Corn and Ham Risotto

http://www.countryliving.com/food-drinks/recipes/a39368/corn-and-ham-risotto-recipe/
Corn and Ham Risotto

I used mild cheddar for this recipe and it was delicious. I often am turned off by ham dishes but this one sounded good and tasted good too. We all liked it.

Corn Casserole

http://tastykitchen.com/recipes/sidedishes/corn-casserole-from-scratch/
Corn Casserole

I made this with Bob's red mill GF flour mix and it bombed. It separated into layers. GF flour on top, then corn, then custard, then cornmeal on bottom. It was good in its own way, but was not bready like in the picture, or what I was expecting. Will not make again.

Corn Macque Choux

http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2008/08/corn-macque-choux-recipe.html

Corn Macque Choux

This was a fun way to prepare corn. The corn I used was sort of old and had been frozen a bit in the fridge, but it still tasted great. This would be a good way to use corn on the cob that is not so fresh anymore.  David thought it was "monotone" as a main dish but a good side dish. You say the name like "corn mock shoe."

In the recipe directions, I skipped the tomato blanching and just peeled it using a peeler.

Corn and Chicken Chowder

Corn and Chicken Chowder
http://bunsinmyoven.com/2011/02/18/corn-and-chicken-chowder/

This was good soup. I used 1% milk and ww flour to thicken,which turned out well. There was WAY to much corn with the 6 cobs and I had to add an extra 3 cups of liquid. Some milk and some broth. Maybe add less corn next time.

Zucchini Corn and Bacon Pesto Pasta

Zucchini Corn and Bacon Pesto Pasta
http://www.ahintofhoney.com/2011/08/zucchini-corn-and-bacon-fusilli-with.html

This was so delicious. I used whole wheat fusilli pasta and did everything it said in the recipe. The only difference was that instead of using fresh basil, I used a 4 oz container of chopped basil (comes in the plastic tube in the produce area) since it was cheaper. I'm not sure if it equates to her "1 1/2 cup" of basil, which I think she means to be packed, but the pesto turned out really well. I liked it a lot. Even DH liked it and he is not the biggest pesto fan. I think the bacon was important for him in this dish though. It definitely added a nice touch.

I think we sauteed the veg longer than what it said. More like 15-20 minutes. David wanted the squash cooked a bit more. It turned out just right. It was getting a little soft in the middle where the seeds are, but otherwise was still firm and good.

Next time I will try this with store bought pesto I think--it might be cheaper. The original Gourmet recipe has that instead of homemade--a 5-7 oz container of it. Pine nuts and fresh basil are expensive. (but sooo good). And it saves a bit of prep. Maybe someday I'll have my own herb garden and can harvest a ton of basil in the summer and freeze it for uses like this.

This makes about 4 quarts (16 cups).
Calories: 198 calories / cup

Super Fast Taco Soup

This the way my mother-in-law makes taco soup:

1 can chili

1 can diced tomatoes

1 can kidney beans

1 can corn

Mix and heat in a pot on the stove. Don't drain the corn or tomatoes (seriously, who drains tomatoes though?), just put it all in. I think she might not drain the beans either, but I do. I'm not entirely sure if it helps decrease gas, but it might.

Also, the kidney beans are not essential. The chili IS.

Serve with chips, cheese, and sour cream if desired.

This is a super fast meal. Hence, the title has super fast in it. I dubbed it so. Anyway, this soup tastes great!

11/29/2011:
DH wants this to be more spicy. Next time add cumin and chili powder and see if it is better.

Corn and Black Bean Salad

Corn and Black Bean Salad

I adore this salad. It is best when you have really sweet corn. This might work with a super awesome brand of frozen corn, but fresh is best.

2 cobs of sweet fresh corn

1 can of black beans, rinsed

1-2 tomatoes, chopped

1 avocado, chopped

handful cilantro, chopped

Cut the corn from the cob. I had never eaten corn raw like this until Reija made this salad at a dinner last summer. It rocks. You could add other raw things too, like red bell pepper or fresh green beans.

Mix corn with other ingredients.

Eat.

