Zippy Sweet Corn Pudding

It is corn season here in the heartland and, trust me when I tell you, it is plentiful! Supermarkets are selling it five and six ears for a dollar. A price like that is hard to resist, so I don’t even try. My dad, who is scouting out bargains at all of the local markets in his neighborhood, will often call me to tell me where I can get the most amount of corn for the least amount of money.

As I looked at my vegetable crisper this morning, laden with fresh ears of corn, to such an extent that I thought I heard the scallions gasping, I decided I needed to do something with it. I started rummaging around for recipes and I came up with one for sweet corn pudding. Just the sound of this recipe got me thinking about autumn leaves, crisp, juicy apples, a crackling fire in the fireplace, and cooler weather! 

This recipe looked so easy that I had to make it. While I was eating it, wishing for a larger spoon, I was thinking that even though it is way too early to start planning Thanksgiving dinner, this would be a perfect addition. There is absolutely nothing to it; everything gets thrown into the food processor and poured into a baking dish. It can then be refrigerated until you’re ready to bake. My friend, Linda, and says that my Smothered Green Beans are the best vegetable dish that she has ever tasted. Well, Linda, wait until you taste this! This is going to be a crowd pleaser, I guarantee, so you may want to make a bigger portion. Now, I think I may just need to stock up on some more of that fresh corn.

It’s not pretty, but it sure is good!

Zippy Sweet Corn Pudding

Slightly adapted from epicurious.com

4 cups fresh corn kernels

4 large eggs

1 Melissa’s pickled jalapeño, halved and seeded

1 cup whipping cream

1/2 cup whole milk

3 tablespoons sugar

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, room temperature

2 tablespoons all purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter an 8x8x2-inch glass baking dish, or similarly sized casserole dish. Place all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until almost smooth. Pour batter into prepared dish. Bake pudding until golden brown and center is just set, about 45 minutes. Cool 10 minutes; serve.

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Another crowd-pleasing corn recipe is this Mexican Street Corn off the Cob.

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Tuesdays with a Twist

The Scoop

Dream, Create, Inspire

Wonderful Wednesday

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Marinated Mozzarella Caprese Salad

Every day when I go out onto the deck to harvest the daily offerings from my humble container garden, I vow to use those ingredients in whatever meals I am having that day. Nothing beats fresh-from-the-vine produce, warm from the sun.

Today I brought in beautiful fresh tomatoes, radishes, a cucumber, and lots of basil. The radishes and cucumber are going to go in a dinner salad; for lunch I decided that I was going to have a small Caprese Salad along with a slice of homemade bread, slathered with fresh chive butter. If you are unfamiliar, a Caprese Salad is really nothing more than slices of tomato, fresh basil, and fresh mozzarella. It is simple, satisfying, and delicious. You can put your own personal spin on it in the way in which it is laid out to be served, or kick things up a little bit by marinating the mozzarella, and then drizzling that marinade over the slices of tomato and leaves of basil.

Earlier in the week, anticipating a tomato harvest, I bought a container of mozzarella balls to marinate. This recipe is slightly adapted from The View from Great Island blog. I find that fresh basil, very good olive oil, and a whisper of red peppers do amazing things to fresh mozzarella, and give it a special zing. This is the taste of summer!

Marinated Mozzarella Balls

Adapted from The View from Great Island

1 8-ounce container of fresh mozzarella balls
2 ounces of fresh basil
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
Juice of one Melissa’s seedless lemon
Whisper of red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper to taste

Drain mozzarella balls and place into a clean jar. Place all ingredients into a food processor, and pulse until emulsified. Pour over the mozzarella balls, seal jar, and place in the refrigerator for at least four hours, overnight is better. Serve with sliced tomatoes and fresh basil leaves. Drizzle the marinade from the mozzarella balls.

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Another recipe that is super simple and makes good use of those summer tomatoes is Trader Vic’s Cosmo Salad.

