Corn Muffins

I've shared cornbread recipes before, but I'm a firm believer that I can't have too many cornbread recipes!

And thus, neither can you.

These muffins are moist (they stayed very moist and good for about 3 days) and puffed up perfectly in the muffin tin.

They're sweet - sweet cornbread is a requirement in our house - but not too sweet.  Just enough for balance.

Or something like that.

This is my go-to corn muffin recipe.  Not to be confused with my go-to cornbread recipe.

Go forth and make corn muffins for dinner.  Your family will thank you.

Corn Muffins
Adapted from Paula Deen

1 cup cornmeal
3/4 cup flour
1 1/4 tsp salt
1 T plus 1 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup sugar
8 oz. sour cream
8 oz. can creamed corn

Whisk together the cornmeal, flour, salt and baking powder.  Add the remaining ingredients and stir until just combined.

Spray a 12-count muffin tin with nonstick spray.  Use an ice cream scoop to scoop the batter into the muffin tin.  Bake at 375 degrees 15-19 minutes, until the tops spring back when touched.  Don't brown the muffins, though, or they won't be as moist.  Serve warm with butter or serve at room temperature.

Overnight Cinnamon Rolls

My cousin gave me this recipe a few years ago and I've been making it ever since.

These cinnamon rolls are SO GOOD and SO EASY!

It's a great recipe to make when you're feeding company for breakfast...I've done that many times.

Here's the beauty of this recipe: you prepare it the night before and the rolls rise overnight...in the morning, all you have to do is bake it.

So here's how to do it.  Spray a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray and then evenly space 15 frozen dough balls in the dish.

Sprinkle on top a package of cook-n-serve vanilla pudding

then sprinkle on a cup of brown sugar

2 teaspoons of cinnamon

and then drizzle on a stick of melted butter.

Now just cover it with a piece of plastic wrap and let it sit on the counter overnight.

Sorry for the weird lighting.  It was night when I made these so my kitchen was dark!

In the morning, this is what you will have waiting for you!

Puffy dough balls in a buttery, sugary, cinnamon-y bed.

As the rolls bake, the pudding, butter and sugar blend together to form the most fabulous, gooey, stick sauce ever.

Not even kidding.

So you can serve them straight out of the pan like this, or you can invert them in another 9x13 dish.

If you invert them, the sauce drizzles all over the rolls and coats them.  Ugh.  Too good to even describe.  But it can be a messy job to invert the dish, so if you leave them in the baking dish, then just turn them over on the plate when you serve.

Like this.

Company or not, please make these soon.  Beyond good.

Overnight Cinnamon Rolls

15 frozen dough balls (like Rhodes' brand)
3 oz. package cook-n-serve vanilla pudding
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
1 stick butter, melted

Spray a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray.  Evenly space the frozen dough balls in the dish.  Sprinkle on top the pudding, brown sugar and cinnamon.  Drizzle the melted butter on top.

Cover the dish with plastic wrap and sit on the counter overnight. (at least 8-10 hours)

In the morning, remove the plastic wrap.  The rolls have risen!  Bake in a 350 degree oven for 15-20 minutes.  Don't overbake.  Invert the rolls on a large platter or a clean 9x13 baking dish.  You want the sticky sauce to coat the rolls!  (Or you can scoop the rolls out and invert them individually on each plate.)

Pasta Salad with Asparagus, Feta and Tomatoes

The other night I needed a fast side dish to go with our leftover meatloaf.

I had a random assortment of things in the fridge/pantry, and I threw them together for this pasta salad.

It was a hit with everyone!  My girls loved it, my husband loved it, and Baby Bear scarfed it down.

I had pesto in my freezer...always a good idea.

I had pasta in the pantry...as I always do.  I wanted to use orzo, but I didn't have enough...so I used this ditalini.  I liked it.  But Israeli couscous would also be great (just don't use regular couscous; it's too small).

I thought grape tomatoes would add great freshness and color.

And this asparagus was perfect.  I cut it small, about the same size as the pasta.

And what could be wrong with feta cheese???

I mixed the pasta and asparagus with the dressing while the pasta was still warm so that it really soaked up the dressing...it was so creamy and delicious.  It was great warm and room temperature.

I had it the next day for lunch and it was delicious cold as well!

I mean, you can't go wrong.

Are you picking up what I'm putting down?

Good.  Then go make some pasta salad because it's already AUGUST and I don't want summer to be over -- EVER!

Pasta Salad with Asparagus, Feta and Tomatoes

2 cups (about 8 oz.) dry short-cut pasta (I used ditalini; orzo or Israeli (pearl) couscous would also be good)
1 bunch asparagus, woody ends trimmed off and then chopped into small pieces
8-10 oz. grape tomatoes, sliced in half or thirds
4-6 oz. feta cheese, crumbled

Creamy Lemon Pesto Dressing:
3/4 cup pesto
1/2 cup mayonnaise
Juice of 1 lemon

Cook the pasta in boiling salted water.  Add the asparagus for the last 2-3 minutes of cooking time.  Drain the pasta and asparagus in a colander.

