Leftover Quesadillas

Last night around 9pm, we decided we needed a snack. I looked in the fridge, and found only the staple condiments, eggs, and a container with 2 spoonfulls of ground turkey taco filling, and some corn. (These conditions typically lead to some of my best food experiements.) I dug out some leftover flour tortillas, got the shredded cheddar, and made these these little snack size quesadillas, then smothered them in salsa and devoured them. Creative? No. Delicious? Yes!

What's the best thing you've ever cobbled together from leftovers and/or pantry staples?

The Best Cornbread

Nothing goes better with cold weather food than cornbread. I am a fan of all variations of cornbread, but today's batch was just plain - to accompany my "not gross" black eyed peas, chicken, and spinach. If you cook it just right, it's moist like a savory cake. I am planning to experiment with adding different things to this basic recipe. So yum!

Ingredients:
1-1/4 c. all-purpose flour
3/4 c. cornmeal (I use white, but you can use yellow, or any other)
1/4 c. sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. lowfat milk (I used 2%)
1/4 c. vegetable oil
1 egg, beaten
1/2 c. frozen corn kernals (optional)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease an 8 or 9" square pan.
2. Combine dry ingredients. Stir in milk, oil, and egg until moistened. Stir in frozen corn kernals.
3. Pour into pan. Bake 20-25 minutes until golden brown.

Note: this recipe makes (8) servings of the size I'm showing. You can probably squeeze (9) out of the pan if you cut it carefully. :)

Thanksgiving Feast!

I had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Something about holidays that celebrate cooking just makes me happy! While not directly responsible for all of the above, The corn pudding was mine. It turned out pretty well - and I highly recommend it!

Corn Pudding

Ingredients:

4 oz softened cream cheese

1 can creamed corn

3/4 c frozen corn, thawed

1/2 c cornmeal

1/2 chopped onion

2/3 c milk

3 Tbsp melted butter

1 egg, beaten

1 Tbsp sugar

1/2 c shredded cheddar

salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and grease/butter a 1 qt casserole dish.

2. Mix all ingredients together in a bowl.

3. Spread the mixture evenly into the casserole dish.

4. Bake 50 minutes, or until center no longer looks runny. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.