My Ode to Corn

Oh my, I don't think I can tell you how much I love corn!

With our CSA, we've been getting at least 6 ears of corn a week. Some may get tired of all this corn, but not I. I usually run out before I get to try all the recipes I want and have to wait until the next week. There was actually a week where I bought 3 or 4 extra ears of corn at the Farmers Market just because I needed them for all of my ambitious goals for the week.

Corn is such a versatile plant and is truly an amazing thing in and of itself. So much of our world relies on corn since every part of corn is able to be used. I did learn an interesting fact this week. The minute that corn is picked, its kernels begin the process of turning to starch. Therefore, corn is best used (and sweetest) within the first couple days after it's been picked. Does that mean you can't use it later in the week? Of course not. But it sure does make you wonder how long it's been since it's been picked when you buy it at the grocery store. Just another reason to go local and support your friendly farmer neighbors!

I've used corn in at least 2-3 meals a week, but I thought I'd share my favorites that I've repeated a couple times already this summer.

The recipe for Corn with Bacon and Green Onions was definitely a hit on the 4th of July, so we ate it again for my dad's birthday alongside some Spinach-Walnut Chicken. I believe this dish is an excellent compliment to any meal...that is if it doesn't steal the show!

Another absolute favorite is Summer Stir-Fry! This is originally from Pioneer Woman and it is absolutely delicious! You could easily do it with chicken instead of shrimp, but oh boy, that shrimp is so yummy! My friend, Faith, saw this recipe the same time I did and we made it within a week of each other. Once she told me how truly delicious it was, I just had to make it right away. We've both had to limit how many times we make it...it's just that good! You can check out the recipe here on her blog or you can scope out the original over at Pioneer Woman.


Summer Salsa is an absolute must! Got this recipe from Faith last year and it is so refreshing! Please take note that it is not a spicy salsa, but a sweet one full of great CSA vegetables. I recommend it with some organic blue corn chips for an awesome snack!

Finally, I'm leaving you with Fire Roasted Corn Salad. This is a recipe from a little ole gourmet cooking store that I love and I just think this is such a tasty side dish! It's got everything I love in it!

You need:

• Juice of 3 limes
• 2 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 tsp. chili powder
• 3/4 cup olive oil
• Coarse salt and pepper, to taste
• 6 ears of corn
• 3 cups cherry tomatoes, stemmed and halved
• 1/2 cup diced red onion
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/4 lb. feta cheese, diced

NOTE: I halved this recipe and still made plenty for just the two of us. The only thing I didn't halve was the feta cheese because, well, I think feta cheese is fantastic and should be used liberally.

In a bowl, whisk together the lime juice, ground cumin, and chili powder. Pour in the 3/4 cup olive oil in a slow, steady stream while whisking to make a vinaigrette. Season with salf and pepper. Set aside.

Prepare your corn. You can either grill it by brushing some oil on them and turning them over a medium-hot fire until lightly charred for about 10 minutes.....OR if it's absolutely sweltering outside and you really don't feel like creating a fire and grilling, boil your corn until cooked. You don't have to do it for too long because you don't want to overcook your corn until it's mushy.

Using a knife (or a corn zipper) cut off all of your kernels and place in a large bowl. Add your tomatoes, onion, cilantro, feta, and the vinaigrette and toss to coat evenly. I think it's great when you serve it immediately, but I also like it when it's cooled down. Makes a great side dish.


And yes, all of these recipes were made with organic ingredients and were all gluten-free...except for that Vanilla Porter in the above picture. That's just full of gluten!

I love corn!

Now go buy some and share some more yummy dishes with me!

Thai Green Beans (GF & Organic)

OK, confession....last week, I was in a major cooking slump!

I started working on my classroom to get back into the school year which is all too quickly approaching and by the time I came home...I just didn't wanna cook.

I think this is totally human of me and it was honestly nice to have some days off where I was 100% lazy. We did go out and enjoy some Japanese food one night which was absolutely fabulous! But I'm back in the routine this week and had some pictures/recipes that I wanted to post up here that fell to the wayside also last week. Seriously, what am I going to do once school starts. It's like I have to completely reorient myself with that way of life again!

