Grilled Corn on the Cob

Welcome back to my food blog! I apologize for being MIA the past few months, but there was just so much going on in my life that this was put on the back burner temporarily. Thanks for sticking with me!  In other news, I got a Nikon D3100 dSlr camera soon after my son was born last summer. I still didn't really know how to use it, other than Auto, so I have been attending workshops to learn my camera. Recently, I got a new lens for my first Mother's Day! I absolutely LOVE it; it's way better than the standard one my camera came with. Anyways, I hope you enjoy the improvement with the picture quality as much as I do.

Back to the food...

Corn on the cob is something I typically make at least 2-3 times per week in the summer time. I even freeze it on the cob for those middle-of-the-winter cravings. Everyone has their own way of grilling corn on the cob and I wanted to share my very easy and quick version. I've pre-boiled them, soaked them and this is by far the easiest and yields the best results.

Grilled Corn on the Cob
Adapted from: Kelly's Kitch original
Serves: 2-4

2-4 corn cobs, shucked
foil

Wrap the shucked corn, individually, in a piece of foil wrapping it like a burrito and sealing well. Simply grill on the top shelf (if you have one) or on medium heat for 8-10 minutes, flipping halfway. The corn will stay very hot if you keep it wrapped in the foil, so be sure to open it up about 5 minutes before you'd like to enjoy.

Also, we love buttered corn and growing up my mom would slather a ton of butter on a slice of bread and we could roll the corn cob on that to melt the butter. I highly suggest this!

Lattice Pie Crust

Pictured above is an apple pie. Directions below were made with a cran-blueberry pie.

First, start by placing the bottom pie crust into a 9-inch (or whatever size the recipe calls for), greased pie pan. Fill the pan with filling; in this case, cranberry blueberry pie (YUM).

 

If you feel inclined, take some of that extra pie crust and dip it right into the filling. Insert into mouth. Go ahead, you know you want to.

Next, roll out the second pie crust into at least a 12-inch round. Using a pizza cutter or this thingamajigger (yeah, it's a word ..), cut the crust into 1/2-inch sized strips. No need to measure or be precise.

Place half of the strips vertically on top of the pie spaced apart.

Fold back every other strip to the halfway point on the pie.

Place a new strip of crust onto the pie perpendicular to the strips you have just placed on there.

Fold the vertical strips back flat again Then, fold back the other vertical strips (not the ones you just did) and place another strip horizontally across the pie, being sure to space it however far apart from the previous strip that you'd like it to be.

And you guessed it, fold the vertical strips down again. Repeat this process until you get to the end of the pie and repeat for the other half of the pie.

The easiest way I remember (once you get that first horizontal piece down) is to always fold the strips that are underneath the previous strip. If that didn't make much sense, my husband will attest to the fact that I tend to give  way too much detail and information whether it be baking or directions. Psshh.

Anyways..

When you are finished, a little trick my mom taught me with any pie crust is to trim the excess off. Kitchen scissors work great for this.

Then, fold over the top and bottom pie crusts and pinch together with your fingers.

To make the beautiful fluted pattern on the edge, take your fingers as seen in the picture and form the edges. I don't really know how to explain that better, but you've made a pie before, right!? Well, if not, it doesn't take much to do this.

As with almost all pies, cover the crust with foil either the full baking time or at least the first half. Less browning, crunchy crust and more doughy, golden deliciousness.



Basic Pie Dough

It's a beautiful and sunny day here in Indiana today so I thought it would be a great time to post the pie dough I use for all my pies. It's almost berry season! Also, the pictures turn out 100% better when the sun is shining. It's a great motivator because I miss the sunshine (and summer for that matter). So below is the recipe and step-by-step instructions for the dough to make a 9-inch pie crust.

First, Combine the flour, sugar and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix briefly to combine.

Add the butter pieces into the bowl a little at a time on medium-low speed.

Mix until the dough looks like coarse sand. The butter shouldn’t be larger than the size of a pea.

Mix in the cold water, adding more if necessary, on low speed just until dough comes together. Repeat if you need two 9-inch pie crusts.

Shape the dough into a ball and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

Remove dough from fridge and roll out the dough onto a lightly floured surface to desired size.

If necessary, patch uneven sides with excess pieces of dough. Pinch together.

