Summer Sweet Corn Fettuccine

I love corn. I love pasta. I love bacon. When I saw them combined in this recipe for Summer Sweet Corn Fettuccine I was excited. I'd never seen corn and pasta together before but I was eager to try it.


I knew SP and I wouldn't like the red pepper in Cassie's recipe so when my friend Melissa mentioned this recipe for Fettuccini with Summer Corn, Bacon, and Shiitake Mushrooms I decided to combine the two, basically subbing the mushrooms for the red pepper.

I wanted to like this, I really did, but it suffered from a common problem in my house - whenever I cook pasta and mix it with the sauce before SP gets home from work the pasta immediately soaks up all the liquid and I'm stuck with dry pasta. I misjudged his arrival time and by the time I served up the pasta there was no sauce left. I need to remember to toss everything together at the last minute to avoid this problem in the future.



Summer Sweet Corn Fettucine
Adapted from Cassie Craves and Evil Chef Mom

Salt
1 pound fettuccine
6 slices bacon, chopped
6 ears corn on the cob, shucked
1 onion, finely chopped
12-oz mushrooms, sliced
Freshly ground black pepper
1 cup half-and-half
1/2 cup chicken stock
2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves, chopped
A few dashes of hot sauce
1 cup grated parmesan cheese, divided
1/2 cup sweet basil leaves, cut in a chiffonade

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook for a few minutes until rendered and crisp.

Put a small bowl inverted into a large bowl, steady the corn cobs on the smaller bowl and cut the kernels off the ears. Add three-quarters of the scraped corn and any corn liquid to the pan with the bacon. Add the onions and mushrooms and liberally season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook until the vegetables are tender, 5 to 6 minutes.

Add the remaining corn and half-and-half to a food processor or blender and puree until smooth. Pour the stock into the corn and vegetables and simmer over low heat for a minute to reduce. Stir in the thyme and corn-cream mixture and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring frequently, to thicken. Add the hot sauce and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Add the pasta to the sauce just before serving and toss with Parmesan cheese. Top with basil and serve.

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Creamed Corn

I was looking through the most recent issue of Food Network Magazine and came across this recipe for Creamed Corn. Corn, bacon, salt and pepper - what could be easier?


I changed the method slightly based on what I do for my corn fritters and I think the result was pretty amazing. Sweet corn and salty bacon is a great combination.

Creamed Corn
Modified from Food Network Magazine

6 slices bacon
8 large cobs fresh corn, preferably white, shucked and cleaned
Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper

In a large skillet, (seasoned cast iron does well here) cook the bacon over medium-high heat until crisp. Turn off the heat and transfer the bacon to a paper towel lined plate. Reserve the drippings in the pan.

Using a chef's knife, cut kernels from 4 ears of corn and place in a large bowl. Grate the kernels from the remaining 4 ears of corn on the large holes of a box grater. Add to the bowl with the whole kernels. Using the back of the knife, scrape any remaining pulp from all the cobs and put in the bowl. Return the skillet to medium-low heat, and add the corn kernels.

Season corn lightly with salt and pepper and cook until broken down and creamy, about 30 to 45 minutes, stirring often; add water if the pan gets too dry. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Note: Crisp bacon can be crumbled over the creamed corn when serving or reserved for another use. If you have bacon drippings on hand, use 1/4 cup for this recipe.

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Catching Up

I've been horrible about updating this blog lately. Ever since having Baby Girl I've lost my groove in the kitchen. Being a working mom with a child who goes to bed at 7pm every night, I don't have much time for cooking. Or desire, to be honest. Over the past few months I've been very sporadic about even photographing meals, let alone blogging. I've decided to try to get back into it, though, so here's a look at what we've eaten recently.

A cheesesteak hoagie:


Breaded chicken, rice pilaf, green beans and sliced fresh tomato with basil:


Takeout shrimp scampi over spaghetti (insanely delicious):


Panfried chicken with boxed scalloped potatoes and tomato and avocado salad:


Steak dinner with corn fritters, loaded baked potato salad and sliced tomatoes:


These corn fritters are SO amazing:

I made up my own recipe for loaded baked potato salad, which included bacon, scallions and cheddar cheese:

The next night I used leftover corn fritters as a bed for ham and fried eggs:

This recipe for cheesy chicken with mushrooms was simple and delicious:

The cheese-stuffed tomatoes were good, but not cheesy enough:

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Meatloaf Muffins

Meatloaf muffins are one of my favorite ways to cook meatloaf. Everything is already portioned out and it only takes 30 minutes to cook.


For these I added salsa and breadcrumbs to the meatloaf mix, then topped each muffin with ketchup. Mashed potatoes and corn rounded out the meal.

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Fish Filets, Fries and Corn

Warning - The only thing homemade in this post is the tartar sauce.

I have to admit, even if some of my readers are disappointed, that since having Baby Girl my food standards have gone way, way down. Whereas before I frowned upon convenience foods like boxed potatoes, powdered sauces, soup from a can, heck, even frozen veggies, these days I've actually cooked (and enjoyed) Hamburger Helper. I just don't have the same kind of time to cook that I once did and while I hope that as Baby Girl gets older I can return to my from-scratch ways, I'm shocked to say we're doing just fine with some of the prepackaged items. Like these fish filets that I served recently:


They were Gorton's and all I had to do was bake them, along with the fries, and dinner was served. I added frozen corn since that's SP's favorite veggie and homemade tartar sauce (just mix mayo and relish together).

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Burgers, Chips and Corn Fritters

We had a few ears of corn leftover so I decided to make corn fritters for dinner. I wasn't sure what to serve with the fritters but decided we should enjoy burgers while the weather is still good.


