Corn Salad

My good friend Amy made this for us one summer evening, and my husband who doesn't really go out of his way for veggies LOVED it. (I know corn is more of a grain than a vegetable, but we grew up in the 70s and our moms counted it as a vegetable.)

It's a light, refreshing, and flavorful salad. I still need to perfect it, but since I keep going back to my texts to get the recipe, I'm finally committing it to the blog. I'll try to remember to make changes here as I adjust the recipe. What Amy sent me was not an exact recipe, so the way I quantified it here is me ballparking it.

Corn Salad

Ingredients:

• 4 large corn cobs, grilled & cooled/refrigerated 
• 1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and diced
• 1/3 cup finely diced red onion
• 2-3 tablespoons fresh finely diced jalapeño pepper
• 1/4 cup (or so) cilantro, chopped
• juice of one small lemon
• 1/2 to 1 tsp salt
• 1 teaspoon chili powder

Instructions:

• (Watch this video if you want to see how one person grills corn.)
• Carefully cut the corn kernels from the cob and place in a large bowl. (Watch this video for corn cutting tips.)
• Add the rest of the ingredients, starting with only 1/2 teaspoon salt. Mix thoroughly.
• Taste to see if you want to add more salt (or any other ingredient). 
• Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Makes about 6-8 cups of corn salad.

Fettuccine Alfredo

I didn't have quite enough fettuccine noodles, so I used some rotini as well.

This delicious and super simple recipe comes from my 10th grade son's Foods and Nutrition class. It's become a somewhat regular treat for the two of us, as we are the only two in the family who will eat such things.

Truly, this dish is so easy to make. I think it doesn't take much more effort that opening a blue box of Kraft Mac & Cheese--which IS a treat in itself, if I'm honest. This has way more fat in it than the blue box, but I tell ya, it's much creamier and more satisfying in my opinion.

Since I'm reducing my gluten these days, I use the Barilla gluten free fettuccine noodles, and the only difference I notice between them and the wheat-based noodles is that these are slightly more fragile. Still have a great texture and taste, though.

If you've never made your own fettuccine Alfredo, but you like to eat it, give this one a try.

Fettuccine Alfredo
    Adapted from Mrs. Smith's Foods & Nutrition class recipe binder

Ingredients:

• 16 oz. fettuccine pasta (I used Barilla gluten free fettuccine noodles)
• 1 stick butter (salted)
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups shredded Italian blend cheese
• pinch of chopped or dried parsley for garnish, if desired

Instructions:

1. Boil a large pot of salted water and cook the pasta according to package directions.
2. In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter and garlic until butter is melted.
3. Add cream to the saucepan, burn heat up to slightly over medium, and stir. 
4. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until mixture has thickened a bit (4-7 minutes).
5. Stir in nutmeg, pepper, and salt; and then add the cheese. Stir until smooth and thick.
6. Add the cooked and drained noodles.
7. Toss the noodles in the creamy sauce. 
8. Plate the fettuccine Alfredo and sprinkle with a little parsley, if desired.

Makes about 4-6 servings, depending on how hungry you are

• Note: Add some cooked chicken and broccoli and make it a whole meal.
• Also, I usually halve this recipe for my son and myself. Leftover fettuccine Alfredo isn't as appetizing as fresh.

Barilla makes some good gluten-free pasta.

Any Italian blend cheese will do.

The sauce, right before adding the noodles

Roasted Broccoli

Delicious roasted broccoli

I needed a new way to prepare broccoli tonight, and Pinterest did not let me down. Everyone loved this, and now I'm wondering why we all tolerated simply steamed broccoli for so long.
The broccoli turned out mostly cooked, but still crunchy, and very flavorful. I may like broccoli again.

Roasted Broccoli
       Adapted from A Spicy Perspective

Ingredients:

• 1 bunch broccoli
• 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder 
• 1/3 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 475 degrees Fahrenheit.
Line a small baking sheet with parchment paper.
Mix the garlic powder, salt, and pepper in a small bowl.
Wash, trim, and cut broccoli into bite-size pieces. Cut and peel stalk as well, if desired.
Pile broccoli onto the prepared baking sheet.
Drizzle olive oil over broccoli, and then sprinkle with garlic powder, salt and pepper mix. Toss with hands and spread evenly over the surface of the pan.
Roast at 475 degrees for about 15 minutes, or until edges start to look a bit charred.
Makes about 3-4 servings

Potatoes Lyonnaise

 

