Lobster Day 2013 – Oh Yummy!!

By Terry Orr

It is Saturday, June 15, 2013 – National Lobster Day!  I plan to also celebrate Father’s Day early with some really great Lobster with my bride and granddaughter later in the day.  If you are a fan of eating lobster – hope you get your fill on this day.

Punchbowl.com has a nice summary about this celebration and in part states:

“Today, lobster is considered a luxurious delicacy all over the world. In the state of Maine alone, lobster fishing is a $1 billion industry. There are many ways to enjoy lobster, but the most popular cooking methods are boiling, baking, steaming, and grilling.”

Go ahead; enjoy that Lobster you have been waiting for….

(Picture from Google) 

Celebrating Corn on the Cob Day – 2013

By Chef Terry

It is that time of year again – some of the early crops are ready to harvest and one of my all time favorites is fresh sweet corn on the cob. It is one of the few veggies that I prefer cooked than raw and there are many fine ways to prepare your corn on the cob.

Boil your corn on the cob.  Clean your corn of the husk and silk, drop into a pot of boiling water and cook until tender.

Get this: we don’t boil it at all.

Instead, we boil water on it’s own, and then toss in the corn. Once the water gets back up to a boil, we simply shut off the heat. You can let the corn hang out in the pot for a few minutes, or until dinner’s ready, or until you just can’t resist the promise of its perfection. (Source: http://food52.com/blog/3825-the-best-way-to-cook-corn-on-the-cob)

Microwave Corn on the Cob

There are several ways to microwave you corn and here are a couple examples:

Cook fresh corn on the cob in the microwave with husks and silk intact. They will cook in their own natural moisture.  Place on dampened paper towel. Turn ears over and rearrange after ½ cooking time. (Source: http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1850,158185-243196,00.html)

Cook fresh corn on the cob in steamer bags for three minutes – be sure to add a little water before sealing the bag. 

Grilling Corn on the Cob. The two popular methods are with and without the husk.

Steam Corn on the Cob

Rotisseries corn on the cob with husk – Favorite at large outdoor events, peel the husk back, wrap a paper towel around the bottom and dip in butter - you’re all set for a special treat.

Campfire corn on the cob - there are methods for accomplishing this – my favorite has been to leave the corn in it’s husk, place on the rocks around the fire and cook until tender – rotate from time to time.

What is your favorite way to cook Corn on the Cob?

(Images from Google) 

Celebrating Potato Lover’s Month

(Google Image)

By Chef Diane

Baked, mashed, fried, boiled, grilled, hashed, scalloped, au gratin, and any other form, I love potatoes!  Growing up we didn’t eat alot of potatoes, my parents preferred rice.  I guess that’s why I prefer taters, and hardly ever eat rice.  I really can't say which way they are cooked I like best.  I love going to a diner and getting crinkle cut fries and dip them in ketchup.  I also love potato salad, or a baked potato with sour cream and butter.  In fact I’m cooking one tonight!

(Google Image)

While I was researching potatoes, I found this poem, and thought I would share it with you:

Potatoes Potatoes are my favorite thing

Author: Pamela Svoboda/Gone-ta-pott.com

Potatoe's Potatoe's are my favorite things.

baked, fried or mashed up with cream.

Potatoe's Potatoe's are simply divine-

It's smooth in the mouth & it adds to the thighs.

Potatoe's Potatoe's are white, beige or cream-

The colors don't matter as long as not green.

Potatoe's Potatoe's, add butter to taste-

A little bit of salt and elastic in the waist.

Potato's Potato's, I eat them each day-

Baked, fried or any oh way.

I don't agree with the fact that potatoes increase your thighs and waist, well that depends on the butter, sour cream, cheese or bacon you add to them, or the oil used to fry them.  Actually, potatoes are packed with vitamin C and fiber, and also carbohydrates.  A medium baked potato had around 278 calories, but only 3 calories from fat, and no cholesterol.  They are great for quick energy, and if you have an upset tummy, they are soft and bland to keep you full.  When my husband passed away, I lived on baked potatoes and crackers for several months.

(Google Image)

I found this recipe for baked potato skins during super bowl week, they looked so good, I thought I would share them with you.  This is from thekitchen.com, and there is a picture of them above.

(Google Image)

This month is for lovers, people and potatoes. So enjoy your love of potatoes, and see how many different ways you can cook them!

(Google Image)

Bacon-Cheddar Twice Baked Potatoes

Makes 8 potato halves

This recipe can easily be halved or doubled.

4 good-sized russet potatoes

6 strips thick-cut bacon (or 8 strips thin-cut bacon), diced

1 large yellow onion, diced small

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup sour cream

1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

Salt (sea salt is great if you have it)

Pepper

Olive oil

Heat the oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.

