Warm Corn Salad

We had corn on the cob left over from our Mother's Day BBQ.  And I know I won't eat 6 ears before they spoil.  And I know Derek doesn't do any leftovers very well.  So...

I cut the kernels off 3 and froze that corn for another time and used 3 for for my evening's meal.  Derek is working late tonight so I'm cooking just for me and can make stuff that he wouldn't like.  He's not much of a vegetable guy... and I'm dying craving them!  That's the long, if not totally polite, way to say he wouldn't even get close enough to sniff something like this, let alone take a taste.

Oh well, that means there's more for me!

After a quick shopping trip because I didn't have most of these ingredients just sitting here waiting and a few minutes chopping stuff up I was ready to cook my dinner.

I was even more ready to eat my dinner.

And yes, I ate it all!  Don't judge.

At least not before you taste my Southwest-inspired culinary masterpiece...

Warm Corn Salad

Cut the kernels from 3 cobs of fresh corn into a large non-stick skillet. Add 2/3 cup chopped onion, 1/3 cup chopped red bell pepper and 1/4 cup butter. Saute until onions are soft. Add very finely minced jalapeno to taste and 1/2 of a small can of medium or mild diced green chiles. Toss to mix. Add 2/3 cup (more or less) chopped fresh cilantro, the juice of 1/2 - 1 lime (depending on your taste preference) and salt and pepper to taste. Toss. Sprinkle with crumbled cotijo cheese (a Mexican cheese quite similar to feta in texture but with a slightly milder flavor - I substitute the feta if I can't find cotijo and it works just fine!).  Serve either hot or cold - I like it best warm, but not steaming hot - as an accompaniment to BBQ ribs, grilled steak or chicken.


(Hints and confessions:  My corn was already cooked this time, so I added it after sauteing the onion and pepper and broke it apart with my fingers so it could just reheat with the other ingredients.  If you have a choice, get the really bright deep yellow corn.  It gives a better contrast against the white cheese so the dish looks prettier.  And yes, you can use frozen corn kernels to make this.  If you buy one of those 1 pound-ish sized bags, double the other ingredients for this recipe and use the whole bag.)

Strawberry Pizza & Crack Stix

The menu for yesterday's Mother's Day BBQ at our house:

Grilled Chicken Breasts

Corn on the Cob

Baked Macaroni & Cheese

Vegetable Kabobs

Crack Stix  (Recipe to follow)

Strawberry Pizza (Recipe to follow)

Chocolate Cream Pie

Ice Water, Strawberry Punch, Coca Cola

Photo credit: http://fashionablyfoodie.com/2012/02/01/keshias-kakes-on-super-bowl-desserts/
(Ours got ate so quickly I didn't get a picture of them!)

Crack Stix

You'll need:

1 loaf thin-sliced bakery white bread, crusts cut off

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened

3/4 cup confectioners sugar

1 cup sugar

1-1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3/4 cup butter, melted

Directions:

Flatten bread with a rolling-pin. In a bowl, combine cream cheese and confectioners’ sugar. In another bowl, combine sugar and cinnamon; set aside. Spread about 1 tablespoon of cheese mixture on each slice of bread. Roll up, jelly roll style. Dip in melted butter, then in cinnamon-sugar. Place on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Yield: 16 roll-ups.  Delicious warm, cold or at room temperature.

Yes, as crazy as it sounds... flattered bakery white bread is THAT good!!

But I did manage to snap one of the pizza!  Yay me!!

Strawberry Pizza

You'll need:

Sugar cookie dough (Pillsbury roll, home-made, from a mix -- your choice)

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened

3/4 cup (appx) confectioners sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

Sliced fresh strawberries (I used a little less than a 1 quart package)

Red fruit glaze (little plastic tub, Danish Dessert, home-made -- your choice)

Press the sugar cookie dough onto a greased cookie sheet or pizza pan.  Bake as directed until set much the same texture as you'd like a cookie to be.  Remove from oven to cool completely.  In a medium bowl beat the cream cheese, confectioners sugar and vanilla until smooth and creamy.  Spread evenly over cookie pizza crust.  Arrange sliced strawberries over the top.  Using a pastry brush, lightly and evenly coat with fruit glaze (I had the kind in the plastic tub and used about 1/2 of it).  Chill until ready to cut then slice into pizza wedges for serving.

(Note:  I used the Pillsbury roll of sugar cookie dough this time... and I'm not sure if I over cooked it just a little or if it's not quite the perfect product for this use but it was difficult to cut.  Next time I will be using a soft sugar cookie dough.)