Sweet Corn Pancakes

These are a great way to use up any corn off the cob you might have leftover after making Corn, Poblano and Potato Chowder :)  This easily made 10 pancakes and you can see I served it with lots of maple syrup and little pats of butter between the cakes.   Read below how to use these as a savory dish for entertaining.

2 Tbsp butter
1 cup corn kernels
1 egg
1 cup buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup flour
1/4 cup cornmeal
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda

In a skillet, melt the butter and saute the corn until it just starts to brown.  Scrape into a bowl and stir to combine with the egg, buttermilk, vanilla and sugar.  Add the flour, cornmeal, baking powder and soda.  Stir just to combine.  If it seems too loose, add 2 Tbsp flour and stir to incorporate.

In a large nonstick skillet over medium heat or on a greased griddle, use a 1/4c measuring cup to ladle out the batter.  Cook until the surface gets little bubbles and the edges brown.  Flip and cook just until the bottom browns.  Serve immediately with lots of syrup OR melt butter on each cake and sprinkle with brown sugar.  Yum!

You can also use these in a savory fashion.  Omit the sugar and vanilla extract, and add minced green onion to the batter.  Dollop the batter in the pan to create mini cakes that you can top with Mexican cheese blend, black bean salsa, sour cream, chorizo or anything else that goes well with corn, like smoked salmon and creme fraiche.

Key Lime Curd Mousse

You can make this with any fresh citrus juice.  Make sure you zest the citrus before squeezing the juice out. This is an easy do ahead dessert for entertaining.  You can layer the curd with cookie crumbs or any of the other add ins listed below, and the whipped cream to make parfaits that your guests will love!

For the curd:
1 cup sugar
1 Tbsp zest
3/4 cup fresh squeezed citrus juice
1/2 stick butter, cut into pieces
2 whole eggs and 1 egg yolk, beaten in a separate bowl

For the mousse:
1/2 cup heavy cream  +  2 Tbsp sugar  beaten to semi-stiff peaks
     OR

1/2 tub coolwhip
 


In a double boiler (I use a stainless steel bowl over a saucepan with a little water - do NOT let the bowl touch the water) over medium high heat, place the sugar, zest, juice and butter.  Cook until butter melts.  Temper the eggs by adding a few tablespoons of the hot juice to the eggs, whisking constantly.  Add a few more tablespoons hot juice, whisking, then pour the eggs into the double boiler.  Whisk vigorously so the eggs don't scramble.  Continue whisking at a slower pace until the mixture thickens and becomes very glossy.  Pour the hot curd into a glass bowl, cover with plastic wrap touching the surface so a skin doesn't form, and refrigerate until cold, at least 4 hours.  When the curd is cold, fold in the whipped cream (or coolwhip) just until incorporated.  A few swirls of curd are OK and look neat when dished up.

Serve as is, or with crushed cookie crumbs, toasted coconut, chopped toasted macadamia nuts, candied citrus zest, fresh fruit or berries, or anything else you think would be delicious!

Tomato Pesto Tart

This is a super fast meal that uses pie crust for the base and a pesto instead of tomato sauce, so the crust doesn't get soggy.  You can use store bought pesto if you don't fee like making your own.







1 refrigerated pie crust
1/3 cup mayo
3 Tbsp pesto*
1 large handful + 1 cup shredded mozzarella
1/4 c grated Parmesan cheese
pepper
3 Roma tomatoes thinly sliced, or 1 pt small tomatoes halved

Preheat oven to 400. On a lightly floured cutting board, roll the pie crust out a little more so it fits on a baking sheet.  It doesn't have to be a perfect rectangle.  Use your knife to cut 2 opposite sides so that it fits on the baking sheet.  Flute edges (you can see mine are just done with my 2 left fingers and 1 right finger pressing between to make the edge).  Bake for 6-8 minutes or until edges are starting to brown.

Meanwhile, mix the mayo, pesto, a large handful or mozzarella and the Parmesan together.  Season with  lots of pepper.  Spread mixture onto the crust.  Top with the sliced tomatoes and sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese.  Bake for an additional 10+ minutes until the cheese has melted and the edges are a deep golden brown.  Serve immediately.

