Corn & Cheese Chowder and Cornbread

Bev had a dozen ears of good, fresh, young corn and since the weather had cooled, she decided to make it into corn chowder.  She checked the web and decided she liked the recipe from Pioneer Woman for Corn & Cheese Chowder, but she adapted it a quite a bit - click on the link for the original.  I would like Ree’s site if she didn’t show a half dozen photos of adding salt to a dish – a slight exaggeration.

Corn, Potato & Cheese Chowder – Adapted from Pioneer Woman

Ingredients:

12        ears corn, or less depending on taste and kernel size

4 T.      butter (1/2 Stick)

1 T.      bacon fat

1          medium onion, chopped

3          whole bell peppers, finely diced (red, yellow, orange)

5 T.      all-purpose flour

5 C.     chicken broth, homemade (if you have it)

4 C.     waxy potatoes

2 C.     half-and-half

2 C.     cheddar cheese, shredded

Notes:  We used about twice the recipe amount of corn - maybe 4 cups and Bev wanted the flavor that grilling it adds.  Bev thought the addition of potatoes was a must.  The recipe calls for 3 slices of bacon in the soup, but she prefers it as a crispy garnish so we added some bacon fat for the flavor instead.  We had no green onions to put in the soup so we used chopped chives as a garnish.

Instructions:

1. Shuck corn, rub with oil and grill over high heat to caramelize a little.  Cool enough to handle, cut kernels off cobs, and scrap the cobs with a knife edge.  Set aside

2. In a large pot, melt butter and bacon fat over medium-high heat. Cook onions for a couple of minutes, then add diced bell peppers and cook for a couple of minutes. 

3. Sprinkle flour evenly over the top and stir to combine. 
4. Slowly stir in broth and and allow this to thicken for 3 or 4 minutes, then reduce heat to medium.  It should be pretty thick as the liquid from the potatoes will thin it.
5. Add the potatoes and cook until almost tender.
6. Stir in the cooked corn. 

5. Stir in half-and-half, then cover and allow to simmer/thicken for 15 minutes or so.

6. Stir in cheeses and green onions (Bev forgot these). 
7. When cheese is melted and the soup is hot, check seasonings and add salt and pepper as needed.
8. Check thickness and add a little corn starch mixed with a little half and half to get it where you want it.

To go with the chowder, Bev decided to make a batch of her Mexican cornbread , baked as muffins and she had bacon, red onion, chives, and cheese as garnishes.  I first made up my dish but since it hid the pretty muffin, I made Bev’s differently.

The soup and the cornbread were each delicious but I mixed mine all up together (southern style) and I thought it was way good this way.  While we really liked the soup with Bev's changes, I'm confident the Ree's original would also be very good.  As an aside, we have a retired electrician friend who gladly trades us electrical work for a pan of this cornbread.

Photos can be enlarged by clicking on them.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by Almost Heaven South.

Larry

9/22/14 meal date

Arroz Con Pollo (Rice With Chicken)

When I saw this recipe on Chris’ Nibble Me This blog, I knew I wanted to try it and I considered it for my BD dinner but it didn’t satisfy my easy, little mess criteria.  Chris made it with the goal of replicating the version he had eaten at the Knoxville Pelancho’s Restaurant - the place that contributed the most to my margarita recipe. 

We basically followed Chris’ recipe with three deviations:

1. We used chicken breasts as that’s what we had.

2. We had no sazon spice and made our own  - ½ t coriander, ½ t cumin, ½ t garlic powder, ½ t salt, ½ t paprika (or turmeric for yellow)

3. We made the queso sauce with what we had on hand and needed to use. 

Queso Sauce

12 oz Mexican Dipping Cheese

6 oz     Queso Dip

1 c.      chicken stock

¼ t.      dried oregano

Since I used the spiced cheeses, I omitted the peppers from the queso and it was very tasty and plenty hot.  While the flavor was very good, the cup of chicken stock made the sauce too thin so I wish I had added a little at a time – it was a margarita day.

We had a couple more chicken breasts so I added them to the marinade and then grilled them – they were very good and we’ll use the marinade again.

My finished shots all turned out poorly so I borrowed this one from Chris’ blog to inspire you to stop by there for more great shots and the recipe.

We both thought it was very good and the biggest endorsement was Bev saying she wanted to try it again very soon and so do I.  Normally I would not post something without finished photos, but I wanted to be sure you knew about his recipe in case you wanted to give it a try (we recommend you do).

Photos can be enlarged by clicking on them.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by Almost Heaven South.

Larry

9/19/14 meal date

Green Chile Lasagna

As soon as I saw this recipe on Heathers blog, Rocky Mountain Cooking, my first thought was this had to be tried with the roasted Hatch green chiles we had in the freezer from last fall’s western trip – Heather actually took us to the place we bought them in Denver.  

Please stop by her blog for more info about the dish and the peppers.  We adapted the recipe for what we could find at the store and what we had on hand.

Green Chile Lasagna – Adapted from Rocking Mountain Cooking

Ingredients:

1½ pounds ground beef

1 cup onion, diced

2 garlic cloves minced

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

16 oz La Palmas Green Chile Enchilada Sauce (all we could find at Walmart)

12 tostada shells made by frying corn tortillas

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese – we forgot to buy Monterrey Jack

17 whole roasted and peeled mild green chile's, sliced down the middle to make flat, stems & seeds removed

Sliced ripe olives

Instructions:

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees

2. Add about a quarter inch of oil to a 12” skillet and fry two tortillas until the edges get a little brown then flip and cook until the other side is brown – about a minute per side – drain on paper towels.

3. Remove the oil from the skillet, add the ground beef and onions, and cook until the beef is cooked through.

4. Add the garlic, salt and pepper and cook for one minute.

5. Add the green chili sauce and cook for about 10 minutes - I think I cooked a little too much of the liquid out.

6. In a greased 9"x13" baking dish, place four tostada shells evenly on the bottom. Cover with the meat mixture, 6 green chiles, and cheese.

7. Repeat this process making three layers, ending with cheese.

8. Bake in the oven until the cheese is browned and bubbly.  Remove from oven and garnish with olives.  While it was plenty done, it could have baked a little longer to melt the cheese more.

9. Let sit 10 minutes before serving. 

I really enjoyed the dish but Bev said it needed some more flavor for her and we both agreed that for our tastes, 2-3 chopped jalapenos should be added to the meat mixture.  I really liked the flavor the corn tortillas brought to the party and making your own tostada shells is very easy and quick if you live where they are not readily available.  I would definitely make it again but with the jalapenos and Jack cheese next time.  Thanks Heather for a fine dinner and and even better breakfast.

I used Pam's (For The Joy Of Cooking) method for poaching the egg except mine only took 3 minutes.

Photos can be enlarged by clicking on them.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by Almost Heaven South.

Larry

9/18/14 meal date

Birthday Dinner & Football

Like most families, Bev grew up in one that insisted your birthday meal be something special and she still likes to do that – ala Pat’s recent meal.  She’d been asking me what I wanted and several things were considered but I finally decided I wanted something good but very easy for both of us with little mess.

And a couple of days before the meal, rotisserie chicken with vegetables, all cooked on the grill, showed up on Penny’s blog at Lake Lure Cottage Kitchen and it looked like a great solution to my meal criteria.

I decided to cook two chickens and followed the recipe laid out by another Penny on her Comforts of Home blog with a few adaptations – more thyme into the cavity and fresh thyme and rosemary into the veggies along with the Herbs de Provence.  Please stop by both Penny’s blogs for photos and recipes.

I prepared the chickens and added them to the spit butt-to-butt, tightly to keep the goodies inside - I tightened them after this shot and once during cooking.

Add the veggies to a disposable pan, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with herbs and toss to coat.

The main idea behind this recipe is to follow these direction – “Place a disposable pan underneath the chicken filled with sliced potatoes, carrots and leaks,” so the drippings can season them and it is a great idea, but I failed to look at my grill closely prior to cook time.  As it turned out, my spit was not high enough to let the pan sit on the grill grates and I had to set it clear down on the burners.

Unfortunately this put them below the heat and I improvised by putting them over low, direct heat and added a separate pan to catch the dripping which I added to the veggies as they cooked - this did require them to be turned regularly.

I cooked the chicken to an internal breast temperature of 165*-170* and it turned out moist and tender.  Unfortunately, by the time I relocated the veggie, there was not enough time to get them totally cooked when the chicken was done.  We just picked out the more tender pieces and I thought they were very good, especially the leeks.

It was a good and easy meal, but the chicken needed more flavor so next time I’ll brine it and put flavorings under and on the skin, and I'll cover the pan with foil and start the veggies over direct heat sooner – removing the foil when the veggies begin to get tender.

