If you live in Nashville, you’ve probably come to understand that around here weather is an event. A major event. If the winds are gusting 15 mph, the local meteorologist will break into your episode of The Good Wife and tell you to run for cover!

It’s no better with snow. If it’s going to snow next Tuesday, we may as well cancel school for the whole week. I can’t even imagine what will come of the deep freeze headed our way. My general rule of thumb is to not trust a meteorologist who does the weather in a cocktail dress…just saying.

Corn & Potato Chowder with Candied Bacon

2014-01-05 09:52:27

You would never guess that this creamy chowder is made with a roll of Pictsweet Cream Corn.

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For the corn & potato chowder

1. 1/2 cup white onion, finely chopped
2. 2 tbsp olive oil
3. 2 tbsp butter, unsalted
4. 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
5. 1-160z. frozen roll of Pictsweet Cream Corn, defrosted
6. 1 cup white corn, fresh or frozen
7. 4 cups vegetable broth
8. 1 medium baking potato, peeled and diced small
9. 1/2 cup half and half
10. salt and pepper

For the candied bacon

1. 2 baking sheets lined with aluminum foil
2. 1 package bacon
3. 1/2 cup brown sugar, light
4. 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

Instructions

1. In a large pot or dutch oven, heat olive oil and butter over medium heat until butter melts.
2. Add onions, season with salt and pepper, then saute until tender.
3. Stir in 1/4 cup of flour to make a roux and continue to stir for about a minute.
4. Pour in 4 cups of vegetable broth, stirring well.
5. Add potatoes and bring to a simmering boil.
6. Cook until potatoes are tender and falling apart.
7. Gently mash up potatoes (they don't have to be completely mashed, just enough to add some thickness).
8. Add the defrosted roll of Pictsweet Cream Corn and 1 cup of white corn, fresh or frozen.
9. Reduce heat and let simmer for about 15 minutes.
10. Stir in half and half, then season again with salt and pepper.
11. Turn on low while you prepare the candied bacon.
12. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
13. After lining baking sheets with aluminum foil, lay bacon out flat on the baking sheet.
14. Mix together brown sugar and cayenne pepper.
15. Generously rub both sides of the bacon with the brown sugar mixture.
16. Place in a 400 degree oven and bake for 20-25 minutes.
17. I like my bacon more on the crispy side, so leave in longer until its cooked like you prefer.
18. Remove bacon from oven.
19. Transfer the pieces of bacon to a wire rack and let completely cool.
20. The bacon will harden like it has a candy coating.
21. Crumble a piece of candied bacon on top of each serving of chowder.
22. The bacon can be store in an airtight container.

http://lolleighcooks.com/

 The secret to this delicious chowder is the roll of frozen Pictsweet Cream Corn, it’s as close as you can get to real thing! One of my other favorites is The Fresh Market Silver Queen Corn. You’d never guess that this thick and creamy chowder is much lower in fat than a traditional chowder recipe.

Stay Warm!

It must be a southern man thing… riding around. My granddaddy loved cars, loved to drive and lived life flying by the seat of his pants. When my mom was growing up, it was no big thing to hop in the car for a Sunday drive and wind up in Panama City Beach.

My dad was also notorious for getting us in the car on a Saturday afternoon and riding all over Tennessee. As we got older, my sister and I would crack up, as my dad wove through the back roads of his childhood for hours showing us his elementary school, where he grew up and commenting on the miles and miles of corn growing…it’s a beautiful thing!

Recipe:

12-15 ears fresh, sweet corn

2 tbsp butter

1/2 cup milk

1 tbsp sugar

salt and pepper

The best way to enjoy corn in the summer is to head straight to a farmer’s market and buy it right off the back of a truck. This corn was picked a 6 am and I bought it at 9. You can’t get any more fresh than that!

To shuck the corn, hold corn at the bottom and peel the husk back from the top, tearing away at the bottom of the ear of corn. Peel off the silk and the rinse under running, cold water. Wipe dry with a paper towel to remove any remaining silk.

Using a sharp knife, cut a small piece off of the top of the ear of corn. Stand flat side down in a shallow dish and run a knife down the ear of corn to remove kernels, scraping as close to the cob as possible.

In a large, heavy skillet melt butter over medium-high heat. Add corn and cook for about 5 minutes.

Add milk, season corn with salt and pepper. Reduce heat to medium-low and let simmer for 10-15 minutes. During the last 5 minutes of cooking, stir in sugar.

Notes:

Picking good corn is easy. Choose husks that are bright green and free of any dark brown patches or bruises. If you peel back the husk, the corn should be bright and juicy with no dried areas of corn.

 ”You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you can not fool all of the people all of the time.”

Abraham Lincoln

You can’t fool a good cook with a bad recipe and good cook knows most of the time that simple is better. In all my years of cooking, the most important lesson learned has been the less ingredients and steps a recipe requires, it is usually a better recipe.

It’s the same principle when spotting liar. The more information and the more complicated their story, you can usually bet they’re not telling the truth. So the problem with lying is that all the little details usually add up and get you caught. The same goes for a bad recipe – all those little details and steps add up and the result is a bad dish!

Recipe:

4 chicken breast halves, boneless and skinless

1 cup apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup canola oil

2 tbsp brown sugar

1 tbsp honey

1 tbsp orange juice

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

Wash and dry chicken breast, place in a large ziploc bag. Whisk together remaining ingredients until well blended. Pour over chicken and seal bag. Place in fridge and let marinate for 1-3 hours.

Preheat grill to a medium-high heat. Grill chicken 8-10 minutes per side, depending on thickness. Juices will run clear when chicken is done.

Notes:

If you like a little bit spicier marinade, just add more crushed red pepper flakes.

Make a meal on the grill. I like to grill fresh corn and vegetable kabobs when I make this chicken dish.

The stuff of life can sometimes be a lot like a potato. Most people, experiences and events can have a nice outer skin. It’s after you dig into the inside that you know what you’re dealing with.

I ran across this quote saying,

“Sometimes good things fall apart so that better things fall together”

While a potato may be good plain, when you open it up, take it apart and put it back together again the outcome will surely be better.

Recipe:

3 large baking potatoes

3 slices pepper bacon

1 cup sweet white corn, fresh or frozen

2 tbsp butter, unsalted

3/4 cup light sour cream

1/4 cup milk, warm

3/4 cup cheddar cheese, 2% or low fat

2 tbsp fresh chives, finely chopped

salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Wash and dry potatoes. Pierce a few times with a knife, then wrap each potato in foil. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, until potatoes are tender. Remove from oven, unwrap foil and let cool for about 30 minutes.

Carefully cut potatoes lengthwise and scoop out the meat of the potato. Leave a little bit of the potato attached to the hollowed out skin so that they will stand up to the filling.

Add butter to the potato and mash with a fork or potato masher until butter is melted and incorporated. Then fold in sour cream and warm milk.

Cut bacon into 1/2 inch pieces and cook until crispy. Remove from pan, place on paper towels to drain excess fat. Wipe leftover fat out of pan and place back over medium-high heat, add corn and saute for about 2 minutes.

Stir bacon, corn, fresh chives and cheese into the potato mixture. Season well with salt and pepper. Once the mixture is well combined, carefully fill the potato skins with the mixture.

Bake stuffed potatoes in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes.