Wilted Spinach Salad Dressing

I know, I know! I’m doing a salad post. Trust me, when you see what is in it, you’ll enjoy it, too. And, if it helps, I served this with a medium rare ribeye steak.

This recipe covers enough spinach for 4 salad eaters, so I would double it if serving more.

1 teaspoons bacon grease
1 1/2 teaspoon olive oil
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoon white vinegar
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
1 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

Heat together in a small saucepan and pour over salad right before tossing and serving.

For the salad itself – baby spinach leaves, 2 slices of bacon (chopped), 2 green onions (sliced), 1 hard boiled egg (chopped), 1 cup mushrooms (sliced) and 1/4 cup pecans (chopped).

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Sweet Corn Latkes AKA Corn Fritters

We had a shrimp boil last night and, since corn goes well with shrimp, we decided to make corn fritters to go with the sea’s bounty. What resulted was closer to corn latkes or savory corn pancakes but they were super corny and delicious.

If you don’t have fresh corn, use frozen kernels.

Corn Fritters AKA Corn Latkes

4 ears fresh corn (about 2 cups)
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup flour
2 tablespoons whole milk
1 small onion, grated
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon corn starch
pinch cayenne pepper

½ cup vegetable oil, or more as needed.

Using a sharp knife, cut ears of corn lengthwise through the kernels to remove them from the cob. Using the back of a knife, scrape any pulp and corn milk from cobs into the bowl.

Divide corn in half and run one of the halves through the blender to puree.  Mix all the corn back together in a medium bowl. Stir in cornmeal, egg, flour, milk, onion, salt and cayenne pepper. Mix well.

In a large, heavy-bottomed skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Drop 6 tablespoons of batter into hot oil. Fry until golden brown, about 1 minute per side. Using a slotted spoon, transfer fritters to a plate lined with paper towels. If necessary, add more oil to skillet and heat until shimmering then fry remaining batter. Serve fritters immediately.

Truffled Fries

There is something deeply satisfying about elevating a common dish with a couple of uncommon ingredients. Potatoes are an awesome palate to work from, especially when you’ve got a bottle of truffle oil and some parmesan cheese just waiting to be used.

The fries come out crunchy on the outside, soft and fluffy on the inside with a flavor profile reminiscent of a top quality bistro or steakhouse.

2 russet potatoes
1 teaspoon granulated garlic
1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon truffle oil
freshly grated parmesan cheese to taste (about 1/4 cup)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Scrub and then slice potatoes into wedges. Place in a large mixing bowl.

In a small bowl mix together the spices. Coat the potatoes with olive oil and sprinkle with spice mix. Toss again to coat completely.

Spread out in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes. Use a spatula to flip the fries over. Return to oven and cook 15 minutes more or until cooked through.

Remove from oven and let sit for 5 minutes. Toss with the truffle oil and parmesan cheese and serve warm.

Cheesy Tomato Pie

Summertime is tomato time. Michelle picked a couple of 5 gallon buckets full the other week and brought the ones she didn’t make into sauce to my house. My mouth began watering at the thought of making them into a pie. The combination of cheddar and parmesan gives you a very cheesy tomato pie that tastes like the best of the season.

Traditionally, this pie uses a cup of mayonnaise and is baked for 30 minutes at 350 degrees F. I wanted to reduce the calories without affecting the taste, so I used half Greek yogurt and half mayonnaise. It also has the bonus of upping the protein, as well. I find that yogurt can separate with baking, so I lowered the temp and increased the time to compensate. I also added 1 tablespoon corn starch to make sure the pie isn’t runny.

1 frozen pie shell lightly browned

3-4 medium, peeled tomatoes cut into wedges
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons dried basil
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon corn starch
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
1 generous cup cheddar cheese, grated
½ cup parmesan cheese, grated

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Put tomato wedges in a bowl. Sprinkle with herbs, flour, corn starch and salt and pepper. In another bowl, stir together the mayo, yogurt and cheeses until combined. Pour out the tomatoes and herbs in an even layer into the pie shell. Spread the cheese sauce over tomatoes. Bake for 45 minutes.