It was a fine birthday (68 if you're wondering) and special by my standards - surrounded by loved ones, no demands made upon me, getting to do just what I wanted, and a good meal - not sure it gets much better.  Getting to do what I wanted mainly meant watching college football and WVU’s win over Maryland – it was ugly and frustrating to watch, but still a win.  Unfortunately, that evening, Tennessee’s young team, especially the offensive line, was totally manhandled by Oklahoma - WVU will likely have a similar experience this week.  Since coach Nick Saban and I share a hometown, maybe I'll become a Bama fan or I've always liked Auburn.

I hope all of your birthdays are special and you get to do just what you want.

Photos can be enlarged by clicking on them.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by Almost Heaven South.

Larry

9/13 – 9/14/14 meal date

Steak, Green Beans, and Horses

The other night, I was in the mood for steak and Bev found some green bean bundles in the freezer from last year’s garden.  I grilled them both on the charcoal grill to get this.

We have a vacuum sealer and I continue to be impressed with the more-than-a-year-old food that we discover and eat.  The beans were as fresh and tasty as they would have been after just a month in the freezer and they were very good grilled - everything is better wrapped in char grilled bacon.  The steaks had been in there awhile as well and I consider the vacuum sealer a must for our lifestyle - we wore out a FoodSaver and now have a commercial grade one from Cabela's. 

On another subject, the small road to the dog groomer takes me through a rural area and past a couple of horse farms and on this trip I just happened to have the camera with me.  I can’t think of many views more serene than the horses leisurely grazing in a lush green pasture.

Another field contained a couple of moms and their little guys.

The farm belongs to Mike Wahl Performance Horses and I understand they train horses from around the world. 

In addition to the real farmers/ranchers, there are also a few gentleman farmers along the road - nary a critter inside their fenced area.

Photos can be enlarged by clicking on them.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by Almost Heaven South.

Larry

9/6/14 meal date

Sunday Humor - USRSF

I saw this on Facebook and being from both WV and TN, so after a chuckle, just had to post it here.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by Almost Heaven South.

Larry

Chicken Marsala for Pat’s Birthday

We managed to let Pat’s (SIL) birthday slip by us and to make up for it, we offered to cook her a meal of her choosing and she selected chicken Marsala and invited four of her friends for the event.  

We had made this dish back in Sep. 2011 and again in Feb. 2012 using pork loin but we liked them so well, I thought it was worth a re-post.  Our recipe is a slight adaptation of a Carrabba’s Restaurant copycat recipe we found on Food.com.

The recipe can be found at the Sep. link and several shots of the cooking process are at the Feb. link so I won’t repeat them here.  Because of the size of the meal, I ended up using two 12” skillets and made one recipe in each pan, using one stainless and one cast iron so I would be sure to get a little fond in the pans – they tasted the same to me.  It’s times like this that I know why we have a six burner cook top as I used two for the meat, Bev used two for the veggies and we didn't have to reach over each other.

We served the chicken with some hand mashed potatoes using our favorite recipe from The Pioneer Woman, steamed (til done of course) broccoli with butter and cheese, and homemade rolls, which I missed getting in my plate shot.

We topped it off with some homemade pineapple/coconut ice cream.

The food was a big hit with the diners and Pat seemed well pleased with the event.

And what about leftover mashed potatoes and gravy you asked - breakfast may have been better than the supper meal.

Photos can be enlarged by clicking on them.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by Almost Heaven South.

Larry

9/7/14 event date

Easy Individual Tomato Pies

As summer and tomato season begin to wind down, it’s time to be sure we’ve eaten plenty of the good ones and this meal was to accomplish this goal.  I had something else in mind for breakfast but Bev wanted to make individual tomato pies using the recipe from the Roseville Bed and Breakfast courtesy of Suzanne Cook & Company.  We served them to the attendees at our RV rally in May and they went over well.  

 Tomato Pie – Slightly Adapted per our notes below

10 count inexpensive buttermilk biscuits

1 ½ cups of grated Monterey Jack/Colby grated cheese

1 cup Real Mayonnaise

Sliced tomatoes for 10 Biscuits

Grated Parmesan cheese

Salad Supreme by McCormick

Butter Pam

Dried Basil or Italian Seasoning 

Spray foil lined cookie sheet with Butter Pam.  Space biscuits and flatten.  Spray biscuits with Pam and sprinkle with basil.  Peel and slice tomatoes and place a slice on each biscuit.  Sprinkle tomatoes with Salad Supreme.  Mix Monterey Jack/Colby cheese with mayonnaise.  Put 1 tsp. on top of tomato and sprinkle heavily with parmesan cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees until biscuits are done (about 12 minutes).  Do not let the biscuit get too brown.  Do not be skimpy with spices.

