Zucchini Corn Pancakes

From Damn Delicious

INGREDIENTS

1 pound zucchini, grated
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup corn kernels, frozen, canned or roasted
4 large eggs, beaten
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons olive oil

INSTRUCTIONS

Place grated zucchini in a colander over the sink. Add salt and gently toss to combine; let sit for 10 minutes. Using a clean dish towel or cheese cloth, drain zucchini completely.

In a large bowl, combine zucchini, corn, eggs, basil, oregano and garlic powder; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Stir in cheese and flour until well combined.
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Scoop tablespoons of batter for each pancake, flattening with a spatula, and cook until the underside is nicely golden brown, about 2 minutes. Flip and cook on the other side, about 1-2 minutes longer.

Serve immediately.

Rustic Tomato Tart

From: http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/food-recipes/a5324/rustic-tomato-tart-1975/

Ingredients

1.50 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
4 tbsp. margarine or butter
0.25 c. shortening
1 tbsp. olive oil
3 medium onions
0.50 tsp. coarsely ground black pepper
0.25 c. Kalamata olives
1 package goat cheese
1 large yellow tomato
2 large red tomatoes

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. In medium bowl, stir flour and 1/2 teaspoon salt. With pastry blender or two knives used scissor-fashion, cut in margarine or butter, and shortening until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
Sprinkle 3 to 4 tablespoons cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time, into flour mixture, mixing lightly with a fork after each addition until dough is just moist enough to hold together.

On lightly floured surface, with floured rolling pin, roll dough into a 14-inch round; ease into 11- by 1 1/4-inch tart pan with removable bottom. Fold overhang in and press against side of tart pan.

Line tart shell with foil and fill with pie weights, uncooked rice, or dried beans. Bake tart shell 20 minutes; remove foil with pie weights. Return tart shell to oven; bake 10 minutes longer or until crust is golden.

While tart shell is baking, in nonstick 12-inch skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook until onions are tender and browned, stirring often, about 20 minutes. Reserve 3 or 4 Kalamata olives for garnish. Pit and slice remaining olives.

Turn oven control to broil. Spoon cooked onions into tart shell; top with half of goat cheese. Arrange tomato slices, alternating colors, in concentric circles over onion layer. Sprinkle with pepper and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Crumble remaining goat cheese over top of tart.

Place tart in broiler about 7 inches from source of heat. Broil tart until cheese just melts and tomatoes are heated through, about 6 to 8 minutes. Sprinkle with whole and sliced Kalamata olives to serve.

Note from Carol Jean:  ok the recipe i have says that the 3 onions should be about 1 pound for the tart and the goat cheese is a 3 1/2 ounce package but I use more cheese and olives and that isn't an 11 inch tart pan it is closer to 9 1/2 inches and fit just fine

Bacon Swiss Pork Chops

Ingredients

4 bacon strips, chopped

1 medium sweet onion, chopped

6 boneless pork loin chops sliced thin

1/2 - 1 tsp garlic powder

1/2 - 1 tsp Smokehouse Maple Seasoning

1/4 tsp salt

3/4 c heavy cream

1/4 c pure maple syrup

Parmesan cheese

6 slices Swiss cheese

Directions

1. In a nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray, cook bacon and onion over medium heat until bacon is crisp, stirring occasionally. Drain on paper towels
2. Sprinkle pork chops with garlic powder, smokehouse maple seasoning and salt. Add pork chops to same pan; cook over medium heat 3-4 minutes on each side or until a thermometer reads 145°. Top pork with bacon mixture and cheese. Cook, covered, on low heat for 1-2 minutes or until cheese is melted.
3. Mix cream and syrup and bring to a boil.  Add Parmesan cheese until sauce reaches desired consistency.  Drizzle over pork right before serving.  

