Corn & Bacon Muffins

Corn? Again?

Yup but this time is has some bacon and honey tossed into it.   You can never go wrong with bacon, it is loved by all!

I was recently asked to make some cupcakes for a 1 year old’s birthday and in the process of researching what cupcakes I was going to make I borrowed the book “500 Cupcakes” from my friend LT.  This little book is FULL of lovely cupcake and muffin recipes.  Too many to count….well 500 of them but you know what I mean.

I don’t know if I can bear to part with this little book, but I have to.  It was a V-day gift from her husband, so I will just have to get one of my own.

While I was scanning the book I found this recipe for corn muffins.  It also had a variation with italian sausage added, but I was all out of italian sausage.  I decided that sausage’s sister bacon would work just as well.  I also decided to substitute half of the sugar with some honey….yummy….honey.

First I cooked 6 strips of thick cut bacon in the oven.  I laid them out on a baking sheet with a cooling grid and baked them in the oven at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes, or until crispy.  Let the bacon cool, pat off any excess grease with a paper towel and dice.  You want a heaping 1/2 cup of bacon. Set aside until ready to use.

Leave your oven at 350 degrees.

In a small bowl combine all your dry ingredients and whisk together until well combined.

In the bowl of your electric mixture, using a paddle attachment stir together all your wet .

Add the corn meal mixture and bacon to the wet mixture.

Stir together until just combined.  Try not to over mix.

Grease a muffin pan with butter or non-stick spray.  Spoon the batter into each mold, dividing up evenly.  The mold will fill almost to the top.  Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 20 – 25 minutes, or until tops are golden brown.

Now I don’t know about you but this is the only kind of muffin top I have actually ever wanted, the other kind is evil and unfortunate.  The ironic part is that the “evil” muffin top can be brought on by too many of the “good” muffin tops.  Does that make the “good” muffin tops, ultimately “evil” muffin tops or can that make “evil” muffin tops “good” muffin tops?  No that isn’t possible….is it?

Are you still there?  Did I loose you?

Hello….*tap* *tap*

Sorry I got lost in my own brain there for a moment.  It can be dangerous.

Regardless these muffin tops are good and delicious!  I mean they have bacon in them for heavens sake….hello!

These muffins are more on the cornbread side then cakey side.  They are more southern then northern, if you know what I mean.  You can have these in the morning, warmed up with a pad of butter and a cup of coffee and with fall on our heels, these muffins would be awesome with a bowl of chili.

Print Recipe

Corn & Bacon Muffins (adapted from 500 Cupcakes) (1 dozen muffins)

• 2 1/4 cup flour
• 1 1/2 cup corn meal
• 1/4 sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• pinch of salt
• 3/4 cup melted butter
• 1 egg
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/2 cup cooked thick cut bacon, diced (about 6 strips)

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

Lay 6 strips of thick cut bacon on a baking sheet with a cooling grid and baked it in the oven at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes, or until crispy. Let cool, pat off any excess grease with a paper towel and dice. You want a heaping 1/2 cup of bacon. Set aside until ready to use.

Leave your oven at 350 degrees.

In a small bowl combine all your dry ingredients, flour, corn meal, sugar, baking powder and salt, whisk together until well combined.

In the bowl of your electric mixture, using a paddle attachment stir together all your wet ingredients, egg, buttermilk and honey.

Add the corn meal mixture and bacon to the wet mixture.  Stir together until just combined. Try not to over mix.

Grease a muffin pan with butter or non-stick spray. Spoon the batter into each mold, dividing up evenly. The mold will fill almost to the top. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 20 – 25 minutes, or until tops are golden brown.  Remove from the oven, let cool for 5 minutes and transfer muffins to cooling rack.

Sour Cream Corn Pancakes

I am not a lover of pancakes, except for The Pioneer Woman’s Sour Cream Pancakes.  I don’t hate them, I just don’t love them.  I don’t know what it is, I find that most pancakes are too heavy in the morning and if given the choice between pancakes and french toast, french toast will win every time in my book.  However earlier this week Smitten Kitchen’s Sweet Corn Pancakes popped into my feed subscription and I was intrigued.  Then I thought what if I did a hybrid of sweet corn pancakes and sour cream pancakes, it was one of those “things that make you go hmmmm” (name the band).