Other Variations:

1. Place 6 raw shrimp on top of tomato before baking

2. Place 2 precooked slices of bacon on top of tomato

3. Place 2 asparagus spears on top of tomato

4. all of the above can be combined for a special tomato pie

Notes: For this version Bev used English muffins in lieu of biscuits so they needed more than a tsp. of the cheese/mayo mix.  She used a whole muffin for each one, but I think a half would have been plenty.  She also added some diced, uncooked country ham on top - call it variation 5 - and her basil was fresh.

They were once again outstanding and definitely worth your consideration before the season ends.  One was plenty but they are like Lay's Potato Chips and it's hard to eat just one.

Photos can be enlarged by clicking on them.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by Almost Heaven South.

Larry

9/6/14 meal date

A Fish Meal With The Lusk’s

A year ago, we joined the local chapter of the FMCA called the Tennessee Travelers as a way of having monthly RVing opportunities and meeting new RVers the area.  We have met many fine people and invited one nearby couple over for a fish dinner - we knew it was a favorite of theirs.  Good friend, Joe, and SIL, Pat, also joined us.

We decided on a European style meal (several courses over an extended time) with a menu of raw oysters, chargrilled oysters, oysters Rockefeller, bread, fried crappie, slaw, hush puppies, and homemade peach ice cream.

We bought a box of oysters from the Shrimp Dock in Maryville and according to the box, they came from Sea Farms Inc. in Hudgins, VA so I assume they are from Chesapeake Bay. 

The first appetizer of raw oysters was served with Ina Garten’s Cocktail Sauce, lemon wedges, and saltines.

I don't know enough about oysters to explain this, but most of the the actual oyster meats were pretty small for the shell size compared to what we usually get.

The next appetizer was Grilled Oysters Rockefeller using our go-to recipe.  This is them about to head for the grill.

I forgot to top with the Parmesan and bread crumbs but had I remembered they would have looked like this when done - they still went down real easy.

Next up was Chargrilled Oysters using the following recipe, which is a combo of a couple we have tried.

Chargrilled Oysters

24 large oysters

1 tsp fresh parsley, fine chop

3 tsp garlic through the garlic press

1 stick butter - slightly melted

1/8 tsp black pepper

Emeril’s Essence

Parmesan, grated

Salt omitted as I used salted butter

Directions:

Mix the parsley, garlic, butter, and pepper and add a heavy tsp. to each oyster, sprinkle on a little Emeril’s Essence, add grated cheese and grill until bubbly.

I failed to get a shot but they looked like this previous meal.

Bev had made a couple of loaves of sourdough bread and it was super good dunked in the juices remaining in the oyster shells. 

For the main course, we once again used the recipe for Spicy Crappie, our favorite hush puppy recipe, Bev’s slaw, and our favorite tartar sauce from Cathy at Wives With Knives.  

This is my plate and it was all very good and received positive reviews from our guests.

Even though it took longer than I expected to eat the entire meal, I think it was a hit – we ate about 85 of the 100 oysters in the box.  Louie, who is a bread guy, loved the sour dough and said the hush puppies were the best he'd ever put in his mouth - it's always a feel good to please our guests.

The ice cream was made using recipe from friends of ours and adapted from a gallon down to two quarts.  We had made it once before and I thought it was a tad too sweet for me so I cut back on the sugar a little.

1 C. sugar

½ can Eagle Brand Milk

2 eggs

2 t vanilla

1 qt half & half

2 cups peaches (cut into very small pieces - food processor worked well)

1. Beat sugar, cond.milk, & eggs till creamy cook until eggs are done

2. Mix in half & half, extract & peaches

3. Run through your favorite ice cream maker – we used our Cuisinart.

I liked the ice cream much better this time and thought it was just right but Bev said it could have been sweeter for her, so use your own judgment if you make it. 

While the food was good and I'm pretty sure no one left hungry, the best part of the evening was the visiting and getting to know Louie and Sandy better.  Hopefully we'll see them again in a couple of weeks at the Sep. RV Rally (a multi-day get together at a campground).

Photos can be enlarged by clicking on them.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by Almost Heaven South.

Larry

9/4/14 event date