Awesome Corn Dip Recipe

Last January I had a party for some important OSU game (I don't know, Danny planned it). One of Danny's friends made this amazing corn dip that I couldn't stop eating. I emailed her for the recipe and made it this Thanksgiving Eve where we had a get together at a friend's house. It was a huge hit, and next time I will definately double it because it was gone in literally 10 minutes. This is my transition into making savory foods because generally all I know how to do is bake.

Awesome Corn Dip
2- 15 oz. cans yellow sweet corn (I use organic)
1- 10 oz. can diced tomatoes with chiles (I use Rotelle)
1- 8 oz. block of cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 teasp. each: chile powder, garlic powder, cumin
salt and pepper
fresh cilantro

Mix all ingredients except cilantro together and put into a casserole dish. Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes, or until bubbly. Stir in cilantro, and serve with tortilla chips and Fritos Scoops.

Pineapple Upside Down Cakes

With the help of JustJenn's recipe and Danny's suggestion to use maraschino cherries in the centers.

Sour Cream Raspberry Loaf

I have been trying out recipes since the weekend (Cardamom muffins - gross, Beer Bread - sour!) and my third attempt has given me something good. It's like the lazy man's version of putting butter and jam on some bread. It's all baked right in. I got the recipe from here, but I omitted using walnuts, and grated lemon rind because I didn't have any of either on hand. The recipe is very well written and easy. Yum!

Pan fried Perch Po' Boys

The question I get asked almost immediately after I tell people my boyfriend is a chef is "Does he cook for you?". He does.....on occasion. He usually works 80 hour weeks and barely has enough energy to make Chef Boyardee. But today was a rare day that he had off so here is what he made me for lunch - Pan fried perch Po' Boy sandwiches. This is my favorite preparation for fish, pan fried with panko breadcrumbs!




DJ's Po' Boy Bangers
2 cups Panko Breadcrumbs
2 cups Cornmeal
Salt
Pepper
1 tbsp. Old Bay Seasoning
1/2 lb perch fillets de-boned
Shredded cheddar cheese
Romaine lettuce
Hogie Rolls
Tartar Sauce
Bread and Butter Pickles

1. Combine Old Bay, breadcrumbs, cornmeal, salt and pepper in a bowl.
2. Lightly salt and pepper perch fillets.
3. In a medium saute pan, heat 1/2 vegetable oil on medium heat.
4. Lightly toss perch in breadcrumbs mixture, coating both sides and pressing down to make sure it sticks.
5. Carefully lay the fish in the pan. Cook 3-4 minutes until golden brown. Flip and cook other side 2-3 minutes.
6. With tongs, gently take out perch. Place on baking sheet and bake for 4 minutes at 350°.
7. Assemble sandwiches with fresh romaine, cheddar, tartar sauce and pickles (the pickles are for, as iron chefs would say, acidity).

Lemon Bars Version 2.0

OK, here's the second attempt at my lemon bars. I originally had bought Krusteaz Lemon Bar Mix and tried the variation where you use cream cheese to make Amazing Lemon Cheesecake Bars. They came out miserable! I don't know what happened but the crust stuck to the pan, the cream cheese cracked down the middle and the sides browned while the middle stayed jiggly. I was so pissed off I looked up another recipe online from a blog and went to the 24-hour grocery store to get more ingredients. This recipe called for cardamom, so in my midnight stupor I bought a $12 bottle of cardamom to use a 1/4 of a teaspoon. I don't like how these came out either because the crust it too thick, but they're better than the original ones and made from scratch.

Update: I later learned that lemon bars are really hard to make from scratch so I feel a little accomplishment.