Made these green beans as a side dish a few weeks back. They were featured as the recipe of the week on Simply in Season's website. My friend, Faith, has this cookbook and I loved it, but I have yet to purchase it. I've been using their recipe of the week for a few months now and they always turn out great. They always feature what is in season at this time so it's very helpful with my CSA.

For this, you need:

• 5 cups fresh green beans
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 2 Tb. ginger root, peeled and minced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tsp. sesame oil
• 3 Tb. GF soy sauce
• 2 Tb. GF Thai sweet chili sauce
• 1 cup extra firm tofu, crumbled (optional)
  

All vegetables/ingredients were organic. As a side note, the tofu is completely optional and would be just fine without it. I understand being skeptical, but my hubs is always wanting to try new stuff so I went with it and it was very good. I would recommend not only because it tasted good, but because it is so good for you! Totally up to you though.

Steam your green beans 8-10 minutes until they are bright green and lightly crunchy.

Get your onions, ginger, and garlic all chopped, peeled, and minced.

In the sesame oil, saute onions, garlic, and ginger over medium heat until the onion is tender. Takes about 5 minutes.

Add your soy sauce and sweet chili sauce. You can measure it out or just add to taste.

Add your tofu (if you choose) and cook for another 5 minutes.

Add your green beans and stir to coat them with the sauce. Simmer over medium-low heat for 5 more minutes.

You can eat these over rice if you want to make a whole meal out of it, but we served it on the side with some chicken and potatoes and saved all the leftovers for lunch over the next couple days.

Spicy Chicken with Tomatillo and Pine-Nut Salsa (GF)

Mark really wanted to try tomatillos this week. Therefore, I obliged and found a recipe at Tasty Kitchen that I thought we'd both really enjoy. Tasty Kitchen is becoming my "go-to" on great recipes!

This recipe called for the grilled chicken to be marinaded and then you just make the salsa as an addition. I chose this because I already had some pine nuts left over from when I made pesto.

For the first part, you need:

4 pieces of boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1/3 c lime juice (I didn't have enough lime so I added lemon and it tasted just dandy!)
2 T. olive oil

1 tsp. chili powder

1/2 tsp. garlic salt

1/2 tsp. cumin

1 dash of salt & pepper each

Mix all of those ingredients together and put in a plastic bag with the chicken. The recipe said to let it marinade for at least 30 minutes. I would let it marinade a couple hours to get the good flavor in there.

You (or your hubs!) will grill this chicken when you are ready to eat.

For the salsa, you need:

4 whole tomatillos
fresh cilantro
1 bell pepper (any color, I chose green)
1 fresh jalapeno
2 T. pine nuts
2 T. lime juice (or lemon)
1 tsp. sea salt

I was thrilled to use some fresh cilantro from my very own herb box! The smell was unbelievable and it was better than any cilantro I've bought in the store.

I am HORRIBLE at gardening, but my cilantro was the most productive in my attempt to grow something outside my kitchen window. I can't tell you how excited I was to use this!

Chop up your cilantro and add it to your diced tomatillos.

Dice up your green peppers and jalapeno and add them to the party.

Squeeze in your lime/lemon juice, add your pine nuts, and your sea salt.

Mix all of that together to make some deliciousness!

Serve the chicken and salsa on some seasoned rice and enjoy!

Mark and I absolutely cleaned our plates on this one. I just kept trying to get bites that included rice, chicken, and salsa together. The flavors went so well together!

When we finish eating, I always ask Mark, "Repeat?" He lets me know if it's worth keeping the recipe or not for another time.

This is definitely a "repeat" in our house.

Lemon-Basil Ice Cream (GF & Organic)

So, while staying on this basil kick, I figured I'd add my recipe for Lemon-Basil ice cream.

Don't knock it until you try it!

It was the most refreshing ice cream I've had. So incredibly yummy! Mark and I gobbled it up (see my previous post about his love for basil pesto) before I could even get a finish product picture of it. Sorry!

I got the original idea from a recipe for Lemon-Basil yogurt in my Taste of Home magazine and decided to adapt it to what I wanted.