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Cooking & Crafting with J&J

Amaze Me Monday

Busy Mondays

Over the Moon

Celebrate Your Story

Inspire Me Tuesday

Reader Tip Tuesday

Tuesdays with a Twist

The Scoop

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Smoky Steak Sandwiches with Peppers & Onions

Those of you who have lost that special someone know that no matter how much time passes, things are never really quite the same. You learn to live with it and move on, and I have done that in spades, but I still find things on a daily basis that give me a melancholy pause.

This morning I was going through a stack of papers and found a recipe that Mr. O-P and I enjoyed a good bit. It was one he had found in a Williams-Sonoma catalog from April 2011. I know this, because he had typed up and printed out his own version turning their grill recipe into one that can be done on top of the stove, giving credit to that catalog. He had made a variety of notations on the recipe including that we liked it so much that, one week, we had it three times. I had to laugh at this. We did tend to go a little crazy when we found a recipe that we enjoyed. And, of all the recipes that we enjoyed, those that came together in a hurry were some of our favorites.

Do your prep work early in the day, and this comes together in a flash. I sliced the peppers and onions early on (including a green pepper that I grew myself!), as well as the steak that I did so while it was still partially frozen. (So much easier than waiting until it has completely thawed.)

I put this on a bun to show you that it really is a sandwich, but Mr. O-P and I used to make servings in individual au gratin dishes, and have that as our evening meal. Sinking my teeth into the first flavorful bite, I can see why we enjoyed it. I hadn’t had this in about six years, and it brought back a lot of memories.

Smoky Steak Sandwiches with Peppers & Onions
Adapted from Williams-Sonoma

1 red onion, cut into ¼” strips

1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into ¼” strips

1 green bell pepper, seeded and cut into ¼” strips

4 Tbs. olive oil

1 t. Hickory Smoked Sea Salt,* divided

Freshly ground pepper, to taste

1 ½ lb. New York strip sirloin, thinly sliced

4 French sandwich rolls (or not)

6 oz. provolone cheese, grated

Place a 10-inch skillet over medium high heat on the stove top. While this is heating, in a medium bowl, stir together onion, peppers, and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Season with ½ teaspoon smoked sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste.

Transfer vegetables to heated skillet, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned and softened (about 8 to 10 minutes). When cooked, transfer to a heatproof bowl and keep warm.

Return skillet to medium high heat. While it is warming, in another bowl, stir together steak strips with remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Season with ½ teaspoon smoked sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste. Place beef strips in skillet over medium high heat. Cover and cook beef, tossing occasionally, until browned (4-5 minutes).

When beef is cooked, return vegetables to skillet. Stir to combine and warm through; meanwhile, set oven to broil. When the vegetable/steak mixture has been combined and warmed, divide equally in four ovenproof serving dishes (We used these.), or into four sandwich buns placed into foil “boats.” Sprinkle a generous amount of Provolone cheese on top of each. Broil until cheese melts; watch to prevent cheese from burning. Serve immediately

Makes four servings.

*This is NOT an optional ingredient. You can find it at Williams-Sonoma. It isn’t cheap, but it lasts a long time, and is well worth it. Wait for a 20% off sale.

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Another one of Jim’s favorite beef dishes is this recipe for what I now call Jim’s Steak Diane, in his honor.

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What’s for Dinner Sunday

Dishing It & Digging It

Full Plate Thursday

Thursday Favorite Things
 Funtastic Friday
Pink Saturday
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Best of the Weekend

Grace at Home

Friday at the Fire Station
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Walnut Cream Cheese Spread

The beauty of having a container garden is that I am never overrun with any particular thing. In fact, I have been known to sit outside in a wicker chair, staring at the tomatoes, daring them to ripen. This past week I brought in a single tomato every day, and was fine with that. I also brought in four hefty cucumbers, two of which I gave to my number two son, who has already turned them into pickles. The other two I decided to use in fresh cucumber sandwiches. I have used cucumbers in veggie sandwiches before, but never made a sandwich where they were featured. I have been told that some of the best cucumber sandwiches contain cucumbers, slices of red onion, and cream cheese. I decided to take that up a notch by making my own bread (there is no better time of the year to proof bread outdoors than in humid, 90° mid summer heat), and make Walnut Cream Cheese.