Let stand 10 minutes before eating. Trust me, you need to wait for two important reasons – 1) you’ll keep from burning your mouth and 2) the interior will come together with the short wait.

Creamy Red Potato Salad

Red skinned potatoes, when boiled come out creamy. That makes them ideal for potato salad. I like to mash the egg yolks with a fork before stirring into the sauce ingredients to push up the creaminess up even further. Make sure to salt the potato water and add the seasoned sauce to the still warm potatoes to ensure the deepest flavor.

2 1/2 lbs red potatoes
3 eggs
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
1/4 cup mayo
1 tablespoon dried dill
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons red wine or cane vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 stalks celery, chopped fine
5 strips bacon, cooked and chopped into pieces
2 tablespoons dill pickle relish (or one dill pickle, chopped fine)
2 green onions, chopped (or 1/4 sautéed finely chopped onion)

Wash potatoes and cut into equal sized chunks. Place them in a pot of lightly salted cold water and bring to a boil. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes or until fork tender. While potatoes boil, cook the eggs by placing in a saucepan of water and bringing to a boil. Let the eggs boil for 9 minutes. Put them in cold water to cool quickly.

When potatoes are done, drain and return to pot to dry a little in the residual heat. Peel eggs and pop out yolk. Chop egg whites and add to pot with the potatoes.

Mash the yolks with a fork in a mixing bowl. Add yogurt, mayo, mustard, vinegar and seasonings and stir to combine. Pour over the still warm potatoes and stir to coat. Sprinkle the chopped celery, bacon and dill pickle over the potatoes and stir gently to combine. Cover and place in the refrigerator until ready to eat.

Broccoli and Corn Casserole

I like broccoli casseroles. I like corn casseroles. So, why has it taken me so long to come up with a broccoli and corn casserole? This is a cheesy casserole that is a perfect way to eat your veggies.

Feel free to use other cheeses besides cheddar – I tossed in some Monterey Pepper Jack (upping it to nearly two cups cheese) as the grilled chicken we ate with the first version of the casserole because it had an adobo rub on it. The second (when I added the sour cream), just had cheddar as we ate ribs with it.

Thanks to my taste testers – Zach, Michelle, Charlotte, Thomas and Kathy.

1 stick butter, melted
1 box corn bread/muffin mix (I used Jiff)
1 cup sour cream
2 cups corn cut off the cob (or 2 cans whole kernel corn)
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon granulated garlic
1 teaspoon granulated onion
1 1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated
4 cups frozen broccoli, thawed and drained

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Mix together 1 cup of the corn muffin mix with the melted butter and sour cream.

In a large bowl, mix together the corn, the egg, the seasonings and 1 cup of the cheddar cheese. Stir in broccoli. Stir in the buttered and and sour creamed corn muffin mix until well combined.

Pour into a buttered 9×13 casserole dish. Sprinkle top with remaining dry corn muffin mix and the remaining cheddar cheese. Bake uncovered for 45 minutes to an hour.

 

Rosemary Sweet Potato Medalions

When I was growing up, the only time I had sweet potatoes was under a cover of marshmallows at Thanksgiving. What a long way I’ve come!

Readers of my blog know I’m a fan of rosemary, so when I thought to take a sweet potato fries recipe up a notch, that is where I started. This is fairly simple recipe with just rosemary, garlic, salt and a bit of olive oil. The peel does get a little chewy, so I do recommend you peel them first.

2 sweet potatoes
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon granulated garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F

Wash the sweet potatoes, peel them and then cut into 1/4 inch rounds. Toss them with olive oil to coat. Combine rosemary, garlic and salt in a small bowl. Sprinkle over potatoes and stir until all pieces are covered.

Spread onto a large rimmed baking sheet and bake 20 minutes. Flip the potatoes over and continue to bake until potatoes are cooked through, about ten minutes more.