Corn Pudding

Many years ago now, I went to a potluck Thanksgiving with my classmates. This, of course, was in the time when potlucks and get-togethers were still okay and no one was afraid of getting sick from a pandemic virus. 

One of my classmates made this dish. I love cornbread, so I had to try it. It was amazing. Creamy and moist but not runny, with lots of corn flavor. I was hooked, so I asked for the recipe. I've been making it almost every year since then for Thanksgiving, though taking it to potlucks is met with varying success. 

Corn Pudding

From Jordan's Kitchen

1 can sweet corn, undrained

1 can cream style corn

2 eggs, beaten

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal
3/4 cup white sugar
1 tsp salt
3 tsp baking powder

1 stick butter, melted

8 oz. sour cream

Preheat oven to 350. Mix corns together with beaten eggs. In a separate bowl, mix together flour, cornmeal, sugar, salt, and baking powder. Add to the bowl with the corn and mix in butter and sour cream. Mix well. 

Grease an 8x8 or 9x9 square baking dish with oil. Pour corn mixture into pan and bake 35-45 min or until set and brown.

Lemon Thyme Linguine

Originally found at EveryPlate.com

1 small zucchini, diced

1 lemon

4 ounces linguine pasta

4 cloves garlic

1/2 Tbsp dried thyme

1 Tbsp vegetable bouillon or stock concentrate

1 ounce cream cheese

1 ounce sour cream (about 1/8 cup)

2 Tbsp butter

Olive oil

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add pasta, and cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente, about 9-11 minutes. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta cooking water, then drain. Zest and quarter the lemon. 

Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add zucchini, seasoning with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned and softened, 5-7 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. 

Stir in pasta, cream cheese, sour cream, bouillon, half the lemon zest, 1/4 cup of reserved pasta cooking water, button, thyme, and juice from 1 lemon quarter. Stir until thoroughly combined and season with salt and pepper to taste. Divide between two bowls, and top with remaining lemon zest, with remaining lemon wedges on the side. 

My Notes:

A nice light and quick dinner for a summer night. 

As it turns out, pasta cooking water is a pretty good emulsifier, which makes it a great alternative to making a formal bechemel sauce when you just want something to dress your pasta. Go figure. 

Ponzu Steak Bowls

Originally found at EveryPlate.com 

1/2 cup white rice

1 green bell pepper, thinly sliced

1 yellow onion, thinly sliced

1 in piece of ginger, peeled and finely chopped or grated

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1/2 lb steak, diced

2 Tbsp soy sauce

2 Tbsp Ponzu sauce

1/4 cup water

1 Tbsp Sriracha

1 Tbsp cornstarch

1 Tbsp brown sugar

Vegetable Oil

Salt and pepper, to taste

Cook rice according to package directions. Heat a drizzle of oil in a large pain over high heat. Add steak and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned and cooked to desired doneness. Season with salt and pepper and transfer to a plate. Heat another drizzle of oil in the same pan over medium-high heat. Add bell pepper and onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and lightly browned, 5-7 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in ginger and garlic; cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. 

In a small bowl, combine soy sauce, ponzu sauce, water, brown sugar, and sriracha (use less sriracha if desired). Add cornstarch and whisk until well combined. Pour over veggies and cook, stirring frequently, until the mixture is slightly thickened. Return steak to pan and stir to coat. 

Divide rice between two bowl and top with steak mixture. 

My Notes:

EveryPlate loves bowls. Like whoa. But this one actually enticed me to go out and buy ponzu sauce, so it's got that going for it. Again, nice quick dinner with some Asian inspiration. 

Tuscan Linguine

Original recipe from EveryPlate.com

1 Roma tomato, finely chopped

5 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

1 lemon

1 Tbsp Tuscan Seasoning

4 oz Linguine pasta

1 oz cream cheese

Shredded Parmesan cheese

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Once boiling, add pasta and cook until al dente, about 9-11 minutes. Reserve 1/2 cup of pasta cooking water, then drain. 

Heat a large pan over medium-high heat. Zest and cut lemon in half. Add lemon halves to the pan, cut sides down, and cook until charred, 3-4 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside. 

Heat a drizzle of olive oil in the same pan over medium-high heat. Add sliced garliec and cook until garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute. Add tomato, Tuscan seasoning, salt, and pepper (to taste). Cook until tomato softened, 2-3 minutes. Whisk in cream cheese and 1/4 cup of the reserved pasta water. Bring to a simmer, and stir until cheese melts and is well incorporated. Stir in pasta and lemon zest. Slowly add splashes of remaining pasta water as necessary until everything is coated in a creamy sauce. 

Divide between bowls and top with parmesan cheese. Serve with charred lemon halves on the side and squeeze over finished dish to taste. 

My Notes:

If you're going for a non-kosher meal, you can add some cubed chicken in with the pasta, which is how the original recipe came out. It's pretty good--nice spice with the Tuscan seasoning and a really quick way to dress the pasta. I'll have a couple more variations on this theme coming up. 

Sweet Chili Chicken

I love Thai dishes, so I was so happy when I stumbled across this simple recipe. It's slightly spicy and sweet and all around yummy. And, guess what? It uses more Tinkerbell peppers. I'm telling you, I'm gonna have to grow them myself next year with how much I'm going to use them.

Sweet Chili Chicken
Originally found at Blue Apron

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch cubes
Olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 inch piece of ginger, peeled and minced
6 ounces Tinkerbell peppers, diced
2 scallions, sliced and separated into white and green parts
2 Tbsp Ponzu sauce
1/4 cup sweet chili sauce
2 Tbsp water
1/2 cup jasmine rice, cooked

Season chicken with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in pan over medium-high until hot. Add chicken and cook 4-6 minutes until lightly browned and cooked through. Add garlic, ginger, peppers, and white bottoms of scallions. Cook until vegetables are softened and fragrant. Add sweet chili sauce, ponzu sauce, and water. Cook until liquid is slightly reduced in volume, approximately 1-2 minutes. Serve over rice.

My Notes:
The original recipe called for green beans, but mine went bad before I could use them, so I just left them out. Feel free to add other veggies. Broccoli would work well, as would zucchini, squash, asparagus, etc. Have fun with it!