Thyme In

Esquites (Mexican Corn Salad)
Prep Time: 5 minutes Cook Time: 15 minutes Total Time: 20 minutes Servings: 4
A tasty Mexican street corn salad with an amazing blend of sweet corn, salty cheese, sour lime juice and a hint of spicy chili powder; pure summer in a bowl.
ingredients
2 tablespoons butter
3 cups corn (about 4 ears), cut from the cob
1/2 jalapeno, seeded and finely diced
1/2 red pepper, fixed
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 glove garlic, grated
2 green onions, sliced
1 handful cilantro, chopped
1 lime, juice
2 tablespoons cotija (or feta), crumbled
chili powder to taste
directions
Melt the butter in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat.
Add the corn, toss and let it sit cooking until charred, mix it up and let it char again, about 6-10 minutes.
Add red pepper, sauté for 2 minutes
Add the jalapeno, saute for a minute and remove from heat.
Mix everything and serve warm or at room temperature.

THAI RED CURRY CHICKEN SKEWERS WITH MINTY YOGURT SAUCE

Had a couple requests for this recipe. It’s so simple I’m not sure this really constitutes a recipe! I cooked the chicken on top of the stove and then put it in the oven for an extra 5 minutes just to make sure it was cooked all the way through. The Chinese 5 spice powder has cinnamon, anise, fennel, cloves and red pepper flakes. If you don’t have the powder, a pinch of any of these can be added to the marinade. I did up the recipe for an outdoor grill. Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS

• 2 1/2 tablespoons Thai red curry paste
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil or olive oil
• Kosher salt
• 1 tsp Chinese 5 spice powder
• 2 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 3/4 cup plain yogurt
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon honey
1 1/2 tbls chopped fresh mint
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large bowl, mix the curry paste with the oil, seasoning and 2 teaspoons of salt. Add the chicken cubes and toss to coat. Let stand at room temperature for up to 2 hours or cover and refrigerate overnight.
2. Light a grill. In a medium bowl, whisk the yogurt with the mayonnaise, honey, lime juice and mint and season with salt.
3. Thread the chicken onto 10 skewers, leaving 1/4 inch between the cubes. Grill over moderately high heat, turning frequently, until lightly charred and cooked through, about 15 minutes. Serve the kebabs with the minty yogurt sauce on the side.

This showed up on my memory page. Was obviously in a sarcastic mood when I wrote the recipe...

Caramelized Onion & BBQ Grilled Cheese

There are a lot of over-exaggerators in this world. They live in superlatives and make it seem like each day is the new best day of their lives, spewing half-truths like:
“That was the best weekend ever.” Really? Out of all the weekends? or “Switching to Sprint was the best decision I ever made.” Right. I’m sure it was. And now I just feel sorry for you.

So let me assure you that I am not one of those people. In fact, I’d like to punch all of those people in the face. On a Tuesday. Just so I can ruin the best frigging Tuesday of their lives.

But I need to tell you something.
This is the best grilled cheese sandwich I have ever had…this sandwich is the best hunk of cheese to ever enter my mouth. And you’d better believe there has been a lot of cheese stuffed in there over the years. We bought the cheese from an Amish Cheese store, Pearl Valley Cheese Factory in Fresno, Ohio. You will need your GPS!
Whatever it was, it was worth the trip.

Caramelized Onion & BBQ Grilled Cheese
Ingredients:
8 slices Italian bread (or a good bread of your choice)
4 slices sharp cheddar
4 slices pepper jack or other spicy cheese
1 large red onion, thinly sliced
3 Tbsp butter
2-4 Tbsp BBQ sauce, depending on how much you love BBQ (I used Cattleman’s and it was perfect)

Directions: (I probably don’t have to give you directions on how to make a grilled cheese sandwich but just in case some of you have been buttering the wrong side of the bread or something…here goes):

Melt 1 tbsp of butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the sliced red onion and stir occasionally until color changes to slightly brown and taste is sweet, about 10-15 minutes. Remove onions from skillet and set aside.
Spread 1 Tbsp of the remaining butter onto one side of each slice of bread. Divide BBQ sauce evenly among 4 of the slices, and spread evenly opposite the butter side. Lay cheddar cheese on top of sauce. Divide caramelized onion among the sandwiches, then top with pepper jack. Finish assembly by placing remaining bread slices on top.
Melt the remaining butter in the skillet on medium-low. Cook sandwiches two at a time, flipping when bread is golden brown on one side and cheese begins to melt. If cheese is not melting quickly enough, place a lid over the pan or use a heavy skillet to place on top and press the sandwiches down. Now devour.

Slow Cooker Beef and Barley Soup

A simple and flavorful slow cooked beef and barley soup with melt in your mouth beef; pure comfort food in a bowl! I think Suze ate 6 bowls the day I made it. I wanted something to sweeten the dish a little bit, so instead of a sugar, I cut an empire apple into small pieces and it cooked down in the sauce. You could leave that out, but I thought it made for a nice balance of flavor, The spice Ras El Hanout is a North African spice, which in Arabic means “head of the shop” and implies a mixture of the best spices the store has to offer. You can get at better spice stores (I got mine at the North Market Spice Shop) it adds a depth to the soup that would be hard to match with other spices. You can use another favorite spice for this purpose, Enjoy!