In a large bowl, whisk together the ingredients for the dressing.  Add the pasta and asparagus (while it's still hot) and toss to combine.  Stir in the grape tomatoes.  Add the feta cheese on top (you can stir it in, but you won't see it in the green dressing if you stir it up).  Serve warm, at room temperature or chilled.

Green Rice

Finally!  Here is the green rice I served with the jerk chicken and pineapple salsa.

I used to make this rice regularly, but then I had kids and forgot about this rice.

I wonder what else I've forgotten that I don't even know that I forgot.

My husband and I loved this rice when I used to make it a few years ago!  And we loved it again when I whipped it out last week.

And my kids loved it.  But my kids really love rice, so I wasn't surprised that they scarfed it down.

Don't be deceived by the poblano peppers - they're not "sicy," as Middle Sis says.  They give the rice great flavor and color without heat.

So you want to toast the rice in the pan with a little bit of oil, and then you want to make the green broth in the food processor.

Just whir together the onion, peppers, garlic and cilantro with half of the chicken stock.

Then strain the pureed pepper/cilantro mixture directly into the rice pan.

Voila!  Green rice.  This rice is really great with enchiladas, too.  But then again, what isn't.

I know the rice doesn't look green in this picture.  Blame the camera or the photographer, but trust me, the rice is green in real life.

Happy Weekend, y'all!

Green Rice
Adapted from Creating a Stir

1 onion, peeled and quartered
2 poblano peppers, seeded, deveined and quartered
3 garlic cloves
1 bunch cilantro
2 cups chicken stock, divided
1/2 tsp salt
1 T olive oil
1 cup long-grain white rice

Place the onion, poblanos, garlic, cilantro and one cup of chicken stock into the bowl of a food processor and puree.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan.  Toast the rice over medium heat for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently (don't let it burn!).  Stir in the second cup of chicken stock and the salt.  Place a strainer over the pot and pour in the pureed green mixture, letting the liquid drain into the rice.

Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for about 25 minutes until the rice is cooked through and the liquid is absorbed.

Pineapple Salsa

Okay, so I already showed you my jerk chicken.

Now I need to show you the pineapple salsa I made to go with it.

I love salsa!  All kinds of salsa. I actually have so many salsa recipes that I created a new category in my recipe box just for salsas.  You're welcome.

This pineapple salsa was all that I wanted it to be.  It's a basic fresh pico recipe, just using fresh pineapple instead of tomatoes.

And if you use canned pineapple instead of fresh, I will hurt you.

I also added red bell pepper.  It adds a great color, texture and flavor.  Plus, red peppers are super cheap right now.  And they're full of vitamin C!  Is that enough reasons to convince you to add the red pepper?

Okay.  Chop chop.

Stir stir.

Yum yum.

Oh and by the way, I have no idea why my pictures are such an unlovely color.  The food was lovely, it was delicious, and my pictures are just not doing it justice.

All that to say: please don't judge my food by my mediocre camera skills.

Pineapple Salsa

3 cups finely diced pineapple (about 3/4 of a fresh pineapple)
1 red bell pepper, minced
1 jalapeno, minced (I left this out for my family but I would have liked the heat)
1 bunch cilantro leaves, minced
1 red onion, minced
2 limes, juiced
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp sugar

Stir together all of the ingredients.  Serve immediately or refrigerate until serving.

Jerk Chicken

I was in Grand Cayman the first time I ate Jerk Chicken.

It was the Christmas of my junior year of college, and my family spent the week after Christmas in Grand Cayman.

It was awesome.  We went to Stingray City and I'm pretty sure a stingray climbed all the way up my body and sat on my head.  While I screamed.

And we went to some great local restaurant one night, where I ordered the jerk chicken.  I had never eaten jerk chicken, and I loved it!

So I've been making this recipe from The Bunny cookbook for years...and we love it.  My husband.  My kids. Me.

It's just delicious - sweet, spicy (but not hot), and wonderfully warm from the cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and cloves.

You've got to try it.  I served it with green rice and pineapple salsa.

It's as close as I can get to Grand Cayman from Kentucky.

Jerk Chicken
Adapted from Creating a Stir

4-6 boneless skinless chicken breasts (I cut them into strips)
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1 onion, diced
3 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 T fresh thyme leaves, roughly chopped (or about 2 tsp dried)
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp ground cloves
2 tsp ground nutmeg
2 tsp ground allspice
2 tsp cinnamon

Puree ingredients except for chicken in a food processor.  Place the chicken in a gallon-size food storage bag and pour the marinade over the top. Marinate in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours (overnight is good too!), turning occasionally so that the marinade reaches all of the chicken.

Grill the chicken, discarding the marinade, for 4-6 minutes per side, until cooked through.