I love these corn fritters:


The trick is to put the batter in the pan and walk away for about 10 minutes. You want the fritter to get golden brown and that'll never happen if you mess with it.

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BBQ Chicken, Baked Potato and Corn

We had some leftover chicken thighs in the freezer from the last time we made BBQ chicken. I served the thighs with corn on the cob and baked potatoes:


Unfortunately it rained the night I was planning to grill the chicken so we had to cook the chicken on our indoor electric grill.


I poached the thighs first for about 45 minutes and then put them on a smoking-hot grill to get a little char before basting with BBQ sauce. The chicken didn't get the same smokey flavor from the charcoal but it was still tasty.

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Shrimp Boil

We had my parents over for dinner on a recent Sunday and I wanted to do something different. When I was a kid my mom would make artichokes and the three of us would sit around the table peeling off the leaves and dipping them in melted butter. Since I've been on an artichoke crazy I thought it would be a fun trip down memory lame (and a chance for SP to experience a real artichoke).


These were a little small, which ended up working perfectly as an appetizer before dinner. I started by cutting the end off the stems and then peeling the outer layer off so we could eat them later. I cut the very top off the artichokes and then trimmed the top off each leaf. Once they were trimmed I put them in a pot with a steamer basket and cooked them for about 45 minutes.

For the shrimp I left them in the shell and used the recipe on the back of the Old Bay seasoning - water, vinegar, Old Bay and shrimp boiled together for about 5 minutes.


I also cooked 4 ears of corn that SP asked me to cut in half to more closely resemble a true shrimp boil. We layered newspaper on top of the table to keep with the same theme. It was a ton of fun!


My plate with some shrimp, corn and a baked potato:


I baked the potatoes at 450 degrees for about an hour.

My stepdad made dessert:


... brownies with ice cream topped with a raspberry. I was so full by the time we got to dessert that I couldn't finish my entire serving, but it was delicious.

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BBQ Chicken Dinner

My apologies - I'm so far behind it's overwhelming.

We invited our friends C & D over for a cookout back in early July. SP's been craving barbecued chicken so I boiled a cut-up chicken and some chicken thighs and finished them on the grill, basting with BBQ sauce:


He's also been asking for my corn fritters so I made a double batch of those:


Just look at that delicious golden-brown color and crispy edges:


These were sweet and addictive. I think D had about 5 or 6. SP made his drop biscuits:


...which are always yummy and buttery. C & D brought a delicious strawberry shortcake for dessert:

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Cookout Leftovers

We had some leftovers from our Fourth cookout for dinner later that weekend:


Just as delicious as the first time, but so much easier to put together.

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Family Cookout

This summer we're trying to make an effort to have family over for dinner as often as our schedules will allow. We invited SP's sister, her husband and their two sons over for a cookout and, surprisingly, the weather actually cooperated.


I grilled up some cheeseburgers and hot dogs and made my potato salad. We also boiled some corn that was nice and sweet. I'm still amazed that the corn has been pretty decent. A delicious meal, although I ate way too much and paid for it later with stretching pain above my belly button. My eyes are definitely bigger then my stomach these days.

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Grilled Dinner

I was craving caprese salad, so SP picked up a few tomatoes and a ball of fresh mozzarella from the store. I used basil from my garden:


It was delicious. I could have eaten just that and been satisfied, but we also grilled up some burgers and boiled corn:


The corn has been surprisingly good for not being in season yet, at least locally. I hope all the rain we've been having won't negatively effect the crop.

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Grilled Corn Salad

Our neighbors had a Memorial Day party so I made my grilled corn salad to bring over.


I love this corn salad. I was shocked at how good it was for corn not being in season right now. When I grilled the corn the smell was intoxicating.

Grilled Corn, Avocado, and Tomato Salad

5 ears corn, shucked
2 avocados, cut into cubes
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup finely diced red onion

Dressing:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 lime, zested and squeezed
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
salt and pepper, to taste

Grill the corn until starting to brown in spots. Allow to cool slightly then remove the kernels from the cob with a knife. Combine the corn, avocado, tomatoes and onion in a large bowl. Add the dressing ingredients and gently toss to mix. Add more lime juice, salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm.

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Ladies Lunch

Back in May we had another ladies lunch. Unfortunately Jenn was unable to make it, but Brooke, Lauren, Colleen and I all got together at Brooke's since she's on bed rest.

Colleen brought a delicious orzo salad:


... with arugula, goat cheese, dried cranberries, basil and pine nuts. I can't wait to make this salad for SP. He loves all things orzo. I made my grilled corn salad (thanks again to Brooke's husband Joe for showing me how to use their gas grill):


Since Brooke couldn't do any cooking she ordered sandwiches from a local Italian restuarant for us to share. I loved the eggplant sandwich:


... and also the chicken with roasted peppers:


Here's my plate with two sandwich quarters and the salads:


I'm not ashamed to admit I had two helpings of everything. It was all so incredibly delicious. I was so full I didn't eat dinner that night. Lauren was in charge of dessert and she made ice cream brownie cupcakes:


... that were sinfully delicious. As always, we missed Jenn tremendously. This might be our last ladies lunch for quite awhile. Lauren is due with baby #2 in July and then Brooke, Colleen and I will follow shortly thereafter. The next time we get together might be with a few extra little ones.

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BBQ Chicken Dinner

I wanted to do something different for dinner one night so I baked some chicken with BBQ sauce. I cooked some frozen corn and whipped up some mashed potatoes. SP picked up cornbread at the supermarket on his way home.


I don't know why the chicken looks so weird in the photo, but it was tasty. I loved the cornbread, although homemade is always better.

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