* Pesto recipe

Mozzarella Salad

This makes a great side for any grilled meat, or on top warm crusty grilled bread pieces.

1 pt cherry tomatoes
1/2# small mozzarella balls
10-12 large basil leaves
1 garlic clove
2 green onions, thinly sliced on the bias
Kosher salt and pepper
2 -3 Tbsp. olive oil

Over a large bowl, microplane the garlic and add the green onions.  Stack the basil leaves on top of each other and roll up cigar like.  Slice the basil into thin ribbons and add to the bowl.  Cut the cherry tomatoes in half and mozzarella if needed.  Add to the bowl.  Sprinkle with several pinches of salt and grind some pepper.  The salt will draw liquid out of the tomatoes as it sits, diluting the salty flavor, so use a little more salt than you think you need.  Add several swirls of olive oil and toss everything together.  Allow to sit for 30 min or so before serving so the the tomatoes release some of their juices.   Delicious on its own, and super tasty on warm bread - either grilled or done crostini style in the oven.

Asian Meatballs

A variation of my traditional Italian meatballs.  The most recent batch that I froze I did as smaller meatballs so I could use them as either a dinner option or as snacks at a party.  For dinner I would serve them with stir-fried veggies in your favorite sauce.  For a party, I'm thinking 2 things: in a crock pot with an Asian BBQ sauce OR served as is with a cilantro/soy/peanut dipping sauce.  You could easily replace the ground beef with ground chicken, which would be excellent with Thai Peanut Sauce.

For the Asian Meatballs:

2# ground beef

2 whole eggs

1/4c oat bran

1/3c soy sauce
1 -2 Tbsp mirin or rice vinegar

1 tsp sesame oil

3 garlic cloves, minced or micro-planed

1 bunch scallion, finely chopped, white and green parts

1" peeled piece of fresh ginger, micro-planed

opt: 1 heaping Tbsp Sambal Oelek (garlic chili paste)

Preheat oven to 375.  Line 2 baking sheets with foil and spay with Pam.  In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, oat bran, soy sauce, mirin, and sesame oil.  Add the garlic, scallions, grated ginger and Sambal Oelek (if using) and stir to combine.  Let the oat bran absorb some liquid, about 5 minutes. If the mixture looks very loose, add a little more oat bran or Panko bread crumbs.  Lastly, add the meat, using your hands to gently mix.  You don't want to mash the meat or you will have a dense meatball.  

Either scoop or roll meatballs to your size liking and place on prepared sheet. (I was able to get about 36 meatballs out of the recipe.)  Bake until outsides are brown and cooked through, about 12-14 minutes for 1ounce meatballs.  Larger 3 oz meatballs may take as long as 25 minutes.  

To prepare for freezing:  allow meatballs to cool to room temp.  Place in a single layer in a large freezer zip-lock bag.  Seal all but a small gap, then suck the air out of the bag and quickly seal.  Lay flat in the freezer until frozen through, then you can move the bag.  This way the meatballs freeze individually and you don't have to defrost the entire bag to get a few out.  

Beef and Bean Chili

I had a request for this recipe, so I will add a picture when I next make it.  I don't usually measure my spices, so this is an approximation.  Taste the beef after adding the seasonings, but before you add the liquid.  If it has a raw spice taste, cook a little longer before adding the liquid.  You can easily double the recipe for a large crowd, and the leftovers freeze really well.

1.5# ground beef
2 onions, diced
2-4 garlic cloves, minced
1/4c chili powder
2 Tbsp cumin
1 Tbsp coriander
1 tsp salt
1 small can chopped green chilies
2 cans (~14oz each)  Fire Roasted Tomatoes - with or without chili seasonings
1 can beef broth (~14oz)
1 can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can light red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can chili beans in seasoned sauce, if you can find them - I use Wegman's brand
1 can FF refried beans

In a large pot, saute the beef and onions over high heat until browned.  Add the garlic and stir 30sec.  Add the chili powder, cumin, coriander and salt.  Cook until very fragrant.  Add the chilies, tomatoes with their juices and beef broth.  Simmer for 30 minutes to blend flavors.  Stir in all the beans, taste and season with salt.  Keep warm in a crockpot if serving at party.