Potatoes Lyonnaise

Potatoes, caramelized onions, garlic, and butter layered and baked to tender savory perfection. Mmm. Even if it doesn't do my actual heart good, it sure comforts my soul today. 
This is just a satisfying potato and onion dish that compliments any meat, in my opinion. It's buttery, tender, intermittently crisp, with the sweet saltiness of perfectly caramelized onions. I'm literally sitting here after dinner eating the leftovers with my fingers, probably getting the keyboard all buttery.
Speaking of butter, the original recipe calls for a whole stick of butter, and I only used 6 tablespoons. I have to say, though, that the next time I make these I'll probably back it down to 5, or even 4 tablespoons. My remnants are nearly swimming in butter. Delicious, but really more than I should be consuming right now.

Potatoes Lyonnaise
    Adapted from DownHomeComfortFood.com

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds yellow-fleshed potatoes, sliced thin (about 1/8 inch)
• 4 smallish onions, halved and julienned
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/8 teaspoon ground pepper
• 1/4-1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons fresh minced garlic
• 6 tablespoons butter, plus a little more for brushing
• more salt for boiling

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Place sliced potatoes into a large pot with salted water. Bring to a boil over medium high heat, stirring occasionally to separate potato slices so they can cook evenly. Drain water completely and set aside.
• Heat the olive oil in a large cast-iron skillet set over medium heat. Add the onions, 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper to taste. Stir and allow to cook until starting to brown. Stir again and reduce heat to medium low. Stir and cook onions on low to medium until they start to caramelize, but don't turn to mush (about 12-15 minutes). Add minced garlic, stir, and cook for another minute. Remove onions & garlic to a heat-proof bowl.
• Return the pan to the burner and melt 6 tablespoons butter in the pan. Make a potato layer on the bottom of the pan with 1/3 of the potatoes. Evenly distribute half the onions on top of the layer of potatoes. Add another layer of 1/3 of the potatoes. Add another layer of onions. Top with the final 1/3 of the potatoes. Brush tops of potatoes with a little melted butter.
• Place pan in oven and bake for about 20-25 minutes, until potatoes are browned.
• Remove from oven and serve.

Potatoes: boiled and drained

Onions just starting to caramelize

The first couple of layers

Just a little butter on top before going into the oven

Comfort food--all hot and bubbly

Heidi's Bacon Green Beans

 

Mmm. Bacon Green Beans.

My sister-in-law Heidi can COOK. Every time I eat at her house I come away with a new recipe or five. This one has quickly become one of my favorites that is currently a weekly side dish at my house. I'm not sure if my family loves these as much as I do, but I don't care. Even as leftovers these green beans are heavenly. Must be the bacon.

The high heat on these beans makes them a little charred on the outside, and the salty bacon along with the fabulous savory flavor of the shallots make this a fabulous sensory experience. Even if you're not a fan of green beans in general, you might like these. And they're easy. So easy.

I use the meat counter slab bacon for these green beans. My brother pointed out to me that bacon is really cheaper that way, and it's a thicker cut, so it feels meatier AND it doesn't burn with the high heat in this application.

Heidi's Bacon Green Beans

Ingredients:

• 4-5 cups of washed and trimmed fresh green beans (I also like to cut them in half)
• 4-5 strips of thick cut bacon, cut into 1/4 inch strips (crosswise, not lengthwise)
• about 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped shallots

Instructions:

• Place a large cast iron skillet on the stove and turn the burner to medium high. Add bacon before the pan gets hot.
• Stir bacon until is just starts to render some fat.
• Add the green beans and continue to stir over medium high heat until green beans have some dark, almost burned spots. 
• If bacon seems to be crisping up too soon, you can remove some of it, or turn the heat down a little.
• Sprinkle with salt and shallots, cooking another minute or so after the beans seem done.
• Transfer to a serving bowl and serve.

Makes about 6 servings

Plank Potatoes

Crisp and tender baked potato planks.

All you really need to know about these is that they are delicious--crispy and salty on the outside, tender and fluffy on the inside. Plus, they're super easy.
I think I started making these as a bun substitute for my gluten-limited son's sloppy joes. He'd pile on the sloppy joe meat and eat it like an open-faced sandwich. The whole family enjoys them so much though, that they've made it onto our regular side rotation for all kinds of dinners. 
I bake mine on a sheet of parchment on my ever-present baking stone, but they would be fine on a baking sheet too. They're better than oven fries because they bake more evenly, I think. My oven fries tend to dry out and burn in some places, but are raw in others. 
At any rate, these are a nice side, AND you can adjust the level of oil (fat) according to your health needs.
Enjoy!

