Where Are You From?

I saw this video a few months ago and love it. It pokes fun at the assumptions that many people make about others. Hopefully, it will not only make you laugh, but also cause you to think about how you interact with those that appear different than yourself.

It is wrong on so many levels for me to now post a recipe for Korean Beef Skewers, but there you have it. I discovered a great recipe for tender and flavorful beef, and I saw a short clip that I wanted to share. The two should never be joined, but I have. I am just as much of a jerk as the dude in the video.

Korean Beef Skewers

(adapted from Cooking Light)

5 tablespoons soy sauce

1/3 cup sugar

2 tablespoons chile paste

1 tablespoon canola oil

2 tablespoons lime juice

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 pound sirloin steak, sliced thinly against the grain

1/2 cup water

8 ounces rice noodles

4-5 green onions, sliced

Prepare grill to medium heat. (I prefer charcoal for maximum flavor.)
Combine soy sauce, sugar, chile paste, canola oil, lime juice, and garlic in a resealable plastic bag; add thinly sliced beef strips.
Marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes, turning bag a couple of times to evenly coat all beef.
Remove steak from bag; reserve marinade.
Thread steak evenly onto skewers.
Grill 2 minutes on each side. 
Combine reserved marinade and 1/2 cup water in a small sauce pan; heat 2-5 minutes.
Prepare rice noodles as directed on package. (Soak in boiling water until tender; drain.)
In a large bowl, toss rice noodles and heated sauce; add green onions.
Serve with skewers. (Serves 4)

Fab.U.Lous

Today is a friend's birthday, and I hope she has a fab.u.lous day. She deserves it, but she also works toward it. Some therapeutic discussion over wine and vodka lemonade last night revealed her philosophy of life. She believes it is what you make it, and a fabulous attitude goes a long way. Fabulous. I couldn't agree more.

Hot Corn Dip is what you make it, as well. Over the years, I have seen various recipes for this cheesy appetizer. A famous country music singer turned Food Network star makes hers with canned Mexican corn, while others use frozen or fresh. Sometimes, it is just green chiles to flavor the melty cheese, but jalapenos do pop up in some recipes. And, speaking of melty cheese...my experience has led me to believe that Monterey Jack is the smoothest with the corn, but in a pinch Cheddar-Jack, Provolone, Pepper-Jack (for more heat), or whatever you have on hand can work. Mayonnaise is a binder that aids in the creamy texture of the dip, but when your Hellman's jar (Really, there should be no other mayo than Hellman's.) is empty, I have found that some softened cream cheese does the trick and adds a nice tang. Truly, with the right attitude, you can make Hot Corn Dip whatever you want it to be...and it will always be fabulous...even with stale corn chips.

Hot Corn Dip

(adapted from Trisha Yearwood)

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/2-3/4 cup onion, diced

1/2 cup red pepper, diced

1 jalapeno, finely diced

4 cups corn kernels, cut fresh from the cob

1 4.5-ounce can green chiles

1 cup mayonnaise

2-3 cups Monterey Jack cheese, grated

Preheat oven to 350F.
Melt butter in a large cast iron skillet.
Add onion, red pepper, and jalapeno.
Stir and saute until softened.
Add the fresh corn and green chiles.
Cook until heated through.
Stir in the mayonnaise to coat the corn kernels.
Add the Monterey Jack cheese and combine well.
Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake for 30 minutes until heated through and bubbly. (Serves 12 for snacking with sturdy corn chips.)

Blisters

Don't mow the lawn in flip-flops.
Aside from all of the safety issues,
there is another huge danger.
Blisters.
Between your toes.
Blisters.
That make all summer footwear choices painful.
Blisters.
Ouch.

So...anyway...
How about whipping a few eggs, some milk, flour, and green chiles together?
How about pouring that batter into a hot, cast iron skillet swimming with melted butter?
How about watching the Dutch Baby blister up around the edges as it bakes in the oven?
How about topping wedges of this egg-y, pancake-y, green chile delight with a fresh avocado salsa?
How about a scrumptious meal that is not painful at all?

