Grilled Corn with Pepper Mayonnaise

The unofficial start to summer was upon us this Memorial Day weekend. It was sunny and gorgeous the whole time; here in western WA, we have not seen a more gorgeous weekend in years. It usually rains. So we thought we would grill us up some dinner last night. Cooking Dad made us some wonderful BBQ country ribs, baked beans; but what stood out the most was the corn he made. He decided he wanted something different than a regular corn on the cob, he wanted something more exciting. So he thought he would grill the corn. But he also wanted something else other than butter on that corn. We have a huge jar of mayonnaise and he thought he would try his hand at concocting a spread or sauce for that corn. He came up with the Pepper Mayonnaise that was wonderful on the corn. He did a good job at his first try to make up his own recipe. I was going to call it Roasted Red Pepper Mayonnaise, but he wanted it just called Pepper Mayonnaise, since he thought you could probably interchange the peppers from either red or green (or another color) and make it different if you wanted a spicy Mexican style mayonnaise. So Pepper Mayonnaise it is.

Grilled Corn with Pepper Mayonnaise

8 ears of corn, husked and small ends cut down (makes for more even cooking without the ends getting burned)
salt to flavor corn

Pepper Mayonnaise
1 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup roasted pepper, chopped fine (we used red, and here is the link to how to roast peppers Click Here
2 Tbsp finely diced shallots
1 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
salt to taste
1 Tbsp finely chopped parsley, Italian or regular, it does not matter
1 tsp finely chopped basil

Mix up the pepper mayonnaise, reserving about 1/3 cup for on the table (we did not think to do this so our corn was smathered really good with the mayonnaise, I would have liked to have this on the table as well as on the corn, so we thought of reserving while writing the recipe).

Grill the corn about 5 minutes directly on the grill so it gets browned. Then spread Pepper Mayonnaise all around each ear.

Wrap each ear in foil, grill for 8 minutes turning once over medium flame.

Serve and enjoy! It was so good! Wish we would have thought before eating to save some Pepper Mayonnaise for on the side, that would have been even more heavenly!

Grilled Asparagus and Tomatoes

Here is a simple easy way to prepare asparagus. I always hated asparagus growing up because it was always woody tasting and it tasted and had a texture like bamboo. Who wants to eat what tastes like a tree? Surely not me or my sisters either.

I recently discovered that asparagus can be so yummy when prepared right and getting the right stalks. Having learned that the skinny stalks are more tender and are better to cook, I have started to really like asparagus.

The Cooking Dad wanted to grill some asparagus the other night and so we went to the produce stand (Jay's Produce stand on Mud Bay Road in Olympia to be exact, and the location for those who read this that are in and around Thurston County WA)and bought asparagus for 99 cents/lb. What was really nice is that I got to pick my own stalks since they had them in bulk rather than buying pre-portioned asparagus. So, I chose the smallest skinniest stalks I could find. It was no small feat pawing my way through oodles of asparagus and impatient people saying to me "are you done yet??" to which I replied.. "nope give me a few minutes" So the asparagus was bought and home it came where The Cooking Dad was going to grill it.

Before we grilled it, we marinated it... so to speak. In a plastic bag, we added about 3 Tbsp olive oil, 1 Tbsp coarse salt, 1 tsp pepper, 1 clove garlic (sliced), 2 roma tomatoes (quartered), and about 2 tsp lemon juice. We let it sit in the fridge for about 2 hours. We used a foil pan with holes in the bottom and sprayed it with cooking spray, and then after our meat was done; we added the asparagus and cooked for about 6 minutes turning once with the lid down on the grill. It was soooo yummy!!


The stalks were very tender, crispy, and just plain good. My faith in asparagus has been restored. It is also great pickled and I am going back soon to get a bunch to pickle and some to blanch and freeze so we always have some asparagus on hand. What used to be a mystery vegetable to me, turned out to be a pleasant surprise and we will be fixing it more often. Now, just gotta find different ways to prepare it... research is the fun part!

Southwest Corn and Black Bean Salad

When searching for a nice salad for Cinco de Mayo, try this Southwest Corn and Black Bean salad that I concocted last night. It has a pleasing assortment of rice, corn, black beans and wonderful fresh seasonings. I was trying to find something to go with the quesadillas that wouldn't be too heavy but rather on the lighter side. It is a great cold salad that you can also take with you to potluck, picnics, or where ever you want to take it. It went over well with the family, since we do not usually have southwestern food. I was pleased with the final result and here is the recipe I made up.



