Mr. Prof designer home

I had some leftover corn on the cob and about half a 5-lb bag of Yukon gold potatoes from vacation that weren't getting any younger. Not wanting to waste food I was thinking about making some sort of hash with the potatoes when I remembered this post from Smitten Kitchen for Bacon Corn Hash with Fried Eggs. Sold!

I made a few changes to her recipe, the main one being adding some onion in addition to the scallions. I love onions and potatoes together and knew this would be a great addition. I also used the Yukon golds since that's what I needed to use up. This was delicious, especially with the fried eggs on top. The bacon and eggs made it hearty enough to enjoy for dinner. I had the leftovers for brunch the next day and added some salsa and a dollop of sour cream, which made this even better, so much better that I'm modifying the directions below to include them as optional (but I highly recommend it).



Bacon Corn Hash
Modified from Smitten Kitchen

1/2 pound thick-cut bacon, cut into small dice
1 pound potatoes, peeled, scrubbed and diced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 medium onion, diced
4 medium-large ears corn, kernels cut from the cob (2 1/2 to 3 cups)
1 bundle scallions, thinly sliced
4 eggs
Sour cream (optional)
Salsa (optional)

Add bacon to a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Cook, stirring often, until they brown evenly, about 10 minutes. Remove the bacon bits with a slotted spoon, leaving the drippings in the pan, and transfer the bacon to paper towels to drain.

Heat the pan to medium/medium-high, making sure the bacon fat is sizzling, then add the potatoes in a single layer. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and several grinds of black pepper. Let them cook for a few minutes in one place and get a bit golden underneath before turning them over and moving them around. Cook, stirring every so often, until the potatoes are browned and cooked through, about 20 minutes.

Add the diced onion and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the corn to the skillet. Saute the potatoes and corn together until the corn gets a bit brown but stays fairly crisp, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add the drained bacon, and stir the mixture together until it’s evenly warm, about 1 more minute. Remove the skillet from the burner and sprinkle the scallions (reserving a couple spoonfuls if you’d like to use them as fried egg garnish) over the hash. Season with more salt or pepper to taste, if needed.

Heat a medium skillet over medium-high heat and melt about 1 tablespoon butter. Crack the eggs into the skillet and reduce heat to medium. Cook to desired doneness. Season with salt and pepper, serve on top of a pile of bacon corn hash. Add a dollop of sour cream and a spoonful of salsa to the plate for dipping.

This was a Friday night dinner that I threw together after looking through the fridge and freezer for inspiration. We always have cheese ravioli in the freezer for Baby Girl, so that was my first stop. We also had some tomatoes a friend of mine gave me from her garden, as well as one ear of corn. I'd recently made pesto so I decided that would be the sauce.

Ravioli with Tomato, Corn and Pesto

1 ear of corn
2 ripe tomatoes, diced
Pesto
1 lb cheese ravioli, cooked according to package directions

Microwave the corn, 4 minutes per ear, inside the husk. Carefully remove from the microwave (it will be hot). Cut off the stem end and hold by the top, shaking to loosen the corn. Or just peel off the husks. Cut the kernels off the cob and place in a bowl. Add the diced tomatoes.

Add the cooked and drained ravioli to the bowl with the corn and tomatoes. Toss to combine, then add pesto starting with 1 tablespoon, tossing to coat each time until there's enough sauce.

Once again I found myself with a few ears of corn and no idea what to make. Thankfully Nichole had just posted this recope for Fried Sweet Corn with Basil Butter. I also had half a huge zucchini to use up, so I decided to add it to the corn to bump up the veggies.

Sweet Corn with Zucchini and Basil
Slightly modified from The Cookaholic Wife

1/2 large zucchini (or 1 small zucchini), shredded
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 cups corn kernels (about 4 ears)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, minced
Salt and pepper

Place shredded zucchini in a bowl. Sprinkle with salt and allow to sit for 10-15 minutes. Transfer zucchini to a clean kitchen towel and wring out all the moisture.