Here's what you need:

1 cup organic cream
3 cup organic milk
4 organic egg yolk
2/3 cup organic sugar, divided
1 bunch of fresh basil
1 organic lemon
1 T organic vanilla (Those observant eyes will see that I didn't have any organic vanilla that day...oops!)
salt
organic walnuts, optional

Put the milk, cream, zest from the lemon, salt, and 1/3 cup of sugar in a medium-large saucepan. Squeeze the juice from your lemon and tear up your basil leaves and place in the cream mixture. Bring almost to a boil, but remove from heat before it gets to a boil.

Cover the mixture with a lid and let it steep for at least 30 minutes. The longer it steeps, the better the flavor.

In a separate bowl, beat your egg yolks, the remaining sugar, and vanilla for about a minute or until pale.

This is where I removed the basil. You could leave the basil in during the next step and it'd be fine and I know some recipes leave the basil in, but I didn't want a gritty texture, so I removed the basil here.

Take about 2 Tb. of the cream mixture and place in the eggs. Whisk it in. Add another Tb or so and whisk in. It's important to temper your eggs so that they don't scramble when you add them to your warm mixture. Then you may transfer your egg mixture into your lemon mixture.

Cook this for 4-6 minutes on medium heat or until it coats the back of a spoon.

Let this cool completely either in the fridge for a few hours or in an ice bath for about 30 minutes.

Once cooled, put in your ice cream maker and let it do it's thing.

In the last 5 minutes, you may add the walnuts if you like. I thought this was a great addition!

Like I said, I don't have any final pictures because we ate it too quickly. It was the perfect after dinner dessert because it was so cool and refreshing!

Enjoy!

Basil Pesto (GF)

My cute husband can't seem to get enough pesto in his life. He puts it on pizza, his eggs, his tofu, everything. He'll even eat it by the spoonful.

Last week at the Farmer's Market, I was buying the next to last batch of basil and the lady just threw the last one in for free! How kind!

So, I figured I'd make some of that pesto that my hubs loves so dearly.

Really easy and I will probably continue to make it from here on out rather than buying it. I made a small batch due to only having a tiny food processor (I would love a bigger one).

This was a culmination of looking at several different recipes and just putting in the amounts that I wanted.

It was so refreshing!

Here's what I used:

3-4 Tb. pine nuts
2 cloves of garlic
2-3 cups of fresh basil leaves (I only had about 2 because I used a lot of my basil in my ice cream)
1/2 cup organic olive oil

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper, to taste

**The only reason I didn't title this as organic as well is the fact that I didn't have any organic cheese and I'm honestly not sure if the pine nuts were organic or not. Could be easily made organic...just didn't have all the ingredients on hand.**

Place your pine nuts and garlic in your food processor and chop it coarsley.

Add half of your basil and chop coarsely again.

Add the remaining basil and your olive oil and process until you have a thick green sauce.

I thought I went too heavy on the olive oil here, but it still turned out well. But if it's too thin, add more basil and if it's too thick, add more olive oil.

Add your cheese and season with salt and pepper. Process it for a little bit longer.

Place in a jar or other container and place in your fridge.

Enjoy at your convenience!

For the record, the cute husband loved it!

A Gorgeous Gal

I am proud to introduce to the world my beautiful baby niece, Noa Grace!

Isn't she just perfect in every way???

I am a glowing aunt!!!

Since she was born in CA, it will be some time before I'm able to meet her face to face, but I can't wait to see her and kiss those sweet little cheeks! I haven't been able to stop staring at the picture since I got it. What can I say, she's a Bennett!

You can be sure I'll add plenty more pictures as I get them!

Someone You Should Know..........Daniel Durick

For my 3rd installment, I chose to feature Daniel Durick. This one is one that I've been in the process of writing for roughly 2 weeks. I have fumbled over my words and have had a hard time forming all of my thoughts and emotions into something that is legible.

I've known Daniel for 23 years. He is my little brother. His birth is actually my very first memory. I was a few months shy of being 3 years old when he was born, and while I don't remember a whole lot, I do recall knowing that this was a huge addition to my life.

There are stories of how I prayed to God for a little sister when my mom was pregnant with him, but God knows what's best and I sure am glad he gave me a brother. I don't know if I could have handled a sister.

But honestly, there were days where I could've done without him. Daniel had this inept ability to know exactly what my triggers were and he liked to push EVERY button. He absolutely tortured me when we were kids! We can laugh about it now, but I still shudder when I think of all the times he bit me, times he hit me, or times he just pushed me to the point of tears (which was often...I was a very sensitive child). I think he got me to cry several times a week.