Southwest Corn and Black Bean Salad

1 avocado (diced)
2 tsp lime juice
Dice up the avocado and add lime juice, mix to coat. Refrigerate. (it helps the avocado not to turn brown while preparing the rest of the salad)
1 1/2 cups cooked rice (cook according the package directions; I used Arborio rice as I like that better, but any rice can be used)
1 can (15 oz) black beans; drained and washed
1 can (15.25 oz) corn; drained
2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
2 cloves garlic; minced
2 Tbsp lime juice
2 roma tomatoes; diced
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup southwestern salsa
2 Tbsp green chiles (either from a can, or fresh chopped)

Mix together all ingredients and chill until ready to eat.

Pistachio Fluff

This is an unusual recipe that tastes so yummy. We have this in place of traditional fruit salad with our Thanksgiving dinner or Christmas dinner. I make individual serving bowls of this and garnish it with pineapple and chopped pistachio nuts on top. It is very easy to make and it just tastes good! I call it fluff because it does have a fluffy texture and makes a nice addition next to the cranberries or cranberry mousse at dinner.

(sorry about the grainy photo, I do not have the best camera but I am saving for a new camera that takes better pictures)

Pistachio Fluff

1 Pkg pistachio pudding mix
1 8oz tub of whipped topping
1 small can of crushed pineapple (reserving some for garnish)
1 c. miniature marshmallows
1/4 c. chopped pistachio nuts (reserving some for garnish)

Combine and pudding mix powder with the whipped topping. Drain pineapple. Add pineapple with marshmallows and nuts. Combine thoroughly. Chill until ready to serve. Fill custard cups or small bowls with the fluff and garnish with pineapple and chopped nuts before serving.

Baked Acorn Squash

This is a favorite of the family anytime of the year, especially in the winter. The next time I make squash soup, I will post it now that we are getting into the fall and winter months and I will be doing more soups, stews, and casserole dishes that can easily be frozen for later. These are the types of meals that are great in the crock pot and baked in the oven. The good old fashioned comfort food, it is so nice to have a nice bowl or soup or stew when it is cold and rainy (sometimes snowy) outside. But for now, here is my Baked Acorn Squash, so easy that anyone could do this.

Baked Acorn Squash

1 acorn squash, seeds scooped out, quartered
1/2 cup brown sugar
4 Tbsp butter or margarine
1/4 cup water

Remove seeds and cut into quarters. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large baking dish, put in the squash quarters flesh side up. Put 1 Tbsp of butter or margarine on each piece of squash, then divide the brown sugar 4 ways and put equal amounts on top of each squash piece with the butter. Pour the water into the casserole dish. Bake 40 minutes or until squash is fork tender. Serve.

Marinated Cucumber and Tomatoes

This is an interesting little dish that my daughters just love. It is very simple and easy to make. They could snack on these all the time. When my oldest daughter takes a bowl of them to school, kids look at her funny because she brought veggies for her lunch or snack. What a concept, a kid that eats her veggies! This works well with an abundance of tomatoes and cucumbers that you have in the garden. The kids raided Grandma's garden for the cucumbers and tomatoes that I used here. You can add onions to this also.

Marinated Cucumber and Tomatoes

2 cups vinegar
1 cup water
2 Tbsp sugar (if desired)
2 medium sized cucumbers, sliced
2 tomatoes (any variety, cut into wedges)

Mix together the vinegar, sugar, and water. Peel cucumbers and slice, then slice the tomatoes into wedges. Add sliced cucumbers and tomatoes. Marinate for at least a day. Then enjoy!

Notes:
1. You can use a mix of plain white vinegar and apple cider vinegar or red wine vinegar for extra flavor.
2. You can omit the sugar if you want to. It just gives a little bit of sweetness against the tangy of the vinegar.

Ways with Tomatoes (an answer to a comment)

photo courtesy of World Community Cookbook.org
Here is a question I received in a comment section here on my site.

"how do preserve sauce from tomatoes in garden,freeze it?"

