Mexican Street Corn

Original Photo and Recipe

This is sooooooooooooo good, great way to eat fresh corn.  I don't actually follow this recipe, just the general idea of it.  I basically just omit the lime and mayo but stick with the cotija.

Fresh Corn with Queso, Cilantro and Chile (Mexican Street Corn)

Serves: 4
Approx. 300 calories per ear

• 4 large ears corn 
• butter
• sea or kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste 
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise 
• 1 + 1/2 cups Queso Fresco, crumbled or Cotija or Parmesan cheese, grated 
• 4 tablespoons fresh cilantro, minced 
• 4 teaspoons chile powder 
• 1 lime, cut into four wedges 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Brush corn lightly with butter and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast 20-25 minutes. Alternately you can grill or boil it.

Working with one ear of corn at time brush with mayonnaise, sprinkle with cheese, cilantro and chile powder, pressing it onto the corn to help it stick. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Serve with lime wedges.

Whiskey-Glazed Carrots

Original Recipe and Picture

Another crappy cell phone picture....mostly just to prove I actually did make this stuff.

I like glazed carrots.  I added some cayenne and extra black pepper to them.  Honestly, if we didn't already have whiskey on hand I probably wouldn't make a special trip to get any for this recipe.  I think I prefer my version with butter, honey, and a smidge of corn starch.

Whiskey-Glazed Carrots
Serves:  3
Approx. 100 calories per serving

Ingredients:
1/2 lb. baby carrots, cut into thirds
1 tbsp. unsalted butter
1/8 cup Jack Daniels (or other whiskey)
1/8 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
In a large skillet or pot with a lid, heat the butter over medium-high heat until melted.  Add half of the carrots to the pan and cook briefly just to sear, 60-90 seconds.  Transfer to a plate and repeat with the remaining carrots.  Set aside.

Very carefully add the whiskey to the pan and allow to evaporate for about 30 seconds.   Reduce the heat to medium.  Sprinkle the brown sugar into the pan and stir.  Mix in the carrots, stir well, and cover.  Cook for 5 minutes.

Remove the lid and season with salt and pepper.  Cover once more and continue cooking until the carrots are fork-tender and the glaze has thickened, about 5-10*** minutes more.  Transfer to a serving platter and top with minced fresh herbs, if desired, for extra color.  Serve immediately.

***I prefer my carrots a little firmer, so I probably only needed the 5 minutes (or less).  I had some fresh parsley on hand so I threw that on.

Snow Peas

I needed a new side. Something simple and yummy. I made these with the Chicken Finger recipe above. They weren't the most delicious veggie side I have ever had in my life, but they were very good. You should try this too if you are looking for something a little different than a can of green beans or something.

Snow Peas
Serves: 2

-2 servings of fresh snow peas (I don't know how much!), cleaned and tips snipped
-2 tablespoons butter
-1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
-salt to taste

1. Boil a small pot of water. Throw in snow peas. Boil until desired tenderness (we like 5 minutes). Drain and set aside.

2. In the same pot, melt the butter. Throw in the cayenne and the peas and mix to coat. Sprinkle in some salt. Serve. See? Easy.

Everbody in the Pool Chicken

One skillet? Perfect. This is great when you don't want to dirty a bunch of pots and pans.

Everybody in the Pool Chicken
Serves: 2-3

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup diced onion
1 can mushrooms, drained
3 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
4 medium redskin potatoes, cut into bite sized chunks
1 can cut green beans, drained
3/4 cup chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 bay leaf

1. Heat the oil in a skillet and place the chicken breasts in and cook about 7 minutes and turn over and cook another 7 minutes (or until cooked thru). Add the onions and butter when you flip them. Salt and pepper to taste.

2. Leave it all in the pan and add everything else. Cover and reduce heat to low and simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Most of the liquid will be absorbed. It is done when the potatoes are cooked thru. Remove the bay leaf and serve.

Hot Potatoes

Mmm tasty. Another good grill recipe. You can adjust the fire by taking all, some, or none of the seeds/membrane out of the jalapenos.

