Grilled Corn

I probably won't ever make corn in a pot of boiling water again. Not since discovering how easy and delicious grilling corn is! Not that I haven't had it before, I just haven't done it yet. (With only 4 years of married cooking under my belt, I've still lost of things to try!) With fall approaching (tho with these 100 degree temps it sure don't feel like it!) corn is in season and we really like corn over here! This is our new favorite way to eat it. As a guest said, she was doubting the recipe..until she ate it. She was in love. (Hi, Sonja ;-) ) And we are, too! Apparently, the butter mixture is amazing on grilled salmon, too. I wouldn't know, though. I don't touch sea creatures =)

Grilled Corn

 5 cobs corn

1/2 stick butter, melted

1 tablespoon honey

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp chili powder

Peel pack husks on corn and remove silk. Fold husks back up. You need only about 3 layers of husk, so feel free to peel the rest off and discard. Soak corn for a good 10-15 minutes in water (obviously). grill on medium/high heat turning occasionally for 15 minutes. Mix melted butter with honey, salt, and chili powder. Baste grilled corn and enjoy!!

 

P.S. If you've never had Albino Corn before, try it! I found and heirloom variety at the Farmer's Market and it is super good!!!

Bean Soup

Some mornings I stand in my pajamas, staring blankly at ingredients in my cupboard and think "What the RIP am I going to EVEN make today?!!" I had soaked beans the night before so I started with those.

Well, this morning was one of those times. So I did what I commonly do on those days. Grab my crock pot and start throwing things in it. Sometimes it's a gigantic failure. Other times, it's pretty good! I'd have to say tonight was more on the good then the bad side. My kids liked it and like I've said over and over again, they determine what goes on this blog and what doesn't. If they eat it, I consider it blogworthy. After I took the picture, I decided to add 2 cans worth of pureed beans to the pot to thicken it up into more of a dip-like consistency. Definitely should be done this way!

Bean Soup

3 cups dried beans (I used 2 cups pinto, one cup black)

10 cups water 

Soak beans overnight. In the morning, drain and rinse very well. Put in crock pot. Add:

6 cups water

2 jalapeno, diced finely with no seeds

4 roma tomato, diced finely

1 large onion (sweet!) diced finely

1/3 cup taco seasoning

1 package ranch dressing mix
2 tsp cumin

2 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

4 bay leaves

2 lbs ground beef, browned

Simmer everything on high in crock pot for 8 hours or so. Add liquid if necessary. 

Remove bay leaves  <------ (IMPORTANT).

Serve with sour cream, shredded cheese, and crushed tortilla chips. 

This recipe makes almost 6 quarts of soup so downsize if you don't want to much. I like to freeze this kind of stuff in individual portions for reheating at a later time so that's why I made so much.

Farmer's Market Friday: Onions

The market is bursting with Walla Walla sweet onions so I had to grab some to caramelize up. In my opinion they are the absolute best on grilled sandwiches! Caramelizing onions is easy. Go to >this link< to read the best instructions on how to do it. =) This here isn't a recipe, really, more like an idea to go and run with. Here's what we like on ours!

Grilled Sandwiches 

Bread

Tomato

Mozzarella

Avocado

Onion, caramelized

Sauteed green peppers

Shredded chicken

Assemble ingredients on bread. Heat grill to medium heat and spritz grate with olive oil. Grill both sides until desired crispness. 

Lavender Lemonade

I had the most amazing Lavender Lemonade @ a local bistro/ cupcake shop last night. I knew I had to go home and attempt to recreate it. I was going out on a limb in trying it and I am SO glad I did! It was pure fabulous. So here's my recreation of the recipe. Pouring it into a frosty glass is of course the optimal way to drink this stuff. =) 

Lavender Lemonade

 3 cups water

1 cup honey

1 tablespoon dried lavender flowers

1 1/4 cup lemon juice

3 cups cold water

Bring 2.5 cups water to boil and add honey. Turn burner off and stir in lavender buds. Put cover on and let steep 20 minutes. Strain mixture and add lemon juice and cold water. Chill and serve over ice or in frosted glasses. 

 

Ultimate refreshment! 

Mouthwash

This simple to make mouthwash takes a little bit to get used to, but after using it for about a week now, I've come to actually love it. The combination of herbs is great for destroying bacteria that can cause bad breath and it also helped heal a mouth sore I had got a whole lot faster then normal. Swishing with this twice a day is sure to give you a cleaner, more fresh smile! No more wasting money on mouthwash, anymore!

Mouthwash 

2 cups water

2 tsp honey

1 tsp each, dried spearmint, clove, rosemary, thyme, anise

Bring water to a boil. Add herbs, cover and turn burner off. Let steep a few hours. Strain and stir in honey. I store mine in the fridge though I'm not entirely convinced it's necessary. 

 

And do pardon me if posting gets a bit less frequent. See this pad of paper, here? It's my training schedule for a half marathon I'm running come October. I'd be lying if I said my least favorite days were the "rest" and "easy" ones. =) But come October, I will complete my 13 mile run!