Broiled Garlic Corn

So we had 1 ear of corn left in our freezer from last season, probably form one of the last shipments the grocery stores around us had in stores. It was time to eat it since there is new, fresh corn around!

I really didn't want to have to turn the grill on for one solitary ear of corn since we were eating my chicken taco meatloaf and sweet potato empanadas for dinner - neither of which required a grill.

So I googled broiled corn just to see if people do this and how they did it. I learned they did, so therefore, my corn was going to be broiled for the first time.

I lined a baking pan with tin foil, and sprayed the corn with olive oil spray. I sprinkled some sea salt and garlic powder on all sides of the corn and put it on the top shelf of the oven - set to broil.

Since I am famous of burning the heck out of food when trying to broil, I stood watch at the oven the entire time. It took about 6-8 minutes per side for the corn to get some nice brown marks like on a grill.

And it turned out well! It was juicy and delicious. So now if I can't grill the corn during the winter, or if it is absolutely pouring outside, I now have a new way to make corn. And the hint of garlic was a delicious compliment to what we were already eating for dinner. Yum!

How do you like to eat your corn?

Sunday Game Day Snack - Corn Nuggets!

I LOVE corn nuggets. LOVE LOVE LOVE. When I first saw them in a food establishment near me, I was hesitant to try them. I am not a fan of creamed corn...so I bypassed them.

But one day, something in my mind just said... TRY THE CORN NUGGETS. So I did. And fell in love with the deep fried bits of goodness. I could seriously just eat a whole plate of them for dinner and that's it.

So while my husband and I were shopping for Thanksgiving, all canned veggies were on sale and he spied creamed corn. He purchased a can for himself one night for dinner, but I had other ideas. I wanted to try and make corn nuggets.

This is what I did today. I actually tried two recipes, as one of the ones I found was getting bad reviews. But in the end - it was that one that I liked the best.

These would have been even better if I actually had a mini deep fryer... or if I made them smaller (these are like, ginormous corn nuggets) but they still tasted delicious, and they are perfect for hungry game day patrons to munch on.

The first recipe I tried was this...and my nuggets came out more like fritters and they weren't gooey and creamy inside like a corn nugget should be.


The second one I tried - the one people were hating on - was this one. The recipe wasn't flawless, and I had to make a few changes on my feet, but it came out well. The only problem was that I definitely made the nuggets too big - but they cooked up just find and had the creamy center a corn nugget should have. I will post my remedied recipe below...

Ingredients:
* 1 (11 ounce) can creamed corn
* 1 (11 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
* 1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
* 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
* 1 egg white
* 1/2 cup milk
* salt and pepper to taste
* 3 cups vegetable oil for deep frying

Directions:

In a medium bowl, stir together the creamed corn and drained whole kernel corn.

Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil, and coat with vegetable oil or cooking spray.

Drop spoonfuls of the corn mixture onto the sheet, and freeze until firm, about 2.5 hours.

Meanwhile, mix together the cornmeal, flour, egg white, milk, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Stir and refrigerate for an hour or two while the nuggets are freezing.

When the nuggets are ready, heat one inch of oil to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) in a large deep skillet, or fill a deep-fryer with oil as directed by the manufacturer.

Dip frozen corn nuggets in the batter, and quickly fry in hot oil until golden brown.


Place on paper towels to drain and dry.


I found the second recipe easier as well and I feel this is a delicious fall treat! If I had these ready early in the morning, I would have packed some in tin foil and sent them with my husband to the Giants/Jaguars game he attended today. Maybe next time he wins free club seats!!

Cornbread Bake - my Thanksgiving dish!

So as I previously mentioned, my husband and I are celebrating Thanksgiving at his family this year, and we all need to bring a little something since his Aunt, who is hosting, is hurt and can't cook as much.

We're doing a dessert (my pie cupcakes!) but I (stupidly) offered to do something else. I say that because working full days during my crazy time at work is actually more tiring than I thought (this is my first November at this job) and when I come home, the last thing I want to do is bake or cook. And it's not like I can do any of this on Thursday morning since we have to schlep 3 hours away from the house. Luckily this recipe only took about 20 minutes to put together and then it was in the oven for a half hour. Not too bad - I did it in between watching Glee. Hopefully it came out ok!

So I found this recipe amongst the Sunday coupons of all things. Cornbread Bake. Sounded interesting - I like cornbread. Here is the recipe...

Ingredients:

2 pouches cornbread mix (6.5 oz each)
1 container of sour cream (16 oz - we used light)
2 eggs
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
frozen sweet corn, thawed and drained (8 oz)
1/4 cup sliced scallions

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

In a large bowl, stir cornbread mix, sour cream and eggs until smooth.

Add 1/2 cup cheese, corn and scallions.

Pour into greased 11 x 7 casserole dish.


Bake about 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese before serving.



I had to tweak this a bit - since I was baking this 2 days prior, I actually baked it for 15 minutes and then sprinkled the remaining cheese on to bake for the next 15 minutes. It looks great though!

This recipe actually also included a jar of chopped pimentos but we just weren't into that. I could had substituted another vegetable or something but I left it at corn and scallions. I also used a mixture of white and yellow corn.

I hope my husband's family is excited to eat this - and will like it!!

Broccoli Corn Noodle Casserole

Part of me feels like my dinner tonight will be out in the country. It's a very warm dish and by warm, I mean it's very much like a comfort food. I pre-made this last night because I am starting a brand new job today and wanted to have everything ready for when I got home! (My husband and I also baked up a storm yesterday making dessert for Rosh Hashanah dinners!)

So tonight's dinner is a Broccoli Corn Noodle Casserole with Ground Turkey. It was very easy to make!

Here are the ingredients:
1 (16 ounce) package uncooked egg noodles
1 pound ground turkey
1 (15 ounce) can canned or frozen corn
1 (10.75 ounce) can cream of broccoli soup
salt and pepper to taste


Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a medium casserole dish.

2. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add noodles, cook for 6 to 8 minutes, until al dente, and drain.


3. Place turkey in a skillet over medium heat, and cook until evenly brown. Drain grease.


4. In a bowl, gently mix cooked noodles and turkey, corn, and soup. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to the prepared baking dish.


5. Bake 20 minutes in the preheated oven, until bubbly.


This recipe is very versatile because you can use ground chicken or beef or cream of chicken soup or cream of mushroom. I love recipes with interchangeable ingredients like that!

I already took a taste and it's very yummy. I can also see sprinkling something on the top before baking, maybe some cheddar cheese or breadcrumbs. Or both!

We're going to be eating this with some good ol' fashioned cornbread. Yum! Can't wait!