In a large skillet melt the butter over medium heat. Add the corn, zucchini, garlic and basil and cook, stirring frequently for about 5 minutes or until the corn is lightly browned and making popping noises.

Transfer to a dish, season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve.

If this Summer Weekend Pasta had tomatoes in it I'd call it summer in a bowl. Tomatoes, zucchini and corn signify summer to me. I can't get enough of any of them from June to August.

This was a great, simple pasta to throw together. I think I'm going insane because the bacon almost seemed superfluous. How is that possible? I found myself thinking if only I'd left it out this would be a vegetarian meal.

I used regular green zucchini and upped the corn to 3 ears because Baby Girl was snacking on the corn kernels as I prepped dinner. I also upped the garlic to 3 cloves and minced it so I could leave it in rather than remove a whole clove after cooking. I decided to saute the corn and zucchini rather than leave it raw. I did find the pasta to be a little dry since there really isn't any sauce, but a little extra pasta water or even chicken (vegetable) broth would fix that.

Summer Weekend Pasta
Slightly modified from Food 52

Salt
1 pound orecchiette or small shells
6 slices bacon, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch pieces
3 medium zucchini, ends trimmed
2-3 ears corn, kernels cut from the cobs, juices and all
3 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
Pinch red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons roughly chopped or torn basil
Freshly ground black pepper
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for serving

Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to package directions. Save 1 cup of the cooking liquid, then drain the pasta and set aside.

Grate the zucchini on a box grater. Gather the gratings in a bowl and salt the squash, about 1 1/2 teaspons coarse kosher salt. Toss to mix. Let sit for at least 10 minutes, and up to 30 minutes. Place zucchini in a clean kitchen towel and ring dry. You want to remove as much of a liquid as you can.

Meanwhile, spread the bacon in a large saute pan over medium heat and cook until the bacon is crispy. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate. If there are more than 2 tablespoons of bacon fat in the pan, remove the extra fat so you are left with only 2 tablespoons. Add the zucchini, corn and garlic. Season with salt and pepper and stir in the red pepper flakes.

Add the drained pasta to the skillet and toss. Adjust the seasoning, adding more salt and pepper. Add the bacon and basil. Toss again. If the pasta seems dry, add some of the reserved pasta cooking water. Spoon into shallow bowls and top with grated cheese.

One of my good friends, and senior year of college roommate, L, came to visit last week. She's a California girl and was back home visiting her family. I'm so glad we were able to get together while she was in town and even more excited that I got to cook for her. We met our junior year when we both studied abroad in England, so it seemed fitting that I had Pasta Carbonara with Corn on the menu the night she ate with us. As I mentioned waaaaay back in August 2006 when I first started this blog, I discovered carbonara in England (of all places) my junior year abroad with my very dear friend, S. We ate it everywhere we could find it. Making carbonara with L, even this variation with the corn, brought back memories of our time together in England. Man, we had a blast. Hard to believe it's been 11 years already.


Anyway, this luscious carbonara was inspired by this Rachael Ray recipe for Pasta Carbonara with Corn and Chiles. I had great success adding asparagus to my carbonara, so corn seemed like a great idea. I ended up combining my usual method for making carbonara with the flavor profile from Rachael's recipe, omitting the chiles because I didn't want it to be spicy.


This was a real winner that would be even more amazing with fresh Jersey corn straight off the cob. You all know my carbonara obsession is legendary but the addition of the corn was wonderful. I love crunching those kernels under my teeth. This is a great summer version of carbonara, made lighter by the corn and the fresh herbs. Everyone cleaned their plates, including Baby Girl.

Pasta Carbonara with Corn
Inspired by Nigella Lawson and Everyday with Rachael Ray

1 pound spaghetti
1/2 lb bacon, chopped
1 large onion, sliced
2 cups corn
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped
1/2 cup parsley, chopped
1/4 cup vermouth
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups freshly grated Parmesan
1/4 cup heavy cream
Freshly ground black pepper
Freshly ground nutmeg

Put a large pan of water on to boil for the pasta. Cook the pasta according to package directions.