I love this recipe since it is so fresh and good. I have discovered that DH would like this much more sans cilantro. Next time I'll put it in a bowl to pass around as a garnish.

Tortilla Pie

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Tortilla-Pie-231795

This was very quick and good. I did not heat/fry the tortillas. It fit perfectly into an 8x8 inch baking dish since I used 8 inch diameter medium size tortillas.

notes:
If using GF Udi brand white tortillas, they should be fried and crisped up first. They get too soggy otherwise. (But still good..but could be better!)

Popcorn

I have done this ellusive thing known as making popcorn on the stove. And had success!

I followed these instructions: http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/perfect_popcorn/

I used peanut oil, but I wonder if it would work with butter instead. I tried adding salt to the oil before popping began, but I don't think it distributed over the popcorn at all. Salting afterward seems the better way to me. A full 1/3 cup of kernels will barely fit in a 3 qt sauce pan. I used just under a 1/3 cup. My saucepan is tri-ply stainless. Not sure if that makes a difference. Nothing burned and it was delicious.

Rice and corn salad

https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/southwest-rice-and-corn-salad-with-lemon-dressing

This was so good. I used medium grain white rice and frozen yellow corn. I used an entire poblano pepper as well as a whole yellow bell pepper. And used green zucchini. I've only seen yellow zucchini once earlier this year.

The poblano pepper hardly added any heat at all. It was very mild. So don't be afraid. The cilantro was lovely as well. But only if you like cilantro. Apparently some people don't. Weird people.

The sweet corn mixed with creamy avocado was a nice combination. Loved it!

Pork and Poblano Tamale Pie

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Pork-and-Poblano-Tamale-Pie-357537

This was so good. I was really taken with this recipe in every way, and that's pretty rare so I gave it an unheard of 5. I was in a rush and didn't want to let it simmer for as long as the recipe said, so I turned it into a partial crockpot recipe. I put the raw pork in a 3 quart crockpot with the garlic, green salsa, and chicken broth. I put in on low while I was gone (6 hrs). It was super tender when I got back, and then I finished the recipe. After sauteing the onions and adding spices, I threw everything together and only simmered for 10-15 minutes while I mixed the cornbread batter and then put it in the oven. This would have been fine in a casserole dish, but I just left it in the skillet I used since it happens to have a metal handle and is ok for oven use.

For the pork, I used a strip of "country style pork rib" that I chopped up. It wasn't boneless, but I removed the bones after I turned off the crockpot.

I consider poblanos to be a very mild pepper. So don't worry about the heat. If you are a wimp (like my mom), use fewer poblanos and more bell pepper.

Notes from 3/27/10:

-Don't skip the corn puree step, even it your equipment doesn't seem to work well. It makes a big difference in the texture of the final product.

-And don't skimp on meat.

-And don't use all wheat flour in the cornbread topping. If adding wheat, do 50/50 mixture with white.

-And don't leave the poblanos in the oven too long. They get tough and are impossible to peel. Bake them at 500 for 15 minutes or so, and call it good, even if not charred. Alternatively, char them on the stove to over open flame.

-It is possible to leave the skins on the peppers, but then you have skins floating around in the dish. It is less appetizing. I prefer the skins removed even though roasting takes extra time.

Corn and Wild Rice Soup

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Corn-and-Wild-Rice-Soup-with-Smoked-Sausage-833

This soup was good, but a bit sweet. I halved the recipe, and it still made a lot. I tried to cook the wild rice in the pressure cooker (for 20 min), but it didn't work so well. The rice cooked, but the liquid was not absorbed. Also, I left out the half and half. The sausage used for this was a safeway brand u-shaped smoked sausage, but it actually had corn syrup added so it made the soup sweeter than it should have been. The corn was plenty sweet as it was. Next time I'll use real Kielbasa.

Mexican Moussaka

http://www.mixingbowl.com/message/recipe/view.castle?g=931007&m=3006186

This recipe left something to be desired. First, there was too much meat. And then there wasn't enough corn on top.

David liked the leftovers though. If I make this again, I'll make it with more corn and half the meat. The seasonings were good though.

This is from the New BHG cookbook.