Stacey Reunion: Corn Dinner

My Aunt Lolli organized the most amazing dinner for our reunion! Somehow she got all twenty something of us (I'll keep track of how many of us there are when people stop having babies- it just changes too often!) all in the kitchen at the same time making an entire table full of from-scratch dishes. Everything was done about the same time, we didn't have to wait for any major appliances and when we ate, all the hot things were still hot and the cold things cold. That is organization that I didn't think was possible. (can you tell she makes her living as a project manager?) We did it a little like iron chef- we split up into teams and everything had to have one ingredient in common: corn.


Luckily Lolli also provided recipes (which allowed dinner to be fun and delicious!) Here are a couple of my favorites-
Cream Corn

Ingredients

• 2 (10 ounce) packages frozen corn kernels, thawed
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup whole milk
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. In a skillet over medium heat, combine the corn, cream, salt, sugar, pepper and butter. Whisk together the milk and flour, and stir into the corn mixture. Cook stirring over medium heat until the mixture is thickened, and corn is cooked through. Remove from heat, and stir in the Parmesan cheese until melted. Serve hot.

Grilled Corn and Bean Salad

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup canola oil, divided
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon chili powder, divided
• Salt and freshly cracked black pepper
• 6 ears corn, shucked
• 1 lime, juiced
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 yellow bell pepper, cored and diced
• 1 medium red onion, diced
• 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Directions

Preheat a grill or a grill pan over medium heat.

In a small bowl, add 1/4 cup of the canola oil, the cumin, 2 teaspoons chili powder, and season with salt and black pepper, to taste. Stir to combine. Brush each ear of corn liberally with the seasoned oil.

Arrange the corn on the hot grill and cook for about 12 minutes, giving each ear a quarter turn every 3 minutes. Remove from grill and let cool for 5 minutes. When cool enough to handle cut kernels from corn.

In a medium serving bowl, whisk together the remaining 1/4 cup of canola oil, 1 teaspoon chili powder, the lime juice, garlic, bell pepper, onions, beans, and cilantro. Adjust the seasonings with salt and black pepper, to taste. Add the corn kernels and stir to combine. Mix the ingredients well and serve with tacos, if desired.