Green Chile Dutch Baby with Fresh Avocado Salsa

(adapted from Sunset Magazine)

1/4 cup butter

3 large eggs

3/4 cup milk

3/4 cup flour

1 (4.5 ounce) can green chiles

1 cup avocado, chopped

1 cup tomato, chopped

1 tablespoon green onion, sliced

1 tablespoon lime juice

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

kosher salt

Heat oven to 425F.
Place butter in a medium or large cast iron skillet and pop into the oven to melt (but not brown).
Meanwhile, in a blender or food processor, whirl eggs and milk until blended.
Add flour and blend until smooth.
Add green chiles and stir just to combine.
Pour batter into hot skillet.
Bake until Dutch Baby is puffed and browned slightly, about 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, mix avocado, tomato, green onion, lime juice, cayenne pepper, and salt.
Serve Dutch Baby cut into wedges with the avocado salsa. (Serves 4)

Happy Birthday To Me!

Today is my birthday. Want to celebrate? It is a gorgeously crisp and sunny autumn day that is begging for a night on the patio. I will light a fire in the fire pot, and we can just chill. OK???

Well...maybe not. My Hubs has plans to meet friends for dinner out tonight. But, sometime soon, we need to get together for some casual fun. Deal? Let's have Chicken Enchilada Dip.

 

Chicken Enchilada Dip

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, grilled and shredded (I season my chicken with fajita seasoning or even Montreal Steak Seasoning prior to grilling.)

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened

1 cup mayonaise

1 (8 ounce) package shredded Mexican blend cheese

1 (4 ounce) can diced green chili peppers

1 jalapeno pepper, finely diced (use more is you like more heat)

In a medium bowl, combine shredded chicken, cream cheese, mayonnaise, shredded cheese, green chile peppers and jalapeno pepper.
Transfer the chicken mixture to a medium baking dish.
Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown.

Chicken

A few weeks ago, Hubs and I spent a Sunday afternoon tearing out the decking for our old house front porch. The porch has been sagging forever and featured prominently on our to-do list for several years. However, as usual, the farm had been eating up every one of Hubs' spare minutes. I was excited that he had finally found time that day, and eagerly loaded the sections of rotting, old flooring into the back of the pickup as Hubs cut them out. It soon became apparent that this wasn't just a quick job. Under the porch, framing and supports were also rotten or non-existent. Basically, my rocking chairs might as well have been held up by butterfly wings. Fixing the porch correctly would be a big job.

As (bad) luck would have it, the temperatures decided to soar that first week of porch renovation. A heat index of at least 110 degrees was the norm. It was miserable in the sweltering heat, but I tried to help the best I could with the project. This is when one of my biggest fears reared its ugly head --my fear of heights.

Don't laugh. I know that it doesn't seem like replacing my porch floor should have anything to do with feeling all wobbly and jittery, but it did. Hubs glided back and forth over the exposed joists like a gymnast on a balance beam. I, on the other hand, was paralyzed with fear even though I was only 3 feet off the ground. I was chicken. Bwuck. Bwuck. Bwuck.

This chicken lunged from one point to another grasping whatever I could to hold on. I should be glad that I had control of the camera to document this renovation project, and there are no shots of me with fear in my eyes (or shots of me with hurt and anger in my eyes...but that is another story). I was a chicken, but I did what I could to keep the project moving. Ultimately, a beautifully solid floor is in place, has been sanded, and has one coat of stain. I am waiting for the humidity to allow the stain to dry enough for another coat...and praying that the painter dude shows up soon to finish the (overdue since last year's hail storm) repainting of the rest of the house. This chicken felt the heat and (kinda) rose to the occasion.

Chicken that also feels a little heat and more than rises to almost any occasion is Chipotle Chicken with Creamed Spinach. This smokey chicken dish is originally from Rick Bayless and has the perfect amount of heat. It is special enough to be a "for company" dish, but easy enough to grace a weeknight table. We love serving it with crusty bread to mop up the delicious sauce, and leftovers are fabulous for lunch the next day. I am not chicken to have Chipotle Chicken with Creamed Spinach On My Plate.

