Cheddar Jalapeño Corn Muffins

Where Did I Find This Recipe? 
Another blog called "love and butter".  Apparently the author originally got it from a book called "Cupcakes! from the Cake Mix Doctor" so I'll give them credit where credit is due as well.  Any-who, these little corn muffin nuggets are absolutely perfect as a side to a chili and were super easy to make.  This recipe makes about 1.5 mini muffin pans worth of biscuits.

Cheddar Jalapeño Corn Muffins
(Printable Recipe Here)
Makes about 30 mini muffins


Ingredients

• 1 jalapeño, seeded and finely diced
• 1 cup grated cheddar cheese
• 1 egg
• 4.5 oz can chopped green chiles
• 8oz can cream style corn
• 8.5oz box corn muffin mix

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 and grease a mini-muffin pan liberally.
2. Mix jalapeños, cheddar, egg, chopped green chilis and cream style corn in a large bowl.
3. In a separate bowl put the corn muffin mix around the edge making a well in the middle.  Put the wet ingredients in the pond you've created.
4. Mix only about 20 times and not very quickly, you want this mix to be chunky.
5. Spoon your mix into the pan and bake for about 13 minutes (mine seemed to need longer).
6. After you take them out of the oven they will still be quite moist and you might have to let them harden/dry a little before scooping them out of the pan.  When you can scoop them out with a spoon, let them cool on drying rack.

Easy as that!

Shrimp and Seafood Louie Salad aka Cajun Shrimp and Seafood Overnight Salad

I have been on a quest for literally months to copycat the "Shrimp and Seafood Louie Salad" that they serve at Byerly's deli counter.  It's just special.  But time after time I tried to recreate the dish with absolutely no success.  I was beginning to give up.

Here's what I'm attaining to be...

Here was my first attempt with my sister Diane as photographer, #epicfail on the recipe portion 

All that whipping of fresh cream for NOTHING.  At least the shirt from my Kansas Princess Brittany looks nice!

Not even close to what theirs tastes like...not even in the same ballpark

So after multiple attempts, the only thing that I knew was that I loved those little chunks of cheap crab meat, succulent shrimp and some other stuff swimming in a orange sauce.


Then this week I broke down and did a naughty thing.  I told the woman behind the counter that I have a food allergy and that I was wondering if I could see the ingredients list.  While I'm sure that it's standard, the fact of the matter is that I don't have a food allergy which makes it slightly crappy of me.  BUT I did find out what in the world the secret ingredient is.  Of all things it is Chef Paul Prudhomme's Seafood Magic Cajun Seasoning!  Which is crazy because Chef Paul and I go back many moons and many miles!  Well, that's an exaggeration I guess.  Okay, a really bad exaggeration.

About two months ago I had to go down to New Orleans for work and ended up going to his restaurant called "Louisiana Kitchen" one of the nights that I was there which is dubbed by the locals as "K-Paul's".  While I've only had Cajun food once before this I have to assume that this is the higher end of what they would consider "the real deal".  The attention to flavor profiles and details was amazing.  If you ever get the chance to go be sure to have one of the jalapeno rolls and the green onion dressing...heck, any of their dressings or sauces for that matter!


Now back to the Shrimp and Seafood Louie Salad.  While the ingredients list that I got had literally hundreds of things on it (you know...sulfated sjidksoeke and other things like that) but here is what I could get out of the ingredients list not considering I'm not a chemical foods science graduate.


Since there were some things that I hadn't been expecting, I actually took the liberty of renaming the salad to something that I found much more fitting.  

Cajun Shrimp and Seafood Overnight Salad
Ingredients:

• 1/2 pound cooked shrimp
• 1 package flake style snow crab meat
• 1 TBSP green onion, diced very small
• 1/4 cup celery, diced very small
• 2 TBSP mayo
• 2 tsp 1000 island dressing
• 1/4 tsp Chef Paul Prudhomme's Seafood Magic Cajun Seasoning
• Splash of lemon juice
• Salt to taste
• White pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Remove the shrimp shells and discard.  Flake crab meat. 
2. Combine the mayo, 1000 island dressing, lemon juice, Cajun seafood magic and stir.
3. Combine sauce mixture with crab, shrimp, green onions and celery; mix.
4. Store overnight in a closed container to allow the flavors to fully meld.  
5. Salt and pepper to taste before serving; serve over chopped lettuce or a bed of whole leaf lettuce.

Finally!  The case has been cracked!

Quick Clam and Corn Chowder

It was one of those nights where I used what I had in the fridge and cupboard and it turned out really good!  Since a young and busy professional like me can ever have enough 30 minute meals I thought I would share it.

Quick Clam and Corn Chowder

Ingredients 

• 1/2 onion, diced
• 4 strips of bacon, diced
• clam juice, 8 oz container
• 3 TBSP flour
• corn, 12 oz can (leave a little aside to garnish)
• canned clams, 12 oz can (in water or salt water...not oil)
• 1 cup skim milk
• 1/2 cup of instant powdered potatoes
• 2 cups fat free half and half
• salt and pepper to taste
• top with parsley and a sprinkle of corn

Directions

1. Fry the bacon on medium high in a large soup pot.  As it starts sizzling add the onions to the pan until they are clear and fragrant, not burning the bacon.
2. Turn stove top down to medium low.  Add the clam juice and milk.  Gradually whisk in the flour when the mixture is warm.
3. Add canned clams and juice from the can as well as corn and juice from the corn.
4. Gradually add and stir in instant powdered potatoes.
5. Turn stove top to simmer or low.  Add half and half, stir, then season with salt and pepper.
6. Garnish with fresh parsley and corn bits.  Serve with clam chowder crackers or a hearty/artisan bread.  Would also be phenomenal in a bread bowl (can be purchased from Panera I believe).

Thoughts:  At the last minute grab I grabbed the instant potatoes and it seemed to really add a lot to the texture and flavor.  The fact of the matter is that I didn't have potatoes on hand (naughty) and didn't have time to simmer them so it ended up working out for the better.