Double-Corn Spoonbread

This recipe comes from the November 2012 recipe of Good Housekeeping magazine. It’s perfect for those holiday gatherings coming up or for those days when you’d like to try something different. The magazine also thoughtfully included variations for 12 servings and for 20 servings. Check it out.

Double-Corn Spoonbread

1 ½ cups water
Salt
Pepper
1 ½ cups whole milk
¾ cup stone-ground cornmeal
1 ½ tablespoons margarine or butter
2 large eggs
½ teaspoon baking powder
2 green onions, finely chopped, plus more for garnish
1 ½ cup fresh or frozen (thawed) corn kernels
3 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease shallow 1 ½-quart casserole.

In 4-quart saucepan, heat water, ½ teaspoon salt, and half of milk to boiling on high. Reduce heat to medium-low and whisk cornmeal in slow, steady stream. Cover and simmer 10 minutes or until mixture is very thick and pasty, whisking frequently.

Remove from heat and whisk in margarine until melted. Continue whisking and add remaining milk in slow, steady stream. Whisk in eggs, 1 at a time, then baking powder.

Stir in green onions, corn, Parmesan, and ¼ teaspoon pepper until mixed. Transfer to prepared dish and spread in smooth, even layer. (Casserole can be cooled, then covered and refrigerated, up to 4 hours before baking.)

Bake 45 minutes to 1 hour or until golden and knife inserted in center comes out clean. Garnish with green onions.

Makes 6 side-dish servings.

Sweet Corn Pudding

Saw this recipe in one those advertisements trying to get us to buy the products listed. Hey, when the recipe is good, who cares how it comes your way?

Sweet Corn Pudding

1 package (12 oz) Birds Eye Steamfresh Super Sweet Corn
1 cup 2% milk
2 eggs, lightly beaten
3 tablespoons Hellmann's Real Mayonnaise
3 Tablespoons Shedd's Spread Country Crock Spread, melted
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
pinch salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

 Prepare sweet corn according to package directions. Set aside to cool.

Combine remaining ingredients in large bowl with wire whisk. Stir in corn. Turn into greased 1-quart shallow casserole.

Bake 1 hour or until golden.

Makes six servings.

Sweet Corn

I received a frantic call from my cousin's wife yesterday. I laugh as I write that. She gets upset with me for referring to her as "my cousin's wife." It's a correct description but it doesn't begin to tell others about our relationship. She is my friend who happens to be related to me. God has truly blessed me in that way.

As she called, she was looking at some corn with no idea how to freeze it. For those of you who have never frozen or canned vegetables, you can't just stick something in the freezer and expect to eat it over the winter. It's a little more involved than that.

The first issue is that she didn't know if it was sweet corn or field corn. Sweet corn is wonderful eaten right off the cob. Field corn really needs to be removed from the cob and creamed. She informed me that it didn't really matter. She prefers corn-on-the-cob and that's what she wanted to freeze.

After a quick consultation with my mother (who knows most things about such things), these are the directions.

Freezing Sweet Corn

Remove the husk from the corn and clean it thoroughly. Leave no little hairs to stick in your teeth! I prefer smaller ears of corn so I cut them in half. Either way works.

Place the corn in water. We use big, white enamel pans that my mother has had forever. Normal people probably use large pots. Bring the water to a boil for 5-7 minutes. This is called blanching. I don't even know if I've spelled that right. I do know that pretty much all vegetables that are headed for the freezer must be blanched before said trip.

Remove the corn from the stove and pour out the boiling water. Carefully. Remember that steam burns just as badly as direct hot water. Place the corn in a bowl of ice water until it cools.

Put corn in plastic bags made especially for the freezer. We generally put five per bag. I'm not sure why except that somewhere over the years my mother determined that five ears of corn per bag was the perfect serving size.

When you're really to eat the corn, remove it from the freezer and put it in a boiler or pan. Add water and a little salt. Bring it to a boil. Cook until tender. Serve.

Corn on the Cob

It's a holiday weekend -- and it's raining in southern Alabama. Poor folks going to the beach. Probably won't have a great deal of sun for the next few days. That has never stopped a good Southern family from eating. In the South, any time is a good time to eat.

Corn on the Cob is a wonderful item to prepare. Most kids love to eat it. Just don't tell them it's a vegetable. Adults like it too. Unless they have false teeth issues. I won't even go there. Just remember that if an older person declines, don't take it personally and don't push them to eat it anyway.

Fortunately, this recipe is prepared inside. It's also something kids can help prepare. Be careful when the corn comes out of the microwave though. It will be hot so it's best if adults handle that part.

Corn on the Cob

corn
butter or margarine
salt
waxed paper

Remove the husk, etc. from the ear of corn. We usually do two or three ears at a time. Obviously, for a crowd do more. Rub a little butter or margarine on the corn. Add a little salt to taste. Wrap each individual ear of corn in waxed paper, twisting the ends to seat it. Place on a microwave plate.

Cook corn in the microwave on high for three minutes. Turn each ear over. Cook for another two minutes or until tender.

Eat!