Patti's Corn & Green Chili Pudding

Servings 6 to 8

This one reminds me of Sunday lunch (which they used to call dinner in the South) at Grandmother’s house!  But of course, she used fresh corn… I plan to try that this summer and will post a revision that uses fresh corn.  I also added green chilis to mine which she did not do but I just love the extra layer of flavor from the chilis.  This is a great side dish to accompany most anything from steaks to hotdogs!

INGREDIENTS:

1 can whole kernel fiesta corn

1 can creamed corn

1 small (4 oz) can diced green chilis

¼ cup butter, melted

3 eggs, beaten (I used egg beaters)

½ cup milk

½ cup half and half

3 Tablespoons flour

1 teaspoon sugar (or ½ teaspoon Splenda)

1 teaspoon vanilla

Salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

Mix all ingredients together in mixing bowl and pour into greased 8 by 8-inch baking dish.

Bake at 350 degrees F for about 30 minutes until custard sets.

Skillet Green Beans with Onion Crisps

Oh me oh my!  This is delicious!  It's a take on Mom's old fashioned green bean casserole that was made with canned soups.  After trying this and seeing just how easy it is, you will leave canned soups in the dust!  And the skillet presentation is just perfect!  You can make  your own crispy onions but I was pressed for time so I used a package of French fried onions which worked perfectly with this recipe.  Enjoy!

Adapted from Smitten Kitchen
Serves 6 to 8

1 to 1/1/2 pounds fresh green beans
1 package French fried onions

Prepare the Beans:
1 to 1 1/2 pounds green beans, trimmed and halved
Bring a large pot of salted water to boil and boil beans for 5 minutes (for standard green beans) or 2 to 3 minutes (for haricot vert, or skinny ones). Drain beans, then plunge them into ice water to full stop them from cooking. Drain again, and set aside.

Heat oven to 400 degrees F.


Mushroom Sauce:
3 tablespoons butter
12 ounces mushrooms, thinly sliced or coarsely chopped
Few gratings fresh nutmeg (optional)
Freshly ground black pepper
3/4 teaspoon table salt
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups vegetable or chicken broth
1/2 cup heavy cream

Make the mushroom sauce: Over medium-high heat, melt butter in the bottom of a 12-inch cast iron skillet. Add the mushrooms, salt and pepper and saute them until they start releasing their liquid, anywhere from 3 to 5 minutes, depending on how they were chopped. Add the garlic and saute one minute more. Add the flour and stir it until it fully coats the mushrooms. Add the broth, 1/4 cup at a time, stirring the whole time. Simmer mixture for 1 minute, then add cream and bring back to a simmer, cooking until the sauce thickens a bit, about 5 to 6 minutes, stirring frequently. 

Assemble and bake: Add cooked greens beans to sauce in the skillet and stir until they are coated. Liberally sprinkle French fried onions over the top. Bake for 15 minutes, or until sauce is bubbling and onions are a shade darker. Eat at once.

Do ahead, a few ways:  Green beans can be cooked and kept in fridge until needed, at least one day. Green beans can also be combined with mushroom sauce and kept refrigerated for up to a day. Add onions and bake shortly before serving.

Deviled Crab and Shrimp

• Servings: approx. 6 main dish servings or 12 appetizer servings

Wow - these are fun to make and fun to eat!  I have made this as appetizers and as a main entrée.  Both ways are sure to bring a smile.  If you have the baking shells, they make an especially nice presentation. You can find these at most kitchen stores or online.  My Mom had given me some a number of years ago, so I love to put them to good use!  She often used these for dinner parties when she made a “seafood delight”.  She would be happy to see that I am using mine!

Ingredients:

• Seafood (you want a mix of approximately 2 1/4 cups):
• 1 pound cooked shrimp (peeled, deveined and rough chopped)
• 12 to 18 ounces crab meat (claw meat, 2-3 cans 6 ounces each, drained, you can also use fresh)
• Baking clam shells or ramekins (six large or 12 small)
•  
• STUFFING MIX
• 2 Tablespoons butter
• 1 1/4 cups fresh bread crumbs (3-4 slices of white bread)
• 1/2 cup celery, fine diced
• 1/2 cup onions, fine diced
• 1 teaspoon fresh garlic, minced
• 1 small jar pimentos, drained
• ¼ cup parmesan cheese, grated
• ½ cup milk
• 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 to 3 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, fine chopped
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Seafood:   You want approximately 2 1/4 cups, which you can mix any way you want (just crab or shrimp and crab, or even bay scallops, shrimp and crab).  I usually use the frozen cooked shrimp and a 16 ounce can of fresh crab meat.   Because the shrimp will be chopped, it isn't necessary to pay a premium price for the extra large. The stuffing mix freezes well, so if you have leftover, put it in a ziplock bag and freeze it for future use.   Rough chop the seafood and put it in a bowl to the side to take the chill off.  (If you use canned crab, be sure to sift through the crab to make sure there are no shells and drain well.)

·         Vegetables:  In a medium sauté pan, melt the butter over medium heat.  Add the garlic, celery, and onion and cook about 4 minutes until the vegetables are tender. Add in the pimentos, Old Bay seasoning, lemon juice, and Worcestershire sauce.   Mix well and remove from the heat.  Let it cool a couple of minutes before adding it to the seafood;  include the butter in the pan too.

·         Breading:  Add the milk to a pie plate and dip each piece of bread for only a second to lightly moisten it. Then break up the bread over the bowl with the vegetables and the seafood. Three (3)-4 pieces should equal about 1 1/2 cups of breading.  Mix well; add the parsley, parmesan, salt and pepper to taste and mix again until well combined. The stuffing should be moist which is what you want.  If it is too moist, add a few dry bread crumbs.

·         Bake:  Whether using clam shells or ramekins, spray each first with a non-stick spray and then add the stuffing, mounding it and spreading it to the edges of the shell or ramekin.  Bake at 350 degrees on the middle rack for about 20 minutes until browned.

Serve with your favorite cocktail sauce.   If you want surf and turf, serve this along with a grilled steak or enjoy it as a main dish with a bowl of soup and salad.   OR you can make this in the smaller baking clam shells for appetizer servings. 

Parmesan Mozzarella Baked Mashed Potatoes

    (Slightly adapted from Giada de Laurentiias)

          Servings:  about 8

As we were having some friends over for dinner and I was trying to keep things simple, I decided to make mashed potatoes as one of our side dishes.  But how does one jazz them up for more than everyday fare?  Well, Giada came to the rescue and this one is on my “to keep” list!  It was delicious the first time around and makes great leftovers too (you can even smash them into patties and make potato pancakes).

INGREDIENTS:

1 tablespoon butter
4 pounds russet potatoes, peeled, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 ½ cups milk (I used 2%)

½ cup sour cream
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
1 1/2 cups grated mozzarella

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan
2 tablespoons Italian seasoned dry Panko bread crumbs

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Coat a 13 by 9 by 2-inch baking dish with 1 tablespoon of butter and set aside.

Cook the potatoes in a large pot of boiling salted water until they are very tender, about 15 minutes. Drain; return the potatoes to the same pot and mash well. Mix in the milk and melted butter. Mix in the mozzarella and 3/4 cup of the Parmesan. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Transfer the potatoes to the prepared baking dish. Stir the bread crumbs and remaining 1/4 cup of Parmesan in a small bowl to blend. Sprinkle the bread crumb mixture over the mashed potatoes. Recipe can be prepared up to this point 6 hours ahead of time; cover and chill.

Bake, uncovered, until the topping is golden brown, 20 to 30 minutes.