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Green Beans with Snail Butter

No snails were harmed in the making of this dish. In fact, there are no snails in this dish at all. The title (and you know I had to make this recipe just because of the title...ohh, watch people squirm when I tell them what I'm serving!) refers to the loads of butter and garlic these beans are cooked in. The two which are usually found in servings of escargot.

This recipe came from David Lebovitz's My Paris Kitchen. It's a simple recipe which doesn't take that long to make. But don't let that fool you. It tastes fantastic. Especially if you like lots of butter and garlic (which both Mr. L and I do).  Though I cook green beans with butter and garlic on a regular basis, I've never quite added this much (nor the topping of a bit of lemon juice, a simple touch I usually forget). I do get into a rut and cook vegetables the same way time after time. When you're busy and just trying to get a veggie side dish on the table, it's always nice to go back to known recipes and not have to think. This will be one of those recipes I return to on a regular basis.

You can find the recipe on Serious Eats here, or just click on the recipe title. Hopefully you'll share this with someone you know and love since you just might end up with garlic breath.

GREEN BEANS WITH SNAIL BUTTER
Haricots Verts Au Beurre D'Escargot
from My Paris Kitchen by David Lebovitz

Ingredients needed:

Green Beans
Unsalted Butter
Garlic
Parsley, Flat Leaf
Salt
Pepper
Lemon Juice

Note: Recipe serves 4

Note: My parsley seemed to disappear into the dish where the photo in the cookbook shows a much larger chop. Next time I won't chop so fine.

Would I make again? Most definitely.

Light and Creamy Mushroom Soup

I've made several quinoa recipes before....Chorizo and Quinoa (which was a good way to incorporate it with some protein); Tangerine Quinoa Pilaf (a good use if you have leftover Satsumas); and Wine Country Grain Melody (a good side dish salad). One thing I've never done was incorporate quinoa into a soup so I decided to make this Mushroom soup from the Quinoa 365 cookbook.  I'm finding quinoa is a good way to get more fiber into our diets so something like this soup, which kind of disguises the fact you're eating quinoa, is good.

This dish wasn't bad. I did want more of an earthy mushroom type flavor (maybe different mushrooms) but for a light soup, we enjoyed it. First though, it looks like crap. Seriouslyy, not the best looking dish to present (and how does one photograph an ugly brown soup to make it drool worthy anyway?) The Light and Creamy Mushroom Soup was tasty, though both Mr. L and I needed much more salt (which probably went against all of it's healthiness).  The soup was quite filling as we ended up just having the soup as our meal.

LIGHT AND CREAMY MUSHROOM SOUP
(Quinoa 365 Cookbook)

1/2 cup (125 mL) quinoa
2 Tbsp (30 mL) butter
1 cup (250 mL) diced onion
8 cups (2 L) chopped white button mushrooms
4 cups (1 L) chicken or vegetable stock
1 tsp (5mL) minced fresh (or roasted) garlic
1 cup (250 mL) half and half cream (10-12%) (more for garnish)
1/2 tsp (2 mL) salt
Pinch ground black pepper
3 Tbsp (45 mL) half and half cream (10-12%; optional)
3 Tbsp (45 mL) finely chopped chives (optional)

Place the quinoa in a large, dry saucepan over medium heat. Toast the quinoa until fragrant, about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Place the quinoa in a bowl and set aside.

Melt the butter in the same large saucepan and saute the onion and mushrooms until the onion is opaque and tender, about 7 to 8 minutes. Remove 1 1/2 cups (375 mL) of the mixture and set aside. Add the toasted quinoa, stock and garlic to the saucepan and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce to a simmer and cook until the quinoa is tender, about 18 minutes. Puree the cooked mixture with a hand blender or cool slightly and puree in 2 batches in a blender of food processor. Return the soup to the saucepan. Season with salt and pepper. Add the reserved mushroom mixture and the 1 cup (250 mL) of cream. Reheat gently, being sure not to boil the soup. Garnish each serving with a drizzle of cream and some chives (if using). Serves 4-6

Note: Used vegetable stock. Used minced fresh garlic. Used the optional extra cream and chives for garnish.

A good dish, nothing spectacular. I think adding more flavorful mushrooms would help. A great way to get some fiber into your diet though.

Heinz Beans

These beans seem to have their own fan club. A very protective, passionate fan club. To me, it just looks like a can of baked beans. Mention that to a Heinz Beans aficionado and you might find yourself on The Rack! The Brits take their Heinz Beans very very seriously. Don't mess with them and their beans.