I am not usually an experimenter of anything that contains the ingredients baking soda, baking power and/ or flour, but I though I would put my big girl panties on and give it a go.  It could only go one of two ways, horribly wrong or incredibly right….ok there is a third option of “they are ok”, but I like shoot for the stars or to crash and burn.  I am also all about being dramatic.

Strip the kernels from an ear of corn.  Be sure to ask the corn permission first you don’t want to be accused of anything.

Melt butter in a skillet and cook the kernels until they just begin to brown, sprinkle with salt and set aside to cool.

In a small bowl combine your dry ingredients of flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking, soda and salt.   Whisk together to well combined.

In a separate large bowl, beat an egg at the bottom of the bowl, add sour cream, milk and vanilla, whisk until well combined.

Stir in the cooled kernels of corn.  I will try not to get corny, I promise.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir until just combined.

Heat your griddle to 350 degrees or a skillet over medium heat, brush with butter and ladle 1/4 cup of batter at a time, 2 inches apart.  Cook the pancakes until they begin to bubble on top and the edges begin to dry.   Flip and cook until the bottom is a golden brown.  Repeat with remaining batter

Because I am all about being dramatic, stack your pancakes as high as you can, top with a fat pad of butter and drizzle with your favorite syrup.

Here is a mini action shot of me pouring syrup over my pancakes.  Please try not to lick the screen, 9 time out of 10 you will just taste dust and that is not good.

These pancakes have expanded my appreciation for pancakes.  They were fluffy, corny and had those awesome crispy edges that I think are required of a good pancake.

My favorite part of these pancakes was the texture that the corn kernels add to the pancake.  They give them a little crunch that pop in your mouth with sweet corny goodness.

It makes me wonder if maybe I should just drizzle maple syrup over my corn on the cob next time.  It’s one of those things that make you go hmmmm…..

Try some more breakfast options.

Peace out!

-Hmmmmmm

Print Recipe

Sour Cream Corn Pancakes (adapted from Smitten Kitchen)

Makes about 7 to 10 4-inch pancakes

• 2 tablespoons butter, plus additional for brushing pan
• 3/4 cup kernels cut from one large ear sweet fresh corn
• 1/8 teaspoon salt plus additional for seasoning corn
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cups buttermilk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoon sugar
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup cornmeal, any kind
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Melt butter in a large cast iron skillet or griddle pan over medium heat. Add corn and saute for 4 to 5 minutes, until it begins to brown ever-so-slightly. Sprinkle with salt and set aside to cool. Wipe out skillet

Lightly beat egg in the bottom of a large bowl, then whisk in sour cream, buttermilk, corn, vanilla and sugar. In a smaller bowl, whisk flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda and 1/8 teaspoon salt. Stir dry ingredients into wet, mixing until just combined but still lumpy in appearance.

Reheat your skillet or saute pan to medium or set your griddle to 350 degrees. Brush with butter and ladle 1/4 cup batter at a time, 2 inches apart. When the pancakes have bubbles on top and are slightly dry around the edges, flip them over and cook them until golden brown underneath. Repeat with remaining batter, and serve immediately with a pat of salted butter a super drizzle of maple syrup.

Chuletas a La Jardinera (Garden Pork Chops)

In memory of all the gardens across our great country that are beginning to wither and succumbing to the cooler temperatures, these chops are for you.  This is a recipe that you will find in almost every Puerto Rican cookbook, but it is a dish that is under appreciated.   I think it is becaue when you look at it, it doesn’t “look” like a Latin or Puerto Rican dish.   It doesn’t fall within the stereotype of rice, beans and plantains.

I can sympathis with this dish, in a way we are kindered spirts, because I too do not meet the Puerto Rican “stereotype”.  At 5′ 8″, with green eyes, fair skin and straight as a board hair, people don’t seem to believe me when I say I am Puerto Rican.  Then to top it off I don’t even have an accent.  In high school I felt like Gulliver in the land of Lilliput sometimes, since all my girlfriends were no taller then 5′ 5″.