As your typical siblings, we just kept our distance for a while. We always had a good time on vacations and such, but it wasn't until my senior year of high school that the sibling rivalry started to die down a bit.

At the end of my senior year, I started dating Mark and then I went off to college to live. I'm sure Daniel loved this. He didn't have me there all the time playing the big sister role and reminding him of what he was SUPPOSED to do all the time.

But I will say this, I have loved watching the relationship between Mark and my brother develop since we've been together. Mark truly considers Daniel to be his brother and I believe Daniel feels the same way. They went hiking on the Appalachian Trial together, play softball together, train like maniacs at the gym, and they of course bond over all of their amazing abilities in water sports when we go to the lake. I love watching them together because they get each other laughing all the time and watching the two of them laugh is one of my favorite things in the world!

While I was away, Daniel developed into an amazing musician. Music has always been a big part of both of our lives. I would say that was probably a result of our parents always singing us to sleep every night. I remember when Daniel decided to start playing the drums. He was terrible...as any new musician who'd never played before may be. However, drums are something Daniel really stuck to and he got good. And I mean, GOOD!

Daniel played in a band all throughout high school and played in several throughout college. I enjoyed going to his shows and I always welled up with pride as I watched how far my little brother had come. I knew he was good and I loved watching others experience it too. Daniel gave up playing in his bands a couple years ago for his own reasons that I completely understand and support, but he still enjoys jamming with some of his best friends from high school. I would love to see a reunion show.

Daniel is also an amazing athlete! He seriously blows me out of the water. He featured a video on his blog recently that was made by an organization and one quote they kept repeating stuck with me about a way to describe Daniel. It went something like, "There are those that say they can't, and there are those that say they can and they do." Daniel CAN!

Daniel is always coming up with these out-of-this-world goals for himself of something he'd just like to "try". It started out with running a marathon. You can see from the picture above that he completed it and he did really well.

After that, Daniel wanted to run a triathalon. We all went to watch him and he did outstanding. Finally, Daniel wanted to do the Half Iron Man Triathalon in Hawaii. This is swimming 1.3 miles, biking 56 miles, and running a half marathon. I can't even imagine it and he did it. Not only did he do it, but he came in 5th in his age division! He's truly an outstanding athlete and I wouldn't be surprised if this is just the beginning. We may see him in the full Iron Man before we know it!

Daniel is also about as genuine as it gets. What you see is what you get. He has a great sense of humor and like I said before, his laugh is one of my favorites. He tells a great story too which I've been able to enjoy a few over a beer or two. He gives the best hugs that someone can give and he has a wonderful ability to make everyone that he knows feel valued. Daniel is a wonderful listener and a joy to just be around. I feel privileged to have been able to go on countless vacations with him over the years and every one of these is so full of memories (good and bad) that we just love to rehash and laugh over together.

You really could not ask for a better brother!

Just last year, Daniel graduated from college at NKU. We were so proud to watch him graduate with honors in the communications department. He worked so hard in college and was incredibly successful. While in school, Daniel interned at a local Cincinnati TV station where he built some amazing friendships and Daniel would continue to work there after college while living in the Cincinnati area. He is superb at filming and editing video. I'm in awe of his artistic eye for making videos and I love every single one of them.

While in school, Daniel had to do an internship for school that did not involve his TV station. Our parents have friends that are missionaries down in Ecuador that own a Christian TV & radio station. Daniel decided to go down to Ecuador for a month and work there to get some experience. Our family was thrilled because we had all been to Ecuador before and while Daniel thought that he'd gain experience and insight into the communications world, God had much bigger plans for Daniel and his life.

During his trip, I think Daniel only got to work at TV station for one day. The rest of the time, he was carted along with all of the other missionaries. He worked with groups in the jungles to build churches, he played with the children, and altogether found a new path in life. I think this is where Daniel found what a true relationship with God looked like. You can read back through his blog during his travels and see the dramatic difference God was making in his life. Tears come to my eyes as I think about what a changed person Daniel was when he came back. Anyone who knows him can attest to it.

Not only was Daniel's relationship with God sparked, but so was his love for travel. We had tried to convince Daniel to try traveling earlier, but he just wasn't really that interested. That was fine, but I think we all knew how much Daniel would like it based on his personality. Since his Ecuador trip, Daniel seems to not be able to get enough travel.

