Mexican Street Corn- Secret Recipe Club

Welcome! Today is the best day of the month... Secret Recipe Club time!  Here it is...posting time...and I'm still writing the post! Sorry! I actually had the recipe done weeks ago, but life has been crazy with school starting, PTA, Michael getting his tonsils/adenoids out...etc. But, here we are!

I'd love to introduce you to Rhubarb and Honey. Kimberly is the boss on this wonderful blog. Her pictures are amazing, and it was so hard to pick just one recipe!

I was making a Mexican feast, which is quite common around here, but with all new recipes. Kimberly had a Mexican side dish that was perfect. Mexican Street Corn! Now, you have to know that I've tried this corn before, and wasn't a fan. It was too messy, and too mayonnaise-y. But, do you know how brillant Kimberly is? She takes the corn off the cob, and serves it all mixed together. It was WONDERFUL!  I seriously thought that I would be the only one to eat and like it, but you know what? EVERY family member, including the 3 kids, LOVED it! This recipe is a keeper!


Mexican Street Corn

1 pound frozen corn (defrosted before using- or cut the corn off of fresh cobs)
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup mayonnaise  (I actually used sour cream. I liked the taste of it a lot better!)
1/2 cup grated cotija cheese (grated parmesan can be substituted)
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
Salt to taste


1. Drain defrosted corn in colander; dry on papertowels, removing as much water as possible.
2. Heat large skillet over medium-high heat; add butter and melt.
3. Add corn to skillet; cook, stirring occasionally, approximately 10 minutes or until most of the kernels have browned.
4. In a large bowl, combine roasted corn, mayonnaise, cheese, and spices. Stir to combine.
5. Serve.

NOTES: For creamier street corn, increase the mayo to 1/2 cup. Want to make it a bit spicier? Add a few dashes of cayenne pepper to taste.

**Thank you so much Kimberly for creating a dish that my entire family loved! You don't know how rare that really is!

Enjoy!

Chocolate Chip Cookies- Secret Recipe Club

Wahoo! It's time for another installment of The Secret Recipe Club! Each month I am assigned a new blog to pick a recipe from. I then make that recipe, and post it here. The blog owner doesn't know about it until the post is live! It's so much fun each month to browse through a new blog!

This month I was assigned A Cook's Quest. Jenn is the owner of this blog, and strives to do low-budget, but still yummy, meals!

I decided to bake her chocolate chip cookies. Originally from one of my favorite blogs, What Megan's Making, I knew they had to be good!

Go on over to A Cook's Quest to get the recipe for her Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies.

Now, I have to be honest here, because I owe it to my reader's.  Jenn's blog is wonderful, and I think if I'd had more time this month, I would have tried another recipe. Because these simply weren't my favorite cookies. They were way to sweet for us; we could barely finish one cookie. I think if we add another 1/2 cup of flour, and maybe decrease the white sugar to 1/4 cup, they would be better!

Have a fabulous week!

Strawberry Lemonade Cobbler

It's my favorite time of the month again! Secret Recipe Club time!  This month I got the honor of browsing recipes from The Healthy Jalapeno.  Laura lives in Connecticut, and is a self-proclaimed health nut.  She has so many amazing looking recipes, like her Skinny Baked Onion Rings with Basil Sauce, or her Tomato and Onion Casserole.   I really, really wanted to make her Chocolate Raspberry Ganache Tart, but sadly, another SRC member had already featured it.  I did go out and buy a tart pan though, so that recipe WILL get made!

I finally decided to make a dessert. Her Fresh Strawberry Lemonade Oatmeal Bars jumped out. I had everything I needed, and with whole wheat flour, they were not quite as sinful as they could be.  They are supposed to sit for 2 hours after baking, but we couldn't wait that long, so ours were more like a cobbler instead of bars. Same fantastic taste though! I loved the addition of lemon to add a brightness to the strawberries.  I did use coconut oil, but did not add flax seed.

Strawberry Lemonade Cobbler
'Vegan, Vegetarian, Dairy-free'
Time: 45 minutes
Yield: 16 servings

1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
3/4 cup Organic Kelapo Coconut Oil
2 cups oatmeal, rolled oats
1 tbsp organic finely ground flaxseed
2 1/2 cups strawberries, fresh, chopped
2 tbsp honey
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp lemon zest
Kelapo coconut oil, for greasing pan

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Coat a 9 X 13 baking dish with coconut oil or parchment paper. In a large bowl, combine flour, brown sugar and salt. With your hands mix in the coconut oil, oats and flax seed until well blended. Set aside 1 1/2 cups of the mixture for topping. Press the rest of the mixture firmly into the bottom of the baking dish.


For the filling mix strawberries, honey lemon juice and zest with a spatula until the fruit is well coated. Spread the mixture on top of the crust. Sprinkle the reserved topping over the filling. Bake for about 35 to 40 minutes, or until the top is golden brown. Let cool for 2 hours, cut into bars and refrigerate in an airtight container to store.

Enjoy with some whipped cream or ice cream on top for an additional treat!

Brazilian Cheese Rolls - Secret Recipe Club

Good Morning! I am so excited to be involved in another month of The Secret Recipe Club!  I couldn't believe my luck this month. I was assigned to Bewitching Kitchen!  Her recipes looked amazing. I had about 6 different recipes picked out to try.  I couldn't decide between something sweet or something savory... I just knew it had to be new and fun!

