III Forks Off the Cob Cream Corn

My husband and I went to his company Christmas Party this year at a restaurant called III Forks. It has been around for a long time and is known for steaks. I was looking forward to going to eat there, but I was not looking forward to having to eat steak. You see, I am not a lover of red meat. I like chicken. What do they not have on their menu-chicken. What? No chicken? Not even a piece of grilled chicken with a side of mashed potatoes and seasonal veggies? What? Crazy. So I sucked it up and went anyway. Due to the fact that the party was a sit down meal for 45 people they gave us an abbreviated menu of one fish and 3 kinds of steak. This menu was read aloud to us and a team of waiters came and took our order. Oh dear, what pressure. You see, when going to a new fancy restaurant I like to be prepared ahead of time on the menu. I was prepared alright, for their regular menu. The choices that were given were not on my cheat sheet. So, I quickly made a decision of Filet Mignon. I liked it as a child so I thought I would like it that day. My biggest problem with steak is simple. I’m a lazy eater. I don’t like to chew much. Steak equals lots of chewing and that’s just not my thing. The meat was good but the sides were even better.
This brings me to today’s non-dessert post. III Fork’s Cream Corn. Yum. Everyone at our table loved it. Trust me, this ain’t your Grandma’s boring cream corn. So, after talking to someone the next day that also had recently been to the restaurant, I found out that they had a cookbook. I knew right then that the corn would be a lovely side dish for Christmas. I looked online for the recipe and came across my new favorite copy cat website called Recipe Goldmine. Wow. Lots of restaurant recipes. The cream corn popped up right away. Success. Then I read the recipe and told my husband that he could take on the challenge. At first, it seemed rather daunting for a corn side dish. After going through it with him, it was not that bad. We even cooked the corn the day before and used frozen ears of corn instead of fresh. It was wonderful and tasted just like what we had that night at the restaurant. My husband even used the leftovers to make corn chowder a couple of days later. Give this a try if you want a super creamy, seasoned, buttery, creamed corn at your next dinner.

III Forks Off the Cob Cream Corn
10 ears fresh (or frozen ears) corn, shucked, cooked and off cob
1 cup heavy cream (used whipping cream)
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon white pepper (used black)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon Accent seasoning
1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic (used garlic powder)
1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme (used 1/4 tsp of ground thyme)
4 ounces unsalted butter (1/2 cup)
2 tablespoons flour
In a large saucepan, combine the first 10 ingredients. Slowly bring it to a boil. Reduce to a simmer. Allow to simmer for three minutes. In a separate pan, melt the butter until it begins to pop, then stir the flour into the butter. Add the butter and flour mixture to the simmering corn. Stirring occasionally, allow to simmer for three more minutes. Keep warm until served.

Pea Salad

Pea Salad
1 14 oz. can early green peas (very small), drained
1 11 oz can shoepeg corn, drained
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 small jar pimentos, chopped and drained
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup oil
3/4 cup Apple Cider vinegar
1 tsp pepper
3/4 tsp salt

In a small sauce pan, boil together sugar, oil, apple cider vinegar, pepper, and salt. Remove from heat and pour over first five ingredients that have been prepared and mixed in a medium sized bowl. Chill completely in the refrigerator, preferably overnight, and drain before serving.

Tortilla Roll-ups

About 15 years ago, my Dad started making a tasty appetizer called Tortilla Roll-ups for parties and events at work or church. He found the recipe in our church’s cookbook, but made a few changes to fit his taste. The recipe was a hit and became very much requested by others. So much so, that I actually kept a copy of the recipe in my purse for several years. There are many versions out there but this one is still my favorite because it does not turn pink, taste like ranch dressing, or become soggy tortilla balls.
A few tricks. Do not use the entire can of black olives, just use most of it. Otherwise, your filling will be too black. Spread the filling evenly to the edge of the tortilla or you will have lots of “ends”. The roll-ups cut the best when they have sat in the refrigerator overnight. Finally, do not sit things on top of the roll-up logs in the refrigerator or you will have flat rolls. Not pretty.
Serve these spicy, cream cheese treats with your favorite salsa and people will keep asking you to bring them over and over again. I speak from experience.

Tortilla Roll-ups
½ (8 ct.) pkg. large tortillas
3 (8 oz.) pkgs. cream cheese, softened
1 small bunch green onions, chopped
1 (3oz) can chopped green chilies, drained
1/2-3/4 (3oz) can chopped ripe black olives, drained
1 small jar diced pimentos, drained

Combine cream cheese, green onions, green chilies, black olives, and pimentos in a medium size bowl. Spread cream cheese mixture on tortillas and roll with ends opened. Be careful not to over fill tortillas. Wrap rolled tortillas in plastic wrap and chill 4 hours to overnight in refrigerator. Cut into half inch slices and serve with salsa.

Stagecoach Inn's Tomato Aspic

Happy 50th Post!!!

And it is not baked or sweet, how odd.

Tomato Aspic-Tomato What? If you are my age and you have never been to the Stagecoach Inn in Salado, Texas you probably have never heard of such a thing. I have only heard of it from there and the thousands of recipes I have looked at trying to find their recipe. It has to be up there on my list of “Bizarre Recipes” due to the ingredients. Who would ever put lemon Jell-O with cloves and dry mustard, really? Oh, and lets throw in an onion too for texture. Why not? Don’t forget the dollop of mayo on top with a couple of capers for a garnish and a salty bite. I really have not lost my mind it is a staple at the Stagecoach Inn and apparently they know what they are doing. Don’t get me wrong, it is an acquired taste. I did not like it the first, second, or fourteenth time I had it. A couple of bites were enough for me.
Where did I find this little gem of a recipe you might be wondering? On a bulletin board on Taste of Home. This recipe was printed in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram back in 1993. I found another recipe from 30 years ago that was slightly different because they changed their recipe. What they are currently making is what is printed below. So what does Tomato Aspic taste like? Well, like tomato jell-o with Worcestershire sauce in it. The mayo on top mellows the flavors.
I served this at Easter (the reason why I posted a non-dessert) and it was not quite like theirs. It needed a little more clove flavor and maybe some worcestershire in my opinion. Still good, would compete with a lot of other Tomato Aspics out there. I dare you to try it!

Stagecoach Inn's Tomato Aspic
2 (46 oz. each) cans tomato juice
1 tablespoon dry mustard
1 bay leaf
2 whole cloves
1 tablespoon sugar
1 dash Accent, optional
1/2 teaspoon celery seed
1/2 teaspoon orange juice
1 (3 oz.) package lemon Jell-O
3 tablespoons gelatin
2 cups cold water
Juice of 1 lemon
1 medium onion, finely chopped

Combine mustard, bay leaf, cloves, sugar, and Accent with 1 can tomato juice in large saucepan. Simmer; do not boil, for 1 hour.Combine remaining ingredients in a large bowl.
Strain hot mixture into cold mixture and stir. Pour into 9 x 13x 2-inch pan. Sprinkle onions onto mixture. Place in refrigerator to set for at least 5 hours, or overnight.
Slice into squares and serve on lettuce leaves. The aspic can also be jelled in individual molds.
Note: 1 cup chopped celery can also be added to give the aspic more texture. Serves 12-15.