I remember one weekend at my parents' house, Daniel just said, "Oh, did I tell you I'm going on a trip and I'm leaving Monday?" (typical statement) To which I replied, "No. Where are you going?" As nonchalant as he could be (and he truly is this way), he simply said, "Iceland".

When I asked him what made him decide Iceland, he just said, "I don't know, I looked it up and it looked pretty neat."

Oh, to be able to just pick up your stuff and go. Daniel has a very adventurous personality and traveling is just perfect for him. Which leads me to the next journey in Daniel's life.

Daniel applied and interviewed with an organization called The World Race with Adventures in Missions. He was accepted last summer and has been preparing for the last year to embark on a journey around the world. The World Race's purpose is to travel the world to share God's love and to help those in need.

Daniel has raised money for the last year to help fund his trip. Daniel was worried that the money would be an issue, but with the help of family and friends, Daniel got his trip funded with no problems. From there, Daniel went on to sell all of his possessions (this went toward his trip cost as well) and has just taken off to travel the world for the next 11 months. His newstation did a wonderful story on him about a month ago on his journey.

He is currently in Santo Domingo for just a few more days before heading to Haiti for the month. He will be then go on to Dominican Republic, Ireland (for just a few days), I believe the Turkey/Greece area, Africa (for about 4 months), and SE Asia (another 4 months). Things can always change...and they probably will, but they will continue to go where God leads them.

His team (only about 7 people) will live off roughly $25 a day for food. Daniel is responsible for everyone's money and budgeting, which means he will have quite a task at hand. He is also videotaping their adventures during the trip. You can follow him on his blog (link is also on the right) and feel free to support him or adopt his team (Team Green Light) in prayer.

Seeing my little brother off at the airport was incredibly difficult to say the least. There were many tears that were mainly selfish because of how much he will be missed. I love him more than words can express and I am truly the proudest big sister that there ever was or will be. I know that God is going to do amazing things through Daniel and I can't wait to watch and follow him as he experiences it all.

Daniel is genuine, trustworthy, respectful, fun, adventurous, caring, honest, a great friend, a fantastic brother, can strike up a conversation with ANYONE, cool under pressure, has a heart for God, and will undoubtedly do huge things through Christ during the next year!

So if you don't already know him.....

Daniel Durick is someone you should know!

Please continue to cover him in your prayers!

A Dessert Fit for Fourth of July (GF & Organic)

After our delicious Fourth of July meal, I decided that I needed a dessert that would fit in with the magnitude of this wonderful holiday! I wanted something light and I wanted something summery. I decided to try a recipe from a certain gourmet kitchen store that I may or may not receive a paycheck from occasionally.

This is a recipe for Mango Pineapple Sorbet.

I have adapted it to be completely organic and it was already GF...yay!

For this mouthwatering dessert, you will require:



2 organic mangoes, peeled and pitted (easier said than done)
3 Tb. fresh squeezed organic lime juice
2/3 cup organic sugar
1 cup fresh organic pineapple, chopped fine

I also added 1 organic red banana.

This was not in the original recipe and it is certainly not needed, but it was just laying there and ended up adding some awesome flavor.

Put your mangoes and bananas in a food processor or blender and puree until smooth.

Add the sugar and lime juice and blend together well.

Now for the pineapple.

Here's one nifty tool that I have put to great use all summer.

My pineapple corer and peeler.

We used to not purchase pineapple because it's impossible to cut it and not end up with the eyes or the hard core part.

In fact, when the hubs wanted to buy one once, I told him he could buy it if he'd cut it. After that night, he was done with pineapple.

....that is, until I brought home my corer...


Makes it SO simple to have fresh pineapple!

Anyway, I digress....

Put your mixture in a large bowl and stir in your 1 cup of pineapple.

I suppose this could be done without taking it out of the blender.

Add your mixture to an ice cream maker and let it do it's thing for the next half hour.

On a side note, my ice cream maker is one of my favorite purchases, hands down!

Look at how yummy that is!

And it was so easy (if you forget that whole pitting/peeling of the mango part). I will be partaking of this dessert for days.

In fact, I could go for some right now...

Happy holidays!