Grilled Corn, Mexican Street Style

6 medium ears corn, shucked
2 tablespoon melted butter
7 tablespoon sour cream
1-2 tablespoon milk
2 teaspoons lime juice
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup queso fresco or shredded parmesan
2 teaspoons chile powder, or to taste
1 lime, cut into 6 wedges

Procedure:
Grill the corn over medium high until the kernels are roasted about 10-12 minutes. Remove from the grill, brush with butter and return to grill another 7-8 minutes, or until the corn is well browned.
In a small bowl, combine the sour cream, milk, lime juice and garlic. Spread the cheese out on a pie pan or on a small sheet tray.
To plate:
Brush the corn with the sour cream mixture, sprinkle with chile powder, season with salt and pepper and roll in the cheese.
Serve with the lime wedges.

Kentucky Hot Brown Sandwich

Serve a Kentucky Derby favorite that calls for bacon, tomatoes, Swiss cheese, and your choice of cooked chicken or turkey. The creamy White Cheese Sauce brings out the smoky flavor of the bacon.

Whether you make your favorite sandwiches using a sandwich press or a heavy skillet, you're sure to love these - change them up... have fun with them... they are great comfort food.

 

• 2 tablespoons melted butter
• 16 (1/2-inch-thick) Italian bread slices
• 1 cup (4 oz.) shredded Swiss cheese, divided
• 3 cups chopped cooked chicken or turkey
• 4 plum tomatoes, sliced
• 3 cups warm White Cheese Sauce, divided
• 13 cooked bacon slices, crumbled

1. Brush melted butter evenly on 1 side of 16 bread slices. Place, butter sides down, on wax paper.
2. Sprinkle 1 Tbsp. Swiss cheese on top of each of 8 bread slices; top evenly with chicken, tomato slices, and 1 cup warm White Cheese Sauce. Sprinkle with bacon and remaining cheese, and top with remaining bread slices, butter sides up.
3. Cook sandwiches, in batches, in a preheated panini press 2 to 3 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with remaining 2 cups warm White Cheese Sauce for dipping.

White Cheese Sauce  for Dipping

• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 1/2 cups milk
• 1 cup (4 oz.) shredded Swiss cheese
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper

1. Melt butter in a heavy saucepan over low heat; whisk in flour until smooth. Cook 1 minute, whisking constantly. Gradually whisk in milk; cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until mixture is thickened and bubbly. Whisk in Swiss and Parmesan cheeses, salt, and red pepper, whisking until cheeses are melted and sauce is smooth.

Grilled Mini PB & J Sandwiches

6 mini bagels, split (or 12 slices of bread)
6 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
6 teaspoons strawberry or grape jelly
1 tablespoon butter, melted                

1. Spread peanut butter evenly on cut sides of bottom halves of bagels; spread jelly evenly on cut sides of top halves of bagels. Place top halves of bagels on bottom halves, jelly sides down.
2. Brush bagels lightly with melted butter; cook in a preheated panini press 2 minutes or until lightly browned and grill marks appear. Serve immediately.
Note: Sandwiches may also be cooked in a grill pan. Cook 2 minutes on each side or until lightly browned and grill marks appear.

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  Southern Living
  DECEMBER 2007

State Fair Fried Pickle Burgers

• This can't be good for you so think of it as purely comfort food... you can't put a price on that!

2 teaspoons vegetable oil plus additional vegetable oil for deep frying
1/2 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 large egg, beaten
10 to 12 Vlasic® Ovals Hamburger Dill Chips
6 ounces ground beef patty or veggie patty
1 hamburger bun
1 slice American cheese
1 to 2 leaves of green leaf lettuce
1 slice tomato
1 tablespoon ranch dressing 

1.  Heat 2 inches of vegetable oil in a deep, heavy pan until oil reaches a temperature of 350°F.
2.  Combine flour, baking powder and garlic powder in a shallow bowl. Beat egg in separate bowl.
3.  When oil comes up to temperature, dip Vlasic® Ovals Hamburger Dill Chips in egg and then in flour mixture and add to oil. Cook until golden brown, flipping over while cooking, about 2 minutes.
4.  Set aside on a paper towel to drain.
5.  Heat 2 teaspoons vegetable oil into a separate cast iron or fry pan and heat until oil shimmers. Add burger to pan.
6.  While burger is cooking, add bun, cut side down, to fry pan. Heat until grilled, 2 to 3 minutes, then remove.
7.  Cook burger to desired doneness and turn off heat. Lay American cheese on burger and cover pan until melted.
8.  On bottom of bun, layer lettuce, tomato and burger. Top with ranch dressing, fried pickles and top of bun.
9.  Serve additional fried pickles on the side

COOK TIME: 15 MINUTES PREP TIME: 15 MINUTES

Cha Cha Chicken Salad

This recipe was given to me by a friend who said she got it on the web but didn't know where... I'm guessing it came from the Southern Living web site (the picture on there is gorgeous!) It makes a fancy centerpiece - would be a great recipe for luncheon for the girls or a shower.

This salad is made then shaped in a springform cake pan - removed and decorated with a festive border of fresh herbs and berries, Cha-Cha Chicken Salad doubles as a quick and easy centerpiece for summer entertaining. Serve it as a luncheon entrée or as an appetizer with assorted crackers and sliced breads.

6 to 8 servings

• 1 (8-oz.) package cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup diced green onion 
• 6 cups chopped cooked chicken
• 1 (8-oz.) can crushed pineapple
• 2/3 cup orange-flavored sweetened dried cranberries
• 1 cup chopped roasted, salted almonds
• Garnishes: fresh herbs, blackberries, raspberries, sliced peaches

1. Whisk together cream cheese and next 3 ingredients in a large bowl; stir in chicken, pineapple, and cranberries just until blended.
2. If desired, spoon mixture into a plastic wrap-lined 8-inch round cake pan; cover and chill at least 8 hours or up to 24 hours. Invert chicken salad onto a cake stand, and remove plastic wrap. Gently press chopped almonds onto sides of chicken salad. Garnish, if desired.

Note - the original recipe contained curry, I hate, hate, hate curry so I eliminated it... and added a little diced green onion instead.

Southern Living
JUNE 2007