Choco Taco with Sweet Corn Ice Cream

no need to wait on the ice cream truck

By a far mile my favorite dessert is ice cream. Eating ice cream nearly anytime of the day is one of the best things about summer. I remember going to Dairy Queen with my mom in the middle of the day to get a Blizzard or Chocolate Dipped Ice Cream Cone. There was no rhyme or reason, my mom just wanted to treat. No wonder it's my favorite!

For this post I've done something a little different and I'm using a Food Network Sweet Corn Ice Cream recipe as my base. I've then re-imagined it into a Choco Taco. The sweet and salty combination is a little different than the ice cream truck version, but I think it's better. Try this out, here's how...

Recipe - Makes 6 Tacos
Sweet Corn Ice Cream
6 Crunchy Taco Shells
4oz. Semi Sweet Chocolate, cut into chunks
4oz. Butter, cut into chunks
1T Corn Syrup
3T Salted Peanuts, chopped

Directions

First make the Sweet Corn Ice Cream following the directions provided by the Food Network. Omit the topping suggestions. This can be made a day ahead and then softened to put into the taco shells. However, I stuffed the taco shells just after churning the ice cream (see below).

After the ice cream has churned, gently stuff the taco shells. Fill each one so that there are no air pockets and the taco shell is full. Place the stuffed shells into a high-sided dish, cover with plastic wrap, and put this into the freezer. Freeze for at least 2 hours.

Before serving, make the chocolate sauce. In a microwave safe bowl add the chopped chocolate. Microwave in 30 second intervals until the chocolate is melted. Add in the butter and stir until melted. Add in the corn syrup and mix well. Dip the top half of the taco into the chocolate mixture. Top with chopped peanuts. Allow the tacos to harden for 2 minutes and serve. Enjoy an ice cream truck favorite at home!

 

Corn Crab Cakes with Sweet & Spicy Sauce

delicate crab cakes studded with sweet golden nuggets

One of my favorite things to order at a restaurant are crab cakes. They can be made in so many different ways and paired with many different flavors. One of the best crab cakes I've ever had is at WG Kitchen & Bar. WG is a local Ohio restaurant with 7 locations. If you can make it to one, I highly recommend the dinner portion crab cakes. The appetizer version, while good, is not stuffed with nearly as much crab.

I've taken a stab at creating my own version of a crab cake. And, while I have to say these are tasty, they didn't work out exactly how I wanted them to. The plan was to cook them on the stove top, but these are so delicate that I had to finish them off in the oven...they were never going to make the flip. If you are up for a bit of trial and error, take a stab at making these yourself. Here's how...

Recipe - Serves 4
Corn Crab Cakes
12oz. Lump Crab Meat, drained & picked over for shells
2 Ears Corn
1C Panko, more as needed
1 Egg
2 Scallions, chopped
1/4C Cilantro, chopped
1T Soy Sauce
2T Peanut Oil

Sweet & Spicy Sauce
3T Honey
1T Sambal Oelek

Directions

Begin by making the cakes: combine the crab, corn (cut kernels off), panko, egg, scallions, cilantro, and soy sauce in a large bowl. Mix well first with a fork and then with your hands. Try to form a loose cake. If the mixture is too wet, add more panko a little at a time until a loose cake can be formed. Build 8 cakes - there will be bits of corn that won't incorporate, this is okay.

After forming the cakes, heat the peanut oil on med-high in a large caste iron skillet (or oven proof skillet). Also, preheat the broiler to high and move the oven rack up to the second spot from the top. When the oil is nearly smoking add the cakes. Allow them to cook for 2-3 minutes. Transfer the skillet to the oven and continue cooking the cakes until they are golden brown, approximately 6-8 minutes.

While the cakes are cooking in the oven, make the sweet and spicy sauce. Combine the honey and sambal in a small dish; mix well. Sambal Oelek can be found in the international aisle of a regular grocery store. It will be with the Asian/Thai ingredients. It is full of flavor, but be careful...it is spicy!