To transfer easily, wrap dough loosely around rolling pin.

Unroll dough onto the bottom of a pie pan.

If needed, patch the sides again to be sure that the dough is as even as possible on each side.

Fill the dough and place another layer of the prepared dough on top if necessary for recipe. Bake as indicated with specific recipe.

Basic Pie Dough
Adapted from: Annie's Eats, originally Williams-Sonoma
Yields: One 9-inch pie crust

1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour

1 Tbsp sugar
¼ tsp salt
8 Tbsp cold, unsalted butter, chopped into small pieces
3 Tbsp very cold water

Combine the flour, sugar and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix briefly to combine. Add the butter pieces into the bowl a little at a time on medium-low speed. Mix until the dough looks like coarse sand. The butter shouldn’t be larger than the size of a pea. Mix in the cold water, adding more if necessary, on low speed just until dough comes together.

Shape the dough into a ball and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. If you prefer, you may freeze in plastic wrap and a Ziploc bag to preserve for up to 3 months. To thaw, simply place in fridge a day or two ahead of time or set out in the sink the morning of. Remove dough from fridge and roll out the dough onto a lightly floured surface to desired size. Use as directed for your pie recipe. Repeat steps if you need two pie crusts.

Some of my favorite pies:
Chicken Pot Pie
Classic Apple Pie
Cran-Blueberry Pie

Pumpkin Seeds

My last pumpkin seed recipe was one of my very first on this blog and it was, to say the least, missing lots of steps and very drab. I wanted to make it as easy as possible to make your own pumpkin seeds at home because it is so easy and I know we'll all have lots of seeds on hand after carving! This recipe was handed down from my grandmother so it's a Kelly's Kitch original.

Once you save the seeds in a separate bowl from the pumpkin pulp, place them in a strainer and rinse well with cold water.

Pour the rinsed seeds onto a cookie sheet lined with either a paper towel or a kitchen towel (kitchen towels work best). Sometimes if you let them dry too long on a paper towel they will begin to stick and nobody wants to eat paper towel with their seeds. ;)

Also note that you might have to flip them once in a while to make sure they get as dry as possible.

Once, on each side, press another towel (paper towel or kitchen towel) on top of the seeds to help the drying process along.

The seeds will stick to it if they are still wet so simply just place them back onto the cookie sheet.

Once dry (about 1-2 hours), mix the seeds in a medium mixing bowl at this ratio:

2 cups seeds

4 tsp peanut oil

1.5 tsp butter, melted

1/2 tsp salt

Lay the coated seeds on a lightly greased cookie sheet and bake them at 350 degrees for approximately 25 minutes. Halfway through the time, flip the seeds. They will brown and look absolutely delectable when they are done.

Test one after allowing it to cool a few seconds to see if they are nice and crunchy. If they are, allow them to cool on the cookie sheet. If they aren't then continue to cook in 3-4 minute intervals until they are done.

Pumpkin Puree

Apparently there is another shortage of pumpkin puree this year. I am not exactly sure why because I can always find it at the store. Even though I always have extra cans, I am never one to turn away from doing something homemade nowadays. I found these instructions online (thanks to Annie) about how to puree pumpkin and even store it. I couldn't resist! Plus I was shocked to find out that I did it the same last year with one minor (read: major) step missing: the straining. No wonder the pie was watery!

First, you want two (or so) pie pumpkins. These are usually smaller than your jack-o-lanterns and are usually pretty inexpensive.

First you will want to chop the tops off the pumpkins. Even if you have a brand-new knife this and the next step will be difficult to do smoothly.

Then slice the pumpkins right down the midde to cut them in half, vertically.

Using a melon baller (or similar tool), scrape out all the goop (aka pulp) and seeds. Save the seeds for baking!

Place 1/4-inch of water into a deep dish pan and bake the pumpkins, flat side down.

Bake at 350 degrees for 60-90 minutes. You will know they are done when you flip them over and can easily poke a fork through the flesh of the pumpkin.

Using the melon baller from before, remove all the pumpkin flesh (not including the skin) and place into a food processor.

Process the pumpkin until it is pureed and smooth, about 2-3 minutes.

Once pureed, place a mesh sieve lined with a paper towel over a medium mixing bowl. Strain the puree for 1-2 hours and evenly divide into storage containers.