Hot Potatoes
Serves: 3-4

6-8 medium to large sized red potatoes, washed and dried
2 jalapenos, deseeded/membrane if you wish, cut in a large dice
4 tablespoons butter or margarine
Grill seasoning and garlic salt to taste
Handfuls of shredded cheese (mexican, colby jack, cheddar etc)

1. Layout a length of foil. Spray with some non stick spray. If you have a mandolin, get that puppy out, otherwise do it by hand. Slice the potatoes decently thin and place on foil. Throw in the butter and jalapenos and sprinkle with the salt and seasoning.

2. Fold up the foil and place on the grill. Cook on a medium heat grill 30 minutes, turning once. Cooking time will vary depending on how thin the potatoes are... this is a trial and error.

3. Remove from grill and carefully open the foil. Sprinkle on a layer of cheese and cover lightly with the foil so it gets all melty. Serve.

Fabulous Corn

We make this a lot when we grill. It is an easy and awesome side dish and we can't get enough of it. Try it, you will like it.

Fabulous Corn
Serves: 2-3

1 can corn, drained
1/2 cup of diced onion, red pepper, and green pepper... don't measure, just dice up a couple small hunks
1 tablespoon butter
Montreal Steak Seasoning
Garlic Salt
2 tablespoons chive & onion cream cheese (or plain if you have that)

1. Over medium heat in a small pan, saute the onions and peppers in the butter for a few minutes until they soften some. Add the corn and continue to cook, stirring frequently. Sprinkle with the steak seasoning and garlic salt to taste (maybe like 1/2 tsp of salt and 1 tsp of seasoning). Cook for about 8 minutes.

2. Add the cream cheese and stir to coat. Cook for another couple minutes and serve. YUM

Easy Grilled Asparagus

This is barely a recipe... but sometimes you, dear reader, need some ideas on what to make for dinner, so maybe this will help.

Easy grilled Asparagus
Serves: 4-6

1 bunch asparagus
spray butter
steak seasoning

1. Lay out a chunk of foil. Bend the asparagus until they snap (easier than trimming) and place on the foil. Use spray butter and coat spears. Sprinkle with Montreal Steak Seasoning.

2. Fold up packet and place on a medium heat grill for about 8 minutes, flipping once. Cook time depends on how firm you like your asparagus.

Parm Garlic Potatoes

I found this recipes on allrecipes.com, one of my favorite sites for recipes or inspiration for my own recipes. I thought these were decent, but I am not a huge fan of parmesan. They made an easy side dish and I needed to use up some potatoes =)

Parm Garlic Potatoes
Serves: 3-4

Ingredients:
2 pounds red potatoes, quartered (I used about 5 large cut into bite sized pieces)
1/4 cup butter, melted
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1 lemon, juiced
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350.

2. Place potatoes in an 8x8 inch baking dish.

3. In a small bowl combine melted butter, garlic, salt and lemon juice; pour over potatoes and stir to coat. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over potatoes.

4. Bake, covered, in preheated oven for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 10 minutes, or until golden brown. (I found that I needed more like an hour to get them to the texture I wanted).

Corn on the Cob

I loooove corn on the cob, even if I have to floss 10 times afterwards. I think this easy little recipe makes the corn even better!

Corn on the Cob
Serves: 2-4

1. Shuck the corn and clean off all the silky things... gross. Get a big pot of water boiling. Once boiling add 3 tablespoons of Old Bay fish seasoning. Put the corn in the pot and boil for 15 minutes. Yes, that's how long I like my corn boiled.

2. Remove corn and place on a platter/place. Melt a tablespoon or two of butter and add 1/4 teaspoon of old bay. Drizzle over the corn and serve. Yum.

GBC!

(Sorry for the 'half eaten' picture...) I went to a Thanksgiving party and hosted my parents for the big turkey day itself. Both times I had to make my delicious new version of green bean casserole (GBC). It is hard to improve on such a classic comfort food, but I really like the minor additions. Hope you do too!

