A Cooking Challenged Side Dish - Corn Casserole

A few years ago my mom, being the matriarch of the family, decided it was time for me and my cousins to start contributing something to Thanksgiving dinner other than our mouths and bellies. Since cooking isn't my strong point, I'm always stuck making the green bean casserole because it's easy. Have I ever mentioned that I HATE green beans? As easy as the recipe is, since I don't eat it, I'm not sure how it is supposed to taste. Every year, I call my mom while I stand and stare at the frozen green beans in the freezer aisle, complaining about how I hate green beans and how I conveniently forgot how to make them. It never works by the way. This year, I made a preemptive strike and volunteered to make my PECAN PIE from last year. Luckily, my cousin also volunteered me to make corn dish before I got assigned green beans again.

Corn dish (or casserole) was something I learned how to make from an old boyfriend's mom who knew I was cooking challenged. What is corn dish? It's baked macaroni and cheese with creamed style corn. Okay, I know what you're thinking and I thought the same thing too when I first tried it. I am a mac and cheese purist...just give me a bowl of plain, creamy mac & cheese and a spoon and I'll call it good. Trust me on this one. It couldn't get any simpler to make either.

Corn Dish (or Corn Casserole)

1 (15.25 ounce) can whole kernel corn, with liquid

1 (14.75 ounce) can cream style corn

1 cup small uncooked elbow macaroni or seashell pasta

1/2 cup butter, cut into pieces

1 cup cubed processed cheese '

1/2 cup chopped onion (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a medium baking dish, mix the whole kernel corn, cream style corn, uncooked pasta, butter, and processed cheese.

Bake, covered, for 30 minutes. Remove cover, stir, and continue baking uncovered for 30 minutes.

Sueshine Notes about this recipe:

-This fits perfectly into a 9 inch deep, dish Pyrex pie dish. You can double the recipe and cook it into a 9x13 dish if you need to bring it to a larger gathering.

-I tried making this recipe with shredded cheddar cheese and because of the all the butter and the oils from the cheese, it became pretty greasy. Oddly, I've never experienced that with Velveeta. Velveeta comes in a crumble form now in the shredded cheese aisle, making it easier to melt evenly.

-When you stir it after 30 minutes, be sure to cover all the pasta with the sauce. Any uncovered pasta will not cook and you don't want any crunchy bits.

There is something very comforting about corn dish. I love the sweet taste of corn (reminds me of summer) cut by the saltiness of slightly burnt cheese. I haven't made this in about 4-5 years but I still remember exactly how it tastes. It took a lot for me not to dig into the bubbling hot serving dish when I took off the cover.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours! Gobble Gobble!

Prescription for Pie & Mama's Pie in the Sky 2011

"With Thanksgiving coming up, don't deny yourself a piece of pie. Just don't keep going back for more and you'll be fine." -Dr. K

