A Country Recipe for your Labor Day Dinner by Catherine Castle

 

Labor Day, which signifies the close of summer, is coming up this weekend, and with it the backyard barbeques, pool parties, and great summer foods come to an end. To celebrate the holiday I thought I’d share a summer recipe that was a staple in my childhood home—Fried Corn.

 “What?” you ask. “Who would fry corn? Don’t you boil it on the stove or grill in the husk for a summer treat?”

 You can, but if your mom came from the hills of Kentucky, like mine did, fresh corn was also served up fried in bacon grease. And as any lover of bacon can tell you, everything tastes better with bacon. J

This recipe isn’t quick, but it’s well worth the effort. Frying corn brings out the vegetable’s sweetness, and the combination of the bacon gives it a savory taste. Sweet and savory—the best of both culinary worlds, in my humble opinion. Fried corn goes great with hamburgers, hot dogs, barbequed chicken and just about any other meat you can think of. It’s also a good leftover breakfast food served with sausage and fresh tomatoes, although there were never any leftovers at our house.

Here’s what you need to make this Appalachian treat.

 

Fried Corn

Serves 4

Ingredients:

·       10 ears of fresh corn on the cob, to make 2 cups of cut fresh corn. Corn should be just beyond the corn-on-the cob stage, yet be milky when you pierce a kernel with your fingernail.

·       ½ cup of bacon drippings. This makes the best fried corn. Or you can use ¼ cup oil and ¼ cup bacon drippings; or just oil, if you must. Not using bacon drippings will significantly change the flavor. Do no use margarine as it will make the corn burn easily.

·       ½ cup of water

·       Salt and pepper to taste

·       6 slices of thick bacon, cooked and crumbled

 

Directions:

·       Cook the six slices of bacon until crispy.

·       While the bacon is cooling, shuck the corn. Remove all the silks under running water with a vegetable brush.

·       Using a large bowl to catch the corn, cut the top of the corn kernel with a sharp knife, barely cutting off the kernels. This is called “capping.” Some country cooks “cap” the corn by cutting toward themselves. I prefer to put the corn cob into the bowl and slice down. I find it’s less messy that way.

·       Once the corn has been “capped” all around the cob, remove another layer, scraping the cob down as you go. This removes the rest of the kernel from the cob and some of the corn’s juices.

·       Mix the ½ cup of water with the corn until well combined, and season to taste with the salt and pepper.

·       Heat ¼ cup bacon drippings (or whichever combination of oil and drippings you choose) in a skillet until a drop of water “dances” in the oil.

·       Quickly pour all the corn into the hot skillet. Do not put in a spoonful at a time or the corn will splatter.

·       Cook the corn, slowly and uncovered, over medium heat. Do not stir until a brown crust forms on the bottom. Turn with a spatula.

·       Crisp up the other side a bit and serve with the crumbled bacon on top.

Cook’s Notes: This dish is traditionally cooked using a cast iron skillet, but stainless steel works, too. If you use a cast iron skillet the corn will brown more slowly. Also, do not use the same skillet that you cooked your bacon in to brown the corn, unless you’ve washed it, because the corn will stick to the skillet.

 If you have leftover fried corn, add about ¼ cup of water to the corn and pour it into a well-greased casserole dish for a later meal.

 If you do not use all the fresh corn you’ve prepared, you can put it into a tightly sealed container, store it in the refrigerator and use by the third day.

 

Have you ever eaten fried corn?

 

Multi-award-winning author Catherine Castle loves writing, reading, traveling, singing, theatre, and quilting. She’s a passionate gardener whose garden won a “Best Hillside Garden” award from the local gardening club. She writes sweet and inspirational romances. You can find her books The Nun and the Narc, A Groom for Mama, Bidding on the Bouquet  and Trying Out for Love boxed set on Amazon.

 

Mushroom Chili



Courtesy of https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Boletus_badius_5052175998_df099ccc79_b_cropped.jpg

I know today’s Woven Wednesday, but I haven’t had much time for crafts. I do have to eat on a regular basis though, and I’ve decided to share a new recipe I developed. Recently I’ve been trying to eat more vegetables and less meat, so I’ve been experimenting with meat replacement options, but not tofu. I tried it once, but couldn’t stand the taste. Instead, I’ve discovered that mushrooms make a decent meat substitute.  Not only are they free of cholesterol and fat, they’re also low in carbohydrates and calories.

 Here’s an easy vegetarian chili recipe I came up with that has two of my favorite veggies as the base: mushroom and beans. The Bush’s Fiesta black beans contain all the spices you need, but they can make this dish a bit spicy, so if you want less spice you could substitute regular black beans, or any other kind of beans you’d prefer, and add your own spices. I also use no salt options whenever I can, too.

 The great thing about this recipe is its flexibility. I’ve even made a meat version using ¼ pound of hamburger to give a meat flavor to the mushroom meat-stand-in. The options are limitless.

 

Ingredients:

·       1 box pre-sliced mushrooms (button, bella, or whatever you prefer.)

·       1 green pepper

·       ½ onion, diced (or more if you desire.)

