a colonial dish

This is the best corn pudding recipe ever!! But don't take my work for it. Try it yourself!!

Colonial Corn Pudding

(via myrecipes.com , a Cooking Light recipe)

Corn pudding evolved from the popular colonial Indian pudding, which was itself a cornmeal adaptation of flour-based English porridge. Nantucket farmers raise fabulous summer sweet corn, which local cooks freeze for a holiday pudding or chowder. You can substitute store-bought frozen corn in this custardy baked side dish. When it's done, the edges should be a little crusty and the center still slightly soft. If time is an issue, make the dish ahead, refrigerate, and then reheat before serving.

Yield: 8 servings (serving size: about 1/2 cup)

Ingredients:

• 3 cups frozen whole-kernel corn kernels, thawed and divided
• 3/4 cup evaporated fat-free milk, divided
• 2 tablespoons half-and-half
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon white pepper
• Dash of freshly ground nutmeg
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg white
• 6 tablespoons oyster crackers, crushed and divided
• 3 tablespoons stone-ground cornmeal
• Cooking spray
• 1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 2 teaspoons butter, melted

Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Combine 1 cup corn, 1/4 cup evaporated milk, and half-and-half in a blender; process until smooth. Combine remaining 1/2 cup evaporated milk, salt, pepper, nutmeg, egg, and egg white in a large bowl. Stir in pureed corn mixture, remaining 2 cups corn, 3 tablespoons crackers, and cornmeal.
3. Spoon mixture into an 8-inch square baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle evenly with cheese. Combine remaining 3 tablespoons crackers and butter in a small bowl; sprinkle cracker mixture evenly over cheese. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm.

Nutritional Information:
Calories: 145 (32% from fat)
Fat: 5.2g (sat 2.7g,mono 1.6g,poly 0.6g)
Protein: 6.9g
Carbohydrate: 19g
Fiber: 1.7g
Cholesterol: 34mg
Iron: 0.7mg
Sodium: 277mg
Calcium: 122mg

peanut gallery says:
We LOVE this dish. Although when we first made it Nathan and I inadvertently used 3/4 cup of sweetened condensed milk instead of evaporated milk! Oops! But it was DELISH!! So in light of that fact, I used 1/2 cup of evaporated milk and 1/4 cup of sweetened condensed milk to give it a little sweetness. Nathan also uses two eggs instead of one egg and one egg white. It's so good! We had zero leftovers. {tear}

perfect for fall

Last night Nathan and I hosted a small dinner party with some friends from church. Since I needed something yummy, quick and easy, I chose this: Spiced Pork Chops with Apple Chutney. It's truly delicious and so easy!

Spiced Pork Chops with Apple Chutney

(via myrecipes.com, a Cooking Light recipe)

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 chop and about 1/3 cup chutney)

Ingredients

• Chutney:
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 5 cups (1/4-inch) cubed peeled apple (about 3 apples)
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 2 teaspoons minced peeled fresh ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
• 
  Pork:
• 3/4 teaspoon ground chipotle chile pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 4 (4-ounce) boneless center-cut pork loin chops, trimmed
• Cooking spray

Preparation

1. To prepare chutney, melt butter in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add apple; sauté 4 minutes or until lightly browned. Add cranberries and the next 6 ingredients (through allspice); bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 8 minutes or until apples are tender; stir occasionally.

2. To prepare pork, while chutney simmers, heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Combine chipotle and next 4 ingredients (through black pepper); sprinkle over pork. Coat grill pan with cooking spray. Add pork to pan; cook 4 minutes on each side or until done. Serve with chutney.

Slender haricots verts are a pretty and quick-cooking complement to the meal. Heat 2 teaspoons olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 12 ounces haricots verts to pan; cook 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/8 teaspoon black pepper, and 2 thinly sliced garlic cloves; cook 5 minutes or until garlic is lightly browned.

Nutritional Information

Calories: 321

Fat: 9.6g (sat 4.2g,mono 3.6g,poly 0.7g)

Protein: 24.4g

Carbohydrate: 34.6g

Fiber: 2.4g

Cholesterol: 72mg

Iron: 1.1mg

Sodium: 520mg

Calcium: 45mg

peanut gallery says:

This is the second time I've cooked this dish. It got RAVE reviews for all our guest and Nathan thinks it was even better the second time around. I think it's a keeper! I didn't deviate from the recipe at all. It's perfect just the way it's written. The chutney is the best part to me. If you like apple pie filling, I think you'll love this. Plus pork and apples are a great combo. For side dishes, I made green beans and Colonial Corn Pudding (see the next post for the recipe). We also had yeast rolls (but those were reheated not made from scratch;)). It was the perfect Fall dinner.

not what I wanted to hear today

My loving husband sent me an email today titled " Put that Coke down".

Funny right?!... wrong. He was serious. The link within the email gives you a better understanding of what soft drinks do to your body. Yes, that includes diet soft drinks as well. It's quite sobering. Now I know why the extra five lbs appeared around my mid-section. :)

Check out the article here. It's definitely worth reading and gives great alternatives to soft drinks.

Let me know what you think and which alternatives you like!