Cuisine Diva

How-to Make Corn Pudding

Above: Single serving of corn pudding.

Recipe for Corn Bread Pudding

This recipe for corn bread pudding makes a moist and delicious quick bread which has a consistency similar to corn soufflé or custard. Use either canned corn, which has been drained, or frozen corn which has been cooked according to package directions. If you are lactose intolerant, substitute plain rice, soy or almond milk for the milk and omit the cheese.

Above: Melt the butter in the sauce pan.

The key to making a smooth and creamy corn bread pudding is to use finely ground corn meal. Stone ground corn meal is too coarse for this recipe. I used Goya brand finely ground yellow corn meal, also known as Masarepa, in this recipe.

Above: Make a roux/rue with the butter, flours and seasonings, then add the milk.

Serve the corn pudding hot out of the oven along with butter or maple syrup. Corn bread pudding could be served along with collard greens and pulled pork for a complete Southern style meal.

 
Above: Whisk eggs into cheese.

 

Corn Bread Pudding Ingredients

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup fine ground corn meal
• 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 3/4 cups milk
• 4 cups corn kernels
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup shredded cheddar or Mexican cheese blend

 

Above: Corn pudding ready to go into the oven.

Corn Bread Pudding Diretions

1. Preheat the oven to 375°.
2. In a medium saucepan, melt 5 tablespoons of the butter.
3. Whisk in the flour, corn meal, sugar, salt, pepper, garlic powder and thyme and cook for 1 minute, to get rid of the raw flour taste.
4. Gradually whisk in the milk and cook over medium high heat, whisking as needed, until the sauce thickens, about 5 minutes.
5. Let the batter cool slightly. If the batter is too hot when you add the egg mixture, you could end up with scrambled eggs.
6. Whisk the eggs in a medium size bowl.
7. Stir in the corn.
8. Stir the slightly cooled batter into the bowl with the egg and cheese mixture.
9. Place a 9-inch square glass or round enamel pan on top of the stove.
10. Add the remaining tablespoon of butter to the pan and turn the heat to medium.
11. Once the butter has melted, turn the heat off, then pour the corn pudding mixture into the pan.
12. Use a pair of oven mitts and carefully place the pan in the oven and bake for 40-45 minutes, or until the pudding is cooked through and golden brown on top.
13. Let cool slightly before serving.

Above: Corn pudding hot out of the oven.

Take care,
Lynn Smythe AKA the Cuisine Diva

Spice It Up at Dunkin Donuts

PRESS RELEASE

Fall Flavors Spice Up the Season at Dunkin' Donuts

Dunkin' Donuts brings back seasonal pumpkin favorites and introduces new apple flavors to keep people running with the tastes of fall

CANTON, Mass., Sept. 7 /PRNewswire/ -- With Labor Day now behind us and summer nearing its end, Dunkin' Donuts, America's all-day, everyday stop for coffee and baked goods, gives people a delicious reason to look towards the start of autumn, today unveiling a harvest of fall-inspired menu items available for a limited time at participating Dunkin' Donuts restaurants. Leading Dunkin' Donuts' autumn array is the return of pumpkin beverages and baked goods, along with seasonal donut treats. For guests in New England and upstate New York, Dunkin' Donuts has also introduced new apple specialties, including Apple Pie and Apple Cider.

 (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20080513/NYTU022LOGO)
 (Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080513/NYTU022LOGO)

 Dunkin's Donuts' complete fall lineup includes:
 -- Pumpkin Coffee and Lattes: Pumpkin flavoring adds a seasonal touch to
   Dunkin' Donuts' coffee and lattes. Served hot or iced, they are the
   perfect way to keep yourself running with a taste of fall. Pumpkin
   coffee is available for the suggested retail price of $1.39 for a
   small 10 oz. hot beverage. The Pumpkin Latte features a caramel
   drizzle and is available at the suggested retail price of $1.99 for a
   10 oz. hot beverage.
 -- Pumpkin Muffin: Topped with white icing and streusel crumbs, Dunkin'
   Donuts' Pumpkin Muffin is a seasonal favorite and is available for the
   suggested retail price of $1.39.
 -- Pumpkin Donut: Back by popular demand, Dunkin' Donuts' glazed pumpkin
   cake donut is available for the suggested retail price of $.89 cents.
 -- Fall Harvest Donut: The Fall Harvest Donut is a yeast ring donut
   topped with orange icing and a festive pumpkin sprinkle mix, available
   at the suggested retail price of $.89 cents.
 -- New Apple Cider (Available in New England and Upstate New York only):
   Seeking traditional autumn refreshments? Dunkin' Donuts' new Apple
   Cider, steamed via an espresso machine, is available hot or iced for
   the suggested retail price of $1.59 for a small 10 oz. hot beverage.
 -- New Apple Pie (Available in New England and Upstate New York only):
   Served warm, the handheld-sized baked Apple Pie features a flaky crust
   topped with cinnamon sugar. This new bakery treat is available for the
   suggested retail price of $1.29.