·       Enough low-sodium vegetable broth to sauté vegetable in (about ¼ cup)

·       1 can diced tomatoes

·       1 can Bush’s Fiesta black beans (or beans of your choice)

·       1 small can chopped green chiles

 

Directions:

·       Place rinsed, cleaned mushrooms in a skillet and using two sharp edged spatulas, chopped the mushrooms into smaller pieces.

·       Add the green pepper, onion and vegetable broth.

·       Sauté vegetables in vegetable broth until onion is translucent and peppers have begun to get tender.

·       Add remaining ingredients

·       Simmer until the mixture begins to bubble and is heated through and you’re ready to eat.

 

If you like a thick chili, add more beans or vegetables. If you prefer your chili soupier, add an additional can of tomatoes. I have even been known to stretch this meal by adding another can of beans to the leftovers.

 

For extra fiber in the meal, I serve this chili with a soybean spaghetti and coleslaw. Yummy in the tummy! And oh, so welcome on a chilly winter day.

 

Bon Appétit

Don't forget to leave a comment to get your name in the drawing for  To Gain a Valentine by Tanya Eavenson! Winner announced in the Weekly Windup on February 13th. Check out all of our great prizes on the Prizes Galore page.

Catherine Castle has been writing all her life. Before beginning her career as a romance writer she worked part-time as a freelance writer. She has over 600 articles and photographs to her credit, under her real name, in the Christian and secular market. Besides writing, Catherine loves traveling with her husband, singing, and attending theatre. In the winter she loves to quilt and has a lot of UFOs (unfinished objects) in her sewing case. In the summer her favorite place to be is in her garden. She’s passionate about gardening and even won a “Best Hillside Garden” award from the local gardening club.

 

Her debut inspiration romantic suspense, The Nun and the Narc, from Soul Mate Publishing was an ACFW Genesis Finalist, a 2014 EPIC finalist, and the winner of the 2014 Beverly Hills Book Award and the 2014 RONE Award.

 

 

 

 

Your Share by Jamin Baldwin

I was thinking about one question in particular.  It's the one where I am 'dishing' out dinner plates for everyone and one of my children comes running up to me.
   
"Can I have some?"

Dinner? What do they think I'm going to say? No?

My answer ranges anywhere from a dramatic "Maybe tomorrow." At which I make a face and then laugh or 

"When have I ever given everyone something that I didn't make sure you had your fair share?"

Stop!



That's it. That's the key right there.



We, as Gods children, approach him in a similar fashion. Begging and pleading for something he's already dishing' out. You don't have to stand fearfully by, wondering if God is going to help you.
  
God will make sure you always get your fair share. All you must do is come sit at the table and accept your portion.  

His love and forgiveness will leave you feeling full. His healing always hits the spot. Why, even as we speak, He's cooking up a fresh batch of mercy to serve in the morning. 
   


Come get your share.

ABOUT JAMIN

Jamin Baldwin is a new, up-and-coming author whose writing interests span everything from historical romances to poetry and devotions. Along with home schooling her own children, she is also a volunteer in the children’s ministry at her church. The simplicity of country life is an insurmountable influence on all her writing endeavors. 

Connect with her at:

https://www.facebook.com/jaminbaldwin?fref=nf

Move Over, Pioneer Woman

Or maybe not just yet.

Tall Kid called one afternoon and asked, “Mom, are Jonathan apples any good?” I, of course, replied that they are a wonderful all-around apple and happen to be my favorite. He then informed me that he’d been given nearly all the apples on a tree and would I like them. He and his wife, he assured me, would love to come help me make apple butter and applesauce, and I could teach them to can. So, like any good mother, I said, “Yes,” and that’s how I wound up with a thirty gallon Rubbermaid tub full of apples.

Time got away from everyone, and soon those apples were rotting. <sigh> Time to take care of them. I sorted the apples that would submit to the apple peeler/corer/slicer from the ones that wouldn’t. Then I got busy washing…

 

                                                         Quartering…

                                                                                                                And cooking the apples.

  

 Then I put them through a nifty device called the Squeezo strainer. (Perhaps you can forgive the name when I tell you it was first manufactured in 1919 and by 1930 was an indispensable kitchen appliance. I inherited mine from my mother-in-law.) This appliance has to be attached to a table with a clamp-like screw. Since my dining room table is unsuitable, I used our picnic table outside.

When I took out the first batch, three yellow jackets eagerly awaited my arrival. (Not sure how they knew I’d be coming, but.. <shrug>) By the time I returned with the second batch, they’d invited their friends. About fifty of them. Swarming around my head as I worked.

The Lord and I had been chatting off and on all day, but I deemed this an appropriate time to catch Him up on what was going on in my world.

After finishing the outside part of my chore without incident, I strained the pulp for apple cider, and used the remainder for fruit leather…

And apple butter.

The fruit leather didn’t work out very well. It tasted perfect, but I couldn’t get it to peel off the dehydrator sheet. (Note to self – Next time, pour a thicker layer of pulp.)

With the rest of the apples, I cored and sliced some for drying…

And some for applesauce.

Needless to say, my family has been enjoying numerous meals featuring apples. I am grateful to God and to my son for the bountiful harvest, but I think I’ve had enough for now.