RecipeMuncher

How many times have you made a recipe expecting it to be one way then when you make it, the final result is way different then what you were expecting. That totally happened tonight.

The menu tonight was Hot Corn Dip + Taco Salad. I found the recipe for the dip on one of my fav blogs, Closet Cooking. Kevin’s pics are always beautiful and his recipes all look tasty. So tonight, I decided to whip up this dip because I had all of the ingredients on hand and it looked easy enough.

Let me just tell you. The taco salads are packed up for our lunches. Mike and I literally ate all but 2T of this dip. It is seriously amazing. The ingredients meld together to create a dip that is darn good. I didn’t bother photographing this because I knew that I couldn’t compete with Kevin’s…so check out his pic. It literally is as good as it looks.

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon butter
2 cups corn kernels (from 2 ears corn)
salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup yellow onion (chopped)
1/4 cup red bell pepper (chopped)
1/4 cup chopped green onions (green and white parts)
1 jalapeno (chopped)
2 teaspoons garlic (chopped)
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 handful monterey jack (grated)
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1 handful sharp cheddar (grated)

Directions:
1. Melt the butter in a pan.
2. Add the corn, season with salt and pepper and saute until the corn starts to turn golden brown, about 5 minutes. Set aside.
3. Melt the butter in a pan.
4. Add the onion, and pepper and saute until the onions are soft, about 2 minutes.
5. Add the green onions, jalapeno and garlic and saute until softened, about 2 minutes.
6. Mix the corn, onions, peppers, mayonnaise, monterey jack and cayenne in a bowl.
7. Pour the mixture into an 8×8 inch baking pan and top with the cheddar cheese.
8. Bake in a preheated 350F oven until bubbling and golden brown on top, about 10-20 minutes.

The next Root Source Challenge from Cookthink is Italian Sausage. Before I came up with the idea for these Red, White and Green Italian Sausage Calzones, I thought about making Italian sausage meatball sandwich; Italian sausage arugula salad; pizza; and even soup. But the calzones won! (Red: tomatoes/sausage/red pepper flakes; white: onions, cheese, dough; green: cilantro)

Ingredients

8 oz of Italian sausage, browned, seasoned with red pepper flakes and oregano if needed
1/4 white onion, thinly sliced
1 small tomatoes, seeds removed, cubed
a few tablespoons of cilantro, chopped
1/4 cup of shredded cheese, or more
olive oil
1 pizza crust in the “can”

Directions

1) preheat the oven to 425F (place a cookie sheet inside)
2) meanwhile spread the uncooked pizza dough on a oiled cut…

Mmmkay…I’ve seen this floating amongst the blogosphere and I decided to participate. It really is an introspection as well as a meme. I may not want to try the items in the list that I have not already eaten, but then again, I may. Eating is what I love to do. And when something is prepared well and is delicious, well I may not care what it is, I’m indulging. Whatever the case, maybe you all should try this meme. More information can be had here.

Here’s what to do:

1) Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.
2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.
3) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.

The VGT Omnivore’s Hundred:

1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn or head cheese (What about scrapple?)
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam Chowder in Sourdough Bowl
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar (Yes…yes…yes!)
37. Clotted Cream Tea
38. Vodka Jelly/Jell-O
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects (In training in the Army)
43. Phaal
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth 0 or more
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut (I am in Atlanta)
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini (Shaken…not stirred)
58. Beer above 8% ABV (I wish!)
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips (Um…no!)
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost or brunost
75. Roadkill (Possum counts?)
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie (these were my favorite when I was young)
78. Snail
79. Lapsang Souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom Yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. 3 Michelin Star Tasting Menu (Haven’t a clue where to do this)
85. Kobe beef (Yup yup!!!)
86. Hare (Well I have had rabbit)
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake

Sometimes good food isn’t the prettiest food.

I can be sure of that every time I make one of my summer standards, squash rice casserole. The final product never seems to look nearly as delicious as it tastes, and I often find myself apologising for its appearance.

Originally, this recipe was a simple Italian-inspired dish with sauteed zucchini or summer squash, parmesan cheese, and rice. But, every time I haul out the recipe, I seem to be inspired to make some sort of change. The other night, I decided on a Mexican twist.

It’s been fairly warm here in Wisconsin (yes, it does get warm here in the summer, People!), and I’m a big fan of smoky sweet vegetables. So, we hauled out the grill to cook the summer squash.

I had pattypan squash on hand from the farmer’s market.
<img style=”center” alt=”" src=”http://www.recipemuncher.c…