Plate the cakes and drizzle a little of the sauce over top. I served these with a side salad. Fingers crossed yours turn out like mine! :)

Mexican Style Cornbread

what vegetable can you throw away the outside, cook the inside, eat the outside, and then throw away the inside?

CORN! Fresh on the cob corn bursts with natural sweetness this time of year. It is the perfect accompaniment for so many meals. I will never forget the summer of my 7th birthday when my mama had to cut my corn off the cob. I had lost both of my front baby teeth and it was impossible for me to eat. I was so disappointed!

This cornbread recipe calls for cutting corn off the cob too, but I promise you won't be disappointed. My family has been making this for many years. I'm not sure where the recipe came from, but it is easy and delicious. It also makes a ton. Serve this at your next cookout - here's how to make it...

Ingredients - Serves 8-10
1 Box Miracle Maize Cornbread Mix (plus ingredients on back to make cornbread)
1 Can Cream Style Corn
2/3C Salsa Con Queso (suggest Tostitos)
1 Ear Corn, kernels cut off
1 Jalapeno, sliced
Butter, for greasing

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Grease a large caste iron pan or 13x9 baking dish. In a large bowl prepare the cornbread mix according to package directions (omit the oil). Stir in the cream corn and salsa con queso. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and top with the fresh corn kernels and jalapenos. Bake for 28-30 minutes or until golden brown.

Allow the cornbread to cool for 2-3 minutes and then slice and serve. Perhaps you could tell my corn-y joke too??

Watermelon & Basil Granita

an icy cold dessert for hot summer days

We are experiencing a heat wave over nearly the entire US! Cincy has experienced low to mid-90s for the past week (feels like 100+) with little relief in sight. On top of the high temperatures, we have nasty thick humidity here. I feel like I can't breath most days and I've been spending less time outside on my new deck. Sad!

In an effort to experience some relief, I've turned to making this easy and, most importantly, cold dessert. A granita is honestly just a fancy term for slushy. It is made over the course of a few hours and requires some attention. But, all in all, it is an easy summery dessert. Make this to cool off. Here's how...

Ingredients - Serves 4
4C Seedless Watermelon, cut into pieces
1/2C Water
1/4C Granulated Sugar
3 Sprigs Basil (approx. 15 leaves)

Directions
First make the simple syrup: combine the water and sugar in a small sauce pan. Heat over medium until all of the sugar is dissolved. Remove from the heat and add 2 sprigs of basil (approx. 10 leaves). Allow the syrup to cool completely; about 45 minutes.

While the syrup infuses with basil flavor, puree the watermelon in a blender. I had to push the watermelon down into the blender with a spoon at first. Once some liquid is created, it will puree without help. Be sure to puree until smooth. This mixture can be strained through a fine mesh sieve if necessary.

Once the syrup is cool remove the basil leaves, discard. Add the syrup to the pureed watermelon and stir. Pour the mixture into an 8x8 glass dish and place in the freezer. Allow the mixture to freeze for 1 hour. Remove and scrape the top icy layer with a fork. This will break up the ice crystals to create the slushy form. Freeze for 2 more hours, scraping each hour.

After 3 hours the granita should be ready. Scoop out 4 servings and garnish with a few basil leaves. Chill out!

Watermelon Summer Salad

simple supper + summer = salad

One of my favorite things about summer is how easy meals can be. Nearly anything you get at the store or farmer's market is fresh and requires little to no preparation. Meals also tend to be much simpler. When I cook it's usually on the grill. When I don't cook I turn to salads.

This watermelon salad is one of my favorite go-tos. It requires few ingredients, but still offers something a little bit different. It is flexible in terms of what you have on hand and can be made for many or just a few. When you just don't have the time or energy to cook this summer try it out. Here's how...

