Recipes

This corn chowder is easy to make and super delicious with fresh summer corn!  There is a bit of prep time, so make sure to consider that.  I based this off a recipe from Cooking Light and it’s really delicious and surprisingly, not too hot for an August night.  The corn is sweet and fresh and I think cilantro brightens up everything!

a small chunk of pancetta, or a few slices of bacon

3 shallots, finely chopped (1 onion would work as well)

1 celery stalk finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced or grated

1/2 poblano pepper finely chopped

1/2 to 1 teaspoon paprika (season to taste)

salt

pepper

1 -16oz of reduced sodium chicken broth

1/3c water

5-6 ears of fresh corn kernels or 4  cups frozen corn kernels, thawed

3/4 pound peeled and deveined medium shrimp

1/3 cup half-and-half

cilantro and flat leaf parsley to taste

Directions:

Heat a large Dutch oven or saute pan with high sides over medium-high heat.

Add pancetta or bacon to pan; saute 4 minutes or until it begins to brown.

Remove pieces and drain on paper towels.

Add shallots, celery, garlic, and poblano pepper and saute for 2-3 minutes.

Add corn, and cook 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add broth; bring to a boil, and cook for 4 minutes.

Place 2 cups of corn mixture in a blender and blend until smooth. (I used my immersion blender and it worked just fine. I did blend it in a separate bowl and poured it back in, but next time, I’ll do it right in the soup pot.

Return pureed corn mixture to pan.

Stir in shrimp; cook 2 minutes or until shrimp are done.

Stir in half-and-half and adjust seasons to taste.

Crumble reserved bacon over soup and sprinkle with cilantro and parsley.

My notes:

I like shrimp, but I don’t think it added anything special to this recipe.  You could also make this vegetarian by omitting the pancetta or bacon and using vegetable stock instead.  The real flavor comes from the corn and the poblano pepper.  Adapt as you like, adding whatever veggies you want.  Enjoy!

a small chunk of pancetta, or a few slices of bacon
3 shallots, finely chopped (1 onion would work as well)
1 celery stalk finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced or grated
1/2 poblano pepper finely chopped
1/2 to 1 teaspoon paprika (season to taste)
salt
pepper
1 -16oz of reduced sodium chicken broth
1/3c water
5-6 ears of fresh corn kernels or 4  cups frozen corn kernels, thawed
3/4 pound peeled and deveined medium shrimp
1/3 cup half-and-half
cilantro and flat leaf parsley to taste

Directions:

Heat a large Dutch oven or saute pan with high sides over medium-high heat.
Add pancetta or bacon to pan; saute 4 minutes or until it begins to brown.
Remove pieces and drain on paper towels.
Add shallots, celery, garlic and next 3 ingredients (through minced garlic) to pan, and saute for 2 minutes.
Add corn, and cook 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add broth; bring to a boil, and cook for 4 minutes.
Place 2 cups of corn mixture in a blender and blend until smooth. (I used my immersion blender and it worked just fine. I did blend it in a separate bowl and poured it back in, but next time, I’ll do it right in the soup pot.
Return pureed corn mixture to pan.
Stir in shrimp; cook 2 minutes or until shrimp are done.
Stir in half-and-half and adjust seasons to taste.
Crumble reserved bacon over soup and sprinkle with cilantro and parsley.

This is a variation of a recipe I saw on a cooking show.  It might have been Paula Deen, which shocks me because I can never cook anything she makes.  She uses too much butter and sugar for me.  Why yes, I did just actually say “too much sugar.”

These are Lemon Coconut Macaroons and they are SO delicious.

1 large egg white
1/8 teaspoon salt
3/4 c sweetened condensed milk
2+ Tablespoons lemon zest (I used a whole lemon, it was a big one)
1/2 T lemon extract (I didn’t have any, so I used all the juice from the lemon I zested and it tasted just fine)
1/2t vanilla extract
1 – 14 oz bag of shredded sweetened coconut – roughly chopped.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.

In a bowl,whisk the egg white and salt until frothy.  This took about 2- minutes using a hand whisker, faster if you use an electric mixer (which you do not need for this recipe)

Stir in condensed milk, zest and extracts (and juice if you use the lemon juice).

Using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, fold in the coconut until combined.

You can use a small ice cream scoop or just use your hands to make 1 1/2 inch macaroons.  You will need to use your hands to form them together, so be prepared to get your hands dirty.

Place them about an inch apart on a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper.

Bake until lightly browned. Check on them after 20 minutes, but mine needed almost 30.  They will turn brown very quickly after  they start browning so be sure to watch them.

Transfer to a wire rack and cool.

Notes: If you like your macaroons a little more refined and not so crazy, you can chop the coconut  more finely.  There are a lot of variations you can make with this recipe, just experiment with flavorings.  They can be dipped in chocolate or rolled in nuts, all sorts of things.  Be creative. If they turn out less than desired, you can always bring them to work and call them “test recipes.”

This recipe is from my friend Stephanie.  She makes the most delicious holiday cookies and she always includes these yummy brownies. I made ONE change to the recipe, which I’ll note below.

TURTLE BROWNIES (aka Lava Brownies — see below)

1 box chocolate cake mix (original recipe uses German chocolate cake mix)
1 (14 oz.) pkg. caramels
2/3 c. evaporated milk
3/4 c. melted butter
1 c. nuts
12 oz. semi-sweet chocolate pieces

Enjoy!  Do not be tempted to cut these into giant pieces. Small ones really are enough.

Yes, I did just say a small brownie is enough.

Really, I did.

Muffins, cupcakes…what’s the difference really?  Frosting?  You could frost these with a nice chocolate ganache and call them cupcakes. Either way, they are tasty and SUPER easy.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

1 cup sugar
1 cup pumpkin puree
2 large eggs
1/2 cup oil (will try again with applesauce)
1 3/4 cup flour (I used 1 cup regular and 3/4 white whole wheat flour)
1 t baking soda
1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
1/4 t nutmeg
1/4 t ginger
1/2 t cinnamon
3/4 cup chocolate chips (roughly half a bag)

In a bowl, combine sugar, pumpkin puree, oil and eggs.

In another bowl combine dry ingredients and mix together (I use a wisk to lighten the flour and make sure there are no lumps)

Add the dry ingredients to the wet in small amounts, be careful not to overmix.

Add the chocolate chips at the end.

Makes 12 muffins or 2 trays of mini muffins

Bake at 350 for 15-18 mins (less for the mini muffins)

Enjoy!

(PS I tweaked this recipe from here.)

Let me just say that I LOVE tomatillo salsa. I love tomatillos.  They are so cute in their little paper wrappers, and they are a beautiful color of green.  Did you know tomatillos are in the huckleberry family?

Anyway, here’s a super easy recipe for a delicious tomatillo salsa. It’s a raw one, so it takes NO time at all to make.

8 tomatillos, unwrapped, washed and halved
1 avocado
handful of cilantro
1/2 serrano chili (I seeded mine)
1 lemon
salt
pepper
little water

Load items in your blender and blend away.  I had to put in a little bit of water to get it to the consistency that I wanted.

Taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary. That’s it!

Look at how beautiful it looks!  Spoon over tacos or flank steak or even just eat with chips.