Something a Tad Corny

Geez, that title itself is pretty darn corny.  But it’s all I’ve got, it’s almost 3pm on the day before Friday, I’m coming off some weird virus and I’m running on roughly two brain cells.  One of them needs to be used for the rest of the work I have to do today.  That leaves one loner for a blog title.

Summer is the season for corn and tomatoes.  Which means it’s the time of year to leave the canned stuff on the shelf.  Corn fresh off of the cob cannot be substituted for by its cousins in the canned and freezer departments. 

The warmest season of the year is also prime time for pesto-makin’.  But this won’t be your average pesto.  I think you’ll love this tweak on an old favorite.

 Fettuccine with Bacon and Corn Pesto

adapted from epicurious

4 slices bacon, cut into 1” pieces

2 ears corn, kernels cut off (<—like so)

1 large garlic clove, minced

1 1/2 cup grape tomatoes, halved

1 1/4 tsp coarse salt

freshly ground pepper

1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving

1/3 cup pine nuts, toasted (simply put in oven or toaster oven on lined baking sheet for 7-9 minutes on 350 degrees)

1/3 cup olive oil

Fettuccine

3/4 cup basil leaves

Directions

Cook bacon in large nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp and brown, stirring often. Using slotted spoon, transfer to paper towels to drain. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon drippings from skillet. Add corn, garlic, tomatoes, 1 1/4 teaspoons coarse salt, and 3/4 teaspoon pepper to drippings in skillet. Sauté over medium-high heat until corn is just tender but not brown, about 4 minutes. Transfer 1 1/2 cups corn kernels to small bowl and reserve. Scrape remaining corn mixture into processor. Add 1/2 cup Parmesan and pine nuts. With machine running, add olive oil through feed tube and blend until pesto is almost smooth. Set pesto aside.

Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain, reserving 1 1/2 cups pasta cooking liquid. Return pasta to pot. Add corn pesto, reserved corn kernels, and 1/2 cup basil leaves. Toss pasta mixture over medium heat until warmed through, adding reserved pasta cooking liquid by 1/4 cupfuls to thin to desired consistency, 2 to 3 minutes. Season pasta to taste with salt and pepper.

Transfer pasta to large shallow bowl. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup basil leaves and reserved bacon. Serve pasta, passing additional grated Parmesan alongside.

~ Side note:  I’m giggling every few hours because I’m wearing this t-shirt.

25 Books in 2010

This challenge is going to be a cinch.  And if you think you don’t have the time (no big…reduce your goal, just don’t tell anyone else that I’m advocating for you to be an underachiever), reduce the goal.  But if you used to harbor a love of reading and getting lost in a story and post-college and just plain life have made you forget, having a goal like this will make you rediscover it.

Or maybe it will just help your general spelling and grammar.

I’ve read these thus far….here are my latest:

1.  Midwives.  I’ll be brutally honest.  I couldn’t even finish this book, it was that awful.  I’ve learned that just because a piece of literature is recommended by several people doesn’t mean it’s good.  Or maybe I just have bad taste.

Yeah, right.  Maybe Oprah’s the one with the bad taste, because she’s her people are the ones who recommended it.

2.  Girl with the Dragon Tattoo .  Remember all that stuff I said up there about various recommendations meaning nothing?  Yeah, ignore that for a few minutes.  This book is epic.  And graphic.  And completely creeped me out.  All of the reasons I watch Dateline, 48 Hours and 20/20 a lot.  The storyline is pure genius and I can’t wait to read the other two in the trilogy.

3.  Little Bee.  Ok, now you can bring back the distant memory of me casting aside books that had received many recommendations.  This book is rotten.  I finished this one, though, I’ll have you know.  While the true story of Nigerian oil wars could have made a true impact in this book, instead, it’s filled with horrifically unrealistic situations and baseless characters.  I had high hopes.  They weren’t met.

Well, crud.  I just realized I’m only up to 10 books?!  I have to read 15 more within the next four months, apparently.  Ok.  We can do this.

By the way, I get most of my books on Amazon used and I refuse to pay over $5.00.  Additionally, your local library is a great resource…and free.  (I totally should go to heaven for that one).

Enchiladas En Un Jiffy

How do you like that for some Spanish?  You’d never know I was in a Spanish honors program in both high school and college, would you?

It’s 4pm on a Wednesday and I’m sitting in my apartment watching recorded Project Runway in my pajamas.  How in the world does one get the flu in SUMMER?  More importantly, why can’t Gretchen just shut her danged, high-horse mouth?

Back to the fabulous enchiladas (if I do say so myself.  And I do.).  I go back and forth between calling these my Christmas Enchiladas because they’re made with red and green sauces.  But then I realize how dumb that sounds and I stop.

These cheesy delights are only about 30 minutes of work and will please the masses.  Unless they’re lactose intolerant.  FYI.  You’ll make your own enchilada sauce (don’t get scurred!) and do some dipping, stuffing and rolling, so suit up! 

Christmas Weeknight Enchiladas

1 lb ground turkey

Olive oil

1/4 cup chili powder

1/4 tsp of the following:  cumin, onion powder and garlic powder (or you can finely chop a couple of fresh cloves, my personal preference)

Green onions (a bunch)

salt and pepper

1 cup water

tortillas

Mexican blend cheese

El Pato Mexican Sauce (red sauce)

Green Chile Enchilada Sauce

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Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix water, chili powder, cumin, onion powder and garlic powder.  Set aside.  Chop green onions.  Brown turkey in 1 tb olive oil, adding in spice mixture as you go.  Season with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, pour red sauce onto a large plate.  Dip each tortilla into sauce, covering completely.  Add meat mixture inside tortilla, cheese, chopped green onion.  Wrap tortilla and place in glass baking dish.

When done wrapping, cover enchiladas with more of your cheese blend.  Then pour green chile sauce over all enchiladas.  Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.