Scrub the potatoes clean, rub them will olive oil, and sprinkle them with salt. Prick the potatoes a few times with the tines of a fork. Arrange them a little ways apart on the baking sheet. Bake for 50-60 minutes, until they are completely soft when pierced with a fork and the skins are dry.

While the potatoes are baking, begin preparing the filling. Warm a skillet over medium heat and cook the bacon until most of the fat has rendered and the bacon has crisped to your liking. Remove the bacon bits with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.

Pour off all but a teaspoon of the bacon fat. Cook the onions with a half teaspoon of salt until the onions are deep golden and caramelized. Stir in the garlic and cook for another thirty seconds. Remove from heat.

When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, slice them in half and scoop the insides into a medium-sized bowl. Leave a quarter inch or so of potato next to the skin. Mash the potatoes with the onions, garlic, bacon, sour cream, and about 3/4 cup of the cheddar cheese. Give it a taste, and add more salt and pepper as you see fit.

Arrange the potato skins on the baking sheet. Divide the filling between all the skins and sprinkle the tops with the remaining 1/4 cup of cheddar cheese. At this point, the potatoes can be baked right away, or refrigerated and baked later.

Bake for another 15-20 minutes, until the cheese has melted and the peaks of the mashed potatoes are crispy. Potatoes that were refrigerated may take a little longer. Serve straight off the baking sheet while still hot and bubbly. Leftovers will keep for up to a week.

Corn on the Cob

Have you ever seen the movie PollyAnna?  It is a Disney movie that was released in 1960 staring Haley Mills about a young girl in a small Iowa town who brings joy and a new outlook to the whole community.  It is a wonderful heartwarming story that Im guessing takes place in the 1920's or 30's.   There is a scene in the movie where the town puts on a "bazaar" to raise money for the town's orphanage.  Several children put on a show, and booths are set up for selling things.  You should see the slice of cake that sells for a dime!  It is huge!  But the thing that caught my attention was the big silver kettle sitting on the fire.  Inside the pot are ears and ears of corn swimming in butter.  The two small stars of the movie walk up and get the corn and start chomping away.  It is as if you could almost taste it yourself!

 I remember when I was younger, going to the farmer's market with my grandmother and getting big brown grocery bags full of corn on the cob then going home to shuck them.  Its a little harder these days to eat corn on the cob, the hulls get caught in between your teeth, so make sure you have dental floss on hand afterwards!

Cooking corn is really easy to do, even a novice in the kitchen can perform this task.  First, you remove the husks and "silk" from the corn and snap off the stalk.  Make sure to wash it to remove any access silk.   Then there are 3 ways to cook it, (4 if you want to grill it) 

Microwave:

This method is good when you are cooking only 2 or 3 ears of corn. If you are cooking more, you should choose one of the other cooking methods or do it in batches in the microwave.

Place the corn in a microwave safe dish and add about 2 Tablespoons of water to the dish.  Cover the dish with plastic wrap, making sure to leave a small opening (a steam vent) in the corner to let the steam escape.

Microwave the corn on high for about 2 minutes - depending on the strength of your microwave.

Carefully remove the plastic wrap from the corn. There will be a lot of very hot steam escaping, so you probably should use a pair of tongs to remove the plastic wrap.

There is another handy way to microwave your corn - in those nice little streamer bags.

Cooking on stove top with cold water:

Place the shucked corn in a large pot. Cover it with COLD tap water. Cover the pot and set it on the stove. Bring the pot to a boil. Once the pot has reached a boil, the corn is cooked.

Cooking on stove top with boiling water:

Fill a large pot half way with COLD water.  There should be enough water in the pot so that when you add the corn, it is covered with water but not overflowing.

Bring the pot of COLD water to a boil. Using a pair of tongs, carefully drop each ear of corn into the pot.  Cover the pot and return the water to a boil.  Boil the corn for 5-7 minutes or until done.

(Granny’s rule – once the water is boiling (generally in three or four pots, kids high tail it into the garden, take two or three good ears, begin shucking and cleaning them, walk into the kitchen and hand to Granny.  She puts them into the water … you get a slice of bread or two, making sure there is lots of butter when the ears are ready.  Roll in buttered bread, season to taste and enjoy!!)

The cooking times listed above are general cooking times. Some people eat corn raw, and some dunk it in boiling water for 30 seconds to just heat it slightly. The simplest answer is to taste the corn to see if it cooked to your liking.  Salt and butter to taste.

On the Grill:

Preheat an outdoor grill for high heat and lightly oil grate.

Peel back corn husks and remove silk. Place 1 tablespoon butter, salt and pepper on each piece of corn. Close husks.

Wrap each ear of corn tightly in aluminum foil. Place on the prepared grill. Cook approximately 30 minutes, turning occasionally, until corn is tender.

So today, on Corn on the Cob day, grab some corn, cook it up, get a copy of Pollyanna and enjoy!