Cheesy Creamy Crock-Pot Corn

So we love to eat at Rudy's 'Country Store' & BBQ especially after we go to SeaWorld. I must say they have the best cream corn, it is sooooo delicious and their BBQ is also super yummy if you are a Texas BBQ person and like lotsa Black Pepper & Heat....Anyway the cream corn inspired me to look around for good recipes....and I found a few that sounded good but just weren't exactly right, well.......I blended a few recipes and came up with this, its not traditional but it was big hit last night at dinner will all of us, including the kids.....Now the recipe calls for sugar and I must say I used super sweet corn and forgot to add the sugar......so if you are using really sweet corn you may not need the sugar.......Ok, so this recipe tastes good but it is not the best for you.....I do love throwing it in the crock pot.....I am thinking I will be using this one for the holidays!.....I am planning mixing the leftovers with some taco meat and black beans and gonna serve it as a dip with chips.....will let you know how it is.....so many leftover possibilities with this recipe....

Serves: 8-10

2 16oz bags Frozen Corn (I found a Sweet Yellow Corn)

1 8oz pkg Cream Cheese

1/2 C Butter

1-2 T Sugar

3 Slices of American Cheese (sounds weird, tastes really good)

1/4 C Whole Milk

Cayenne Pepper, to taste

Black Pepper, to taste

Throw everything into a Crock-Pot and cook on LOW for 3 hours, stirring every 30 min. The first two hours it looks like its never going to be done in 3 hours, but trust me it will be done. I wouldn't cook it on High as you wouldn't want the cheese or milk to scorch.

Grilled Marinated London Broil

This is a great marinade for a cheaper cut of meat. I mainly use it on Top Round for London Broil but also have used it on Tri-Tip Roasts, Flank Steak, Top Sirloin.....I suppose you could use it on any good marinating cut of meat......This is definitely one marinade that I always have everything for......Enjoy experimenting....I have a lot of 1-2's in my recipe cause I do not always measure exact for my marinades.....

5-6 Garlic Cloves, smashed & minced w/1 tsp salt

1/3 C Dry Red Wine

1/3 C Balsamic Vinegar

1-2 T Soy Sauce

1-2 tsp Honey

1/4 tsp Pepper

2 lbs of Top-Round Roast or other cut of Beef such as Tri-Tip Roast (Pic shown above).

Combine all ingredients and pour over meat. Marinate in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours and up to overnight. Grill to desired doneness, we like our beef Medium Rare.......and Enjoy!

Homemade Garlic Bread

I LOVE bread.....especially crunchy rustic breads. I grew up eating the store bought aluminum foil garlic bread, which isn't that bad but I find that is has a tendency to have too much butter and is never crispy enough for me.....So it was high time I made my own.....This was my first attempt and I loved it. I even saved the leftovers in the fridge and reheated in the oven the next day......Anyway this was big hit with all the family.....this could easily be used as a side dish to grilled food or an appetizer with marinara.......

Serves: 6

1/4 C Butter, softened

1-2 T Mayonnaise

3-4 Garlic Cloves, minced

1/2 tsp Dried Oregano

1/2 tsp Dried Basil

1/4-1/2 tsp Black Pepper

1/3 C Shredded Parmesan Cheese

1 loaf Rustic Bread or French Bread, halved lengthwise

Preheat oven broiler. In a medium bowl combine butter, mayonnaise, garlic, oregano, basil, and pepper. Spread mixture evenly between the two halves. Sprinkle with Parmesan Cheese. Broil for 5 min or until toasted to your liking. Slice and Serve.

Tomato Basil Marinated Shrimp

So my husband loves shrimp.....His favorite way to have it is Grilled and we use many different marinades.....Probably a favorite it Cilantro Lime Marinated Shrimp but we created this one with items from our pantry.....It turned out really good and we really enjoyed it. The girls even liked it.....and they can be picky eaters, but I must admit it was their first time having shrimp.....glad we will be able to eat it more often......Think grilled shrimp cocktail......

Serves: 6

4 Garlic Cloves, minced
1/3 cup Olive Oil
1/4 cup Chili Sauce or Tomato sauce
2-3 T Red Wine Vinegar
2 T Fresh Basil, chopped
1/4 tsp Cayenne pepper
Salt & Pepper, to taste
2 lbs Shrimp, peeled and deveined
Skewers (if using bamboo be sure to soak for 20 min or more)

In a large bowl, stir together the garlic, olive oil, tomato sauce, red wine vinegar, basil, cayenne pepper. Season with a little salt and black pepper. Add shrimp to the bowl, and stir until evenly coated. Cover, and refrigerate for 30 minutes to 1 hour, stirring once or twice.

Preheat grill for medium heat. Thread shrimp onto skewers, piercing once near the tail and once near the head. Discard marinade.

Lightly oil grill grate. Cook shrimp on preheated grill for 2 to 3 minutes per side, or until opaque.

Gordon's Marinade

I got this recipe from Shawn's mom, its actually her best friend's husband's brother's recipe who's name is: you guessed it, Gordon.........We like it on chicken....you can marinate a bunch and then grill it off and use for tons of dishes.....I think the only thing I added was some ground pepper (Shawn loves pepper).....

1/2 C Soy Sauce
1/4 C Oil (I use Veggie or Canola)

2 T Light Molasses

2 tsp Ginger powder

2 tsp Dry Mustard

6 Cloves of Garlic, Smashed

1/4 tsp Black Pepper

Mix all ingredients pour into plastic bag or container, add in 4-5 chicken breasts and marinate for at least 6 hours.

Colorful Chicken Pasta Salad

I love cold salads on hot summer days for dinner. This is an adaptation from Shawn's Moms Chicken Salad. I have changed the noodles from Soba or Chinese to Whole Grain. Partly because I can not find the Chinese noodles I normally use (Not a big Chinese selection down here in TX) and partly because its a good recipe to use whole grain noodles. Shawn even likes this salad as do the kids.....but the kids prefer it with Homemade Teriyaki Sauce instead of the Sesame dressing which is fine with me since I always have Teriyaki in the fridge (good way to get my kids to eat rice and such).......Anyway you can use your favorite marinated chicken, but I would recommend Gordon's Marinade, which I have on a separate post or a Teriyaki Marinade. I like to serve this salad with the dressing on the side, it makes for easy keep if there are leftovers plus it also allows a person to put as much or as little as they want.

Serves 6-8

4-5 Marinated Grilled Chicken Breasts, sliced

1 lb Barilla Plus or Barilla Whole Grain Spaghetti Noodles

1/2 Head of Cabbage, chopped

2 Bell Peppers (Red, Orange or Yellow), quartered & sliced

1 English Cucumber, quartered & sliced

1-2 Cans Mandarin Oranges (we use 2 cause the girls LOVE them)

Grape Tomatoes, whole

4 Green Onions, chopped

Toasted Sesame Seeds or Almonds, Garnish (optional)

Dressing-(this is the doubled recipe, you can 1/2 it)

4 oz Apple Juice

8 oz Rice Wine Vinegar

4 T Sesame Oil (can reduce and add a splash of chili oil if you want some heat)
4 T Soy Sauce

2 tsp Sugar

To make the dressing mix all ingredients in a container and shake vigorously until sugar is well mixed. Cook Pasta according to package and rinse under cold water. Let Drain. Layer salad in a large Pasta Serving Bowl, start with cabbage then layer the noodles on top, then top with veggies and chicken...Basically make it pretty (although my pic above is not my best work, oh well) Like I said before I like to serve the dressing on the side (we also do green onions on the side since Shawn does not like them)....avoids putting too much on or not enough, yadah, yadah.....