Serve with all sorts of toppings: shredded cheese, sour cream, chopped cilantro, sliced green onions, finely minced white onion.  Have tortilla chips or Fritos out for scooping, or serve over spaghetti or rice.

Loaded Potato Soup

This is a great soup for a party and is hearty enough to serve for dinner.  Go crazy with the toppings bar - anything that goes well with potatoes would work for this!

1 stick of unsalted butter
1/2 cup flour
4 cups skim milk
6 - 8 cups chicken broth
2-3# butter potatoes, washed and diced - I left the skins on
salt and pepper

Place the diced potatoes and the milk in a large soup kettle.  In a large sauce pan, melt the butter over medium heat and then add the flour.  Cook for several minutes to make a roux and cook out the raw flour taste.  Slowly whisk in 4 cups of broth.  Mixture should thicken.  Add this to the potatoes and milk.  Add more chicken stock so that the potatoes are covered by 1/2" of liquid.  Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.  If mixture gets too thick, add more stock.  Cook until potatoes are tender, about 20-25 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.   Ladle into bowls and send people through the toppings bar.

Toppings:
sliced green onions
assorted shredded cheeses - colby, pepperjack, sharp cheddar, etc
crumbled bacon, and lots of it!
chopped broccoli florets
sour cream
salsa
chives
lobster meat - so fancy!
small canned shrimp

Leave a comment with your favorite toppings combination!

Shrimp Cocktail

Even if you buy pre-done shrimp cocktail, you will want to make this flavor bath and refresh your shrimp for 30sec. in it.  This imparts so much flavor to the shrimp you won't even need cocktail sauce!

For the boil:

1/4 cup Old Bay

1 large onion, quartered - don't bother to peel

1 head of garlic, cut in half at the equator - don't bother to peel

1 lemon, halved

2 stalks celery, cut into large chunks

2 bay leaves

1 Tbsp whole peppercorns

1/4 cup Kosher salt

2# frozen shrimp, shell on

Place all ingredients EXCEPT the shrimp in a large pasta pot.  Fill 2/3 up with water and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and slow boil for 30min to extract the flavors from all the ingredients.  When ready to cook the shrimp, bring back to a full boil and add the frozen shrimp.  Stir and cook just until shrimp are bright pink. Don't overcook or they will be tough.  Drain shrimp in a colander and pick out the vegetables, leaving the peppercorns and old bay.  Dump shrimp in a metal bowl.  Fill a bigger metal bowl 1/3 -1/2 full with ice and water.  Place the bowl of shrimp in this carefully and stir the shrimp.  You want to cool the shrimp down quickly to stop the cooking without rinsing off the delicious seasoning. Once cooled, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until guests arrive. I usually make the shrimp the night before.

Cocktail Sauce if you must:

ketchup

bottled horseradish

squeeze of lemon

old bay seasoning

Put a good amount (1/2c or so) of ketchup in a dish.  Add 2 heaping spoonfuls of horseradish, a good squeeze of lemon and a pinch or two of old bay.  Stir to combine; taste for heat level.  I always end up adding more horseradish since we like it spicy!  

Cheesecake Mousse

The easiest dessert! So fluffy and smooth.  You can easily add ingredients to make different flavors too.

1 pkg Instant Jello Sugar free, Fat free Cheesecake pudding
2 cups cold skim milk
1 container thawed FF Cool Whip

In a large bowl, whisk pudding and milk until thick.  Whisk or fold in the thawed cool whip.  For fancy serving, spoon into individual serving dishes.

Variations:  Use a different flavor of pudding mix.  Add lemon, lime or orange zest.  Substitute 1/4c of the milk with 1/4c Kahlua or Bailey's, then serve with chocolate shaving on top.  Dollop chilled mouse over berries and drizzle with ice wine.  Spread into a crumb style pie crust and freeze.

Comment with what deliciousness you came up please!

Goat Cheese Stuffed Baguette

This looks so pretty sliced and arranged on a platter.  You can mix up the herbs in the filling to go with whatever else you are serving.  I tried two types of filling - a goat cheese vs. a ricotta cheese filling.  I like the taste of the goat cheese and the fluffiness of the ricotta filling.  Make both of you can't decide!