The difference between the beans from America and those from Britain seem to be that the British beans are in a basic tomato sauce, have less sugar than their American counterparts (as well as less funky additives) and are vegetarian. No pork or bacon to speak of.

My first thought was to compare these to a can of pork and beans, which isn't fair. Since that has much more of a savory flavor, and these Heinz Beans are sweeter . But without any added sugar I found these to be a nice contrast from the American version which are full of more sugar, brown sugar and/or molasses. The British beans had a much simpler, fresher taste. I admit, I usually take a can of American Baked Beans and add more brown sugar and, yep, more bacon!

I quite liked these. Can't tell you the cost as I saved the label and tossed the can. I'll try to locate the receipt and post the cost later. Since the beans didn't have an overpowering taste (some might say bland) they went well with the flavorful meatloaf I served for dinner. Mr. L asked for seconds so I considered that a thumbs up from him. Not sure I'd pay the cost to have Heinz Beans shipped to me (you can buy them on Amazon and even be put on a regular shipping schedule...I told you, Brits are crazy for these beans!) but I might buy a few cans from World Market to have on hand.

The British seem to eat these beans with everything. A very popular dish is Heinz Beans on toast (I have some leftover beans I might try this for lunch with). They also seem to have these as a side dish with breakfast...a full English breakfast I might add.

Several years ago, they actually changed the name of these from Beans to Beanz. Not sure why the cans I bought don't have that name change.

And in the "huh" category, on the side of the can were these instructions (please note, it was just a standard pop top can):

To Open Can:

1. Place can on flat surface with tab nearest you and lift tab fully

2. Turn can. Holding can firmly, peel lid back

3. To fully remove, gently ease the lid off.

If you prefer to use a can opener, please open the other end.

Really folks? You need instructions on how to open a pop top lid? What, no instructions on how to use a can opener??

 

Baked Mashed Potatoes With Bacon And Cheddar (or Twice Baked Potato Casserole)

So when I first came across this recipe on Pinterest, it was the name that got me. Twice Baked Potato Casserole. Yummy. Visions of baking potatoes (skin and all) and then making it into some sort of casserole (skin and all) were my thoughts. It wasn't until I looked closer at the instructions that I realized there was no 'twice' baking. You boiled the potatoes and then baked them. Dang. That meant having to peel potatoes. Searching the interwebs I found that this is actually a Martha Stewart recipe called Mashed Potatoes with Bacon and Cheddar. But that title didn't do the recipe justice either as it then gets lumped into regular mashed potato recipes (no pun intended with that lumped comment). So, I've renamed this Baked Mashed Potatoes. You can call it whatever you want. Cuz you will call it. Because it's potatoes and cheese and bacon. Which all work in my book.

One of the changes that the other recipes made to Marthas was leaving out the grated onion which I did. Not that I don't like onions, I just got lazy and didn't feel like grating them. Or maybe I just completely forgot to add them. Your choice.

BAKED MASHED POTATOES WITH BACON AND CHEDDAR
(Martha Stewart Living November Holiday 2002)

5 pounds russet or Yukon Gold potatoes
8 ounces bacon (about 10 slices)
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1 cup sour cream
1 small onion, grated on the large holes of a box grater, juice reserved
1/2 bunch fresh chives, finely chopped (about 1/4 cup)
2 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese (about 6 ounces)
2 teaspoons coarse salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Peel potatoes, and cut into 1-inch chunks. Place in a large saucepan, and add enough cold water to cover by about 2 inches. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, and reduce to a simmer. Cook until tender and easily pierced with a paring knife, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a colander to drain; return to pan, cover, and set aside.

Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add bacon, and cook until crisp and browned, turning once. Transfer to paper towels to drain; let cool, and crumble into pieces.

Using a fork, mash the potatoes in pan until light and fluffy. Add the cream cheese, butter, and sour cream, and stir until combined and smooth. Add the onion and any onion juice, chives, 2 cups cheese, half the bacon, salt, and pepper. Stir until well combined.

Transfer to a buttered 3-quart baking dish. Top with remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Bake until top is slightly golden and potatoes are heated through, about 30 minutes. Remove from oven; garnish with remaining bacon. Serve immediately.

Serves 8 to 10.

NOTE: I bought one of those five pound bags of russet potatoes thinking that was making it easier. Bad idea. Besides the fact that several of the potatoes were bad (which I couldn't see because the offending potatoes were hidden behind that brown plastic wrapper), they were smaller and took tons of time peeling (do you get the feeling that I don't like to peel potatoes!). Next time I'd just get five pounds of the large russets.