Plank Potatoes

Ingredients:

• 2 to 4 medium russet potatoes, washed and dried
• 2 to 6 tablespoons vegetable oil
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
Slice the potatoes lengthwise into 1/4 inch planks and press cut sides onto a clean paper towel to absorb excess water. Place cut and dried potato planks in a large bowl.
Add oil, salt, and pepper to the bowl. (Generally, use 1 tablespoon of oil per medium size potato. Add a little more oil if you want to make sure they get crisp.) Toss with hands or a silicone spatula to coat both sides of each potato plank.
Line a rimless baking sheet, or the bottom of a baking sheet (if using a baking stone) with parchment paper. (If you don't have a baking stone, just line a baking sheet with parchment.)
Place potato planks in a single layer onto the parchment. If using the baking stone, slide the parchment with the potatoes onto the baking stone. If no baking stone, place pan in oven. Bake potatoes at 450 degrees for 20-30 minutes, turning one time after the tops begin to brown. 
Remove from oven when they are baked to desired doneness.
Serve immediately.
Makes 2 to 5 servings

This one got cut a little thin and is just this side of burned. Still super tasty though.

I enjoyed this one by slathering it with chili and cheese. So good.

Twice Baked Potato Casserole

Twice Baked Potato Casserole

These potatoes are actually the inspiration for one of my more popular posts on this blog: Twice Baked Potatoes...Sort Of. My mom has been making these potatoes for years, and she probably got it from someone at church or something. They are FABULOUS--salty, rich, cheesy, creamy, bacony. The perfect side dish for beef or pork. At first my mom made them with fresh potatoes, but eventually changed over to using instant mashed potatoes. I'll put that version at the end. The recipe she sent me also calls for twice the cream cheese, sour cream, and milk. I'm not sure if that's just because the instant mashed potatoes produce a greater volume, but my version filled up a 9 x 13 inch pan perfectly.

Besides tasting out of this world, these potatoes are awesome because you can make them the day/night before and refrigerate. The next day you just pop it into a 350 degree oven to heat through and then add the cheese and bacon. Super easy and great for taking to dinner elsewhere.
So if you're looking for a delicious and convenient potato side dish, look no further. This is it. If you're looking for something light on calories, though, you may need to move on.

Twice Baked Potato Casserole

 Ingredients:

• 4 pounds red potatoes
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 1/4 cups milk
• 1 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese, cubed and softened
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 4 green onions, thinly sliced

• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/4 cup jarred bacon bits (or a half-pound of bacon, fried and chopped into pieces, or chopped into pieces and fried)

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wash, dry, pierce, and bake potatoes for about 1 hour, or until potatoes yield when squeezed with an oven-mitted hand.
• When potatoes are done, carefully remove them from the oven and place them in the bowl of a stand mixer (or a large mixing bowl if you're going to be using a hand mixer).
• Break up potatoes with a potato masher or other tool that will break them up into rough chunks.
• Heat the milk a little bit in the microwave and then pour into the bowl with the potatoes. Add the butter and salt. With the paddle attachment on the mixer, turn the mixer on low speed and mix until milk is basically incorporated. 
• Add the cream cheese and sour cream. Mix on low at first and then turn up to high and beat until creamy. Scrape the bottom and the Add green onions and mix to incorporate.
• Spray a 9 x 13 inch pan with non-stick cooking spray. Spread the potatoes into the pan. Cover pan with aluminum foil. At this point you can do one of two things: 1. put the potatoes in the refrigerator until the next day, and then bake them in a 350 degree oven for 60-75 minutes; or 2. place back in the oven, reduce heat to 350 degrees, and bake for about 25-30 minutes, or until potatoes are piping hot.
• When potatoes are heated through, remove the foil and sprinkle top with the shredded cheese and then top with the bacon bits. Return to oven for 5 minutes.
• Serve.
• Refrigerate leftovers, if you have any.
• Makes about 12-16 servings

Twice Baked Potato Casserole under the cheese

MAKE AHEAD MASHED POTATOES (Mom's Version)

Ingredients:

• 6 Cups water
• 1/4 lb butter (I sometimes omit this fat)
• 4 teaspoon salt
• 2 (8 oz) packages cream cheese, cubed and softened
• 2 cups milk
• 1 (16 oz) container of sour cream
• 1/2 cup green onions sliced thin
• 1 (15.3 oz) Hungry Jack Mashed Potatoes (flakes: any brand will do)

Topping:

• 3 cups of grated yellow cheese
• 1 lb cooked bacon (cut into 1/4" pieces and refrigerate until next day)

Instructions:

1. Heat water, butter, salt, to boiling in a 6 quart Dutch oven. Remove from heat. Add cream

cheese, milk, and sour cream, stirring until cream cheese melts.