Thai basil and cucumbers were harvested today.

First of all, let me tell you, this cream cheese is so good that I had to hide it from myself in the back of the fridge. Had I not, there wouldn’t have been enough to make the sandwich. Second, nothing beats homemade bread for a tasty sandwich. Mr. O-P used to favor sandwiches made with dense, chewy bread. I like that as well, but, when it comes to something as delicate as a cucumber, I need bread that’s going to be a bit softer without skimping on taste.

This is a delightful combination! You can remove the crust from the bread, and cut the sandwiches into triangles, rectangles, small squares, or heck, get fancy-schmancy and use a round biscuit cutter and cut out rounds. I wasn’t making this to serve with tea, I was making it to munch on during some tense innings of the ball game, so I left the crusts on. Sometimes, I like to take a walk on the wild side.

Try this sandwich, but even if you don’t, you must (I absolutely insist!) try this Walnut Cream Dheese. It is superb accompanied by grapes (Shown here with Melissa’s wonderfully sweet and juicy Champagne Grapes -- an excellent pairing.), or slices of apple. Delish!

Walnut Cream Cheese Spread

Adapted from Taste of Home

12 ounces cream cheese, softened
½ cup chopped walnuts, toasted
2 T. minced fresh parsley
1 T. finely minced green pepper
2 T. minced scallions
1 t. fresh lemon juice
¼ t. freshly grated nutmeg
6-8 gratings from Melissa’s Lemon Pepper Grinder
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Place all ingredients into a medium mixing bowl and beat until creamy. Place in an airtight container (I like these.) and refrigerate overnight to meld flavors.

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Another versatile cream cheese spread that is good either hot or cold is Olive Cheese Spread.

This post is linked to:

Cooking & Crafting with J&J

Amaze Me Monday

Busy Mondays

Over the Moon

Celebrate Your Story

Inspire Me Tuesday

Reader Tip Tuesday

Tuesdays with a Twist

The Scoop

Dream, Create, Inspire

Wonderful Wednesday

Whimsical Wednesdays

O My Heartsie Girls Wonderful Wednesday
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Simple Plum Tarts

This is one of the easiest pastries that you’re ever going to make, because there is really not much baking involved, it’s really a matter of assembly. It requires nothing more than fresh stone fruit, puff pastry, and sugar. Yep, that’s pretty much it. I used plums because they are in season, and I love them, but next time, if I can get my hands on some delicious peaches, I’m going to use them. I’m sure that nectarines or apricots would work equally as well, and if I’m feeling dangerously inventive, I may give fresh cherries a go.

If you want to do something special for the family for their weekend breakfast, or dazzle overnight guests, just remember to put out one sheet of puff pastry from a Pepperidge Farm two-pack into the fridge before you retire in the evening. The next day take it out, cut it up, line it with the stone fruit, and bake. They are beautiful, delicious, and come on, with fresh fruit, these have to be good for you, right?

Simple Plum Tarts

1 sheet frozen puff pastry (from a 17.3-oz. pkg.), thawed
1 pound Melissa's Organic Plum Bites, pitted, sliced into wedges*
1/2 cup granulated sugar
Powdered sugar
Honey or maple syrup to drizzle

*I found that one plum made one tart

Preheat oven to 425°F.

Unfold pastry onto cutting board. You will see that it makes a triptych. Cut on those two fold lines, and then cut in half to make six 4" rectangles. Place pastry on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Top with plum slices, leaving a 1/2" border. Sprinkle each tart with 2 tablespoons of sugar. Bake tarts, until edges of pastry are puffed and golden brown, 20-25 minutes. Allow to cool and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Drizzle with honey or maple syrup just before serving.

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If you prefer savory, this Accidental Asparagus Tart is easy and delicious.

This post is linked to:

Wine’d Down Wednesday

Happiness is Homemade Sunday

What’s for Dinner Sunday

Dishing It & Digging It

Dream, Create, Inspire

Wonderful Wednesday

Whimsical Wednesdays

O My Heartsie Girls Wonderful Wednesday
Full Plate Thursday

Thursday Favorite Things
 

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Cream of Portobello Mushroom Soup with Sherry

For Meatless Monday this week I enjoyed a tasty and nutritious salad, and a bowl of hearty mushroom soup. I can’t seem to get enough of portobello mushrooms these days, and this morning was no different.