NOTE: Of course I made more bacon than the ten slices called for, who do you think this is anyway? I used regular Oscar Meyer bacon as I thought my regular thick cut stuff from the market might not incorporate as well into the dish. I wanted maximum baconness in each bite.

NOTE: I left out the grated onions entirely. Which I meant to do. You can have a brain fart do that too.

NOTE: Yes, I put more than half a cup of grated cheese on the top. In fact a lot more. I like cheesy.

NOTE: No I did not use a fork to mash five pounds of potatoes. I was lazy and just used my potato masher. I mean who mashes five pounds of potatoes with a fork anyway? (except for Goddess Martha of course).

NOTE: The recipe states that you can make this through step 3 (which is through adding the onion, chives, cheese, bacon, and combining) the night before and bake it the next day.

I did find the dish to be a bit on the dry side (which might be because I used more of a flat rectangle dish to bake in instead of a deep round dish?) but nothing that a bit of butter or some added sour cream on my part didn't fix. Or maybe that was just because I usually like my baked or mashed potatoes swimming in butter and sour cream? Definitely make this again (and it really would be great for a pot luck).

Salt and Vinegar Broiled Fingerling Potatoes

I love things that are salty and vinegary. I've been known to polish off an entire bag of Salt and Vinegar potato chips in one sitting (oh who am I kidding, I can do that with any flavor of potato chips). And when it comes to vinegar, I'm a huge fan. I put vinegar in my chili and beef stew (oh who am I kidding, I can down shots of vinegar straight from the bottle!). So I absolutely jumped at making this recipe when I first came across it on Pinterest. The original recipe comes from a Martha Stewart recipe you can find here. The Pinterest recipe I found was by Umani Girl and can be found here.

I liked the taste of the potatoes. How can you go wrong with all that salt and vinegar? My problem was that I didn't get the potatoes crisp enough under the broiler. Next time I'd definitely leave them under the broiler longer (I broiled them even a few minutes more than required in the recipe). Be warned that this really does have that vinegar tang so if you don't like that tang, don't try the recipe.

SALT AND VINEGAR BROILED FINGERLING POTATOES

1 pound fingerling potatoes, sliced lengthwise to 1/4 inch thickness
2 cups malt vinegar
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Bring potatoes and vinegar to a boil in a medium saucepan (vinegar should cover potatoes). Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer potatoes until just fork tender, about 5 minutes. Let potatoes cool in vinegar for 30 minutes. Drain well, and gently toss with oil, salt, and pepper.

Preheat the broiler. Broil potatoes in a single layer until browned on both sides and cooked through, about 5-7 minutes per side. Sprinkle with salt before serving.

Note: The original recipe from Martha had the potatoes being grilled. The recipe from Umami Girl broiled them.

Note: I used Malt vinegar. White vinegar is suggested in both recipes. Both also suggest substituting up to a cup of water for some of the vinegar to lessen the tang, but I figure if you're making this recipe you might as well go all the way.

If you like that vinegar tang, this is an interesting recipe to try.

Spring Farro Salad

I probably would not have made a dish with the Bluebird Grains Farro that I received in my April Foodzie box if there hadn't been an accompanying recipe card. Having never cooked with farro before, it was a bit intimidating to use. Thoughts of the grain not cooking enough and the grain being tough to chew to having a pile of mush in my bowl crossed my mind. But because the stores were inundated with delicious looking asparagus and the fact that I noticed the recipe called for some pancetta (an ingredient that I rarely turn away from) I decided to give this recipe a try.

This honestly turned out pretty good. In trying to be healthy, I'm incorporating more brown rice, whole wheat couscous and quinoa to my daily intake. Farro was such a nice change of pace and the salad in general really hit the spot. It does take some time to make (you need to cook the farro for about an hour) but I think the finished dish was worth it.  It has kind of a nutty, crunchy texture, not mushy at all. It also seemed to be lighter, not as heavy as some grains can be. Made for a nice side salad with some chicken but I can see adding some cubes of cheese in the future or serve it over lettuce.

Most of this recipe is from the recipe card that came with the Foodzie box. I didn't think the instructions were clear enough so I went directly to the Bluebird Grains site and looked at some of the recipes there to get a clearer idea of how to cook the farro. I really do like the Bluebird Grains farro and will order more from them to use in this and other dishes.