That is a very good question. It is very easy to answer. I would never freeze tomato sauce even though you could; to me it gets very watery after it is thawed and I do not like watery tomato sauce. I would just can it like any other fruit or vegetable you would can.

Tomatoes are very versatile in the canning department. You can make tomato sauce, tomato puree, spaghetti sauce, salsa, soup, and so much more. My favorites when I have a ton of tomatoes is making spaghetti sauce and canning it so I have a good supply all year round since we eat quite a bit of pasta. You can even process plain tomatoes to be used for something else later; it is very easy.

Here are my tips for canning tomatoes:

1. Pack tomatoes in halves or quarters in pint or quart jars and use the hot water bath canning procedure. Tomatoes are so simple; you just wash, peel, cut, and fill the jars. You can either can with raw pack (simply cutting and packing in jars) or you can do a hot pack.
To do a hot pack, you just cut as directed for raw pack; but, then you will boil the tomatoes for about 2 minutes to get them hot and pack liquid and all plus 1/2 tsp salt for each pint jar and 1 tsp salt to every quart jar and process in hot water canner.

2. You can can any spaghetti sauce recipe when you put it in hot jars, just process for 35 minutes for pints and 40 minutes for quarts.

3. Tomato ketchup can be made from many recipes and then process them for 5 minutes for pints and 10 minutes for quarts. If you find you use alot of ketchup at home, you can make your own ketchup and save bunches of money and it is better for you too. Roma tomatoes make excellent ketchup because the puree is thicker because Romas contain less water than other tomatoes. (Romas are also excellent for tomato paste because of this reason).

4. Salsa is great to prepare ahead and process in a canner. It is similar to a chutney in preparation and processing times. Normally salsa takes about 15 minutes to process both pints and quarts.

5. Get a good canning cookbook so you can see all kinds of varieties of ways with tomatoes. They are inexpensive and are a huge resource about canning just about anything. I use Putting Food By and it is a wonderful book for canning and freezing food. There are many others available but this is what I have found to be quite comprehensible.

That should get you started for now on tips, if anyone needs anything else, do not hesitate to ask! Thanks for your question!

Beets! They are good for you!

(photo credit: http://outofthegarden.wordpress.com/2006/09/24/beets-and-greens-pachadi/

Today I made pickled beets. It was alot of fun and we got 14 pints and 2 quarts (I wasn't planning on any quarts but when I had a bunch left, I had to quick wash a couple jars and all I had was quart jars left). Now we have pickled beets for the next year, YAY! The whole family loves them.

But, why eat beets? They are so nutritious and good for you. They have a detoxifying effect on the body and have huge amounts of folate. A body needs folate for a healthy cardiovascular system and it helps a pregnant woman have healthy fetal development (among the many things that promote healthy fetal development).

Beets also have cancer fighting agents (especially for colon cancer) and anti-inflammatory agents that help both of these affilictions among other great health benefits. I have put the link to the article I read about this in at the bottom if anyone would like to read more.

I love beets! They are great boiled with butter, pickled (as I did tonight), and made into soup. Russian people make a beet soup called Borscht and it is really good. I should experiment and find a good Borscht recipe to add here. You eat it cold and put sour cream on it (that is how I have had it anyway and was told that is how it is served, if that is not how it is usually served, please let me know, and post your serving suggestion for this wonderful soup).

They are hearty vegetables grown in spring and fall (they like a cooler temperature) and one of few tuber vegetables that you can eat the leaves too. Beet greens were never my forte'; however, they are also good for you and like spinach, very high in iron. They are easy to grow in the garden, but since I do not have a garden (I live in an apartment, there is no room here)I usually buy them at Farmer's Market here in Olympia. If anyone is reading from Olympia or Thurston County Washington; then go to Farmer's Market and go to The Wobbly Cart and their beets are the best I have had. They have very few blemishes if any and they hold up really well to pickling since when they harvest them, they have just the right amount of ripeness.

I will have pictures and a fantastic recipe for my pickled beets tomorrow, since its almost 1 am now (Pacific time) and I have to get up for work tomorrow so after I get home tomorrow evening, I will have pictures from my canning day and the recipe for my pickled beets.


RESEARCH CREDIT:
http://nutrition.about.com/od/fruitsandvegetables/p/beets.htm
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=49