I made these the night before my fiesta, and the bread wasn't soggy the next day.

1 baguette - cut the ends off, then cut in half.  Use a serrated knife to carefully cut out the squishy center, leaving a thin layer attached to the crust.  I cut from both ends, pulled out what bread I could reach, then used a chopstick to push out what I couldn't get to.

Goat Cheese filling:  This amount only filled one half of the baguette, so double it if you aren't making another filling for the other half
4 oz goat cheese, room temp.
4 oz cream, room temp.
assorted chopped herbs - I used basil and parsley, a large handful of each
2-3 green onions, both white and green parts finely minced
1-2 Tbsp. milk or other dairy liquid for thinning
salt and pepper

Place all ingredients in bowl and mash together with a fork.  Add very small amounts of the dairy liquid at a time - just enough to help the ingredients combine.  I used an off set icing spatula to get the filling as far in the baguette as possible, again going from both ends.  Another idea would be to put the cheese mixture into a pastry bag/ziplock bag, cut a largish piece off the corner and fill the bread that way.  Once filled, wrap the bread in plastic wrap and refrigerate.  Use a very sharp serrated knife to slice the bread so filling doesn't squish out and the bread isn't mangled.

Ricotta Cheese filling: This amount only filled one half of the baguette, so double it if you aren't making another filling for the other half
1/2 cup FF ricotta cheese
4 oz cream cheese
1 garlic clove, minced
assorted chopped herbs - I used basil and parsley, a large handful of each
Possibly some dairy liquid, depending on how moist the ricotta is
salt and pepper

Follow directions above under goat cheese filling.  Only use dairy liquid if the mixture is difficult to combine.  You don't want to end up with soggy bread.

Other filling ideas:
Rosemary and raisin
Basil, diced pepperoni or salami and Parmesan cheese
Blue cheese and chive  - would go great with buffalo wings!
Caramelized onions and thyme
Kalamata olive and feta cheese with oregano or marjoram

Comment with your filling ideas!  If you don't want to make it, I will and report back to you ;)

Spicy Vodka Tomato Sauce

This is amazing over meatballs in a crockpot.  Take the meat mixture from my Meatloaf Pie with Basil Ricotta Filling and scoop onto a Pam sprayed baking sheet.  Bake at 350 for about 20min.  Cool to room temp, then place on a clean baking sheet in a single layer and freeze.  Place in a ziplock freezer bag for game day or a quick week day meal.

For the sauce:
2 swirls EVOO
2-5 garlic cloves, smashed with the back of your knife
1 Tbsp (a large squirted blob from a tube) tomato paste
Red chili pepper flakes to your spiciness level
1/4 - 1/2 cup vodka  (for spice lovers, use Absolute Peppar!)
8oz can tomato sauce - I use Goya Spanish Style
1 large can 28-32 oz  crushed tomatoes
salt to taste
Opt:  to make creamy or blush sauce, use heavy cream at the end, or FF half and half, about 1/2 cup

In a large skillet with sides, heat the oil over medium heat with the smashed garlic cloves.  When cloves just start to brown, add the chili pepper flakes and stir for 30 sec, then squirt in the tomato paste and stir until the paste is incorporated into the oil.  Carefully add the two types of tomatoes and the vodka,  stirring to combine. Lower heat so the sauce is barely bubbling and put a spatter shield on top.  Do not use a lid - you want some of the water to evaporate so you have a thicker sauce.  Cook until sauce has thickened, about 20-30 min.  Season with salt.  Add the cream at this point if using to make a blush sauce.

If using in the crockpot:  Place frozen meatballs in the crockpot set to high.  Make the sauce, but you only have to let it simmer for a few minutes while the crockpot heats up.  Pour the sauce over the meatballs and continue cooking on high 2-3 hours.  Lower setting to warm and set up your serving line.  I suggest using a crockpot liner - cleanup is a breeze with them.   Meatballs can be eaten plain, on top of pasta or on little rolls as sliders/subs.  Set out more chili pepper flakes, slices of provolone cheese for subs, parmesan cheese for topping or shredded mozzarella.