Griddle Corncakes

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In the initial couple of days of the power outage from Hurricane Sandy I attempted to use all of our fresh, refrigerated food. We live in a two-family home upstairs; my mom & pop-in-law live downstairs. We had breakfast together every day. My in-laws have a percolator & make coffee, I made these old camping/Southern great -griddle corncakes - one morning after lighting the gas burner by hand (this, btw, terrifies me). These are delish!
<3 Lishie

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Griddle Corncakes Recipe

• 2 c yellow cornmeal
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1 c water, plus more if needed
• 1/3 c canola oil, for frying

In a large bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, baking powder, & salt.

In another bowl whisk the
 egg & 1 c water until smooth. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, using as few strokes as possible.
The consistency should be lumpy like pancake batter.

Heat the oil in a cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Ladle 1/4c  of batter into the heated skillet for each corncake.

Cook the corncakes until they bubble on top & are brown on the bottoms & along the edges, 2 to 3 minutes. Turn and brown the other side, for another 2 - 3 minutes. Serve immediately topped with a pat of butter!

*Sorry there is no "after" picture. My camera battery died & I had no way to recharge :( Sigh, Sandy.

Recipe SWAP~ Potatoes!

Have I said just how much I LOVE the recipe swaps Sarah from ATaste of Home Cooking hosts? They are so fun & help me with my creativity. This time around Potatoes was the theme. I LOVE potatoes. My hubby? not as much a fan as I but he still enjoys them. I gave my Rosemary-Lemon Smashed New Potatoes & received Christen's, from "Cooking with Christen", Corn, Leek & Potato Chowder. YUMMMM!!!!

But... the hubby doesn't like corn chowder, or any thick soup for that matter. I was ready to make the soup for myself, then got worried I wouldn't have time to eat the leftovers. So, I thought, how can I use ALL of the ingredients in a way that stays true to Christen's initial intent? At first, I thought corn-cakes but then inspiration hit me in the form of a side for hub's steak! And this was born:

Baked Corn, Leeks & Cheesy Potatoes

• 1 cup sliced leek
• 2 cups frozen hash brown potatoes
• 8 oz. can of “no salt added" corn
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup fat-free milk
• 1 cup reduced-fat ricotta
• 1 cup pre-shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Heat a large saucepan coated with cooking spray.  Over medium heat, cook the leeks for about two minutes.  Add the potatoes, corn, salt & pepper and cook another three minutes, stirring occasionally. 

Remove from heat & mix in the milk, ricotta & cheddar cheese. Pour into a baking dish. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the top is browned. Serve.

Thank you so much to Sarah for hosting again! And Christen, thank you for a yummy recipe!!!! I will also be making the soup for ME... I LOVE chowder!
<3 Lishie

Recipe Swap! Independence Day~4th of July~ Corn, Tomato & Avocado Salad

So I gave this recipe for the swap: Lishie's S'Mores Bars (which I also made a double batch of for today) & received this recipe: Lauren's Kitchen's Corn, Tomato & Avocado Salad from my friend Lauren. A whole bunch of friends were getting together at Liberty State Park for the 4th of July. Since I was making it for a large group, I doubled the recipe & switched out lemon for the lime, taking Lauren's suggestion that the lime was a little overpowering. As she stated, it was super simple to make & it was delicious!!! Plus, since there's no mayo & the lemon juice is a natural preservative, it held up well. Thank you, Lauren!!!

These are the measurements I used:

Corn, Tomato & Avocado Salad

• 14 oz. frozen corn, thawed completely
• 2 pints grape tomatoes, halved
• 6 scallions, thinly sliced
• 3 avocadoes, diced
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons good quality olive oil
• kosher salt & coarse ground black pepper, to taste

Combine corn, tomatoes, scallions in large bowl. Whisk together lime juice, olive oil, salt & pepper and pour over vegetables. Chill for 1-4 hours.

When ready to serve, add gently fold in avocado and allow salad to come to room temperature. Season again with salt and pepper if needed.

What a wonderful Independence Day celebration! Good food, friends, a children's playground near... Practically in the Statue of Liberty's shadow. Happy birthday, America! 

Easy Corn Bread

Since we got a new outdoor grill, the hubby has been grilling a lot! I love it. Absolutely love it. Well, what goes better with grilled food than corn bread on the side?!

No need to ever buy those little boxes of "quickie" cornbread mix! Why? Because homemade corn bread really is so easy & quick. How easy? Well, if you know how to make pancakes...

Yep, that easy. 

Corn Bread

• 1 TBSp Butter (to grease the pan)
• 1 cup AP Flour
• 3/4 cup Cornmeal
• 3 TBSp Sugar
• 2 & 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
• 3/4 tsp Salt (I use Kosher Salt)
• 2 Eggs, beaten
• 1 cup Milk
• 1/4 cup Canola Oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a 9" round cake pan or a round, cast iron pan

In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder & salt. Create a "well", a hole in the middle of the dry mixture. Set aside. 

In a small bowl, I like to use a batter bowl with a spout, whisk together the eggs, milk & oil. Pour the entire egg/wet mixture into the flour/dry mixture "well" & combine it until it's wet... kind of like the consistency of pancake batter (see, I told you!) without the lumps.

Pour the corn bread batter into the pre-greased pan. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.

ENJOY!!!! 

This quick bread is yummy enough to eat on it's own (drizzle some honey over it... yummm) or as a side to dinner. This will become a fast favorite at all of your summer BBQs & I think forever :)

*Lishie tips- This batter is versatile too... If you LOVE corn, add 1/2 cup of corn kernels by folding them into the mixture at the end before baking. You can also use it for corn muffins! Just line muffin tins with paper, fill halfway. Or for corn dogs!!... Just add 1/2 seltzer & cut the milk in half. 

Okra Stew

OK, I do not hear too much about okra in NJ... it's one of "those foods" like grits... People in the NE seem to fear it... They say, "It's too slimy". and, I agree, if not done well, it can be slimy- Not too appealing sounding. But when made right, it is so tasty & another healthy, great side option.

Or a hearty, ratatouille-like, vegetarian meal. The okra & tomatoes blend together into a rich flavor & there are no worries about that rumored slime.

Okra is one of those greens that is so good for you. Learn to love it & it will supply you with Vitamin B6 & folic acid.

Okra Stew

• 2 cups Okra, trimmed & cut into pieces
• 2 TBSp Cornmeal
• 2 TBSp Butter
• 1-2 cups Corn, fresh or frozen
• 1, 14 oz. can diced Tomatoes
• 1 cup Water
• S & P

In a large bowl, coat the okra with the cornmeal. 


Melt the butter on Medium-High in a large skillet. Add the okra in & brown in on all sides... Add in the corn, tomatoes & water, S&P... Bring to a simmer, then turn down the heat to Low/ Medium-Low. Cook until the sauce is thick, reduced down, about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.


*Lishie tip- Try something NEW today! Be adventurous :)