Ultimate Creamed Corn

I'm not going to lie: I love creamed corn out of the can. Warmed up with a little bit of butter, some salt, and a generous sprinkling of pepper, it makes me a very happy girl. I have definitely been known to indulge.

But last summer, I was browsing through cookbooks and found a recipe for homemade creamed corn that sounded too good not to try. (It contained cream cheese. You know how much I love that stuff. I couldn't pass up the opportunity.) I did some tweaking to the recipe, and this has been our family's favorite creamed corn recipe ever since. I made it for both Thanksgiving and Christmas, and everyone commented on how delicious it was. It's impossibly rich and creamy and buttery and it makes a perfect, decadent side dish for any home-cooked meal. I'm sorry for keeping this one from you for so long!

Ultimate Creamed Corn
source: adapted from Betty Crocker's Annual Recipes 2009

1 16-ounce package frozen whole kernel corn
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Green onions, thinly sliced

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Pour corn into an ungreased baking dish. Top with dollops of cream cheese.

3. Combine milk, butter, sugar, salt and pepper; pour over corn and cream cheese.

4. Bake, uncovered, 30 to 45 minutes, stirring frequently, until corn is creamy and heated through. Top with sliced green onions, if desired.

Sour Cream Peach Pecan Pie

Out of all the cooking magazines I subscribe to (and oh, there are many), the one I've been getting the longest is Taste of Home. I have about a million Taste of Home cookbooks, too. But lately I've been thinking that it may be time to let my subscription lapse. The recipes have begun to lose their appeal for me. That is -- until I received the current issue in the mail. As soon as I saw this pie, I knew I had to make it. As soon as I possibly could. And man, am I ever glad I did!

This pie is a-mazing. It takes advantage of juicy ripe summer peaches (using fresh peaches is a must!) and combines them with a creamy, tangy, custardy filling and a sweet, buttery, crispy topping. What more could you possibly ask for in a summer dessert? Not a thing!

If you get a chance this summer, you should definitely try this pie. I really don't think you'll be disappointed!

Sour Cream Peach Pecan Pie
source: Taste of Home Magazine, August/September 2009

For the pie:

Pastry for single-crust pie (9 inches)
4 cups sliced peeled peaches
2 tablespoons peach preserves (ommited, and really not necessary in the first place. Ripe peaches have plenty of juice and the pie has enough sugar in it.)
1 cup sugar
1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream
3 egg yolks
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the topping:

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons chopped pecans
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup cold butter

1. Line a 9-inch pie plate with pastry; trim and flute edges.

2. Combine peaches and preserves (if using). Transfer to pastry. In a small bowl, whisk the sugar, sour cream, egg yolks, flour and vanilla. Pour over peaches.

3. Bake at 425° for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the flour, sugars, pecans and cinnamon. Cut in butter until crumbly; sprinkle over pie. Cover edges of crust with foil to prevent overbrowning.

4. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean and topping is golden brown. Cool on a wire rack for 1 hour. Store in the refrigerator.

BBQ-Stuffed Baked Potatoes

I've seen this idea popping up in a lot of cookbooks and on quite a few websites recently, and given my current continuing obsession with all things barbecue, I was drawn to it. I'd never considered topping baked potatoes with barbecued meat before, but as soon as I saw this recipe I thought to myself, "Of course. What a perfect pairing."

And it really is a perfect pairing. And so easy! This recipe uses prepared store-bought shredded barbecue chicken, something I'd never tried before. I used Lloyds, and I gotta say, I was really impressed with the flavor. You could also used leftover shredded meat (barbecued beef, pork, or chicken would all be delicious) or pick up some take-out from your favorite barbecue place. This was a hearty, delicious, and oh-so-simple dinner for us last week.