GBC
Serves: 6-8

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, mix together the following:
-2 cans french style green beans, drained
-1 (10.5 oz) can cream of mushroom soup
-8 oz. Velveeta, cubed
-About a 1/2 cup of milk
-1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
-1/4 teaspoon of onion powder
-salt and pepper

2. Transfer to a baking dish and bake for about 25 minutes. (I like to use a dish that has more surface area for the French's onions)

3. Remove from the oven and top with lots of French's french fried onions. Bake additional 5 minutes. Mmmmm.

Dill Dip

I have been eating and making this ever since I can remember. It has always been a favorite in our family and something really easy to take to parties. It goes great with veggies and chips. But carrots are the perfect match. I like to make it with low fat/no fat ingredients, but of course it tastes better with the super fatty stuff.... but my way you get to eat a lot more!



Dill Dip
Serves: a party

1. In a medium bowl combine the following:
*1 cup (8 oz) fat free sour cream
*1 cup (8 oz) low fat mayo (NOT miracle whip)
*3 tablespoons dried dill weed (not seed)
*3 tablespoons dried parsley
*3 tablespoons dried minced onion (not chopped)
*3 teaspoons seasoning blend (look here)
*3 teaspoons Accent (look here)

2. Transfer to your seving dish and refrigerate a few hours or even better overnight.

3. Serve with veggies or whatever you want. Keep it cool. (see below)

Fancy Schmancy Tip: I am sure most of you understand this, but it is something to consider when bringing a dish to pass like this. Get a slightly bigger container than your serving bowl and fill it halfway with crush ice. Set the dip bowl on top. That way it can sit out for longer and still be safe to eat. Just something to consider.

Peas and Carrots

Eat your veggies!! You know you want to. We had ours with roast beef and mashed potatoes (nope, didn't make those haha).

Peas and Carrots
Serves: 4

1. Bring a medium/large saucepan of salted water to a boil.
2. Add 2 cups of sliced carrots. I like to use leftover cut up carrot sticks or whole baby matchstick carrots. Boil for 7 minutes.
3. Add 1/2 pound of snow peas (trim off the tips first). Boil for 3 minutes.
4. Drain and set aside veggies.
5. In the same pan, melt 3 tablespoons butter. Then add 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch to thicken. Return veggies to the pan and stir in 2 tablespoons honey. Cook over medium heat until heated thru.
6. Eat 'em!

Potato Skewers

How can any meal be complete without potatoes!? This was pretty easy and they turned out great! Another recipe I just made up. I marinated these, so plan ahead before you grill.


Potato Skewers
Serves: 4-6


1. Wash and cut in half (or quarter if they are larger) about 10 small (about golf ball sized) redskin potatoes.

2. In a large ziploc bag, pour in a couple tablespoons of vegetable oil, a tablespoon of white vinegar, a palmful of dried dill weed, a half palmful of dried thyme, and some salt and pepper. Toss in the potatos and marinate for a couple hours before grilling.

3. Remove from the bag and place on skewers with a little gap in between.

4. Grill on a 350 degree/ medium heat grill for about 15 minutes. Mmmm potatoes.

Veggie Skewers

This isn't really a recipe but I guess I will include it.


Veggie Skewers
Serves: 4-6

1. Wash a red pepper and green pepper and cut into 1"x1" hunks.

2. Cut a vidalia onion into hunks, I try and leave the layers together for easier and more stable skewering.

3. Place on skewers with gaps in between for proper cooking.

4. Drizzle with olive oil, salt & pepper to taste.

5. Grill on a 350 degree/ medium heat grill for about 8-10 minutes.

Green Bean Casserole

This goes with the chicken-n-stuff meal. This is the pretty standard recipe on the back of most labels.

Green Bean Casserole
Serves 4

1. When you have about 40 minutes left on the chicken, take out a pan around 8x8 size.
2. Open and drain 2 cans of french style green beans and put into pan.
3. Put a whole can of cream of mushroom soup and a few splashes of milk onto the beans until you can get it mixed and creamy.
4. Get crazy with the salt and pepper.
5. Optional: Tear up 2-3 slices of american cheese or a few small cubes of velveeta and mix them in.
6. Bake for 30 minutes. Take out and add French's French Fried Onions to the top and pop back in for 5 minutes.