Me to my husband: "My doctor prescribe that I can have pie!

~~~

Okay, well not exactly. Of course, the husband didn't buy it so just like so many things that I REALLY want, I had to make it. I scoured the Internet for an easy pie recipe because this was going be the first time I had ever baked a pie from scratch. When I found a recipe for pecan pie, I was surprised to find that it didn't call for corn syrup because it's what gives pecan pie that sticky texture and sweetness that makes your jaw ache. I made a few adjustments to the recipe and this is what I came up with.

No Corn Syrup Pecan Pie

1 cup light brown sugar substitute

1/4 cup white sugar substitute

1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted

2 eggs

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup chopped pecans

1 ready made 9-inch, deep dish pie shell (by all means, make your own pie crust if you know how! I'm still taking baby steps with pie making)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

In a large bowl, beat eggs until foamy, and stir in melted butter. Stir in the brown sugar, white sugar and the flour; mix well. Last add the milk, vanilla and nuts. Pour into an unbaked 9-in pie shell. Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes at 400 degrees. Tent the pie edges loosely with foil then reduce temperature to 350 degrees. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until done. The center will move slightly but will firm up as it cools.

Adapted from www.allrecipes.com

I had a tough group of judges that Thanksgiving. A few of my family members grew up in the South and I wasn't sure if they were going to like this version of pecan pie. Initially, I only told my mom that I hadn't used real sugar or corn syrup. I tend to do that some times....not tell people that its "reduced sugar" or that I used sugar substitutes because they instantly give me that face that reads: "there is no way this is going to be good." I quietly sat as everyone ate my pie. I think they noticed that it didn't have the texture of a regular pecan pie. Unfortunately, I had over baked it. It was a little dry and turned out to be more like pralines but they still complimented it. When the pie tin was almost empty, that's when my mom let everyone know how I had made the pie and everyone was surprised. I've been getting requests all year to make the pie again for Thanksgiving. On Sunday afternoon, I made it again as a practice run for this Thanksgiving and it turned out much better...more like a traditional pie. Too bad my family knows my secret now.

~~

Are you in need of a pie for Thanksgiving but don't have time to make one from scratch? Why not order a pie from Mama's Kitchen (http://www.mamaskitchen.org/) for $20? Mama's Kitchen is holding their annual event, Mama's Pie in the Sky. They hope to sell more than 6,250 pies before Nov. 20, which will raise $125,000 and fund nearly 40,000 meals delivered to San Diegans who have HIV/AIDS or cancer.

Here's how Mama's Pie in the Sky works:

1. Visit www.mamaspies.org to purchase the Thanksgiving pies of your choice: apple, pumpkin, pecan, or no sugar added apple pies. If you have a friend or colleague selling pies, choose their name. Otherwise you can just purchase from Mama's Kitchen directly.

2. Select a convenient pick-up location. The pies will be available for pick-up at one of 19 Wells Fargo Bank branches throughout San Diego County or at Mama's Kitchen, located at 3960 Home Avenue, San Diego, Calif. 92115.

3. Go to the location you selected on Wed., Nov. 23 between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. to pick up your pie(s) from one of our volunteers. When you open your pie, you'll discover what baker prepared your pie.

4. To purchase a pie that will be hand-delivered to Mama's Kitchen's clients on Thanksgiving morning, select the "Love-A-Client" option. For every "Love-A-Client" pie purchased, the donor will receive an entry to win a 64MB iPad2.

There's even something for us diabetics with the no sugar added option. How awesome is that? So many great companies, caterers, bakeries, and individual bakers, including the San Diego Food Blogger's very own Jenny Williams from http://www.jennywennycakes.com/ (maybe you'll get one of her pies!) are participating in this amazing event. You too can participate by purchasing a pie for a great cause. Hurry because the last day to place your order is November 20th. What are you waiting for? Thanksgiving just wouldn't be complete without pie.

Thanks to Scatena Daniels Communications for providing the press release from Mama's Pie in the Sky 2011.

Diabetes Awareness Month, Team DiaBatman, and a Giveaway!

Note: Okay, so on my last Wordless Wednesday post, I said I would let everyone know where I've been and why I went MIA from my blog for a couple of weeks. I then realized I had a much more important topic to write about this week so I promise I will get around to writing about my most recent adventure.