Then I found them. "Brazilian Pao de Queijo".  Or, in other words, Brazilian Cheese Rolls. Now, there's a little back story to my excitement at finding this recipe. I've had these rolls from a Brazilian. They are amazing. I've seen a few different recipes for them. The one thing that held me back was finding Tapioca starch. I'm pretty busy, and I like the basics, so when I have to search around for a unique recipe, it usually doesn't happen. But, I looked for Tapioca starch everywhere I went for months. And, just so you know, I know you can get this easily at Whole Foods, Trader Joes, etc. I just don't go to those stores very often.

Then, the one time I wasn't looking for it... there it was. My kids laughed with me because I was so excited! So, now I have a box of Tapioca starch, and can make these DELIGHTFUL rolls over and over and over...

Now, these are not super cheesy, stringy rolls. They are little tiny bites of airy, cheesy goodness. Traditionally, per my Brazilian friend, you are supposed to smash the roll flat before you eat them!  They are fantastic right out of the pan, and even amazing after they cool.

Brazilian Cheese Rolls 
adapted from Bewitching Kitchen
makes: 24 mini rolls 

1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1 cup tapioca starch
1/4 cup cheese (I used 1/2 cheddar and 1/2 asiago, use your favorites!)
1 Tb Parmigiano Reggiano, grated (Or just Parmesan if reggiano is too expensive)
1/2 teas salt

For topping: Optional, but recommended
Rosemary leaves, chopped (I used these on half of my rolls, and they ended up being my favorite)
Kosher salt (Sprinkle some on all of them. It adds a great counter taste to the cheese)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a mini-muffin pan with cooking spray.

Add all ingredients, except for the toppings, into a blender. Blend well at full speed, stopping a couple of times to scrape the sides. Make sure all of the tapioca starch is incorporated.

The mixture will be a little thinner than pancake batter. Pour it into mini-muffin tins, about 3/4 full.

Sprinkle the Kosher salt and Rosemary on top.

Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Turn the pan over right away, and let the rolls drop out. Most will come out. If some don't, let them cool for a minute or so and probe them out gently.

ENJOY!

Carrot Coriander Soup - Secret Recipe Club

Good Morning! Today is one of my favorite days of the month. Secret Recipe Club time! I was assigned a fabulous blog this month; The Gorgeous Gourmet! She is from South Africa, and has a wonderful variety of recipes. Her blog is clean and very attractive. If you click on the link, and it doesn't connect, try again on another computer. My computer at work doesn't allow me to go there, but I get to spend hours on her site at home! 

I had a hard time, as usual, picking my recipe.  The Pumpkin Fritters sounded really good...but I was out of pumpkin.  A lot of her recipes were similar to mine, and I was tempted to try hers to see which recipe I liked better, but ultimately I decided to try something new. I picked the Carrot Coriander Soup! 

I only made a change of adding more ground coriander.  Coriander is the seed of the cilantro plant, and this recipe uses both coriander and cilantro. The soup really needed more flavor, so I doubled the coriander.  I also added some heavy cream when serving.  The Gorgeous Gourmet mentioned doing this. This soup is light, and would be great with a grilled cheese sandwich!

Carrot Coriander Soup

The Gorgeous Gourmet

1 Tb oil

3 cups chopped carrots (they don't have to be cut too small because everything will be pureed)

1 onion, chopped

2 teas ground coriander

salt and pepper

1 liter (4 cups) vegetable stock 

1 cup fresh cilantro 

Heavy Cream to serve 

Heat oil in a large soup pan.  Add in carrots and onion, and cook until onion is translucent. Add in the coriander, salt and pepper, and the vegetable stock.  Bring to a boil, and simmer until the carrots are cooked through. Add in 1/2 cup chopped cilantro. 

Cool the soup slightly, and use a hand immersion blender or a stand blender to blend the soup. 

Serve warm, with the extra cilantro on top as a garnish.  Add cream to soup if desired.

Enjoy!

Chocolate Pudding - October Secret Recipe Club

This is my first time participating in the Secret Recipe Club and I am so excited to present my dish! The idea behind the club is that each month you are assigned a blog to cook something from. You may adapt the recipe if you wish, but the owner of your assigned blog cannot know that you are cooking from their site.

My first assignment is from Dena's blog, Oh! You Cook!  It took me some time to narrow down which recipe to pick from.  About a week ago, I was craving pudding, and Dena had pudding, so that was the winner!  Her homemade Chocolate Pudding is so good!  I made the recipe without any adaptations.

Chocolate Pudding
adapted from Oh! You Cook!
makes 4 1/2-cup servings

1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (I used dark chocolate, so my pudding was a tad more bitter)
2 Tb cornstarch
1/8 tsp. salt
2 cups whole milk
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 egg
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
whipped cream, garnish (optional)

Beat egg lightly in a medium-sized bowl.  Set aside.
Whisk together sugar, cocoa powder, cornstarch, and salt in a 2-quart saucepan. Slowly whisk in  milk. Bring to a boil over medium heat, whisking constantly, until pudding is thick, about 8 to 10 minutes.

Remove from heat and add vanilla extract.

Add about a 1/4 cup of the chocolate mixture to the egg, whisking constantly to prevent egg from curdling.  Then whisk in remaining hot mixture.

Whisk in chocolate chips until they are melted and completely blended in (adding chocolate chips at this step aids in cooling off pudding a little faster).

Pour the pudding into small serving cups or shooter glasses.  Serve warm, or cover the surface of each of serving with plastic to prevent a skin from forming on the top of the pudding, then refrigerate, covered, until cold, at least 2 hours.  Either way, just before serving, top with a dollop of whipped cream, if desired.

Enjoy!

P.S. Number 21 below is my recipe! Go check out Eat, Knit, Grow!