Big Eyes, Bigger Stomach

Roasted corn. A Mexican street food staple that I always have to have but let’s face it, I don’t have the money to hop on a plane and head to Mexico every time I crave it. I can however roast some in my “backyard”. Yes, I say “backyard” because I don’t really have one, but it’s all I got.

What you’ll need: fresh corn (with the husks on), BBQ pit, butter, mayo (if you prefer it, I don’t), cayenne, lemon pepper, garlic salt and parmesan cheese. 

What you need to do: prep by peeling the husks down, but leave the husks attached to the bottom. Tear off any of the corn “hairs” that will be on the ear. Flip the husks back up and soak them in a tub of water for about 30 mins to an hour. This will keep the husks from burning when you put them on the grill. In the mean time, start your pit. Place the corn ears on the grill when it’s ready and hot. The timing depends on if you’re using a gas or charcoal grill. Rotate the ears so they won’t burn and keep an eye on it. I have a charcoal grill that I usually cook my dinner on first then put the corn on for 10 minutes then rotate for another 10 minutes. 

Dress your corn: when the corn is ready, peel the husks back and use them as your handle. Wrap a paper towel around it because the husks will be hot. Dress your corn with butter and mayo first. Sprinkle on the parmesan cheese, lemon pepper, garlic salt and cayenne after. Sprinkle the cayenne at your own risk, it’s hot!

There you go! Mexican roasted corn! Enjoy!

I’ve been a little busy with this thing called work. Terrible, I know. New experiences coming soon. I promise!!

Whenever we discuss what is for dinner, my S.O. and I can agree on what the main entree should but then he proceeds to ask me what sides we should make with it. I usually draw a blank and use my usual go-to phrase that he undoubtedly hates, “I don’t know.”

Knowing how much he dislikes that phrase,  I decided to do some research on some easy sides. I believe this is where my infatuation with Ina Garten and all the goodness that comes out of her kitchen started. I found her garlic roasted potatoes recipe and decided to tweak it a little to make it my own.

As I’ve stated before, I always have lemon and garlic in my pantry so the fact that this recipe started with ‘garlic’ definitely intrigued me. Her recipe calls for parsley, but I didn’t have any so I used rosemary instead.

This recipe is so simple and is definitely fool proof, even for a klutz like me. This recipe has become a staple in my household and everyone always asks if I’ll be making it (especially on steak night). Happy eatings!

I grew up near the coast and I’ve always loved seafood. I have been blessed to have access to fresh seafood my whole life. I know, be jealous.

Although I love to eat mussels and clams, I have never attempted to cook them. I’m a terrible klutz. I’ve burned myself many times in the kitchen and I’m not the best cook.

I decided to make something special one night for a special occasion. I grabbed some cookbooks and had my eye on mussels, clams, and shrimp in a spicy tomato broth. I also paired it with chicken and asparagus as pictured above but that’s another blog post.

I went to a local store that unfortunately didn’t have mussels so I edited the recipe to clams and shrimp in a spicy tomato broth.

I was extremely surprised at how easy it was to cook the clams. I was a little worried I’d kill them between the time I bought them and when I was going to cook them. I had to google how to keep clams alive.

“Yes, I googled.”

To my surpise, it came out wonderful! My S.O. (aka signifigant other, I heard it from a college professor and it just stuck) even thought it was amazing. He said something like…

“No offense, I didn’t think you could pull it off. But it’s amazing!”

I got the recipe from Everyday Italian by Giada De Laurentiis.