SPRING FARRO SALAD

8 oz. farro
1/4 lb pancetta, diced
1/2 bunch asparagus, cut into 1 inch pieces
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp stoneground mustard
1/2 Tbsp soy sauce
1.7 oz extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper

Place the farro, water and salt in a medium saucepan over high heat. Bring to a boil, then turn heat to low, cover, and simmer for 50 minutes. Drain excess water and set farro aside.

While the farro is cooking, fry the pancetta in a dry skillet over medium-high heat until the pancetta is crispy. Drain over paper towels and set aside.

Set up an ice bath for the asparagus. Bring another saucepan of water to boil. Blanch the asparagus for 1 minute in the boiling water. Remove the asparagus from the boiling water and immediately plunge it into the ice water to stop the cooking process. Drain and dry the asparagus.

To prepare the vinaigrette, combine the lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, mustard, soy sauce and olive oil in a jar. Close the jar and vigorously shake until the dressing has emulsified. Add salt and pepper to taste.

In a serving bowl, mix together the farro, panceta, asparagus and cilantro. Drizzle your desired amount of vinaigrette over the salad and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve at room temperature.

Note: I used Bluebird Grains Farro. I used dark soy sauce.

Note: The original recipe called for a 1.7 ounce bottle of Bari Olive Oil since that was one of the items included in the Foodzie box. That explains the kind of off quantity of olive oil. I did use my Bari Olive Oil in this dish and it worked great but I'm thinking any good extra virgin olive oil that you would use in a dressing would be okay.

Note: I used a whole bunch of asparagus because half a bunch just didn't seem to be enough. The original recipe said to blanche the asparagus for only 15 seconds. I ended up blanching for at least a minute as my asparagus was on the large side. I did not peel the asparagus first.

Note: The pancetta I used was very salty so I didn't add any additional salt at the end. And of course I added more pancetta than called for.

Note: I used about 3/4 of the vinaigrette in this dish and used the remainder over some leftover roast beef for a later meal.

Though this took some time to put together and cook it was a hit. We served it at room temperature the first night and even heated it up several nights later without any problems in texture. Will definitely make this again and I'm looking forward to finding more uses for farro!

 

Cheddar-Corn Spoonbread

 

I've never actually made any sort of spoonbread before. I've always worried about whipping up egg whites.  In other recipes I've either not whipped them enough or over whipped them which has effected the outcome. Anything close to a souffle has also always been put in the same category of things I'm afraid to do...like work with yeast or make anything that requires a candy thermometer. I figured this was a good recipe to get me closer to doing one of those cooking things I'm afraid of.

This recipe came from the Everyday Food Special Summer Magazine August 2011 (large format issue).I actually made this last August when corn around here was in season and you could find it at your local Farmers Market. I used the corn that came with our CSA. Though I did like the dish it was just 'okay'. To me it seemed to lack any real cheesy flavor. We had some white cheddar that I bought special for this dish but it had a very mild flavor which I think was the main problem. Next time I will probably buy a better white cheddar.

Though Mr. L thought there was plenty of corn taste in this, I didn't think the corn was sweet enough.
We have since canceled our CSA as most of the fruits and vegetables we got from them seemed very tired and worn when we got them. I'm thinking this would taste a lot better with fresher corn.

Though we did enjoy the Cheddar-Corn Spoonbread I felt this recipe could have been so much better than the final result. This is one of those recipes that I believe is only as good as the ingredients you put in. Definitely a better cheese and fresher corn next time.

But, even though this didn't come out perfect? The leftovers? Ahem, Try frying them. Just a quick fry in a little bit of oil. Totally works. Not that we would do anything so decadent....

CHEDDAR-CORN SPOONBREAD
(Everyday Food)

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, plus more for baking dish
2 cups whole milk
1 1/2 cups corn kernels (from 2 ears)
2/3 cup yellow cornmeal
coarse salt
cayenne pepper
3 ounces sharp white cheddar, finely grated (1 cup)
4 large eggs, separated

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Butter a 2-quart baking dish. In a large saucepan, combine butter, milk, corn, cornmeal, 1 teaspoon salt, and a pinch of cayenne. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium and simmer, stirring frequently, until mixture is slightly thickened, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in cheese. Let cool just until warm to the touch, 15 minutes. Stir in egg yolks until combined.

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat egg whites and pinch of salt on high until soft peaks form. Witha rubber spatula, stir one-third the whites into corn mixture until combined, then gently fold in remaining whites. Pour into dish.