In another large pan that will fit the pasta later, cook the bacon until crispy but not crunchy. Add the onions and cook until softened and starting to caramelize, about 15 minutes. Add the corn and garlic and cook for 5 minutes. Add the thyme and parsley, then pour in the vermouth and let it bubble so that, after a few minutes, you have a small amount of salty winey syrup left. Take the pan off the heat.

In a bowl, beat together the eggs, Parmesan, cream, pepper and nutmeg. When the pasta is done, remove approximately 1/2 cup of the pasta water before draining. Add the drained pasta to the bacon and corn mixture, tossing well to coat with the syrupy sauce. Add the eggs and cheese mixture, swiftly tossing everything to mix. Thin with pasta water, if needed. Grind over some more pepper to serve.

Corn. Mushrooms. Cilantro. Three very simple ingredients that come together to make a side dish that we couldn't stop eating.


When my friend Melissa recommended the Chipotle Honey Lime Pork Tenderloin she insisted I serve it with White Corn and Mushrooms with Cilantro. I trust her advice completely so I went with it. After all, it contains two of SP's favorite things - corn and mushrooms. How could it be bad?


Since corn isn't in season yet I used frozen yellow corn. SP came home with regular white mushrooms instead of crimini, but they worked out just fine. I think the crimini would only make this better but aren't necessary. If you're using frozen corn this dish takes almost no time to prepare, which makes it a perfect weeknight side dish. Since I'm a spice wimp I used maybe 1/8 teaspoon of cayenne, but adjust to your spice preference.

SP was in love with this entire meal and told me I could make it again and again, whenever I wanted.

Corn and Mushrooms with Cilantro
Alosha's Kitchen

4 tablespoons butter, divided
8-12oz crimini mushrooms, stems removed and cut into a small dice
5 ears fresh white corn, husks removed and kernels cut from cobs (or 3 cups frozen)
1/4-1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
Kosher salt
Cracked black pepper
1/2 cup chopped cilantro

In a medium, heavy-bottomed skillet, heat 2 tablespoons butter over high heat. When butter has melted and is just beginning to brown, add the mushrooms and saute until softened and browned.

Reduce heat to medium high. Add corn, the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, cayenne pepper and smoked paprika. Stir to combine. Continue to saute until corn kernels are softened, about 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove from heat. Stir in cilantro.

I love corn. I love pasta. I love bacon. When I saw them combined in this recipe for Summer Sweet Corn Fettuccine I was excited. I'd never seen corn and pasta together before but I was eager to try it.


I knew SP and I wouldn't like the red pepper in Cassie's recipe so when my friend Melissa mentioned this recipe for Fettuccini with Summer Corn, Bacon, and Shiitake Mushrooms I decided to combine the two, basically subbing the mushrooms for the red pepper.

I wanted to like this, I really did, but it suffered from a common problem in my house - whenever I cook pasta and mix it with the sauce before SP gets home from work the pasta immediately soaks up all the liquid and I'm stuck with dry pasta. I misjudged his arrival time and by the time I served up the pasta there was no sauce left. I need to remember to toss everything together at the last minute to avoid this problem in the future.



Summer Sweet Corn Fettucine
Adapted from Cassie Craves and Evil Chef Mom

Salt
1 pound fettuccine
6 slices bacon, chopped
6 ears corn on the cob, shucked
1 onion, finely chopped
12-oz mushrooms, sliced
Freshly ground black pepper
1 cup half-and-half
1/2 cup chicken stock
2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves, chopped
A few dashes of hot sauce
1 cup grated parmesan cheese, divided
1/2 cup sweet basil leaves, cut in a chiffonade

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook for a few minutes until rendered and crisp.