According to Dunkin' Donuts' Executive Chef Stan Frankenthaler, each year Dunkin' Donuts' fall menu items create a unique passion and emotional response amongst guests. "When the temperatures begin to drop and the days shorten, people naturally begin to crave comforting foods and the familiar, traditional tastes and scents we grow up associating with the season, such as pumpkin and apple," he said. "We are excited to help people celebrate fall to the fullest any time of day by bringing back our beloved fall menu items along with innovative new seasonal treats."

About Dunkin' Donuts

Founded in 1950, Dunkin' Donuts is America's favorite every day, all-day stop for coffee and baked goods. Dunkin' Donuts is a market leader in the regular/decaf coffee, iced coffee, hot flavored coffee, donut, bagel and muffin categories, and the largest coffee and baked goods chain in the world. Dunkin' Donuts has earned the No. 1 ranking for customer loyalty in the coffee category by Brand Keys for four years running. The company has more than 9,000 restaurants in 31 countries worldwide. In 2009, Dunkin' Donuts' global system-wide sales were $5.7 billion. Based in Canton, Massachusetts, Dunkin' Donuts is a subsidiary of Dunkin' Brands, Inc. For more information, visit www.DunkinDonuts.com.

 Contact:
 McCall Gosselin
 781-737-5200
 McCall.Gosselin@dunkinbrands.com

 Jessica Rosen
 RF Binder
 212-994-7522
 Jessica.Rosen@rfbinder.com

Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080513/NYTU022LOGO
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20080513/NYTU022LOGO

Source: Dunkin' Donuts

CONTACT: McCall Gosselin, +1-781-737-5200,
McCall.Gosselin@dunkinbrands.com; or Jessica Rosen, RF Binder,
+1-212-994-7522, Jessica.Rosen@rfbinder.com

Web Site: http://www.dunkindonuts.com/

Weight Control Oatmeal

I'm wondering if instant oatmeal has an expiration date? I made a bowl of Quaker Weight Control instant oatmeal for breakfast this morning. It tastes a bit like stale cardboard. I added extra cinnamon and a bit of ground flax seeds, so now it tastes like really spicy, stale cardboard - not too appealing.

Weight Control Oatmeal

Quaker weight control oatmeal can be purchased in single flavor boxes, or in a variety box of 3 flavors. The variety box contains 4 packets of maple & brown sugar flavor, 2 packets of cinnamon flavor and 2 packets of banana bread flavor.

Each packet, which is made with whole grain Quaker oats, contains 7 grams of protein and 6 grams of fiber. Quaker makes a variety of instant oatmeal products including:

1. Quaker instant oatmeal
2. Quaker lower sugar instant oatmeal
3. Quaker high fiber instant oatmeal
4. Quaker organic instant oatmeal
5. Quaker take heart instant oatmeal
6. Quaker weight control instant oatmeal

Bacon Sandwiches

I'm not sure how long the box of weight control oatmeal has been in the pantry, but it is now decorating the bottom of the garbage can. Now I have a craving for a bacon sandwich, to get rid of the nasty stale cardboard aftertaste from the oatmeal. It's a good thing we don't have any bacon in the house, I would so eat an entire package right about now.

Well, it's time to go tackle the laundry room and see if there's any coffee leftover from last night. I seriously start jonsing and become a bit cranky if I don't get my daily coffee fix.

I've got ground turkey and thin, boneless, skinless chicken breast in the refrigerator, trying to think of something interesting to make for lunch or dinner later today.

Take care and enjoy your day,
Lynn Smythe AKA the Cuisine Diva

Egg in the Basket Recipe

Eggs in a basket, ready to eat

An egg in a basket is simply an egg, that has been pan fried in a piece of bread, which has had it's center removed.