When I was a little girl of about 7 or 8, I remember sitting in the living room with my biological father as he showed me how to draw a tiny drop of blood to test his blood sugar. At that time, I didn't understand what it meant and I'm sure I just wanted to go outside and play with my friends. Fast forward to my 1st year in college when I had to go to the student medical center to get a check up. I remember being told by the doctor that I was prediabetic and that I needed to start monitoring myself. At the time, like most people in their early 20s, I was in denial and didn't want to think about being "sick." As I entered my mid to late 20s, I started to notice I was getting tired all the time. My mom had recently gone to the doctor for a physical and she had been diagnosed with type-2 diabetes. Since diabetes is highly heredity, I decided it was time to face the facts that I needed to get myself checked.

This topic is not my usual light hearted subject about baking and recipes but just like baking, it's a topic that I hold very dear to my heart. November is National Diabetes Awareness month and along with 18.8 million diagnosed children and adults in the United States, I am a diabetic (type 2). I just wanted to share a few shocking statistics about diabetes:

Total: 25.8 million children and adults in the United States—8.3% of the population—have diabetes.

Undiagnosed: 7.0 million people

Prediabetes: 79 million people*

New Cases: 1.9 million new cases of diabetes are diagnosed in people aged 20 years and older in 2010.

* In contrast to the 2007 National Diabetes Fact Sheet, which used fasting glucose data to estimate undiagnosed diabetes and prediabetes, the 2011 National Diabetes Fact Sheet uses both fasting glucose and A1C levels to derive estimates for undiagnosed diabetes and prediabetes. These tests were chosen because they are most frequently used in clinical practice.

Under 20 years of age

• 215,000, or 0.26% of all people in this age group have diabetes
• About 1 in every 400 children and adolescents has diabetes

Age 20 years or older

• 25.6 million, or 11.3% of all people in this age group have diabetes

Age 65 years or older

• 10.9 million, or 26.9% of all people in this age group have diabetes

Diabetes can also cause complications such as heart disease, high blood pressure, blindness, kidney disease, nervous system damage, and amputation when not controlled. In 2007, the total cost of diagnosed diabetes in the United States is $174 billion.

Information obtained from http://www.diabetes.org/diabetes-basics/diabetes-statistics/?loc=DropDownDB-stats

Unfortunately, there is no cure for diabetes yet. Many of us who are diabetic have to monitor our blood sugar everyday, exercise, and take medication such as pills or insulin. It's not an easy road but with your help, we're on our way. So how am I doing my part and how can you help this year? I'm doing it by assisting a family friend and her daughter who has a form of type-1 diabetes. Her name is Rachael Stickles and although we have two different forms of diabetes and our paths are very different, we share a common goal to make people aware of diabetes and agree that something needs to be done to find a cure. Read more about Rachael's journey here. On November 12, 2011, Rachael's team, Team DiaBatman and half a million walkers will be involved in the JDRF's Walk to Cure Diabetes in San Diego, CA. You too can help by donating on Rachael's page and help her reach her goal of $500. As of today, she's just about halfway there.

As an incentive to donate, I'm holding a small giveaway. Here's how it works:





1) Go to Rachael's Team DiaBatman homepage HERE and make a donation for any denomination. Enter your name to be listed on the Fundraising Honor Roll (you don't have to leave the amount you donated). Every dollar counts! In order to qualify for the giveaway, please make your donation by Saturday, November 12 at 9:00PM PST.

2) Leave a comment on this page letting me know you made a donation.

3) If you've already made a donation, to gain an extra entry, tweet a link to my blog and leave a separate comment with your Twitter name.

4)  The winner will be chosen at random using random.org. I will announce the winner on my blog on Sunday, November 13th. The winner then has until Sunday, November 20, 2011 to respond or a new winner will be chosen.

The winner will be sent a Jessie Steele hostess apron with the design on their choice such as the one pictured (value up to $30, picture from http://www.laylagrayce.com/ ). The giveaway is open to everyone and not limited to those in the United States.

I hope you will help Rachael reach her goal by making a donation today. Tune in next week for the announcement!

Please note that this giveaway is strictly for the promotion of Team DiaBatman & reaching their goal for the JDRD's Walk to Cure Diabetes. www.SweetSueshine.com  was not given anything by JessieSteele.com or any vendors that carry the line. The prize itself was puchased out of my own pocket because I just plain like the product, think they are ultra cute, and think every baker should have an apron. Shipping costs will also be covered out of my own pocket.

Wordless Wednesday - Where has the Sueshine been hiding?

I've been MIA for a couple of a weeks but for a good reason. Tune in shortly to see where the Sueshine has been hiding lately. Picture taken high above the southern California desert.