Cheesy Sweet Corn Casserole with Bacon

Now here is a casserole that will please a crowd. Creamy, cheesy, bacon-y corn.  Perfect for a potluck or a side for a barbecue.

Ingredients:

5 slices bacon

1/3 cup diced sweet onion

1/3 cup diced red bell pepper

6 Tablespoons butter, melted and cooled

1 cup sour cream

1 egg

1 cup milk or half and half

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon granulated sugar

Freshly cracked black pepper to taste (optional)

1 (8.5 ounce) box corn bread mix (I use Jiffy®)

1 (28 ounce) bag frozen sweet corn, thawed

1 ½ cups shredded cheddar jack cheese, divided

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 2.5 quart baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.

Cook the bacon in a skillet until crisp and set aside to drain on a paper towel lined plate. Add the onion and bell pepper to the bacon drippings and cook for about 4 or 5 minutes on medium low or until the veggies are soft. Remove the veggies with a slotted spoon into a large mixing bowl and discard the remaining bacon drippings.

To the same mixing bowl, add the melted and cooled butter, sour cream, egg, milk, salt, sugar, pepper (if using) and corn bread mix. Stir to combine.

Pulse half of the corn in a food processor until it becomes a thick paste. Add the crushed corn and the remaining corn into the mixing bowl. Stir in 1 cup of cheese and the crumbled bacon.

Pour the mix into the prepared baking dish and top with the remaining cheese.

Bake for 60 minutes or until the top is golden and the middle doesn’t jiggle. Remove and let cool slightly before serving.  

Herbed Asparagus and Smoked Salmon Quiche

Looking for a great brunch idea that is easy and can be made ahead? This quiche fits the bill. I don’t think it even took me 10 minutes to put together. It’s creamy, full of flavor and really showcases asparagus and smoked salmon.

Ingredients:

Cooking spray

6 sheets of phyllo dough

2 (5.2 ounce) packages of herbed cream cheese (like Boursin®)

1 cup half and half

3 large eggs

Salt and pepper to taste

1 shallot, chopped (about 2 Tablespoons)—optional

1 cup chopped asparagus (tips reserved)

4 ounces sliced smoked salmon (1 ounce reserved)

Fresh chives and sour cream to serve

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9 inch pie plate with cooking spray. Lay one sheet of phyllo in the plate and spray with cooking spray. Repeat until all phyllo sheets are used.

In a mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, half and half, eggs and salt/pepper with an electric mixer until thoroughly combined. Add in the shallots, asparagus (keeping tips reserved) and 3 ounces of the smoked salmon.

Pour the filling into the phyllo crust and bunch up the phyllo to form a high edge. Spray the phyllo crust with more cooking spray. Cover the edges with strips of foil to keep them from browning too quickly.

Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven, discard the foil strips and place the asparagus tips and remaining smoked salmon on top of the filling, pushing down slightly. Give the whole thing another spritz of cooking spray—it will keep the asparagus tips and smoked salmon from looking dry.

Bake for another 30 minutes or until the quiche is set in the middle.  

Remove from the oven and let rest for 15 minutes before serving in wedges with sour cream and chives. This quiche can also be served at room temperature or even cold. 

Asian American Oven Barbecued Pork Roast

Four simple ingredients—one luscious result. This recipe brings out the best in a pork roast. It is meltingly tender, deeply mellow from the hoisin and sweet/tangy from the American BBQ sauce. Serve the warm pan drippings on the side.  

Ingredients:

One 3 to 3 ½ pound pork butt roast

½ cup hoisin sauce

¼ cup American barbecue sauce

1 can of beer (or about 12 ounces of water)

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 13 by 9 baking pan and a roasting rack with cooking spray. Place the rack in the pan and place the roast on the rack, fatty side down.

In a small bowl, mix together the hoisin and American BBQ sauce. Slather almost half of the sauce on top of the roast. Turn the roast fatty side up and slather the top and sides of the roast with more sauce, saving out about 2 Tablespoons of the sauce.

Pour the beer into the bottom of the pan and cover tightly with foil.

Cook for 2 hours. Remove from the oven, remove the foil and flip the roast over. Spoon the remaining sauce over the top and put the roast back in the oven for 40-45 more minutes.  

Remove from the oven, uncover and let rest for 20 minutes before slicing.