Grandma's Fried Corn...

I love corn. I particularly love summer corn on the cob and my Grandma's favorite, fried corn. I know frying corn sounds a little strange but for a lover of good old fashioned southern food it is wonderful. My Grandma must have been thinking of me today because I have been craving it all day long. She would make it every time she had a mess of corn that had been picked and sitting around for several days. She said it was the "best use of old corn cause the bacon fat and a little milk would plump up those little kernels every time."

Craving it like I am and knowing I am going to go fix it soon I thought I would have to let y'all in on her recipe. It's terrific and I sure hope you try it soon.

Grandma's Fried Corn
We find 5 or 6 ears is enough for our family but adjust it to suit your group.

Cut the corn off the cooked (if you have leftovers) or uncooked cobs. I always take my knife and scrape down the cobs after I have cut off the kernels to get the extra juices left on the cob.
In a frying pan cook 3-4 slices of bacon till crispy.
While the bacon is frying chop up a sweet onion into small pieces not a whole lot larger than the corn kernels.
Remove the bacon from the bacon grease and drain on a paper towel.
Throw the chopped onion into the warn bacon grease (stand back some cause the bacon grease will spit).
When your onion starts to caramelize dump the corn kernels on top and stir into the onions.
Add salt and pepper now to your taste. Watch the salt cause bacon is a bit salty. We always add extra pepper now and adjust the salt at the table.
Put a lid on it and turn to low, stirring it every couple of minutes. "Don't let it burn, child" Grandma would always say.
After it starts to lightly brown up, and you think it is tender enough for your liking, then add a half cup of milk or cream to make it a tad creamy.
Sometimes she would crumble the crispy bacon into it and give it a stir or sprinkle it on top. Dump into a bowl and serve warm with the dinner. To her the bacon wasn't the important thing, the use of the bacon grease to cook it in was what made it for her. She would often wrap up the cooked bacon and put it in her icebox to use for some other recipe.

Now I know some of you are throwing your hands up at the thought of the bacon and using the grease but it can be adjusted. You could eliminate the bacon altogether, Grandma would never know, and use corn oil or a healthy margarine. Just have enough to fry up your onion and corn. I don't think I would use olive oil because it would change the taste some. A skim milk instead of regular or cream is okay as well. The crispy bits of corn and onions are what you will love.

Try this, adjust it to fit your families liking or health needs. Grandma and I will understand, "just don't let it burn, child."

Oh Boy, Crab Cakes...

Living in Maryland near the Chesapeake Bay makes me happy, it may not be my beloved Ole Miss and the Gulf of Mexico but it offers up some of the best seafood treats available. My favorite is the Blue Crab and all the goodies you can make from it after the fun of picking it all apart. There are many who wouldn't even attempt to break one open and dig out the lumps, eating them one by one, because of the major mess involved, but to me part of the fun of eating steamed crabs is the picking and making a messy pile of shells and legs.


For the less adventurous ones there is the wonderful crab cake, rich and golden and loved by many, this fabulous treat is something I can't get enough. If steamers are not available or too expensive the seafood shops or grocers offer crab meat by the pound. You don't need to have the terribly expensive lump, although it is wonderful if you do, when the back fin and even what they call special (which is a mixture of back fin and leg meat)is perfect for crab cakes. Make sure you buy fresh and with a few ingredients you are on the road to a seafood delight.


When it comes to making your crab cakes or even eating them steamed it isn't properly prepared without Old Bay Seasoning. Old Bay used to be a Mid-Atlantic seasoning but I am sure it is now available country wide. It is the prefect blend of spices and salt to set off the delicious crab meat. Here is my families recipe, it is the one most requested by everyone that visits us during the summer.

One Pound fresh crab meat
1/3 cup bread crumbs
2 tablespoons Old Bay Seasoning (little less if you like yours milder)
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons melted butter
1 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1 teaspoon yellow mustard
1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Stir together all ingredients except for the crab meat. When blended, then slowly stir in the crab meat trying not to break it up too much. When all is mixed, make into patties. Depending on size wanted it will do between 8 and 12. Size and quantity is your decision. Place on plate, cover with wrap and put into the refrigerator for an hour. Putting them into the frig helps blend the flavors and helps them stay together when cooking. There are two equally good ways to cook them, one, melt a tablespoon of butter and a tablespoon of oil together in a frying plan and fry them on a medium heat, turning once when you see the edges turning golden brown. Cooking time is around ten to fifteen minutes on each side. Don't mess with them or they will come apart since they aren't loaded with bread filler. Remove the little golden cakes from the pan and serve warm however you like them. We love crackers and fresh tomatoes with ours. The second way to cook them is baked in a 375 degree oven, on a greased baking sheet, for 10 to fifteen minutes on each side until they are golden brown. Again, serve warm however you like them.

For a fun treat to serve as an appetiser, make the mixture into balls, about the size of a walnut or golf ball, and deep fry them till golden brown. Serve them with a great seafood dipping sauce and you will be the hit of the party.

I hope you try them, they are much easier than you think. If you love to order crab cakes when you're at the shore or a seafood restaurant you'll enjoy having them for a special weekday meal. We sure do!

Jewels of Summer...

Wordless Wednesday brings you a few of my favorite summer jewels... Butterflies! I even have one in my blog heading. Enjoy.

Southern Gold...

A couple of days ago, while riding alone in the car with my Dad, we had the opportunity to talk about his problems with his garden this year. It seems he can't get much to grow and of course he blames the weather, as we all do when a garden isn't putting out. It is either too much rain or not enough. Too many bugs or none around to pollinate. As he was complaining about his lack of yellow squash he said "oh well, we always have cornbread." I wasn't really sure about what cornbread had to do with the poor garden but I got his point anyway and that, no matter what, we can always have cornbread. Cornbread is the golden jewel of a southern meal no matter what you are serving. Whether it be a mess of greens, squash and onions, sliced fresh tomatoes or smothered pork chops, corn bread is the one thing that can make a meal terrific. I love mine slathered with butter and broken in pieces to get small bites with everything else I'm eating. Dad loves his just straight from the old pan and right into the middle of his plate to soak up all the good juices. He always makes sure to take an extra piece for the end of his meal and with that he breaks it up into a tall glass of buttermilk that he eats with a spoon as his dessert. Sometimes he can be found later in front of the TV with milk glass in hand spooning up the last of the corn bread so not a drop is wasted.

He loves it that way, but over the years I have starting making it quite different at my home. I use the same cornbread recipe as usual but I add some extras to give it my favorite kick. After mixing the cornbread batter I stir in 1 cup of drained yellow kernel corn and then add 1 cup of shredded sharp cheddar cheese. I always use my round black skillet for baking. To prepare my skillet I have added 2 tablespoons of corn oil and put the skillet with the oil in a hot 450 degree oven until the pan is very hot and the oil is starting to bubble. I remove the hot pan and pour my wet corn bread batter into the middle of the oil. The hot oil spits and spatters as the cool batter spread out into the hot pan. The oil slides up the sides of the cornbread, that besides keeping it from sticking, it starts to make a wonderful crunchy fried style crust along the top edge. So good I may have to go stick one in the oven for lunch. When it is golden brown and crusty on top I remove it from the oven and slice it into squares or pie shaped wedges. The extra ingredients give it a taste so special and unique. I have added some crumbled bacon to the top of the batter or even chopped peppers stirred in when I am in the mood for something a little different and that is fabulous too. I guess you can add anything that's your favorite to this southern gem and come out with a slice of your own heaven. Dad's right you know, don't matter what you got to serve for dinner since we always got cornbread.