Oven-Roasted Corn on the Cob

Another summer staple is corn on the cob. Quite frankly, I can eat corn any time of the year. The only down-side to eating corn on the cob is the they get all over and in between your teeth. Then you're left trying to pick it out the rest of the day or night. That's why I keep floss and some toothpicks handy.

Growing up, there used to be a Mexican street cart vendor that would walk down my block at the exact same time, on the exact same days. Whenever I'd hear a loud bicycle horn honking in the distance, I know snack time was coming. I'd literally save up a dollar or two just to get them every time. The man would arrive pushing a large wooden white cart. A large cooler of steaming corn waiting to be eaten. I order mine slathered with mayo, grated cheese and chili powder. The "works" as I like to call it. Oh deliciousness on a stick!! Sometimes, if I had an extra dollar, I'd get a bag of duritos, too. It's like chicharrones, but made of cornmeal and deep-fried and looks like pinwheels. That's another story. We're here for the corn.

This is really simple to do. Just wrap up the corn in some foil with a tiny bit of butter and leave it for half an hour on the oven racks. You can do the same thing if you want to leave the husks on. Just remember to remove the silk bits. No fuss and easy clean up. That's one of the great things about doing corn on the cob.

I don't need to tell you which one was mine in the pictures below.




Oven-Roasted Corn on the Cob

corn on the cob
butter or margarine
foil

Corn toppings (optional)
mayo
grated parmesan
paprika
chili powder


Preheat your oven to 350˚F

Remove the husks and silk from the corn and rinse with water. Pat them dry and spread a little butter or margarine on the corn before wrapping them individually in foil.

Place on the middle rack in the oven and roast them for 30min.

Spread as much or as little of the topping as you like.

Note: If you plan on leaving the husks, Just remove the silk. Spread a little of the butter and refold the husks back into place. Put them directly on the oven middle rack and roast for 30 min.

Cantaberry Smoothie

Well...here's that smoothie I mentioned I was tinkering with, when my mom made that caramelized plantains in shaved ice. Two fruits I thought that wouldn't taste good together in a smoothie. Strawberries and cantaloupe. I had that big question mark on my shoulder. Have you seen that commercial where the person enters a hardware store with a small question mark that gets bigger and bigger as they go through, not finding what they need? I felt kind of like that.

So I blend this concotion together. I added a tiny bit of sugar to give a bit of sweetness, but not too much and a lot of ice. It was particularly hot that day. To my surprise, I was worried about nothing. Oh boy, was I wrong. This was so good and refreshing that I had two tall glasses of it back to back. I felt like a water balloon was inside me.

Sometimes I make too much and I put the rest in a glass in the freezer that way I can have it later It's even better frozen. If it frozen solid, let it defrost in the fridge in the morning and by the afternoon I have myself a slushy.



Canteberry Smoothie

1 dozen strawberries
2 c cantaloupe
3 tsp sugar
lots of ice

Blend all ingredients together until smooth.

Caramelized Plantains in Shaved Ice

When my mom told me about this snack she used to have as a child, I looked at her like she was crazy. My skepticism remained as she prepared this dessert/treat next to me, while I tinkered away at making another fruity smoothie. Yes, I've been in smoothie mode lately. It's summer. Anyway, it was kind of like the banana cue but with shaved ice and evaporated milk. It reminded me of a Filipino dessert called halo-halo (said like hallow). Don't worry I'll be making that very soon.

I'd glance over to her every once in a while as to how she was preparing it. No oil involved in this. The banana simmered in water and brown sugar until it was of a caramel color and the water has turned into a syrup-like consistency. She plates the bananas, while I shave the ice. I scoop a hefty serving over the bananas and drizzle some evaporated milk. I dig in.

POW!!!! Was this so good? You bet it was. The combination of the sweetness from the banana and the evaporated milk. The ice and milk are like a sauce for the banana. I devoured that very bowl you see in the picture. Well, the contents of it. It's great to enjoy the snacks and foods my mom grew up eating. Sort of makes me homesick for the Philippines. I actually want to make some more.

Oh, you can do this with sweet potatoes, too.



Caramelized Plantains in Shaved Ice

2 Large plantains (peeled and sliced)
2 c water
1 c brown sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
evaporated milk
shaved ice

Place the water, plantains and sugar in the wok or pan. On a medium, flame heat the contents until the water become a syrup-like consistency and the bananas have a caramel like color. Be sure to turn them every once in a while to avoid sticking to the pan. You may add more sugar, if you prefer it to be extra sweet.

Shave lots of ice.

Place the bananas in a bowl with a little drizzle of the syrup. Top with the shaved ice and pour over some of the evaorated milk. Again as to how much will be to your preference.

The heat of the banana will melt the ice.

Grilled Honey-Mustard Chicken Breast

When I made the coleslaw that meant I must grill something...and soon. So, out came the George Foreman grill. I still had that big bag of chicken breast from Costco. Grilled chicken it was. I made a little marinade of honey, dijon mustard, worcestshire sauce, and rice wine vinegar along with my usual seasoning of salt, pepper and paprika. With errands I had to do, I let this marinate for about 2 hours. When I came back, I grilled away. Cooking it for roughly 10min per side.

The result was an awesome charred look with inside being fully cooked and juicy and tender. The marinade really worked its magic into the meat of the chicken. Slight sweetness of the honey. It was perfect.

