Ecuadorian Humitas

Maybe not the traditional way to make Ecuadorian humitas because we do not use cornmeal in Ecuador but in my opinion, it is the right way to make them in order to have a great outcome in USA since the corn is a little bit different here.

www.kraft.com

                                Before steaming

6 fresh ears corn on the cob (with husks)
1/2 cup chopped onion (I use green onions)
1/4 cup butter (1/2 stick) butter, softened
1 teaspoon Calumet baking powder
3 eggs
1 cup cornmeal
1 package (8 ounces) Kraft mozzarella cheese, cut into into 1/2-inch cubes (I use shredded sometimes)
2 cups water (or more...)

Remove green husks and silk from corn, being careful to keep husks whole, Discard silk. Place husks in large pot of boiling water and blanch 1 minute. Remove from water; drain.

Cut kernels off cobs. Place half of the kernels and onion in blender container; cover. Blend on medium speed until smooth. Pour into  large bowl. Place remaining corn kernels, butter, eggs, baking powder and cornmeal in blender container. Cover. Blend until smooth. Add to corn puree in bowl. Stir in cheese. Batter will be thick but not stiff.

Place 2 of the corn husks on work surface, with long sides slightly overlapping. Spoon 1/4 cup of the corn puree onto bottom half of the husks; fold the top of the husks over the filling.  Fold in half from the left side, then fold in half again from the right side. One end of each humita should remain open.  Repeat with 34 of the remaining corn husks and remaining corn puree. Keep folded ends in place by tieing closed with thin strips of the remaining corn husks.

Fill a large pot with two cups of water. Line steamer basket with half of the leftover corn husks; place in pot. Stand the humitas, open ends up, in the basket. Cover with the remaining corn husks. Cover the pot with a lid. Bring water to boil on high heat. Reduce heat to low. Steam 30 minutes or until humitas are firm.

Yield: 9 servings (2 humitas each)

Substitute:

dry corn husks could be use instead of the fresh corn husks. Blanch in boiling hot water. Then use as directed.

Note:

I closed both ends of the humitas since I did not have a steamer basket. I place some cobs at the bottom of a deep pan; poured some water just to cover the cobs. Then, I placed a metal baking pan on top of the cobs. The humitas were placed there and I covered the pot with the lid, being very careful that the amount of water did not get into the metal pan and therefore the humitas.

Carolina Shredded Chicken

Family Circle Magazine, June 2010
www.familycircle.com

Chicken

6-8 bone-in chicken thighs, skin removed (about 2 pounds)
1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
1/4 teaspoon paprika

Sauce

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 small onion, diced
2/3 cup vinegar
1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 tablespoon spicy brown mustard (I use regular yellow mustard)
6-8 sandwich buns

Heat gas grill to medium-igh or charcoal grill to medium-hot coals.

Chicken: Sprinkle on all sides with seasoned salt and paprika, When grill is ready, place chicken on grill grate. Cook turning once, for 18 minutes or until thigh registers 180 degrees on an instant thermometer.

Meanwhile, prepare Sauce: Heat oil in a medium-size saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and cook 5 minutes. Stir in the remaining sauce ingredients. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes.

Remove chicken from the grill and allow to cool slightly. With two forks or your hands, shred meat from bones. Add shredded chicken to sauce and heat through. Divide chicken evenly among sandwich buns, a heaping 1/3 cup on each. Serve with coleslaw if desired.

Makes 6-8 sandwiches

Momma Supper Club Tilapia Parmesan Recipe

www.food.com

My husband is NOT a seafood fan at all but he loved this recipe. It reminded me a litle bit of a Tilapia with Butter and Lemon Sauce that they serve at Denny's. This one has Parmesan cheese which makes it way better in my opinion.

2 lbs tilapia fillets (orange roughy, red snapper and cod can be substituted)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
4 tablespoons butter at room temperature
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
3 tablespoon finely chopped green onions (I used fresh chives)
1/4 teaspoon seasoned salt (or Bay Seasoning)
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
Black pepper
1 dash hot pepper sauce

Preheat oven to 350.

In a buttered 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking dish or jellyroll pan, lay fillets in a single layer. Do not stack fillets. Brush top with juice.

Combine butter, mayonnaise, Parmesan cheese, onions and seasonings. Mix well with fork.

Bake fish in preheated oven for 10-20 minutes or until it starts to flake ( I baked the tilapia fillets for 15 minutes).

Spread with cheese mixture and bake until golden brown, 5 minutes (Mine did not brown during the 5 minutes so I broiled the fish until golden brown).

Baking time will depend on the thickness of the fish you use. Watch fish closely so it does not overcook.

Makes 4 servings

Note: This fish can also be made in a broiler.  Broil 3-4 minutes or until almost done. Spread the cheese mixture on top and broil for another 2-3 minutes or until browned.

Home-made Tomato Soup

I got the recipe from the great LDS singer Lauri Carrigan's family blog. Thanks to her mom Diane for suggesting me to give it a try. Great recipe for sure.




1/4 stick butter
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped carrots
4-4 1/2 cups chopped fresh tomatoes
2 teaspoons  sugar
1/2 tablespoon fresh basil
1 teaspoon dried marjoram
1 bay leaf
4 cups chicken broth
1 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon curry (optional)
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Basil leaves for garnish

Melt butter in pot. Add celery, onions, and carrots. Cook until onions are clear. Add tomatoes, sugar, basil, marjoram, bay leaf and chicken broth. Bring to a boil. Simmer for 30 minutes.

Blend it. Mix in rest of ingredients. Strain it to take out the tomato seeds and celery bits and add salt to taste.

Note:

Blend the mixture when it is warm, not hot or it will spill all over because of the steam and heat. Cover the lid with a towel when blending and strain the mixture.

If you want a smoky flavor, roast the tomatoes with some olive oil.

Toasted Pecan Pancakes

Southern Living 1999 Annual Recipes

www.southernliving.com

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup uncooked quick-cooking oats
2 tablespoons yellow cornmeal
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup chopped pecans, toasted
1 large egg or 1/4 cup egg substitute
1 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Hot syrup

Stir the first 9 ingredients; make a well in center of mixture.

Stir together the egg, buttermilk and oil; add to dry ingredients, stirring just until moistened.

Pour about 2 tablespoons batter for each pancake onto a hot, lightly greased griddle. Cook until tops are covered with bubbles and edges look cooked; turn and cook other side.

Serve with syrup

Yield: 14 small pancakes or 7 pancakes if using 1/4 cup for each pancake as I did.

Sesame Green Beans

1 package (14 oz) frozen Birds' Eye petite whole green beans
Water
Salt
1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
1 medium garlic clove, finely chopped
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon soy sauce
A few drops of sesame oil

Cook the green beans in salted boiling water until crisp tender. Drain and set aside.

In a big skillet, heat the vegetable oil and butter; add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the green beans and soy sauce and cook on medium-low for 2 minutes or so. Remove from heat.

Add a few drops of sesame oil and the sesame seeds and stir.

Makes 4-6 servings

Fruit Salad

2 cups grapes
2 Gala or Red delicious apples, unpeeled and diced
1 banana
1 small can mandarin oranges, drained
1 small can pineapple tidbits, drained (optional)
1/3-1/2 cup low-fat yogurt vanilla or pina colada yogurt
1/4 cup shredded coconut
1/2 cup pecan halves

Mix all the ingredients but the  coconut.

Once the fruit salad is in the serving bowl, sprinkle with coconut. Chill until ready to serve.
Note: You can add peaches, kiwis, berries etc etc etc