Place dish in oven, reduce heat to 375 degrees. Bake until browned on top and slightly loose in center, about 30 minutes. Let cool slightly before serving.

Serves 6 at 276 calories a serving.

Note: I'm sure one could use thawed frozen corn when fresh corn isn't in season.

Again, this just needed a slight punch up in flavor...fresher corn or a sharper cheese...to elevate the recipe to perfection. And though it might seem a bit complicated for a novice, it was actually pretty simple to put together.

 

 

Everyday Orzo

I realized that after all the great recipes I listed that I wanted to make from the Seattle Junior Leagues Cookbook Simply Classic, that a simple side dish might seem like a bit of a letdown. But what gets cooked from each cookbook I own sometimes just has a lot to do with what I'm craving at the moment and what is available in the pantry.  I plan on making many more of the recipes from Simply Classic in the future so a dish like this was a perfect way to start.

I'm not sure why but I'm a huge orzo fan (especially when it's combined with cheese). I've made Artichoke Orzo Salad, Orzo "Risotto" and Orzo Pasta Salad. This was a really simple recipe to add to my orzo side dish repertoire.  Everyday Orzo is not really a fast dish to make because  there is some cooking time, but it still had wonderful flavor and went perfect with some roasted chicken for a simple spring dinner.

EVERYDAY ORZO
(Simply Classic)

4 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 cup onion, chopped
2 medium cloves garlic, minced
2 1/2 cups chicken stock
2 cups orzo pasta, uncooked
1/2 cup Gruyere cheese, shredded
2 tablespoons fresh chives, chopped
Salt and Pepper to taste

Melt butter in a large, heavy skillet over medium-low heat. Add onion and cook until soft but not browned, about 6 minutes. Add garlic and cook 2 minutes more. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, heat chicken stock to boiling.

Add orzo to onion and garlic in skillet. Stir in hot chicken stock, bring to boil, cover and remove from heat. Let stand, without removing cover, until all liquid is absorbed, about 25 minutes. Stir in cheese until melted, add chives and season with salt and pepper. Orzo will have a creamy consistency. Serve hot.

Serves 4 to 6

Note: I used butter.

Note: I might chop the onions up finer next time.

Note: I added more cheese. I put in about 3/4 of a cup, but I wanted more. Mr. L said the amount of cheese was fine. Again, I wanted more than that. But then I'm a cheeseaholic so I'm sure the 1/2 cup requested would be fine for most cooks.

Great, simple recipe that would work with poultry, lamb or beef during any season.

 

 

 

Cranberry-Pomegranate Relish

I saw this on The Bitten Word's blog (looove them) before I even picked up my November 2010 Everyday Food Magazine. I've never been a fan of Cranberry Relish or Sauce but the idea of putting some pomegranates which I love, into the mix sounded intriguing. So I decided to give it a try.

Loved it. No offense to those that make their own cranberry relish or the canned stuff, but I'd eat this Cranberry-Pomegranate Relish any time. I absolutely loved the little tart taste it had and found it blended beautifully with our Thanksgiving turkey. Like The Bitten Word gents, I think this may make an appearance sometime other than the holidays.

Now, before you go running and screaming from making this dish because it contains pomegranate seeds and you refuse to destroy your kitchen/floors/clothes by trying to de-seed a pomegranate and getting that red juice all over everything, I came across a non running and screaming way to get those seeds out. I've tried seeding pomegranates before by working with them under water but there were a few steps missing in my procedure which really helped. First, cut the crown end of the pomegranate off. Then score the sides several times (like you would an orange) down to the seeds. Place the pomegranate cut side down into a big bowl of water. Let set for 5 minutes for the pomegranate to soak up the water. Then, keeping the pomegranate under the water, peel apart and start to "rub out" the seeds. The seeds will drop to the bottom and those pesky membranes will float to the top. Pour the water and membranes off and, behold! Pomegranate seeds! So stinking easy. You never have to deal with that pesky juice getting on anything. You can find a video of what I'm talking about here from the wonderful folks at Fine Cooking. Seriously. Try this method!

CRANBERRY-POMEGRANATE RELISH
(from Everyday Food November 2010)

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large shallot, finely chopped
1 bag (12 ounces) fresh or frozen cranberries
1 cup pomegranate juice
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
coarse salt and ground pepper
1/2 cup pomegranate seeds

In a medium saucepan, heat oil over medium-high. Add shallots; cook, stirring constantly, until softened, 3 minutes. Add cranberries, pomegranate juice and brown sugar; season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until cranberries have burst and sauce is slightly thickened, 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in pomegranate seeds (if using). Let cool to room temperature before serving. (To store, refrigerate in an airtight container, up to 1 week. Use any leftovers as a sandwich spread or stirred into yogurt as a dip).