You can also bake this, if you don't have a grill. Place it in a preheated 350˚F oven for 30 min.

I served it with some of my coleslaw.

Serves 2.




Grilled Honey-Mustard Chicken Breast

2 boneless chicken breast
Salt
pepper
paprika

marinade:
1 Tbsp Honey
1 Tbsp Dijon Mustard
1 tsp worcestershire sauce
1 tsp rice wine vinegar

Mix together all the ingredients for the marinade in a small bowl and set aside.

Season the chicken breast with salt, pepper and paprika on both sides and place them on a dish. Pour over the marinade and eb sure to spread it evenly on all sides.

Let it sit for at least 30min to an hour. This may be done in advance.

While the chicken marinates, prepare your grill.

Grill the chicken for roughly 8-10 min on both sides depending on the heat of your grill. Baste the chicken with the leftover marinade. When done remove from the grill and let it sit for 5 min to let the juices redistribute.

Note: You may also bake this in a preheated 350˚F for 25-30min

Pan-Fried Cinnamon Breadsticks.

Here's another neat way to use pizza dough. Yummy cinnamon sticks. I saw something a similar on Guy's Big Bite, so I decided to try it out. Plus, I love cinnamon and I don't need to tell you about my love for bread.

I lightly pan-fried these in canola oil rather than doing the deep-fried way. Deep-frying absorbs way too much oil. This is not too oily and just right. ooks like you baked them in the oven. They begin to puff up within a few second of hitting the hot oil. It's really neat. This is so delicious with the cinnamon sugar sprinkled on top. Have it with some ice cream or whatever dessert you want. Reminds me of going to the county fair or an outdoor festival. It also reminds me of churros. I do love my churros. Or a doughnut. Yum!!




Pan-Fried Cinnamon Breadsticks

1 pizza dough
canola or peanut oil
1 Tbsp granulated sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon


Combine the sugar and cinnamon. Set aside.

Roll out the dough on a flat surface and cut them into strips the width can be to your choosing.

Coat the bottom of a skillet with oil. When it is hot enough, carefully place the dough in the oil. They will puff up after roughly 30 sec. Cook both both side for about 60 sec. Then place on a paper towel to remove the excess oil. Sprinkle the sticks with the cinnamon mixture. Serve warm or cooled.

Little J's Coleslaw

It wouldn't be summer without coleslaw. Am I right? Gotta balance things out a bit from all the grilled goodies I've had over the last month or so. Here's my version. It has a vague taste to the one you'd get from KFC. Another penny saver right here. No need to go out and buy coleslaw then I can make a HUGE batch just for around 5 bucks. Using fresh carrots and caggage from the farmer's market. I've already got the ingredients for the dressing. I'm sure most of you have them, too.

I let this sit for about a day in the fridge to let the dressing really marinate the cabbage. You don't want the cabbage taste when you bite into it. Two days would even be better.

I think I shall grill something now.




Little J's Coleslaw

4 carrots (shredded)
1 head cabbage (shredded)
2 small-medium red bell peppers (diced)

dressing:
4 1/2 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
6 tbsp vegetable oil
3/4 c chopped sweet onion
1 c lite mayo
1/2 c sugar

In a large bowl, combine the cabbage, carrots and bell pepper.

In a separate bowl, combine all the dressing ingredients together. Mix well until all the sugar has dissolved. Then it over the cabbage and toss well. You want to evenly coat everything.

Then seal the bowl with plastic wrap and let it rest in the fridge for at least a day or two.

Toss again to redistribute the juices and dressing before serving.

Ramen Salad

When the heat outside it horrid, you don't want to spend too much time in the kitchen slaving over a steaming pot or a burning oven. A great dish to have that's not hot are cool pasta salads.
For this, I used ramen noodle. Isn't it great fifty cents a pack and you can create a whole meal out of it and it's not just soup.

I love pasta. I don't know where I would be without it. Along with cheese and maybe butter. Anyway, I had a tomato, cucumber and an avocado that I needed to use up. I didn't have lettuce to make a traditional salad, but then it occurred to me that salads don't necessarily mean a bowl of lettuce or a bunch of greens. So out came some ramen noodles and a cup of small shell pasta. The latter is optional. Chopped up the tomato and cucumber and I mixed them with a simple dijon vinaigrette and topped it off with a nice firm and ripe avocado that I marinated in some lemon juice to keep it from turning brown. This was really good. Perfect on a summer's evening. And I didn't slave away in the kitchen either. Really easy clean-up and a fulfilling meal. Yum!

Serves 2-3.





Ramen Salad

1 ramen pack (minus seasoning)
1 large heirloom tomato - diced
1 large cucumber - diced
1 ripe avocardo - diced
lemon juice
grated parmesan

Dijon Vinaigrette
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp dijon mustard

Toss the diced avocado in some lemon juice to keep it from turning brown. Set aside.

In a pot of boiling water, cook the ramen for rough 5-8 min. Strain and cool it down with cold water.

In a large bowl, toss the tomatoes and cucumbers. When the ramen in ready, add it into the tomato mixture.

Combine the ingredients of the vinaigrette in a separate bowl. Whisk together until blended. Drizzle over the pasta mixture and gently toss coating everything.

Top with some of the avocado.