As I set out to make this soup it was raining. A beautiful, cool, soaker rain, that comes down not too hard, not too soft, but perfectly even so as to fully soak all of the pots in my container garden. It was the first rain of this type of the entire summer. I welcomed it. I also welcomed the relief from the daily watering of my plants. The bigger they get, the bigger the roots, and the more water they require. It had come to the point where I was hand watering my 17 pots, three times a day. It had become a bit of a career, from which I was easing close to wanting to retire. I was so happy to not have to do that today, and soup was my reward.

There was a bit of prep work involved here with the cleaning and slicing of the mushrooms, but other than that, the soup was very easy to prepare and ready to eat in around 30 minutes. It has an intense mushroom flavor, with beefy undertones, and a woodsy smokiness that will have you wanting more and more. You may just want to make a double batch.

Cream of Portobello Mushroom Soup with Sherry  

3/4 pound Melissa’s portobello mushrooms 

1 clove garlic, minced

1 small red onion, diced

1/4 teaspoon Montreal Steak Seasoning 

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 1/2 cups beef stock

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup medium-dry Sherry

Clean mushrooms, remove gills, and then quarter and thinly slice. In a heavy saucepan cook mushrooms, garlic, and onion in butter over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until softened and any liquid mushrooms give off is evaporated. Sprinkle with steak seasoning. Add stock and cream and simmer 15 minutes. In a blender or food processor, purée half of mixture. (Alternately, you can use an immersion blender, although the pieces of mushrooms tend to get stuck.) Return to pan and stir in sherry, and salt and pepper to taste. Heat soup until hot and serve.

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Mushroom and Brie Soup is more labor intensive, but shockingly good.

This post is linked to:

 Full Plate Thursday

Thursday Favorite Things

Funtastic Friday

Best of the Weekend

Pink Saturday

Snickerdoodle Create Bake & Create

Grace at Home

Friday at the Fire Station

Create, Bake, Grow and Gather

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Filet Mignon with Portobello Mushroom Sauce

My passion for portobellos prevails, this time taking me in the direction of a taste-tempting mushroom sauce to top a fillet. This relatively easy, on the table in 45 minutes, company-worthy dish is certain to dazzle. Considering how impressive it is, you will not believe the ease. This is something I doubtless could consume once a week with no problem. If you often struggle to find recipes that make dinner for two, this one is perfect and mighty impressive. I just made one filet for myself, kept the sauce as is, and used it to top a baked potato for dinner the following day.

Filet Mignon with Portobello Mushroom Sauce

Adapted from epicurious.com

1 slice bacon
1 garlic clove, mashed to a paste
1-1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 pound Melissa’s portobello mushrooms, cleaned and sliced thin

2 tablespoons cognac
2 tablespoons water
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley leaves
1/3 cup heavy cream
2 filet Mignon, each about 1-inch thick

In a 9-inch sauté pan, cook bacon over moderate heat until crisp; drain on paper towels. Crumble and reserve. Wipe skillet clean.

In same skillet cook garlic in 1 tablespoon butter over moderately low heat, stirring, until softened. Add mushrooms, salt, and pepper to taste, and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until liquid from mushrooms starts to evaporate. Start in cognac and boil until nearly evaporated. Stir in water, lemon juice, and Worcestershire sauce, and boil until sauce is slightly thickened. Stir in heavy cream; heat through. Transfer sauce to a small saucepan and stir in reserved bacon and parsley. Keep warm while you make the steaks.

Pat filets dry with paper towels, and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. In skillet, heat remaining 1/2 tablespoon butter over moderately high heat until foam begins to subside and sauté filets four minutes per side for medium rare meat (I did mine five minutes per side). Divide filets between two plates and top with sauce. Heaven!

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Coffee-Rubbed Filet Mignon is yet another delicious filet-based dinner for two.

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