Chipotle Chicken with Creamed Spinach

(adapted from Rick Bayless)

3 chipotle chiles in adobo, finely chopped

2 1/2 cups whipping cream

4 medium boneless skinless chicken breast halves

1/2 cup chicken stock

10-12 cups baby spinach, chopped

1/2 teaspoon salt

Combine the chopped canned chipotles with 1/2 cup of the cream in a Ziplock bag.
Add the chicken breasts to the bag, seal and refrigerate for several hours. (The longer you marinate, the more the chiles season the chicken.)
After marinating, preheat the broiler.
Arrange the chicken breasts in a baking dish just large enough to hold them comfortably.
Set 6 inches below a very hot broiler and cook until richly brown, 4 to 5 minutes.
Turn the chicken over, drizzle the remaining cream around them and return to the broiler.
Cook until the chicken is deep golden and no longer squishy feeling when lightly pressed, 4 to 5 minutes.
Transfer the chicken to 4 warm dinner plates and keep warm in a low oven.
Scrape the cream mixture into a large saucepan and add the broth and the spinach.
Bring to a boil over high heat and cook, stirring nearly constantly, until the spinach is wilted and the cream is reduced and thick, about 3 minutes.
Season with salt, then spoon around the chicken breasts to serve.

Fridge Friday: Episode 19

Is anyone else freezing to death? Seriously. It is May 13th (Friday the 13th for those superstitious ones), and the temp is hovering in the mid-40s? Brrrr. I guess, looking on the bright side, these gray, cool, rainy days make great soup weather. I do love me some soup. 

The other day, Hubs and I grabbed some sweet corn at an area SuperCenter even though it just seems too early for good fresh corn. (Bottom right crisper drawer.) Honestly, maybe it it is just my winter palate craving something fresh, but it wasn't bad...not fresh from the field Peaches & Cream Sweet Corn, but it was reasonably good. It is perfect in a supposedly "summer recipe" pulled from Cooking Light. The sweet crispness of the corn balances well with the warm heat of the green chiles (I used some roasted from last year's garden which also had a few red chiles in the mix.) and the smokiness of diced ham. The original recipe called for navy beans, but I had a couple of cans of purple hull peas lurking in the pantry and used those instead. Toast up a cheese quesadilla on the side, and Corn and Bean Soup is a great way to warm up On My Plate.

Corn and Bean Soup

(adapted from Cooking Light)

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup onions, chopped
3/4 cup dice cooked ham 

3 cups fresh corn kernels 

2 (15-ounce) cans purple hull peas, rinsed and drained
2 (14-ounce) cans chicken broth
2 (4.5-ounce) cans chopped green chiles, undrained (I used 2 frozen cubes of my the green chiles from my garden that had been roasted and diced.)

Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat.
Add onions and cook until translucent, stirring frequently.
Add ham, corn and remaining ingredients.
Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated. (Serves 6)

A Carnivore's Tale

We went out to dinner with some friends the other night and in the course of our chit chat this blog became a topic of conversation. My friend told me that she religiously checks out the photos of my fridge for Fridge Friday; then she carefully leaned in and asked, "But, where is the meat?" I laughed as she listed the veggies and condiments and milk and cheeses that are usual fixtures in my open fridge door posts, but had to admit that aside from a package or two of deli meat, there is seldom any meat in my refrigerator. (There is half of a roasted chicken in a Ziplock on the middle shelf of last Friday's post, though.)

You see, Hubs and I purchase most of our meat directly from the producers. We buy one-half or a full beef from an area rancher (usually a neighbor) and have it processed at the local locker. Pork is purchased the same way, with lamb coming directly from our farm. Whole chickens are supplied by a nearby Hutterite community. Chicken breasts and seafood are purchased at Sam's Club in bulk packaging with individually frozen portions. While my fridge is lacking, my freezer is usually overflowing with protein sources. Trust me. We are carnivores.

However, I am very guilty of the food safety sin of defrosting whatever I have determined will be that night's dinner on the kitchen counter. *I know.* It isn't the proper method. No need to hit me with a ton of comments about how I am going to poison everyone with my cooking. My kitchen is very cool (unless I am baking), and when the frozen product starts to thaw a little, I then will toss it in the fridge. But, most of my Fridge Friday shots are done in the morning before I really know what I will have for dinner that day, or while whatever has made the cut for that day's menu is still thawing on the counter. Therefore, my fridge doesn't reflect what true carnivores we are. Sorry. :-)

Now, this couldn't be a carnivore's tale without a meaty recipe, and Chipotle Meatloaf should please the most carnivorous among us. I adapted Cooking Light's version to use half ground turkey and half ground beef for a "meatier" flavor. Turkey alone is very lean, but doesn't always have the gusto that I want in my meatloaf, especially when paired with the spicy chipotle chiles. (Go ahead and use all ground turkey if you want a main dish lower in fat. There is nothing wrong with changing a recipe up to suit your own carnivore tastes.) You may not be able to locate the meat in my fridge, but here is some Chipotle Meatloaf On My Plate.