Put a small bowl inverted into a large bowl, steady the corn cobs on the smaller bowl and cut the kernels off the ears. Add three-quarters of the scraped corn and any corn liquid to the pan with the bacon. Add the onions and mushrooms and liberally season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook until the vegetables are tender, 5 to 6 minutes.

Add the remaining corn and half-and-half to a food processor or blender and puree until smooth. Pour the stock into the corn and vegetables and simmer over low heat for a minute to reduce. Stir in the thyme and corn-cream mixture and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring frequently, to thicken. Add the hot sauce and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Add the pasta to the sauce just before serving and toss with Parmesan cheese. Top with basil and serve.

I was looking through the most recent issue of Food Network Magazine and came across this recipe for Creamed Corn. Corn, bacon, salt and pepper - what could be easier?


I changed the method slightly based on what I do for my corn fritters and I think the result was pretty amazing. Sweet corn and salty bacon is a great combination.

Creamed Corn
Modified from Food Network Magazine

6 slices bacon
8 large cobs fresh corn, preferably white, shucked and cleaned
Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper

In a large skillet, (seasoned cast iron does well here) cook the bacon over medium-high heat until crisp. Turn off the heat and transfer the bacon to a paper towel lined plate. Reserve the drippings in the pan.

Using a chef's knife, cut kernels from 4 ears of corn and place in a large bowl. Grate the kernels from the remaining 4 ears of corn on the large holes of a box grater. Add to the bowl with the whole kernels. Using the back of the knife, scrape any remaining pulp from all the cobs and put in the bowl. Return the skillet to medium-low heat, and add the corn kernels.

Season corn lightly with salt and pepper and cook until broken down and creamy, about 30 to 45 minutes, stirring often; add water if the pan gets too dry. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Note: Crisp bacon can be crumbled over the creamed corn when serving or reserved for another use. If you have bacon drippings on hand, use 1/4 cup for this recipe.

I've been horrible about updating this blog lately. Ever since having Baby Girl I've lost my groove in the kitchen. Being a working mom with a child who goes to bed at 7pm every night, I don't have much time for cooking. Or desire, to be honest. Over the past few months I've been very sporadic about even photographing meals, let alone blogging. I've decided to try to get back into it, though, so here's a look at what we've eaten recently.

A cheesesteak hoagie:


Breaded chicken, rice pilaf, green beans and sliced fresh tomato with basil:


Takeout shrimp scampi over spaghetti (insanely delicious):


Panfried chicken with boxed scalloped potatoes and tomato and avocado salad:


Steak dinner with corn fritters, loaded baked potato salad and sliced tomatoes:


These corn fritters are SO amazing:

I made up my own recipe for loaded baked potato salad, which included bacon, scallions and cheddar cheese:

The next night I used leftover corn fritters as a bed for ham and fried eggs:

This recipe for cheesy chicken with mushrooms was simple and delicious:

The cheese-stuffed tomatoes were good, but not cheesy enough:

Meatloaf muffins are one of my favorite ways to cook meatloaf. Everything is already portioned out and it only takes 30 minutes to cook.


For these I added salsa and breadcrumbs to the meatloaf mix, then topped each muffin with ketchup. Mashed potatoes and corn rounded out the meal.

Warning - The only thing homemade in this post is the tartar sauce.

I have to admit, even if some of my readers are disappointed, that since having Baby Girl my food standards have gone way, way down. Whereas before I frowned upon convenience foods like boxed potatoes, powdered sauces, soup from a can, heck, even frozen veggies, these days I've actually cooked (and enjoyed) Hamburger Helper. I just don't have the same kind of time to cook that I once did and while I hope that as Baby Girl gets older I can return to my from-scratch ways, I'm shocked to say we're doing just fine with some of the prepackaged items. Like these fish filets that I served recently:


They were Gorton's and all I had to do was bake them, along with the fries, and dinner was served. I added frozen corn since that's SP's favorite veggie and homemade tartar sauce (just mix mayo and relish together).