To freeze, place in a freezer-safe container for up to two months. I would suggest also making sure to keep it in one-cup batches so you only have to thaw the amount you need.

If you would like to use the puree soon, refrigerate for up to five days. From these two pumpkins I got 2.5 cups of puree. Not too shabby!

PLEASE NOTE that this recipe is for the canned pumpkin (puree), which is completely different than the pumpkin pie mix (Libby's). I don't have a recipe for Libby's mix, but if you like it and see some in the store, you might want to grab them up since there is another shortage .. apparently. Soon I will be experimenting and posting a pumpkin pie recipe using this homemade pumpkin puree.

Pizza Dough

Thanks to Annie (and her amazing blog) I am no longer afraid to make dough at home: pizza dough, pie crust, buns, etc. I can't believe it was this easy and I always have the ingredients in my pantry! Here is step-by-step instructions for my favorite, pizza dough!

First, find some instant yeast (fast-rising). If you are in Indiana and have Kroger, then this is suitable. Normally I buy a different brand but this was all they had at the time.

Next, in a stand mixer with the dough hook, mix the flour, cornmeal, salt, sugar and yeast until mixed well.

Melt your butter and add the water to it.

Then, add that mixture to the bowl of your stand mixer. Mix on low speed until fully incorporated into the dough mixture.

Increase the speed to medium and continue to allow mixer to knead until it forms a dough ball and it starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl. You may need to stop the mixer and scrape the sides and/or bottom occasionally.

Lightly oil a small mixing bowl and place the dough ball into it. Cover with plastic wrap and sit in a warm area (I find window sills with light are the best).

In about 45-60 minutes, the dough will have doubled. Sidenote: I have left it for several hours before and it just continues to rise so don't allow it to sit for too much longer than this.

If you would like to freeze your dough, stop here and wrap the dough in plastic wrap AND place in a ziplock freezer bag. The dough may continue to rise so if it breaks through the plastic, you still have the ziplock for extra protection from freezer burn.

Next, using the softened butter .. laminate the dough. The butter shown below is TOO softened. It should NOT be melted at all.

To laminate the dough, simply roll out the dough on a clean, floured work surface into a 9x2 rectangle. No need to be perfect on this measurement.

Using your fingers, make a 1-inch crust on the outsides of the dough. Then, using a baster, baste the softened butter onto the middle of the dough.

Fold the dough like a three-fold letter.

Pinch the sides of the dough to close and form a ball again.

Allow to rise in same oiled bowl with plastic wrap in the refrigerator for about 40-50 minutes, until doubled.

Once the dough is doubled you can roll it out and place it into your pizza dish, cook and top with your favorite toppings!

Pizza Dough

Adapted from: Annie's Eats, originally Cooks Illustrated

Yields 1 9-inch deep dish pizza crust

1½ cups plus 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour

¼ cup yellow cornmeal
¾ tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1 1/8 tsp instant yeast
½ cup plus 2 Tbsp water, at room temperature
1½ Tbsp butter, melted
1 tsp olive oil
2 Tbsp butter, softened
 
In a stand mixer with the dough hook, mix the flour, cornmeal, salt, sugar and yeast until mixed well. Then, add your melted butter and water to the bowl of your stand mixer. Mix on low speed until fully incorporated into the dough mixture. Increase the speed to medium and continue to allow mixer to knead until it forms a dough ball and it starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl. You may need to stop the mixer and scrape the sides and/or bottom occasionally.
 
Lightly oil a small mixing bowl and place the dough ball into it. Cover with plastic wrap and sit in a warm area (I find window sills with light are the best). In about 45-60 minutes, the dough will have doubled. Next, using the softened butter .. laminate the dough.
 
To laminate the dough, simply roll out the dough on a clean, floured work surface into a 9x2 rectangle. No need to be perfect on this measurement. Using your fingers, make a 1-inch crust on the outsides of the dough. Then, using a baster, baste the softened butter onto the middle of the dough. Fold the dough like a three-fold letter and pinch the sides of the dough to close and form a ball again.
 
Allow to rise in same oiled bowl with plastic wrap in the refrigerator for about 40-50 minutes, until doubled. Once the dough is doubled you can roll it out and place it into your pizza dish, cook and top with your favorite toppings! Here is a great deep-dish style pizza recipe for you!