Baked Cheesy Corn

Baked cheesy corn

I have very warm feelings towards cheesy corn. I first had it when I moved to Kansas City and visited the various barbecue restaurants. I began to rate the quality of cheesy corn and pulled pork I consumed at the various bbq dives. I also have very warm feelings towards dives. I began making my own pulled pork, spare ribs, and brisket and decided why not cheesy corn. Why? Because there is nothing healthy about cheesy corn and I will eat all of it. As I was perfecting the recipe, I ate it for dinner three nights in a row. I have now got the recipe just right and I need to take up running. But wow is it good and it is even better the next day.
I did lighten it by using light cream cheese and 1% milk. Low fat cheese would also work. I really like a hot pepper cheddar in this recipe (especially with the lower fat ingredients). I also use fresh corn (incredible) but if you don't have fresh, use frozen. I use diced ham in mine-- others use crumbled bacon and other people don't put any meat in at all. I can't imagine it with anything but ham. Yes, I do recommend you use Velveeta-it melts quickly and thickens the cheesy corn. You can change the flavor of the dish with the type of paprika you use. With regular cheedar cheese, I like a smoked paprika. If I use a spicy cheddar, I like a sweet paprika. If I use sharp cheddar, I like a spicy paprika. That is the nice this with this recipe, you can tailor it to you tatses.

Baked Cheesy Corn

5-6 Tbsp of Butter
4 Cloves of Garlic, Minced
1/2 Cup (60g) of Flour
3 Cups (720 ml) of Milk
4-6 oz (115g- 170g) of Diced Ham
4 oz (115g) of Velveeta
8 oz (225g) Block of Cheddar Cheese, Grated
4 oz (115g) Cream Cheese
1 Tsp of Paprika
Salt and Pepper
3 Cups (555 g) of Corn (About 5 ears)

Preheat oven to 375F/190C/Gas Mark 5.  In a large sauce pan melt butter and garlic. Saute until fragrant (about one minute). Add flour and stir for about one minute. Whisk in milk and bring to a boil. Continue to whisk until it starts to thicken (a couple of minutes).

Stir in ham, cheeses, paprika, salt, and pepper. Stir until well combined and smooth. Remove from heat and fold in corn. Pour into casserole dish. Bake for 30-40 minutes.

The bottom line will I make this again? Yes--It is tremendous served with pulled pork or spareribs. I have been known to eat it cold the next day all by itself (for breakfast or lunch).

Tomato Tart

Tomato Tart

I love tomato pie. It is one of my all time favorites. One day for brunch I had a tomato tart with mustard. It was yummy. I decided to create my own tomato tart. It took a couple of tries and several mistakes but the result was great.  But you have to love mustard. I love mustard- I have all types of mustard.
I have made this tart with homemade pastry, phyllo, and store-bought pastry. I like all three -- in  time pinch I use store-bought dough. The important thing is to use a tart pan- not a pie pan. I tried using a pie pan (I could find my tart pan and was in a time crunch). It wasn't as good. So I recommend using a tart pan. For the herbs, I like basil, chives, oregano, and thyme.

9 or 10 Inch (20 or 25 cm) Pie Crust
1-2 Tbsp of Coarse Mustard
2-3 Tomatoes, Sliced
1-2 Tbsp of Chopped Herbs
2 Tbsp of Olive Oil
6-8 oz (170g - 225g) of Goat Cheese, Sliced
Salt and Pepper

Preheat oven to 425F/218C/Gas Mark 7. Place pastry dough in a 9 or 10 inch (20 to 25 cm) tart pan. Spread mustard on the pastry dough and allow to dry (about 5 minutes).

Mustard yummy mustard

Meanwhile sliced tomatoes, herbs, and goat cheese. Place tomatoes on mustard and sprinkle with chopped herbs.

Adding sliced tomatoes

Drizzle with oil. Top with goat cheese. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Ready for the oven!

Bake for 20-30 minutes (watch closely because you don't want to over bake).

Finished tomato tart

The bottom line: will I make this again? Yes- incredible. I don't know which one I like better the tomato pie or the tomato tart.