Ingredients - Serves 4
2C Diced Watermelon (1in. cubes)
5oz. Feta Cheese
1/2C Diced Cucumber
1/4C Thinly Sliced Red Onion
1/2C Slivered Almonds, toasted
Mixed Spring Greens, large box
Optional: Grilled Chicken, sliced (2 breasts)
Extra Virgin Olive Oil & Balsamic Vinegar

Directions
Begin by preparing all of your ingredients. Dice the watermelon and cucumber. Thinly slice the onion. Grill and slice the chicken, if using. I suggest using a grill seasoning or just salt & peper on the chicken. Finally, toast the almonds in a small dry skillet. I suggest standing at the stove and watching the almonds toast...they burn quickly and easily. My husband can attest to that - I burned a whole bag while trying to make this last night and he had to run out to get another one!

After all of the ingredients are prepared, build the salad. Fill a large plate with the spring greens, top with cucumber, onion, watermelon, feta, almonds, and chicken. Finally drizzle about 2T each of balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil over the whole salad. Enjoy this simple supper that celebrates summer!

Watermelon "Fire & Ice" Salsa

fireworks in your mouth

My husband starts asking me in April if we can get a watermelon. That's about the time they start showing up in the store. I always have to disappoint him with a no. Well, it's finally watermelon time! It is the only melon that we like and it is summer.

I received this recipe for a watermelon salsa from one of my old coworkers. I was hesitant to try it. I couldn't imagine eating watermelon with jalapeno and red onion would be good. I'm here to tell you that it is. This salsa is such a surprise and all of the flavors explode into a wonderfully sweet and spicy salsa. It is the perfect summer appetizer. Make it today, Independence Day, and share it with friends and family. Here's how...

Recipe - Serves 6-8
4C Watermelon, diced
2 Jalapenos, minced
1/2C Red Onion, minced
1/3C Cilantro, finely chopped
2 Limes, juiced (approx. 1/4C juice)
Tortilla Chips, for serving

Directions

Breakdown the watermelon, remove the rind (discard), and dice into about fourth inch cubes. Mince the jalapenos, can remove the seeds for less heat, and onion. Chop the cilantro. Combine all of these ingredients into a large bowl. Add the lime juice and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Serve the salsa with tortilla chips. I find that the scoop type of chips work best. Ooh and aah over this flavor combination. Enjoy!

The Brooklyn Cocktail

1,2, yep, 3 strikes we wouldn't have been at the ball game

 I suppose I should tell you the whole reason we went to NYC for vacation. Steven and I are working our way around the US visiting all 32 of the baseball stadiums (we've now made it to 7). Traveling to NYC this year, we were able to check two more off our list.

First we visited the Met's stadium. It was, what felt like, in the middle of nowhere. We took the subway out to the park and enjoyed a beautiful day of baseball. It was about 70 degrees and there was a nice breeze. Steven and I felt so lucky to have had such a nice day. I guess we shouldn't have expected that to be the case for the Yankee's game as well...

We ended up visited the Yankee's stadium twice. We purchased tickets for the Tuesday night game (we were to leave Wednesday afternoon). Well, it decided to rain Tuesday and the game was postponed until Wednesday afternoon. We were bummed and worried we wouldn't be able to rearrange our flight the next day. So, when we got back to Manhattan, we decided to visit a local bar, The Rum House. The drinks and bartender were great! We cheered up a bit with a drink called The Brooklyn, a twist on the classic Manhattan. Oh, and everything worked out in the end. We were able to push our flight back to make the game. Next time you're feeling blue, try this cocktail, it might cheer you up...

Recipe - Serves 1
2oz. Rye Bourbon or Whiskey
1oz. Dry Vermouth
1/4oz. Maraschino Liqueur
1/4oz. Ramazzotti
Orange Twist
Ice

Directions
Fill a tall glass with ice. Add the bourbon, vermouth, maraschino, liqueur, and ramazzotti. Stir until well chilled. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Chase those blues away...