Bacon Cornbread

I served this with fried eggs and homemade applesauce for dinner.  It was yummy, but not as amazing as I anticipated.  It was lacking a little something, but I still haven't figured out what it is.


adapted from this recipe

6-8 slices of bacon, diced and fried until crispy
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
4 eggs
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 cup milk
1 15oz. can whole corn kernels, drained
1/2 can cream-style corn
1 cup cheddar cheese, grated


Preheat oven to 350 and grease two standard loaf pans.  The original recipe only says to make one loaf, but there was a lot of batter so I went with my gut and made two.  It worked.

Fry bacon bits until crispy.  Drain grease and set aside.

Sift all the dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl.  In another bowl, beat together eggs, butter and milk.  Pour into the dry ingredients.  Mix well.  Fold in the corn and bacon.  Pour batter into prepared pans, splitting evenly.  Sprinkle grated cheese over loaves.

Bake 40-50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.  If the top is browning too much, cover loosely with foil.

Remove from oven, allow to cool for at least 5 minutes before removing from pan.  Serve warm or room temperature.

Orzo with Kale, Corn, and Sausage

We all really enjoyed this.  Using a spicy sausage would add more depth and interest, but the mild flavor was perfect for little mouths.

Adapted from this recipe.

1 450g package orzo pasta
six links sausage, casings removed (I used mild Italian flavored)
1 large bunch of kale, stems removed and chopped into small-ish pieces
2 cups corn
2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
salt
pepper
1/4 cup parmesan cheese


Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add the orzo, cooking until al dente, or about 5 minutes. Drain well and put it back into the pot it was cooked in. 

While the orzo is cooking, heat a large skillet and add the sausage meat, breaking it up with a wooden spoon. When the meat is no longer pink add the kale and corn and continue cooking until the sausage is cooked through, and the kale is wilted. Add the cherry tomatoes and cook for another 2-3 minutes.

Pour the sausage mixture into the pot of orzo, add the parmesan cheese and lots of fresh ground pepper. Stir to combine. Check the seasonings and add salt if desired