Rum Glazed Pan Sautéed Shrimp

Rum glazed shrimp on a bed of lettuce with nectarines

I have no idea why I decided that I had to have rum glazed shrimp. I know why it was pan sauteed and not grilled-- it is unbelievably hot outside. I probably could have cooked dinner on the sidewalk. Grilling was out of the question. I think I will grill this winter in the snow (truly-- be ready for the grilling recipes this winter when I am whining about the lack of summer tomatoes).  Note: You could use the same amount of glaze for a pound (.45 kg) of shrimp. Also the sugar is important- it helps the shrimp caramelize.

Rum Glaze

1/4 Cup (60 ml) of Rum (I used dark rum)
1/4 Cup (60 ml) of Lime Juice
2 Tbsp of Honey
1/2 Tsp of Ancho Chile, Chipotle, or Cayenne Pepper

Whisk the rum glaze ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside.

Shrimp

2 Tbsp of Oil
1/2 Tsp of Sugar
Salt and Pepper, to Taste
1/2 lb (225 g) of Shrimp (Peeled)

Everything is ready to go

In the largest skillet you have, heat oil over high heat. Toss the shrimp with the sugar, salt, and pepper. Add the shrimp (you may have to make this in batches because if you crowd the shrimp they will steam). Saute the shrimp for one minute.

Sauteing shrimp

Remove from the heat and turn and saute for one more minute. If you are making in batches remove shrimp from pan and saute next batch. Return shrimp to pan and add rum glaze. Cover and cook until done (a couple of minutes depending on the size of the shrimp.

Almost ready for the glaze

Oh! I served them on a bed of lettuce with nectarine slices. Excellent!

The bottom line: will I make this again? Yes- I am ready to make this again the next night. This winter, I will try grilling the shrimp while basting with the glaze.

Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream

Strawberries, beautiful strawberries

This is the real stuff. So good and so rich. It is also really really easy. It is not a cooked ice cream so I use egg substitute when I can't find pasteurized eggs. This is an amazing ice cream. I don't have pictures of the process because my camera battery died. I did not want to delay posting because you need to make this. Trust me.


2 Large Eggs (I used egg substitute 1/2 cup (120 ml))
3/4 Cup (150 g) of Sugar
2 Cups (480 ml) of Whipping Cream
1 Cup (240 ml) of Milk
4 oz (113 g) of Cream Cheese
1 Cup (170 g) of Strawberries, Diced

Place eggs or eggs substitute in a mixing bowl. Mix for several minutes until light and fluffy. Slowly add sugar and beat until it is dissolved. Add the cream and milk and blend until combined. Break off pieces of cream cheese and beat in. Add diced strawberries and mix until combined. Add to a ice cream machine. (Mine overfilled so we ate/drank the mixture just like an incredibly rich smoothie).

The bottom line: will I make this again? Yes. I just need to scale back the sugar and cream next time so my ice cream maker doesn't overfill.

Tomato Watermelon Salad

Tomatoes and melon- surprisingly good together

I firmly believe that watermelon and tomatoes are two of the great gifts of summer. They almost make up for the heat. I had never thought of putting them together in a salad until Steven and I ate at the Mercantile. The Mercantile is a lovely spot for lunch in Excelsior Springs, Missouri. They have all kinds of Missouri wines and beers. If you are in Excelsior Springs for a visit (and you should be) stop by and have lunch. They have a great watermelon tomato salad. I should know. I had it as a side to my tuna melt.  It was light and refreshing which is a good thing because right now it is hot and dry in Missouri.

I decided I wanted this salad again (and a lot more than a side portion). That very next week, my incredible CSA haul included tomatoes, cucumbers and watermelon. (Yum!) I have lots of mint in the yard (the mint may be the only thing unaffected by the drought).  All I needed was feta. I found a nice peppercorn feta at the local market and I was set.

Fresh watermelon- Yum!

This is another one of those salads that you change to your tastes or what you have on hand. We experimented and tried it with different vinegars, a red wine, and plain. I liked them all. Steven like the balsamic vinegar best. 

Small tasting bowls-- the sacrifices I make to find the perfect combo

I chose not to add olive oil-- I thought it was not necessary and would just add fat and calories. I really wanted to focus on the fresh tastes of the salad. I think other melons would work great too. I can't wait to try them.