*** I usually serve this with rice (that way you can eat more of the sauce)

Summer Straw & Hay Pasta with corn & bacon

COOK:
8 oz. each dry egg fettuccine and dry spinach fettuccine
1 package thick-sliced bacon, cut into 1-inch-wide pieces

SAUTÉ:
3-4 green onions or scallions
4 tsp. minced fresh garlic
2 cup chicken broth

STIR IN:
6 ears of corn - fresh sweet corn kernels (about 2 ears)
2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup to 1 cup of Parmesan cheese
Lemon pepper to taste
Smokehouse Maple Seasoning to taste
Salt and black pepper to taste
Grated Parmesan

Cook egg and spinach fettuccine in a large pot of boiling salted water according to package directions; drain. Cook bacon in a sauté pan until crisp; transfer to a paper-towel lined plate and discard all but 4 Tbsp. drippings. Sauté scallions and garlic in drippings over medium-high heat until fragrant, 30 seconds. Deglaze pan with broth, scraping up any brown bits; cook until broth is reduced by half, about 3 minutes. Stir in corn, cream, bacon, and fettuccine; cook until sauce slightly thickens, 3–5 minutes. Add Parmesan cheese.  Season pasta with salt, lemon pepper and smokehouse maple seasoning. Garnish each serving with Parmesan.

Summer Pasta Salad with Chicken and Cashews

Ingredients

12 oz veggie spiral pasta
12 oz bow tie pasta
1-20 oz can pineapple tidbits
2 - 11 oz cans mandarin oranges
2 cups chopped celery
4 green onions, finely chopped
1 cup green grapes, sliced into fourths
1 cup red grapes, sliced into fourths
9 1/2 oz cashew nuts (halved)
4 chicken breasts, cooked and chopped
3 cups Miracle Whip
2 T vegetable oil
1 cup sugar
2 T vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
* Or you can us 1 16 oz bottle of Kraft Cole Slaw dressing and then just add an additional cup of Miracle Whip and leave out the oil, sugar and vinegar


Directions

Cook pasta according to directions, drain and cool.  combine pineapple, mandarins, celery, onions, grapes, nuts and chicken with pasta.  In a separate container make the dressing by combining the Miracle Whip, Mayonnaise, salad oil, sugar and vinegar.  Fold salad dressing into pasta mixture. Refrigerate.

Chocolate Cupcake Strawberry Shortcakes

ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds strawberries, hulled, rinsed and sliced
• 2 tablespoons orange-flavored liqueur, if desired
• 3 to 4 tablespoons sugar, or to taste
• 2 to 3 teaspoons lemon juice, or to taste
• 1 teaspoon grated orange peel
• For the cupcakes:
• 3/4 cup flour
• 1/4 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 4 tablespoons softened butter
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 ounce bittersweet chocolate, melted
• 3 ounces buttermilk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• For the whipped cream:
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons powdered sugar, plus additional for sifting over cupcakes
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla

directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 8 (1/2-cup) muffin tins with paper cups.

Sift first flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Beat butter until creamy with an electric mixer; add sugar, a little at a time, until light and fluffy. Add egg and chocolate, a little at a time, beating until just incorporated.

Whisk together buttermilk and vanilla in a small bowl. Add flour mixture to chocolate mixture alternately with buttermilk mixture, beginning and ending with flour, beating until just combined.

Spoon batter into lined muffin tins, filling 2/3 full. Bake 15 to 18 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean with a few crumbs attached. Cool in pans 5 minutes, remove from pans and cool completely.

To make the whipped cream, combine heavy cream, sugar and vanilla in a bowl. Whip the cream to soft peaks with an electric mixer.

To assemble: Cut tops off 6 cupcakes. Smooth a layer of whipped cream over bottoms of cupcakes and top cream with strawberries. Place tops back on cupcakes and garnish each with a dollop of heavy cream and a strawberry. Sift powdered sugar over cupcakes.

Crack Pie

I've seen this recipe over and over but the original is from Momofoku.  I however followed the recipe from  Averie Cooks.  