2. Stir in potato flakes and green onions, mixing until all ingredients are well combined. Spread mashed potato mixture into 13 x 9-inch glass pan that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.

3. Make ahead: refrigerate until next day. Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 1 hour covered or until bubbling around the edges. (It takes longer to bake when refrigerated) Allow another 20-30 minutes. I sometimes microwave potatoes to bring up the heat before putting in the oven

4. Cheese and bacon topping: when fully cooked, sprinkle cheese and bacon over potatoes and cover to melt. If potatoes are ready too early, reheat in microwave.

This recipe has 47 gazillion calories and is absolutely a crowd pleaser

Crispy Cheesy Oniony Twice Baked Potato Casserole

Crispy Cheesy Oniony Twice Baked Potato Casserole

What do you do when you want to make a twice baked potato casserole, but you don't have bacon in the house? Sure, you could drive to the store to spend $5 on a pound of bacon, or you could fry up the potato skins and use them as a crispy topping instead. My train of thought actually went something like this: "Need side dish for church--potatoes--homemade potato chips--no, pain in the butt--fried baked potatoes--too greasy and they'll get cold--cheesy potatoes--no cream of chicken soup--twice baked potato casserole--no bacon or green onion or cream cheese--caramelize some onions with garlic--cheese chunks, not grated cheese--fry the skins and put on top--YES."
Well, suffice it to say, everyone at our church dinner raved about the potatoes--everyone who got some anyway. They went pretty fast. The flavors and textures in here are perfect: creamy, salty, oniony potatoes with lots of melty cheddar cheese throughout, and the crispy salty fried skins on top just add another layer of fabulous to the experience. YUM. I will definitely be doing this again.

Crispy Cheesy Oniony Twice Baked Potato Casserole

Ingredients: 

• 6 medium russet potatoes
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
• 2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 to 2/3 cup milk
• 3/4 cup sour cream
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more for crispy skins
• 1 1/2 cups medium cheddar cheese, cut into 1/4 to 1/2 inch chunks
• canola oil for frying

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Wash, trim, and pierce potatoes. Place in oven and bake for about 1 hour at 400 degrees, or until they  yield when squeezed gently with a mitted hand.
While potatoes bake, place a medium frying pan over medium heat. Add butter and 1 tablespoon canola oil. Saute the chopped onions until they start to brown on the edges. Add the chopped garlic and pepper, and cook an additional 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
When potatoes are done, carefully remove with oven mitts or tongs. Turn oven down to 325 degrees. Carefully cut each potato in half lengthwise. Holding a half potato in a mitted hand, scoop out the potato and place potato flesh in a mixing bowl. Scoop out almost all of the white flesh, leaving about 1/8 inch of the white flesh in the shell of the skin. Repeat with remaining potato halves. Set skins aside. 
To the potato in the mixing bowl, add 4 tablespoons butter, milk, sour cream, and half teaspoon salt. With a hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix on low until ingredients are incorporated, and then mix on high for about a minute until mixture is creamy. Add onion mixture and beat to incorporate. Stir in chunks of cheese. 
Spray a casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray. Spread potato mixture into the dish, cover with aluminum foil, and place in the oven at 325 degrees for about 30 minutes. 
While potatoes bake again, heat up about 1 inch of canola oil in a frying pan. Line a plate with a couple of layers of paper towels. Stack 3 or 4 potato skins on a cutting board and cut into 1/4 inch strips, preferably in the direction that will give you shorter strips. Repeat with remaining skins. When oil reaches 375 degrees Fahrenheit, add a portion of the potato skin strips, taking care not to place too many in at once--you can fry in batches. Gently stir and fry potato skins until browned and crisp. Remove crisp skins to paper towel lined plate and sprinkle with a little salt. Repeat with remaining skins until all are fried.
After 30 minutes, remove potatoes from the oven, take the foil off, and evenly sprinkle crispy potato skins all over the top. If potato skins don't seem crisp enough, you can turn the oven to broil and broil for 2 minutes to crisp them up on top.
Serve hot, but be careful.
Makes about 12 servings

Potatoes: Boiled, Smashed, and Roasted

Crispy pan roasted potatoes

I placed my pan directly on my baking stone
to get the bottoms really brown and crisp.