The best part-- pick and choose to your tastes and the number of people your are serving. I think that mozzarella, provolone,  or blue cheese would be great instead of the feta (with the appropriate mixing and matching of herbs). The recipe below was just enough to feed Seven and me -- add more to feed more-- I go by taste for this recipe.

Tomato Watermelon Salad

Large Slice of Watermelon, Diced
Large Tomato, Diced
Slice of Purple Onion, Diced
1/2 of a Cucumber, Peeled, Seeded and Diced
2 Ounces (55 g) of Feta Cheese, Diced or Crumbled
1-2 Tablespoons of Herbs, Diced
Salt and Pepper, To Taste
2-3 Tablespoons of Vinegar or Wine (Optional)

Combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl and serve.

The finished salad

The bottom line: will I make this again? Yes-- love love love this. I think I am going to try honey drew or casaba melon next.

Black Bean Salsa

All that lovely avocado

I think this is the salsa version of the dump cake; everything gets dumped into a bowl and then eaten. It is so easy and so good. I rarely make it because I will sit and eat the entire bowl. It is embarrassing. As I was typing this up, Steven reminded me that I sat in front of this bowl and ate it.

Lovely fresh sweet corn

Black Bean Salsa
2 Cans (29 oz. 822 g) of Black Beans, Rinsed and Drained
5 Ears of Corn, Cut off the Cob
1 Bunch of Cilantro, Diced
2 Cups (455 g) of Tomatoes, Diced
1 Red or Green Pepper, Diced
3 Cloves of Garlic, Minced
1/4 Tsp Red Pepper Flakes or Hot Pepper, Diced
1/4 Tsp Chipotle Chile Pepper
1/2 Cup of Lime Juice
1/2 Tsp of Cumin
2 Avocados, Diced

Combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl (except for the avocado).

All of the ingredients except the avocado

Refrigerate until ready to serve. When ready to serve, mix in avocados.

The bottom line: will I make this again? Yes, I love this. I am now craving it again. I need a party to take it to.....

BLT Salad

BLT Salad

Tuesday is CSA bag pick-up day at work. CSA stands for community supported agriculture and our family has one share in the Good Natured Family Farms CSA. I love having a share and I look forward to every Tuesday. What can I say? I am a foodie. Also our CSA is amazing. We get everything from fruits and veggies to meat to dairy to honey. Each week is a surprise.
I don't look in the bag of goodies until I get home and then we go through the bag together. I know it sounds kinda dorky but we think it is fun. Katie is hoping for honey sticks or chocolate milk, Steven wants cheese and I want tomatoes. 

I love this lettuce!

This Tuesday I pulled Boston lettuce out of the bag and we all knew we were going to have a BLT salad. It might be my favorite salad but then I am crazy about BLTs. It is an amazingly easy salad to make. If you haven't tried it; trust me-- make it. I am on a healthy kick (my family hates it when I start counting calories) so I only used 4 slices of bacon. You can use more if you like (I have). I think 4 slices is the bare minimum. Also I make my own croutons out of stale bread. I had some stale bagels so I tossed them with some oil, pepper, and dried herbs and put them in the toaster oven. Voila! Croutons! I also use light mayonnaise and low fat milk. Sometimes I use a combination of mayonaise and sour cream. 

The lettuce stays fresh longer because the roots are still attached and have water

BLT Salad

3/4 Cup (180 g) of Mayonaise 
1/4 Cup (60 ml) of Milk
1 Clove of Garlic, Minced
Black Peper, To taste

1 Head of Lettuce, Torn into Bit-Sized Pieces
2 Tomatoes, Diced (or a container of cherry or grape tomatoes halved)
4 Slices of Bacon, Cooked, Cooled, and Crumbled
1 1/2 Cups (45 g) of Croutons

In a small bowl whisk together mayonnaise, milk, garlic, and pepper. In a large bowl combine lettuce, tomatoes, bacon, and croutons. Toss the salad with the dressing. Serve immediately.

Katie grabbing a crouton out of the salad

The bottom line: will I make this again? Yes. It is lovely. It is beautiful with different colored tomatoes.