can be scary, especially if you use a more difficult base.  Ree points out in the episode that she makes the cobbler that it can be a lot of work should you choose to lay a pie crust over fruit, or if you use biscuit dough (we don't buy the less work, boxed mix of course!) so her recipe is super simple.  The hardest part?  Waiting an hour for it to bake,

So here it is:

1 cup flour
1 cup sugar (I use turbinado for the extra flavor)
1 cup milk (she used whole, I used 3/4 skim 1/4 half and half)
1/2 stick melted butter

Mix, pour in greased baking dish.  Scatter over top your fruit (she used blackberries but I had blueberries in the house so I went with that, as it was an emergency and I had to get this in the oven immediately.)

She sprinkles 1/4 additional sugar on top (I found that to be too much, so I used less) and into a 350 degree oven it goes for about an hour.  Done!

Not only is is a simple dessert recipe for a busy evening (pop it in the oven while you are eating) but it's a quick dish to make when you have unexpected company coming; 5 minutes of prep and it bakes while you are getting ready.

Love it!  My township is having Fourth of July fireworks tonight, so a blueberry dessert is just the thing to get the holiday week going.  If I had strawberries to add too....yummm.  May need to hit the farm market later today and make another one.  I am so bad.

Here is the link to view the recipe from it's original source, the lovely Ree Drummond:
Ree Drummond's Blackberry Cobbler Recipe

My lovely cobbler, fresh from the oven:


Happy eating!
Kathy

Sunday, June 7, 2015

Sharing the simple

I love Pinterest.   It leads me to so many places I may never have found without it.

Right now I am sitting on my deck, watching the leaves blow in the wind, got my tunes playing, and the laptop on my lap planning my meals for the week.  I came across this yummy, simple, clean dinner and wanted to share it with you.

~Disclaimer~ I have not tried this recipe yet; and even if you don't use the exact ingredients the poster did, it shows you how simple a meal can be.  A tiny bit of prep, a clock nearby, and you can sit outside near your grill, enjoy a cold beverage of choice, and maybe even watch or play with your kids in the backyard while dinner cooks.

Dinner on the Grill tonight!

Taylor, the original poster, made a simple. dinner all on the grill. Meat, potatoes, salad (yes, I said salad.)

If you try her recipe, leave a comment and let me know.  My main purpose for sharing is to show you the simplicity of it.  Her pictures show a fabulous meal, my teen boys would happily eat it (minus the grilled romaine - we'll have to test that out and see, but we love kale chips, so maybe) and I could sit with my glass of wine while it all cooks on the grill.  I could even prep it before leaving for work in the morning, then plop everything on when I get home.

Dinner, so simple!

Happy Eating!
Kathy