This is one of those recipes I've seen pics of on Pinterest, but I don't really make very often. Baked potatoes are a lot simpler than this, with a lot less clean-up, but these turn out so buttery, crispy and delicious that sometimes it's worth the extra effort. This recipe calls for yellow potatoes, but I think you could use red-skinned potatoes too--any thin-skinned potato will do. If your potatoes are on the large side, boil them longer, and if they're smaller, of course, boil them for less time.
So if you're looking to mix up your side potato repertoire just a little bit, then give these a try. Anyone who likes potatoes is definitely going to love these.

Potatoes: Boiled, Smashed, and Roasted

Ingredients:

• 7-8 medium small yellow potatoes (about 3 inches in length)
• salt for boiling
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
Place potatoes in a medium saucepan, cover with water, and add about 2 teaspoons salt. Bring potatoes to a boil over medium-high heat. Boil until a knife is easily inserted in the center of a potato, about 20 minutes. 
Place the butter and oil in a large cast iron skillet. Place the skillet in the oven for about 3-5 minutes to melt the butter. Remove from oven and set aside.
When potatoes are done boiling, use tongs to remove one at a time from the hot water. Dab it dry, place it on a clean dinner plate, and then use the bottom of a flat-bottomed bowl to smash the potato, making sure not to pulverize the potato. You just want to break it into large chunks while remaining mostly intact. If the potato does not smash easily and just slips around, return it to the hot water and continue to boil potatoes for another 5-10 minutes.
After smashing a potato, use a spatula to carefully move it to the cast iron skillet. Repeat with remaining potatoes, one at a time. When all of the potatoes are in the pan, tilt the pan slightly to scoop up some melted butter with a spoon and then drizzle the tops of potatoes with the melted butter. If you feel like you'd really want more butter on your potatoes, add another little dab of butter to each one at this time. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper.
Place the skillet in the oven and roast potatoes for about 30-40 minutes, or until they are a deep golden brown and crispy. (If you happen to have a baking stone in your oven, make sure your skillet spends some time sitting directly on that in order to ensure crispy potato bottoms.)
Serve hot.
Makes about 4 servings

My smashing and transferring tools

Spicy Creamed Corn

Spicy Creamed Corn

Last weekend our friends got married and had their reception catered by Woody's Smoke Shack here in Des Moines. All of it was absolutely delicious, from the brisket to the cornbread. In the middle (of the buffet table) was this amazing creamed corn. (Not THIS cream corn here--sorry.) It had actual cream in it and what looked like little pools of butter. There was a bit of an orange-ish tinge to it and it was subtly spicy, so I think they put in cayenne pepper. 
At any rate, it made me want more. For some reason I'm yet unaware of, most BBQ places out here in the Midwest are closed on Sunday. We figured that out the hard way when we drove to Kansas City one Sunday afternoon for BBQ, and found that almost all of the awesome places we went for were closed. Sigh. So, in order to get my spicy creamed corn, I had to make it myself today. I really just made this up and will have to try again once I have Woody's again, but for now, this satisfied my craving.
I added probably too much spice to mine, so if you're not a fan of spicy, back off of the cayenne and jalepeno. If you decide to omit both of those completely, I suggest you at least add a little black pepper to it. This creamed corn is sweet, salty, spicy, and creamy. Lots of good textures and flavors going on here. Come sweet corn season next month, I will try a fresh sweet creamed corn. Stay tuned.

Spicy Creamed Corn

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons onion, finely chopped with a few seeds
• 4 tablespoons butter, divided
• 2 cups frozen sweet corn kernels
• 1 small can cream style corn (8.25 oz.)
• 1 to 2 tablespoons jalepeno, finely chopped (depending on desired level of heat)
• 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (depending on desired level of heat)
• 1/8 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch mixed with 2 teaspoons water

Instructions:
In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter and add the chopped onions. Saute onions for a few minutes until translucent. Add the frozen corn, canned cream corn, jalepeno, cayenne, paprika, salt, sugar, and cream. Mix and bring to a boil over medium heat. When mixture is boiling, add the cornstarch and water mixture while stirring corn mixture. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 20-30 minutes.
Makes about 4 servings