Corn for your pie hole

 

Corn out your ears???

I was going to title this post, "Put that in your corn hole!"

Luckily, I double checked the definition of corn hole and found out, GASP, it isn't quite the same as Pie Hole! 

Thanks for the save, Urban Dictionary!

So, without further ado, here follows my post on what to do when you find yourself overloaded with corn.

 

FREEZE!!

August in Minnesota, and September too, means lots of fresh corn. 

There is nothing like a fresh cob from a roadside stand or farmer's market. And nothing like boiling, roasting, grilling it up that first night. As the clock ticks those sugars quickly convert into starches making the kernels bland and boring.

No worries though, you can trap your that fresh corn flavor with a quick, easy FREEZE!

There are many techniques but I have tried two this season. 

 

 

1. Freeze the cob whole. If you have a chest freezer you can seal it in a bag and toss it in. I don't have a deep freezer so I saved some room by cutting off the ends and peeling off the outer leaves. Want fresh corn on the cob once the snow hits? Plop the frozen ears in a pot of boiling water add on a few extra minutes.

  

2. If, like me, you have limited freezer space, you can cut the corn right off the cob and freeze it. Of course you can do a quick blanch first, but if you like to cut corners it isn't ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY.

How to cut all that corn off? Here is a hack for you:

  Check out this website for a way to construct a "makeshift bundt pan" for this very purpose out of items you likely already have in your house.

WHAT DO I DO WITH ALL THAT CORN?!?

One use? Just heat it up for a quick side. The other night we were entertaining and I had made cabbage rolls for The Ogre to bake as I would be arriving home from work at the same time as our guests would be arriving.

A less than picturesque photo of the corn and bell pepper leftovers

 (from the fridge a day later, but you get the idea!)

The Ogre had the cabbage rolls ready for us to eat, but had forgotten to make a side. He was able to create a fresh-tasting side by cooking up a batch of kernels with a dash of another of our freezer staples, diced pepper.

The batter

Ahh, but you see now we have leftovers of the corn. Again, what to do? Luckily I found this SUPER YUMMY corn bread recipe which calls for frozen corn. I substituted this corn and bell pepper concoction and was super pleased with the results. The Ogre thought them the best corn muffins ever. Of course I substituted gluten free flour. I also used a bit of maple syrup as the honey ran out. 

(Side note: I recently heard about the excessive amount of sugar in American recipes and a suggestion to 2/3 the sugar in recipes. I have been doing that, including with this recipe, to no detriment thus far!)

Is it just me, or would my mom's face look lovely in butter?

I also used this new Land O'Lakes European Style Butter which may have had an impact on the rich flavor of the corn muffins. (Disclosure: I did get the butter for free as a member of BzzAgent. Let me know if you would like a dollar off coupon to try it yourself! Lot's of baking opportunities coming up)

Muffiny Goodness

 

**Beware, a corn heavy diet can take quite a toll on the CORN HOLE.... hmmm I think it is all coming together now.... teeheehee  

 

No corn but a hankering for the flavor? Try this delicious cornmeal pancake recipe, as pictured in the foreground. Super yummy even heated up one and two days later. Note: I did add a bit of Xanthan Gum to the gluten free batter which worked wonders. Though The Ogre (excellent pancake flipper that he is) also took over at that time so who knows which made more of the difference)