I was super excited to see a big bag of home-grown tomatoes on my desk yesterday morning. My co-worker John has been bringing in his garden goodies to share with a few of us for years. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

My wheels started turning and I hit up some websites on the iPad while sitting in front of the TV during my lunch hour. I got so into the recipe hunt, I ended up not eating a big enough lunch to hold me over until dinner. Food distraction while eating, awesome.

I found a recipe on AllRecipes.com for Scalloped Tomatoes. It looked super interesting and I had all of the ingredients except the bread. I stopped at the store on my way home from work and picked up a mini loaf of freshly baked Pain Pour Deux. I was all set and ready to cook once I walked through the door.

The Ingredients:

1/4 Cup Butter – yes, that’s a lot of butter
1 Onion Chopped – I used a white onion
1 Teaspoon Salt
Ground Black Pepper to Taste
1/2 Teaspoon Dried Basil – I also used fresh – about 3 small leaves
4 Teaspoons Brown Sugar
5 Sliced Tomatoes – I used the entire bowl of small tomatoes (about 25) – I will for sure use small ones next time too.
2 Cups of white bread cubes – I definitely think Pain Pour Deux did the job, sourdough would also be good. I might even try a whole grain wheat next time.
1/2 Cup Shaved Parmesan Cheese – I had the Nugget Market’s fromager (cheese guy) shave mine for me – fresh is fabulous! – This was not in the original recipe.
1 Garlic Clove – I used the frozen Trader Joe’s garlic – This was not in the original recipe.

Directions:

I set my oven to 375 degrees F., and then started on my prep work.

I got my onions and tomatoes chopped while my butter was melting in a sauté pan on the stove set to medium/high heat.

I then got my onions in the pan and stirred them until they became soft and translucent. They started to brown on the edges, so I knew it was time to add my spices. Salt, pepper, basil (fresh and dry) and brown sugar. I then added the tomatoes.

I added a frozen cube (1 crushed clove) of the Trader Joe’s garlic at this point and got everything mixed together. I then added the chopped up bread into the pan.

The bread immediately soaks up the butter (sinful) – continue to stir until everything is evenly coated.

Not sure if it was the brown sugar or the basil, but the smells coming from that pan were out of this world. I was almost too impatient to even put the dish into the oven. I was ready to eat it right then and there.

Next you will need to transfer the mixture from the sauté pan into a greased casserole dish. I used a shallow one and actually just coated it with an olive oil spray.

Sprinkle the top of the dish with the shaved parmesan cheese and bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes. The top will be a golden brown and the edges of the bread will be crispy like croutons.

I can without a doubt say that this is one of my favorite Foodiddy dishes to date. I EASILY could have eaten the entire casserole dish – I had to refrain from doing so. I kept going back for one more tomato, one more piece of bread… OMG, it was incredible and I will definitely serve this at my next dinner party. Who’s coming?

My thought is that it would be the perfect side dish to anything grilled. Chicken tops my list of possibilities. I ate it as my main meal last night. The AllRecipes recipe says it yields 6 servings. That’s a freakin’ joke… there is no way – I’d say 4 max as a side dish and 2-3 as a main dish.

Oh tomato and cheese bread goodness how I love thee… and to think it all started with a bag of fresh tomatoes on my desk. Life is good!

One more photo because I can’t stop thinking about it.  I finished the evening with 5 miles on the treadmill and honestly thought about the dish the entire time. Will walk/run for food!

I was strolling through the produce section at my local grocery store and was drawn to a package of red corn. The brand was Colorful Harvest and they came 4 to a package. Sweet Red Corn to eat? I had no idea… thought it was just dried for wreaths, cornucopias and other Thanksgiving decorations, hah!

As you can tell by previous posts, I’m a total sucker for packaging, color, etc. when it comes to grocery shopping. It’s the designer in me.

When I got home I looked up “red corn” on the iPad and found out that like red pomegranates and purple grapes, red corn derives its color from health-promoting antioxidants. It also said that this means that it’s both more visually appealing and healthier than traditional corn. Um, it’s also more expensive 😉

I found a simple Red Corn with Cotija Cheese recipe online (on 4 different websites – so not sure who gets credit) and thought I’d give it a try.

The Ingredients:

4 Ears of Red Corn
4 Teaspoons Olive Oil
1 Teaspoon Granulated Sugar
1 Teaspoon Lime Juice (I used the cheater juice, my limes had dried up)
3 Tablespoons Cotija Cheese
Salt and Pepper to Taste

I cut the corn from the raw cobs and added them to a sauté pan with the olive oil on medium/high heat.

I stirred the kernels and then added the sugar and let them cook for a good 3-4 minutes – until lightly browned. I added the lime juice, salt and pepper and then let the corn cook for an additional 3 minutes.

I then sprinkled on the Cotija cheese and got it all mixed in. In case you aren’t familiar with Cotija cheese, it’s a mild flavor Mexican cheese with a crumbly texture. I find it in the refrigerated cheese section next to the salsa at my local grocery store.

The kitchen smelled amazing. I could not wait to dive into the bowl.

A different view…

I will definitely be making this dish again. Dan doesn’t like to eat corn off the cob, he usually cuts his, so this is perfect. No boiling water, no steaming – just a quick 10 minutes and you have an awesome side dish.

I served it with a protein smoothie which I don’t recommend, hah! – I had just gotten off the treadmill and was starvin marvin… I needed the calories and didn’t feel like fixing a protein to go along with the corn. I’m also going to try the recipe with regular yellow or white (10 for a $1) corn. One of the recipes also added cilantro, might try that next time.

The red corn package also came with a recipe for Chipotle Butter and Lime – so I’m going to share that too.

Ingredients:
1 Stick of unsalted butter (for 6 ears of corn – geez, that’s a lot of butter)
1/2 Tablespoon Minced Chipotle Pepper in Adobo Sauce
2 Teaspoons Fresh Lime Juice
1 Teaspoon Salt

Directions:
In a pan melt butter and add minced chipotle peppers. Saute for 1 minute. Add lime juice and stir.  Brush ears of corn with butter mixture and refrigerate until butter solidifies. Grill corn on medium heat turning frequently until cooked through. Sprinkle with salt to taste and serve.

Sounds delicious… definitely trying that next.

So how do you like your corn? Steamed? Grilled? Do you use corn holders? Butter? Salt? Pepper? Plain? Tell me your corn secrets…