Ingredients:

Pie

1/4 c. unsalted butter, melted
1 recipe Oat Cookie (recipe follows)
1 tbsp. light brown sugar, packed
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1 recipe Crack Pie Filling (recipe follows)
confectioners’ sugar for dusting

Oat Cookie
1/2 c. unsalted butter, softened
1/3 c. light brown sugar, packed
3 tbsp. white sugar, granulated
1 large egg yolk
1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1 c. old-fashioned rolled oats
1/8 tsp. baking powder
pinch baking soda
1/2 tsp. kosher salt

Crack Pie Filling
1 c. unsalted butter, melted
1 1/2 c. white sugar, granulated
3/4 c. light brown sugar, packed
1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 c. corn powder (corn powder is defined as freeze-dried corn, ground to a fine powder)
1/4 c. milk powder
3/4 c. heavy cream
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
8 large egg yolks

Directions:

To prepare the Oat Cookie crust, preheat the oven to 350°. In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars on medium-high for 2 to 3 minutes until fluffy and pale yellow in color. Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl with a spatula. On a lower speed, add the egg to incorporate. Increase the speed back up to a medium-high for 1 to 2 minutes until the sugar granules fully dissolve and the mixture is a pale white color. On a lower speed, add the flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix 60-75 seconds until your dough comes together and all remnants of dry ingredients have incorporated. Your dough will still be a slightly fluffy, fatty mixture in comparison to your average cookie dough. Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl with a spatula.

Pam spray and line a quarter sheet pan with parchment or a Silpat. Plop the oat cookie dough in the center of the pan and with a spatula, spread it out until it is 1/4″ thick. The dough won’t end up covering the entire pan, this is okay. Bake the oat cookie for 15 minutes. Cool completely before using in the crack pie recipe.

To prepare the pie filling, mix the dry ingredients for the filling using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment on low speed. Be sure to keep your mixer on low speed during the entire process of preparing the filling; if you try to mix on any higher than a low speed, you will incorporate too much air in the following steps and your pie will not be dense and gooey – the essence of the crack pie. Add the melted butter to the mixer and paddle until all the dry ingredients are moist. Add the heavy cream and vanilla and mix until the white from the cream has completely disappeared into the mixture. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula. Add the egg yolks to the mixer, paddling them in to the mixture just to combine. Be careful not to aerate the mixture. Use the filling immediately.

To assemble the pies, preheat the oven to 350°. Put the oat cookie, brown sugar and salt in the food processor and pulse it on and off until the cookie is broken down into a wet sand. (If you don’t have a food processor, you can fake it till you make it and crumble the oat cookie diligently with your hands.) Transfer the cookie crumbs to a bowl and, with your hands, knead the butter and ground cookie mixture until the contents of the bowl are moist enough to knead into a ball. If it is not moist enough to do so, gently melt an additional 1-1 1/2 tablespoons of butter and knead it into the oat crust mixture. Divide the oat crust evenly over 2- 10″ pie tins.

Using your fingers and the palm of your hand, press the oat cookie crust firmly into both 10-inch pie shells. Make sure the bottom and the walls of the pie shells are evenly covered. Use the pie shells immediately or, wrapped well in plastic, store the pie shells at room temperature for up to 5 days or in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

Place both pie shells on a sheet pan. Divide the crack pie filling evenly over both crusts (the filling should fill the crusts 3/4 way full) and bake at 350° for 15 minutes. During this time, the crack pie will still be very jiggly, but should become golden brown on top. At 15 minutes, open the oven door and reduce the baking temperature to 325°. Depending on your oven this will take 5-10 minutes – keep the pies in the oven during this process. When the oven temperature reads 325°, close the door and finish baking the pies for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, the pies should still be jiggly in the bull’s eye centers, but not in the outer center circle. If the pies are still too jiggly, leave them in the oven an additional 5 minutes.

Gently remove the baked pies from the oven and transfer to a rack to cool at room temperature. You can speed up the cooling process by transferring the pies to the fridge or freezer if you’re in a hurry. Freeze your pie for as little as 3 hours or up to overnight to condense the filling for a dense final product – the signature of a perfectly executed Crack Pie. Just before serving finish with a dusting of confectioners’ sugar.

Jill's notes:  Definitely go to Averie Cooks and read her notes.  I agree with all of them.  I would add that the crust is yummy but the filling is the crack part.  Save yourself 3-4 hours and just use a graham cracker crust.