Common Cuisine |

I’m a big fan of my tried-and-true “Jimmy Crack” Corn Cake. So are a lot of people I cook for. So why publish another corn cake recipe? It’s the same basic recipe at its core, but I was intrigued by the addition of cheeses and green chiles. The poblano also adds a layer of smoky interest. I now use this for “extra special” corn cake, for a little variety.

• 1/4 cup butter

• 1 cup onion, finely chopped
• 1 poblano pepper, finely chopped
• 1 pinch salt
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 bag (12 oz.) frozen corn
• 1 can (15 ounces) cream corn
• 3 cans (4 oz each) diced green chiles
• 1 cup shredded shar Cheddar cheese, divided
• 1 cup shredded pepper jack cheese, divided
• 1 pkg (9 oz) corn muffin mix (I use Jiffy)

Melt butter in saucepan over medium-low heat. Add onion, poblano and salt and sweat until onion is soft and translucent, but not browned. Add garlic and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Set aside and let cool to room temperature.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine onion mixture, sour cream, egg, corn, green chiles and 1/2 cup of each cheese. Add corn muffin mix and stir until moistened.

Pour mixture into greased 2.5 quart baking dish. Bake for 45 minutes. Remove from oven, top with remaining cheese, then return to oven for another 15 minutes, or until top is well browned.

Serves a crowd.

Sometimes you’re just in too much of a hurry to dig your measuring cups out from the bottom of the pile of dirty dishes in your sink, and wash and dry them before measuring. Here are a couple of quick and easy estimates that can help.

Dry ingredients:

• 1 Tablespoon is the size of a chestnut
• 2 Tablespoons are the size of a pingpong ball
• 4 Tablespoons (¼ cup) are about the size of an egg
• 8 Tablespoons (½ cup) are the size of a tennis ball
• 12 Tablespoons (¾ cup) are the size of a baseball

Liquids:

• 1 Tablespoon is the size of an ice cube
• 1 Lemon makes 1 ½ tsp zest and 1 to 3 Tablespoons juice

Other:

• 1 tsp grated zest (orange, lemon, etc) is the size of a quarter
• 1 medium tomato makes about ½ cup chopped
• 1 handful of greens or hergs is about 1 cup
• 2 medium garlic cloves make 1 tsp mince

When I first tried this, I thought I had died and gone to heaven. It could easily serve as a main dish, but also makes a great choice for a potluck.

2 Tbsp butter
3 cups elbow macaroni
2 12 oz cans evaporated milk
1/3 cup milk
2 eggs
1/2 tsp seasoned salt
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 lb (4 cups) shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 lb (2 cups) shredded jack cheese
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 375. In a large pot, cook macaroni to al dente (barely done). Drain, and return to pot; toss with butter.

In a medium bowl, stir together milks and eggs. Add seasoned salt, garlic powder, 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper. In another medium bowl, combine cheeses.

Layer 1/3 of the noodles in a 13″ x 9″ baking dish, cover with 1/3 of the cheese. Repeat two more times with remaining noodles and cheese. Pour milk mixture over all. Sprinkle with paprika.

Bake 35-45 minutes until top is lightly browned. Let sit 10-15 minutes before serving. Serves

Man this is good stuff. Every crumb of it always gets eaten. In the interest of making it a little less decadent for everyday, I use reduced fat sour cream and only 1/4 cup butter. But for fiesta time, it’s the real deal all the way, and nobody can resist!

• 1 pkg Jiffy cornbread mix
• 1 can sweet corn, drained
• 1 can cream corn
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 stick (½ cup) butter, melted
• 1/3 -1/2 cup sugar, according to preference

Preheat oven to 350. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and stir until just mixed. Pour mixture into a 9″ x 13″ glass baking dish. Bake for 45 to 60 minutes, or until beginning to brown on top. Let stand five minutes before serving.

Thanks to Mary Lee Hackman for this fabulous recipe.

• 1 egg, gently beaten
• ½ C sour cream
• ¼ C milk
• 2 T grated parmesan cheesecake2 tsp minced onion
• ½ tsp salt
• pepper to taste
• 8 oz monterey jack cheese, grated
• 10-oz pkg frozen spinach, cooked and well drained
• 4 oz thin spaghetti, cooked and drained

Preheat oven to 350. In large bowl, combine egg, sour cream, milk, parmesan, onion, salt and pepper. Add cheese and mix well; add spinach. Stir in cooked pasta.

Spread in ungreased 9″ x 9″ pan. Bake, covered, for 15 minutes. Remove cover and bake for 15 minutes more.

Serves 4-6.

This is a super easy recipe! You can get the kids to help by peeling the carrots, stirring them into the butter mixture, and dumping them onto the pan. Remember to scrape the peeler down the carrot.

• 2 pounds whole organic carrots (they really do taste better)
• 2 Tbsp butter, melted
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 tsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped (or 1 tsp dried); a rosemary herb blend also works well
• ½ tsp sugar
• ½ tsp salt
• a couple shakes of freshly ground pepper

Preheat oven to 425. Line a rimmed cooking sheet with foil, and spray with cooking spray.

Wash and peel carrots, and trim ends. Cut each in half to make two sections, the stem end and the tip end. Cut each half longways into quarters, to make four french-fry-shaped sticks. Place carrots in a large mixing bowl.

In a small bowl or dish, combine butter, oil, rosemary, sugar, salt and pepper. Melt together in microwave for 30 seconds. Alternatively, melt together in a small saucepan over low heat. Pour butter mixture over carrots, and stir with a wooden spoon until evenly distributed.

Pour the carrot sticks onto the foil, and spread them out as evenly as possible. Bake until carrots are soft and turning brown in places, 20-40 minutes. This is not a time-critical recipe; the longer they bake, the sweeter they taste.

Serves 6-8 as a side dish.

• 2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni
• 1 can condensed cheese soup (cheddar, fiesta nacho, southwestern jack, etc)
• ½ cup milk
• 2 cups shredded cheddar or jack cheese
• 1 (14 oz) can cut-up tomatoes, or 1 cup salsa

Preheat oven to 350°. Cook macaroni according to package directions; drain. Mix together soup and milk, then stir in cheese and tomatoes.

Stir macaroni into cheese mixture and pour into greased 9″ x 13″ glass baking dish. Bake for 40 minutes until lightly browned.

Serves 4 to 6.