Chipotle Meatloaf

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 chipotle chile in adobo (freeze the rest for another use)
1 teaspoon adobo sauce (from the can of chipotle chiles)...use more, if you like the heat
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup oats
1/4 cup dry breadcrumbs
1/4 cup tomato sauce
2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 egg whites
1 pound ground beef
1 pound ground turkey
cooking spray
Sauce:
1/4 cup tomato sauce
1 tablespoon ketchup
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce

Preheat oven to 350.
Saute chopped onion in a bit of olive oil or cooking spray.
Chop the chile.
In a large bowl, combine with onions, adobo sauce, and remaining meatloaf ingredients (through ground turkey).
Place meatloaf mixture in a 9x5-inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray.
Bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes.
Combine sauce ingredients in a small bowl and brush over meatloaf.
Cover and bake 30 additional minutes.
Let stand 10 minutes before slicing. (Serves 6)

Children of the Corn

I was a main character in my own horror movie today. No, I didn't fall prey to demonic corn-cult worshipers. It was much more urban than that. The black walnut tree that I have watched mature from a mere seedling when we bought this house was hacked up by some over-zealous tree trimmers working for the area telephone company. I no longer have a tree with branches, I have a pole with a little green stuff on top.

I am not an idiot. I do understand the importance of keeping a 6-foot radius clear around the overhead telephone/power lines. I don't want my trees rubbing against the lines and shorting out phone service or icing up in winter and taking down the entire grid in a storm. But, I also don't see why a ladder or truck couldn't be used to properly trim the trees instead of just standing on the ground and whacking off any branch that you can reach. I don't get it. I guess I just don't have the lack of caring (or common sense?) that would make me a good tree trimming employee.

To the telephone company's credit, they did respond very promptly to my call with the complaint. Someone was at my home within just a couple hours to investigate the damages. After our conference under the branchless, shadeless tree, the contractor for the tree service was brought over to discuss the next actions. The pole (that was formerly known as a black walnut tree) will be completely removed tomorrow, along with some proper trimming of other trees that could possibly cause issue for the lines in the future. Replacement is still being considered. I am weighing those options. The ending of my tree chopping horror movie is still being drafted. What other innocent souls may perish upon the return of the evil tree trimmers remains to be seen.

What does this have to do with corn? I don't know. It is just that last night I threw together what we thought was a great corn recipe and I had been trying to think of an avenue to share it here on the blog. In no way shape or form is Creamed Corn with Roasted Green Chiles and Spinach a horror. Even though it does require grasping the sweet corn nearest you and blindly whacking the corn from the cob, there is no evil in its preparation. I promise. It is also a pure common sense (possibly even for those that have none) alternative for serving up some of that sweet and juicy sweet corn that is flowing in from the gardens and fields.

So...that's my story. While I don't have any recommendations for a good tree trimming service, I do have what I think is a great side dish of Creamed Corn with Roasted Green Chiles and Spinach On My Plate.

Creamed Corn with Roasted Green Chiles and Spinach

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/2-3/4 cup diced onions

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 4oz can diced roasted green chiles (I used chiles from last year's garden that I had roasted, chopped, and frozen in ice cube trays...then popped into freezer bags for storage...3 cubes for this dish.)

fresh corn cut from 4-5 ears of sweet corn (or, if you must, frozen corn will work when sweet corn is not in season)

1/2 tablespoon flour

1/2-3/4 cup heavy cream

kosher salt

fresh ground black pepper

4 cups chopped fresh baby spinach

In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter.
Add the onions and saute until translucent.
Add the garlic, being careful not to burn.
Add the sweet corn and stir to coat with butter & onions in the pan.
Allow corn to cook slowly and almost caramelize or brown, but not burn. Stir, but not too frequently, you want a little crust.
Add the green chiles and heat through.
Add the flour and stir to coat the kernels of corn and cook out the "raw" taste.
Add the cream and bring to low simmer.
Reduce heat and simmer to desired thickness for the cream.
Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Add the chopped spinach, stir to combine with other ingredients and coat with cream sauce.
Cover skillet and simmer until spinach is wilted. (Serves 4-6)