Alternative Names

• Egg-in-a-frame
• Egg-in-a-window
• Egg-in-the-hole
• Egg in toast
• Hen-in-a-nest
• Moon egg
• One-eyed Jack

Butter both sides of the bread

Ingredients for Making Egg in the Basket

I made eggs-in-the-basket on Friday morning for breakfast. I used rye bread, Land O'Lakes Buttery Spread, and cooked the eggs over easy.

• 2 slices bread
• 2 eggs
• Butter or margarine
• Salt and pepper

Hole cut out of center of bread slices

Directions for Making Egg in the Basket

You can either butter the bread first, then cut out the center, or cut out the center and then butter the bread. If you butter the bread first, you could also cook the center circle you cut out, to serve along with the eggs in a basket.

Eggs cooking in the bread basket

1. Place a medium frying pan over medium heat on the stove.
2. Cut out the middle of each slice of bread, using a cookie cutter or small knife.
3. Spread both sides of each slice of bread with a bit of butter.
4. Place the buttered bread into the frying pan.
5. Crack open the eggs, and place one in the center of each slice of bread.
6. Cook until the bread is light brown.
7. Flip the egg in a basket over, and continue cooking until the other side is light brown, and the egg is cooked the way you like it.
8. Garnish with salt and pepper and EAT immediately.
9. Total cooking time is approximately 2 minutes per side for an over easy egg, cook a bit longer if you want to thoroughly cook the egg yolk.

Egg in the basket flipped over and continuing to cook

Creative Flair
You could use just about any interesting cookie cutter, to cut out the center of the bread. How about using a heart shape cookie cutter when making breakfast on Valentine's Day. Or a clover shape for St. Patrick's Day, a star shape for Independence Day, etc... I have TONS of cookie cutters, I could find an interesting shape for all the major holidays.

Take care,
Lynn Smythe AKA the Cuisine Diva

Lots of Muffin and Biscuit Recipes

 

ABOVE: tray of rolled biscuits waiting to go in oven

I love a good muffin, or freshly baked biscuit, with all my meals. My waistline could do without so many bakery products, but a homemade muffin is a weakness of mine.

Here are links to some of my muffin and biscuit recipes on the Suite101 website.

Zucchini Nut Muffins

 

ABOVE: zucchini nut muffins

Pumpkin Spice Muffins

 

ABOVE: pumpkin spice muffins

Savory Corn Muffins

Lemon Poppy Seed Teacakes

Banana Bread & Banana Bread French Toast

Blueberry Muffins with Crumb Topping

Quick Bread Recipes. Includes recipes for chili cheese cornbread, garlic bread and Parmesan chive biscuits.

Recipe for Four Varieties of Rolled Biscuits. One basic biscuit recipe can be turned into plain biscuits, poppy seed biscuits, sesame seed biscuits or cinnamon sugar biscuits.

 

ABOVE: sesame, poppy and cinnamon rolled biscuits

Take care,
Lynn Smythe AKA the Cuisine Diva

Oscar Mayer Real Bacon Bits

My husband is the king of breakfast in our house. Although I do most of the cooking in our household, my husband makes a mean breakfast. He can be counted on to make anytime we have the time to do breakfast at home. The kids and I also call on him to make breakfast-for-dinner on occasion.

Instant Bacon Omelets
My husband has been going on quite a few business trips to Texas during the past few months. He is usually home for the weekends. On Saturday, July 4th we raced in the Independence Day Duathlon at Tradewinds Park in Coconut Creek, Florida. I got 4th place Women 45-49 and he got 8th place Clydesdale (big men).

We were pretty hungry when we arrived home. After we took our showers and got cleaned up, my husband, Rob, made us both bacon omelets with an everything bagel on the side. We had a couple of packages of Oscar Mayer Real Bacon Bits in the pantry. So instead of having to take the time to cook raw bacon, Rob simply added a bit of the real bacon bits to the omelets.

We live in south Florida, so the thought of cooking bacon in the dead of summer isn't too appealing. It makes a big mess, and overheats an already overly hot house. We also use the Oscar Mayer Real Bacon Bits on chili cheese hot dogs to add an extra bit of flavor.

Other Quick & Easy Recipe Ideas
Jazz Up Knorr Tomato Parmesan Pasta
Instant Broccoli Cheddar Soup

Take care,
Lynn Smythe AKA the Cuisine Diva