BBQ-Stuffed Baked Potatoes
source: slightly adapted from Cooking Light Fresh Food Fast

4 baking potatoes
1 1/3 cups shredded BBQ chicken
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
2 green onions, finely chopped

1. Pierce potatoes with a fork; arrange on paper towels in a microwave oven. Microwave on high for 10 minutes or until done, rearranging potatoes halfway through. Remove from microwave and let cool slightly.

2. Heat chicken in microwave according to package directions.

3. Slice potatoes lengthwise and fluff with fork. Top each potato evenly with chicken, cheese, sour cream, and green onions.

Weekly Meal Planning

Monday -- Soup or Salad: Pineapple chili, cheesy pineapple cornbread muffins. I've been taking some liberties with my categories lately -- does chili count as soup? What do you think? Probably not, but regardless, that's what we're having tomorrow night. Ever since Jessie first posted this recipe, this meal has been a quick and easy favorite in our house. I think the cheesy, pineapple-y cornbread is the perfect accompaniment.

Tuesday -- Pasta: Spaghetti with mozzarella-stuffed chicken parmesan meatballs (inspired by this recipe)

Wednesday -- Grilling: Ribeye steaks with sweet onion relish, mashed potato cakes, garlic toast

Thursday -- Quick and Easy: Tuscan chicken sandwiches, zucchini cakes

Friday -- Burgers and Fries: Sausage burgers on English muffin buns, hashbrowns. A carry-over from last week. I know, I know, it's been two weeks since I wrote a Burger and Fries Friday post. I've been slacking, but I promise it will be back this week!

Saturday -- Regional or International: Bavarian pork roast with sour cream gravy, mashed potatoes with sauerkraut, green beans

Sunday -- Comfort Food: Delivery pizza. Sometimes there is nothing more comforting than not having to cook at all, so I'm giving myself a little break.

Baking: Cookies and cream cheesecake cupcakes

Pepper Jelly-Glazed Chicken with Corn and Zucchini

One of my favorite, simple appetizers for parties -- and one of my favorite snacks to eat myself -- is crackers dipped in softened cream cheese topped with red pepper jelly. So when I saw this recipe combining pepper jelly and cream cheese with some of my other favorite things, I was immediately drawn to it.

The chicken was good, but not great. I think it would have been better if I'd used our outdoor grill, but we didn't feel like firing it up last night so I cooked this inside. The glaze wasn't quite as flavorful as I was hoping for. The vegetables, though -- they were incredible! I opted to use flat-leaf parsley instead of cilantro (cilantro, usually one of my favorite things, doesn't seem to like me too much lately), and it was delicious. I actually think the vegetables would have been just as good without the cream cheese.

I probably won't make the chicken again -- or I'll tweak the glaze to make it more flavorful -- but I already know that the vegetables are going to become one of my favorite summer sides.

Pepper Jelly-Glazed Chicken with Corn and Zucchini
source: adapted from Epicurious

1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes
1 large zucchini
1/3 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
Half of a red onion, finely chopped
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 can whole kernel corn, drained
2 tablespoons red pepper jelly
4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1 1/2 pounds chicken cutlets
2 tablespoons cream cheese

1. Halve tomatoes and cut zucchini into 1/2-inch pieces. In a heavy skillet cook onion in oil over moderately low heat, stirring, until softened. Add tomatoes, zucchini, garlic, corn, and salt and pepper to taste and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, until zucchini is tender, 25 to 30 minutes.

2. While corn mixture is simmering, prepare chicken. In a small saucepan melt jelly over moderate heat, stirring, and remove pan from heat. Stir in lemon juice and chili powder and divide jelly mixture between 2 small bowls (to prevent the potential contamination caused by uncooked meat juices). Pat chicken dry and brush with jelly mixture from 1 bowl. Season chicken with salt and pepper and grill on an indoor or outdoor grill just until cooked through, about 4 minutes on each side. With a clean brush, coat chicken with jelly mixture from other bowl.

3. Stir cream cheese into corn mixture until melted. Stir in parsley and salt and pepper to taste. Serve corn mixture topped with chicken.