Tag Archives: food

Corn and Bacon Bowls

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This fantastic weeknight dinner has been our number one go-to for the past year or so. And not just for reasons of desperation and because we want something quick and known to fall back on, but because we actually love it. It tastes friggin’ good, and requires (at this point) zero thought power to throw together.

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It only requires one skillet (and a rice cooker), so minimal dishes.

And it tastes much better than your shirt.

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Really, Alice. Bacon and corn versus some kind of tiered ruffly concotion? The choice is clear.

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What?

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You try to deny me my taste of shirt and I’ll . . . I’ll . . .

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WaaaaAAAAHHHH!

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Okay, okay–no one’s denying you anything, little one.

(Well, except for knives and pointy things, small things that you could choke on, papers that you could slobber on or tear up and eat, proximity to anything hot, proximity to any kind of stairway or precipice, foods you can’t chew due to your lack of teeth, your dad’s Club Soda, your dad’s can of beer, your mom’s glass of wine, your mom’s hot cup of coffee, the car keys since you bit the panic button and set off the car alarm, anything in the bathroom including soap, make up products and faucets; my hair, earrings, necklaces, and other pullable parts of my outfit, your dad’s glasses, the guitar, dishes and breakable items, anything you might destroy with your saliva, and anything that might destroy you with its saliva . . . wait, what? Anyway, other than these things it’s all yours, kid.)

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That’s more like it. You better remember who’s in charge here.

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Anyway, matters of household authority and the very persuasive “WaaaAAAH” power-play aside, welcome to our humble creation, Corn and Bacon Bowls.

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Ingredients

1 lb bacon, diced
2 cans sweet corn, drained
Salt and pepper, to taste
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
1 bunch green onions, diced
Cooked rice, to serve

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Fry diced bacon in a 12’ skillet over medium high heat, until browned. Remove most of the grease from the skillet (carefully!). Add the corn to the bacon and continue to cook over medium high heat until corn is browned, stirring only occasionally (so that it has a chance to brown) and adding the salt, pepper and red pepper flakes as it cooks. Taste and readjust seasoning if needed.Turn off the heat and stir in the green onions. Serve over rice!

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Curried Red Lentil Soup

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This soup, another little number from the America’s Test Kitchen Quick Family Cookbook, is so good and so easy. They don’t use the word “quick” in that cookbook title lightly–those folks mean business!

I originally decided to put this soup on the menu because we had some red lentils sitting around that have been in the pantry since we lived in Delaware (!). Why yes, we moved to Chicago going on 4 years ago. So yes, that would make these lentils at least 4 years old . . . if not 5 . . . or 6 . . . but I didn’t die, so case closed. Let bygones be bygones. Better a lentil saved than a lentil wasted. Let the old lentils rest in peace in their final place of digestion. Let anyone who has objections speak never and forever hold their peace, amen and amen. It is better to have eaten and loved than to never have eaten at all. Don’t take no wooden lentils. You can lead a mouth to lentils, but you can’t make it eat.

I just got completely lost . . . where were we?

Anyway, after looking at the short ingredient list I thought, “this will probably be okay. Not awesome, not bad–just okay.” And I was (heh heh) okay with that.

But my premature diagnosis was wrong. I LOVED it! The flavors are simple and clean but also deeper than you would expect considering the quick cooking time.

Make it! Especially after a cold day out and about.

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It will warm you to the very cockles of your feet.

What are cockles?

Nobody every explained.

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Ingredients

Serves 2-3

1 cup red lentils, rinsed
4 cups vegetable broth
2 TBS butter
1 onion, chopped finely
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 TBS grated fresh ginger
1 TBS curry powder
2 medium tomatoes, seeded and diced
2 TBS minced cilantro
½ cup plain yogurt
Salt and pepper, to taste

1. Microwave the lentils and 2 cups of broth about 8 minutes, until liquid is mostly absorbed.

2. Melt the butter in a large pot. Add the chopped onion and cook for 5 minutes, until softened, stirring occasionally and adding salt and pepper as it cooks. Add the garlic, ginger and curry powder, and stir for 30 seconds.

3. Add the microwaved lentil mixture to the pot along with the rest of the broth and the tomatoes. Simmer for 15 minutes. Taste and re-season as needed.

4. Serve the individual portions with a dollop of yogurt and a sprinkle of cilantro. Enjoy!

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Click here for printer-friendly version: Curried Red Lentil Soup