Grilled Stuffed Portabella
Makes 2 Large Mushrooms

2 large Portabella Mushrooms
2 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 cup Bread Cubes
¼ cup Bacon, Cooked
½ cup Spinach
1 tsp Garlic, Chopped
½ cup Parmesan Cheese
Pinch of Salt
Pinch of Pepper
Sliced Mozzarella

Clean mushrooms by brushing with a damp paper towel. Using a small spoon, scrape the gills from the mushroom.

Pour equal amounts of olive oil and vinegar on the stem side of each mushroom. Allow to marinade for about 30 minutes.
Preheat grill to medium heat, about 350 degrees.
Cook bacon until crisp in a small sauté pan. Leave about 1 tsp of bacon grease in the pan, and discard the rest. Stir in washed spinach and sauté until wilted. Then stir in bread cubes and sauté for about one minute of medium heat. Remove stuffing mixture from sauté pan and place in a small mixing bowl. Stir in egg, parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. Drain the remaining balsamic marinade from the mushrooms into the stuffing mixture, stir to incorporate.
Fill mushrooms with stuffing.

Place each mushroom on the preheated grill. Close lid and cook for about 10 minutes. After ten minutes place slices of mozzarella cheese on top of each mushroom. Continue cooking until cheese is melted and browned. Serve hot.

It is that time of year! No, not Christmas! Corn Season! I love fresh sweet corn and I wait until prime season to eat it on the cob. But when it is the middle of winter and I am craving a taste of summer, all I have to do is open the freezer. Every year I freeze dozens of corn, cut off of the cob in quart portions. It is easy and the process is on that I have helped with since I was little. Now, I am a bit faster at cutting it off the cob, though!

Here is a video of me demonstrating freezing corn on Good Company Today, Cleveland

Freezer Corn

4 quarts Fresh Sweet Corn
1 quart Water
1 cup Sugar
4 tsp Salt

Remove husk from corn. Cut kernels from the cob with a sharp knife. Place in a large stock pot with water. Bring to a boil, and boil for 5 minutes. Then add sugar and salt, boil for five more minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Divide evenly among quart freezer bags and freeze.

If you like this simple recipe you can find more in my book, Celebrating Simplicity the Starter Kitchen. Get a copy at Barnes and Noble.com

This time of year I can’t seem to get enough corn. Off the cob or on, it is by far one of my favorite vegetables. Since corn in so plentiful, I thought it would be a good time to try my hand a creamed corn. I have never made creamed corn, and really hadn’t eaten all that much. But, I took a swing at it, added a twist and it turned out great!

Creamed Corn with Sharp Swiss

5 ears Corn, cut off cob
1 ½ cup Milk
Salt and Pepper to Taste
¼ cup Sharp Swiss Cheese

Cut corn off of the cob with a sharp knife. Be careful not to cut to deep into the cob. Once kernels are removed, scrap each cob with the back of your knife to remove the “milk” from the ears. The “milk” is the juice that is left on the cob.

In a small saucepan simmer 1 ½ cup of milk with corn for about 20 minutes, or until kernels are tender. Remove pan from heat and puree slightly with an immersion blender. You want most of the kernels to remain intact, but some to blend with the milk. If you don’t have an immersion blender (which is a great tool to have to mix puree things right in there pan) you can blend in a food processor or blender. Return to low heat. Season to taste and add cheese. Cook until cheese is melted.

Please remember to take a trip over to Barnes and Noble.com to check out my book Celebrating Simplicity- it’s great for beginner cooks!

Green Bean season is here at last! This recipe for sautéed green beans is simple, yet has intense flavor. Simmering the beans in water helps to keep them perfectly al dente. You can use fresh or frozen green beans for this recipe- but this time of year fresh beans are so much better.

Sauteed Green Beans

2.5 lbs Fresh Green Beans
1 cup Water
3 Tbsp Butter
1 tsp Garlic, chopped

Wash beans, then remove both ends- be careful not to take off too much.

Place trimmed beans in a large sauté pan with ½ cup water. On high heat simmer beans until water has evaporated. Add the remaining water and repeat.

In the meantime, melt butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Simmer butter until browned, then add garlic and remove from heat.

Pour browned butter over green beans and serve.

~SD

I know so many people who struggle to integrate veggies into their dinner menus. It is so easy to go straight to steak and potatoes. This time of year it is easy to try new vegetables, since so much will be in season. Right now asparagus is in its prime, although you can generally get it any time of year. This recipe for roasted asparagus is the simplest way to get some veggies into your diet. It takes about 15 minutes total to prepare, and is a crowd pleaser.

Roasted Asparagus

1 bunch Asparagus
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1/4 tsp Kosher Salt
1/4 tsp Pepper

Rinse, then cut the asparagus about 3 inches up the stock. The ends tend to be stringy and tough.

Line the asparagus on a sheet pan, in one layer. Drizzle with olive oil, season and coat.

Roast for 8-10 minutes at 375 degrees.

~SD