Chi-Chi's Sweet Corn Cake

Been making this for a long time...although it's been quite a while since I made it last.

Since Derek can't really have our cornbread without changing it a LOT, I decided to whip this up for him and see if he likes it.

It's a great side for mexican dishes, and for Derek, it's great for chili!

I'm pretty sure this was another Todd Wilbur Top Secret Recipe.

Chi-Chi's Sweet Corn Cake
1/2 cup butter (1 stick), softened
1/3 cup masa harina
1/4 cup water
1 1/2 cups frozen corn, thawed
1/4 cup cornmeal
1/3 cup sugar
2 Tbsp heavy cream - OR - 2 Tbsp dairy free creamer
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Blend the butter in a medium bowl with an electric mixer until creamy. Add the masa harina and water to the butter and beat until well combined.
3. Put the defrosted corn into a blender or food processor and, with short pulses, coarsely chop the corn on low speed. You want to leave several whole kernels of corn. Stir the chopped corn into the butter mixture. Add the cornmeal to the mixture; combine.
4. In another bowl, mix together the sugar, cream (or nondairy creamer), salt, and baking powder. When the ingredients are well blended, pour the mixure into the other bowl and stir everything together by hand.
5. Pour the corn batter into an ungreased 8x8 baking pan. Smooth the surface of the batter with a spatula. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until corn cake is cooked through.
6. When the corn cake is done, let it sit for about 10 minutes. To serve, scoop out each portion with an ice cream scoop or rounded spoon.

Chicken Fried Chicken

I WANT to try this asap!
http://www.food.com/recipeprint.do?rid=22227

Crash Hot Potatoes

This is another recipe that I wish I could claim was my own! They are the BEST potatoes we've ever eaten! HIGHLY recommend!
And, they were already WEMP-Free! :)
I bet though that these would be amazing with a little bacon and/or cheddar cheese and some sour cream! Yum!

I got the recipe from Pioneer Woman's blog...

Ingredients:

• 12 whole New Potatoes (or Other Small Round Potatoes)
• 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• Kosher Salt To Taste
• Black Pepper To Taste
• Rosemary (or Other Herbs Of Choice) To Taste

Directions:

1. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add in as many potatoes as you wish to make and cook them until they are fork-tender.

2. On a sheet pan, generously drizzle olive oil. Place tender potatoes on the cookie sheet leaving plenty of room between each potato.

3. With a potato masher, gently press down each potato until it slightly mashes, rotate the potato masher 90 degrees and mash again. Brush the tops of each crushed potato generously with more olive oil.

4. Sprinkle potatoes with kosher salt, fresh ground black pepper and fresh chopped rosemary (or chives or thyme or whatever herb you have available.)

5. Bake in a 450 degree oven for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.

I SO wish I could take the credit for this one! I made this last night after seeing it Food Network over Christmas...and it's A-MAZING! :)
I did break down and finally get a double burner sized grill pan/griddle, and if this is the only recipe I ever make with it, it was worth every penny!
The only thing I changed was that I used all olive oil and no butter...to make it safe for Derek!

Grilled Chicken with White Wine Mushroom Sauce

Ingredients:

Ingredients

4 cups water
1 lemon, quartered and juiced
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup kosher salt
4 (6-ounce) boneless chicken breasts with skin
4 drops liquid smoke
4 tablespoons olive oil
8 sage leaves
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

For White Wine Mushroom Sauce:

nocoupo4 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 sweet onion, chopped
8 ounces baby bella mushrooms, sliced
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 cup semidry white wine
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

Special equipment: grill pan

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

2. In a large bowl mix together water, lemon juice, sugar and salt until dissolved. Add lemon quarters and chicken. Marinate for 30 minutes. Remove from marinade and pat dry.

3. Preheat a grill pan over medium heat. Massage 1 drop of liquid smoke into each chicken breast. Salt and pepper generously then rub 1 tablespoon oil over and under skin of each chicken breast, placing 2 sage leaves underneath the skin. Place on hot grill, skin side down, until skin is golden brown, about 5 minutes. Transfer chicken to a baking sheet and bake until cooked through, about 25 minutes.

4. Meanwhile for the white wine mushroom sauce: In a large saute pan over medium heat, melt 3 Tbsp olive oil. Add onions, mushrooms and cayenne pepper. Saute until onions are translucent and mushrooms are tender, about 8 minutes. Add wine and reduce until it's almost evaporated. Add chicken stock and simmer until reduced by one third. In a small bowl whisk together 1 Tbsp olive oil and flour until well blended, then slowly add to the sauce while stirring with a wooden spoon. Simmer until sauce resembles loose gravy, about 5 minutes. Serve warm with the chicken.

Thai Chicken Soup

This was outstanding!

The kids are under the weather today and wanted chicken noodle soup...again...so I thought I'd change things up a bit. It was a huge success! Will definitely make this a lot!

I got this recipe from Food Network Magazine, and only added the cayenne pepper.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons green curry paste
6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 15-ounce can coconut milk
1 tablespoon fish sauce, plus more to taste
2 red bell peppers, thinly sliced
4 ounces thin rice noodles, broken into pieces
2 small skinless, boneless chicken breasts (about 1 pound), very thinly sliced crosswise
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice, plus more to taste
1 cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro
sprinkle of cayenne pepper, if desired

Directions

1. Heat the vegetable oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and lightly browned, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and curry paste and cook, stirring, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the chicken broth, coconut milk and fish sauce; cover and bring to a boil.

2. Add the bell peppers and noodles and simmer, uncovered, until the noodles are al dente, about 3 minutes. Add the chicken and simmer until just cooked through, about 3 more minutes. Stir in the lime juice and cilantro. Add more fish sauce and lime juice, if desired.