Note: I used a fresh bag of cranberries. I used POM Wonderful pomegranate juice

Note: I did throw in the pomegranate seeds.

Note: It took almost 15 minutes for the sauce to thicken and for the cranberries to burst to my liking. We have a gas stove so amount of heat might have been the issue.

We had three different types of cranberry relish at the Thanksgiving table which was perfect because each one of us have different taste buds. The relish on the left had a beautiful, bright, mandarin citrus flavor, the one in the middle was my tart pomegranate version and the one on the right was the more traditional cranberry version. I snuck this photo before we plated everything. Gotta love Thanksgiving and all the options!

Grilled Corn Salad

As I mentioned in my last Current Cookbook post...Sometimes it's hard to decide which recipe to make from a cookbook. This time it was pretty easy. I picked this recipe from the Big Summer Cookbook  because...well...even though I have grilled corn a zillion times, I've never done anything else with it other than eating it out of hand. I chose to make this dish because any time a recipe has asked for corn kernels and has given a choice of either cooking the corn and scrapping the kernels off or using canned or frozen corn...I've used frozen corn. I know I know. The horror. Bad foodie. But this time, after picking up some great fresh Brentwood Corn (and listening to mister blowhard in that voice that carries all over the farmers market drone on about how good it is) I decided that I was going to cut the kernels off and make a dish! Go me! Yeah, little happy cooking moments LOL.

Now in the back of my mind, I've always remembered a tip somewhere that the easiest way to cut kernels from a cob of corn is to use your bundt pan. Stick the end of the cob in the middle hole of the bundt pan  and as you cut the kernels they fall into the bundt pan. The pan also catches all the juices and you're able to move your knife all the way down to the end of the corn cob without the counter or dish getting in the way. This little tip worked perfectly for me (though Mr. L thought I was crazy when I said I had to get out the bundt pan to do the job). I will say, don't cut off the tip or stem end of the corn cob before you do this as either one helps lodge the cob into the bundt pan hole. And why do I feel I need a cigarette after explaining that? Get your minds out of the gutter!

The ingredient list in this recipe does something which I hate. It states "juice of one orange" and "juice of one lime". Lately I can get anywhere from 1/2 teaspoon to 1 1/2 Tablespoons of juice out of one lime from the market. Not sure if it would really make a difference in the dish, but I honestly wasn't sure if the amount of juice I put in was correct. Next time I also think I need to keep the corn on the grill longer to get more smokey flavor. This was super easy to make though and it made a great accompaniment to some grilled steaks we served that night.

GRILLED CORN SALAD

6 ears of fresh corn, shucked
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 large ripe tomato, roughly chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
1/2 cup pitted and sliced black olives
1/4 cup sliced scallions, white part and some green parts
Juice of 1 lime
Juice of 1 orange
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil

Preheat the grill, then turn the heat down to medium. Brush the corn with some of the oil. Place on the grill and cook turning frequently, 5 to 7 minutes or until the kernels are golden brown.

Into a serving bowl, cut the kernels from the cob. Add the tomato, olives and scallions.

Place the citrus juices, basil, and remaining oil in a blender. Pulse until smooth and add to the salad. Toss to coat and serve immediately. Serves 4 to 6

VARIATIONS - Serve this salad over freshly picked field greens or lettuces. You may also add 1/3 cup finely crumbled blue cheese when you toss. Add 1/4 cup finely diced red sweet pepper for color. If you like the spiciness of Southwest cooking, mince a serrano pepper and add to step 2.

Note: I didn't even bother getting out the blender. I just cute the basil into bits and then whisked all the dressing ingredients in a small bowl.

Note: I didn't use any of the variations but I think I little serrano pepper would be perfect in this next time.

Note: My favorite flower combo is a blue vase with yellow flowers so I loved the look of the yellow corn in this blue dish. Not sure about the photo since it was taken under the light above the stove and looks washed out, but the Grilled Corn Salad itself, even without the blue bowl, made a pretty presentation.

Obviously, cutting kernels of corn off the cob is an easy thing to do and I'm not sure why I was so intimidated about doing it before. Now all I can think about is finding some corn to grill so I can make some awesome corn chowder!