A lot of the recipes I found online for this dish called for canned mixed vegetables.  I do not like most canned vegetables, especially green beans, carrots and peas, they are just too briney for my taste.  If you are in a bind and must use canned I suppose that is ok, but if you can get fresh it is so much better.  The green beans and corn maintain that fresh crispness and sweetness that you can’t get from the canned variety.  The pork chops were very tender and the sauce has a great savory sweetness.  I served these chops with some yellow rice and it was fan-tabulous!

I am sad that I didn’t grow up eating more of these pork chops.  I don’t really remember my mother making them…ever.  I am sure she did at one time or another but I have no memory of it.  I would ask her but she is in the middle of the Mediterranean with my aunt right now.   Don’t worry she’s not floating out there aimlessly, she is on a 12 day cruise.  I wish I was on a 12 day cruise of the Mediterranean…Punk!

Print Recipe

Chuletas a La Jardinera (Garden Pork Chops)

• 6 Pork Chops, Center Cut, Bone-in
• 1 large clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 Tbs olive oil
• 1/2 Tbs vinegar
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 15 oz can diced tomatoes
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
• 1/2 lb fresh green beans, ends trimmed and chopped
• 1 large ear of corn, shucked

Rinse and clean pork chops. Dry with paper towels and set aside.

Combine garlic, oregano, salt, olive oil and vinegar in a mortar and pestle. Mash until well combined. Pour garlic mixture over pork chops and toss until all chops are well coated on both sides.

Heat a heavy deep skillet or dutch oven over medium-high heat. Working in batches, brown the chops.

After the chops have been browned, place all the chops back into the skillet. Pour tomatoes with their juices and onions over the top. Bring to a simmer, lower heat, cover and cook for 25 minutes. Add carrots and cook, covered, for an additional 5 minutes. Add corn and green beans and cook covered for 10 minutes. Then remove the lid and cook, uncovered, for a final 10 minutes.

Serve pork chops hot with vegetables over top.

Southwest Eggrolls with Avocado Creme Dip

I would have had this post up earlier but Hubby and I decided to go for a ride on his bike.  It was a beautiful night and perfect to go for a ride.  I wish I could get a photo of us riding on the bike but it is hard to be in two places at the same time.

Well this evening I thought I would convert a previous recipe of Spicy Lime Chicken with Black Bean and Corn Salsa into some Southwest Eggrolls.  One of my favorite dishes from Chili’s is their Southwest Eggrolls.  I was craving these suckers but I didn’t want to go out.  I had some eggroll wrappers sitting in my refrigerator for forever now and I figured it was time to get some use out of them.

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Roasted Red Pepper Corn and A Giveaway!

Are you feeding a small army and you need a side that take little effort but not ho-hum?  This is what you are looking for, it is super easy and super delicious.  If you are a fan of corn you will be a fan of this.  

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Spicy Lime Chicken with Black Bean and Corn Salad

Grilled Spicy Lime Chicken with Black Bean Salad

1/3 cup lime juice
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup olive oil
2 chipotle chiles, roughly chopped, plus 2 tablespoons adobo sauce (I had a puree of chipotle chilies and just did 1 tablespoon)
1 tablespoon honey
3 medium garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons ground cumin
Salt and pepper
8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts
2 (16-ounce) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup chopped scallions (or red onion)
1 red bell pepper, sliced thin
1 ripe avocado, sliced thin (optional)
Lime wedges for serving

Light grill, or heat grill pan to medium. (I used my sweet cast iron pan that I won from Foodbuzz.com) Whisk lime juice, cilantro, oil, chiles and sauce, honey, garlic, cumin, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper together in small bowl.

Toss chicken with 1/4 cup lime juice mixture in separate large bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Marinate chicken in refrigerator while grill (or grill pan) continues to preheat.

Toss beans, scallions, red pepper, and avocado with 1/4 cup lime juice mixture in serving bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Grill chicken over very hot fire (or in grill pan) until well-browned on both sides and cooked through, 8 to 13 minutes. Transfer chicken to serving platter and drizzle with remaining lime juice mixture. Serve immediately with black bean and avocado salad

 

This dish was a hit!  It was even better the next day because the chicken got to sit in the sauce…..Mmmmmmm good! I loved the way the flavors blended and the hint of smokey heat from the chipotle.