Ingredients
1 ounce dried mushrooms
4 slices bacon, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 1/2 pounds stewing beef cut into 2 inch pieces
1/4 cup of flour
1 cup onion, diced
1 cup carrot, diced
1 cup celery, diced
8 ounces mushrooms, quartered or sliced
2 tablespoon
4 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon thyme, chopped
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1 teaspoon ras el hanout (optional)
2 tablespoons tomato paste
4 cups beef broth
1 cup pot barley
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon fish sauce (or soy sauce)
1 apple, peeled cored and diced in small pieces (optional)
salt and pepper to taste

directions
1. Cover the dried mushrooms in 1 cup of just boiled water and let sit until tender, about 15 minutes, before draining, reserving the water, and chopping the mushrooms.
2 .Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a larges sauce pan over medium-high heat before setting aside.
3 Toss the beef in 1/4 cup flour ( to thicken the broth) and sear until lightly golden brown on all sides before setting aside.
4. Add the onions, carrots, celery and mushrooms and cook until tender, about 7-10 minutes.
5 .Add the garlic, thyme, paprika, ras el hangout and tomato paste and cook until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.
6 .Add the broth and deglaze the pan by scraping up the brown bits on the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon while the broth simmers..
7. Add the broth, barley, bacon, beef, reserved chopped mushrooms, reserved mushroom water, bay leaves, balsamic vinegar, worcestershire sauce and fish sauce and bring to a boil; transfer to a slow cooker
8. Add apples to the crock pot
9. Cook on low for 6-10 hours or on high for 3-5 hours.
10.Remove the bay leaves, season with salt and pepper to taste and serve.

Chicken and Mushroom Skillet in a Creamy Asiago and Mustard Sauce

Quick and easy chicken and mushrooms in a creamy asiago and dijon mustard sauce. We served it over some egg noodles, but it is delicious just on it's own! Enjoy!



ingredients
2 tablespoons oil or butter
4 (6 ounce) boneless skinless chicken breasts, pounded thin
salt and pepper to taste
8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
1 small onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon thyme, chopped
1/4 cup dry white wine or chicken broth
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup heavy/whipping cream
1 tablespoon grainy mustard
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup asiago cheese, grated
1/4 cupParsley

directions
1.Heat the oil in a heavy bottomed skillet over medium-hight heat, season the chicken with salt and pepper to taste, add them to the pan and cook until golden brown on both sides, about 4-6 minutes per side, before setting aside.
2.Add the mushrooms and onion and cook until the mushrooms have released their liquid and it has evaporated, about 10 minutes.
3.Mix in the garlic and thyme and cook, until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
4.Add the wine and deglaze the pan.
5.Add the broth and cream, mix in the mustards, season with salt and pepper to taste, add the chicken, bring to a boil and simmer until the sauce thickens, about 5 minutes. Add parsley.
6.Mix in the asiago and let it melt, remove from heat and enjoy!

Treasures From The Dollar Bin #1
Frank Sinatra, “ In The Wee Small Hours” (1955)
Purchased @ Spoonful Records for $1.00

Spoonful Records on Long Street in Columbus is one of the small music stores where you get personal attention and can find great music in the $1 and $3 bins. On a recent visit, I found the first entry in a New Music Review Series on Thyme In we are simply calling, “Treasures from the Dollar Bin”, Sinatra’s 1955 classic, “In the Wee Small Hours”.

In what many music experts consider the first concept album, “In the Wee Small Hours” was a collection of ballads arranged by Nelson Riddle. The first 12" album recorded by Sinatra, Wee Small Hours is one of the most beautiful albums in the history of recorded music. As near to perfect in terms of writing, recording and performing that you could ever wish to find. Sinatra sounds like a lonely, broken man. Beginning with the newly written title song, the singer goes through a series of standards that are lonely and desolate. The album is a personal reflection of the heartbreak of his doomed love affair with actress Ava Gardner, and the standards that he sings form their own story when collected together. Sinatra's voice had deepened and worn to the point where his delivery seems ravished and heartfelt, as if he were living the songs.

Having been a star for over a decade, Frank Sinatra's career looked like it was over when the 1950s dawned. A bitter dispute with his record label led to his departure from their roster, which meant that not only his recording contract was null and void, but that he was left without a radio show, and could no longer appear in films or on television. Sinatra was dead. The man who looked like he might become the next Bing Crosby had been lost to time.

One man was prepared to give Sinatra another chance - Alan Livingston, the vice president of A&R at Capitol Records, and a major Sinatra fan. He offered Sinatra a 7-album deal, which the man himself gladly snapped up. One problem - Capitol had a roster filled with irrelevant, anachronistic 40s stars. What was to stop Sinatra blending in and becoming just another faded star?

Obviously, history has taught us that Sinatra was a special case in just about every way imaginable. Livingston and his Capitol cohorts, meanwhile, had a master plan that would exploit that to maximum potential. That master plan involved a young composer and arranger named Nelson Riddle.

Forward to 1955. Sinatra had already released two records with Riddle - Swing Easy and Songs For Young Lovers - and had established a pattern for his career of a dance album followed by a melancholy album, followed by a dance album, and so on. This schedule now called for Sinatra to deliver a melancholy album. Not that he'd want to do anything else - his relationship with Gardner had fallen apart spectacularly.

In The Wee Small Hours is often referred to as the first ever concept album. This was Sinatra dealing with how lost and alone he felt when Gardner left him. In an era where albums effectively did not exist - the 12-inch disc was not invented until shortly after the release of in The Wee Small Hours, and when it was invented, this was the album that came to define the medium - In The Wee Small Hours was a revelation. It was the first recording that sustained a mood - any mood - for its entire length. It was the first recording specifically designed to flow the way we now expect albums to. And it was the first recording intended to be listened to one sitting, rather than broken up and digested on a song-to-song level.

His legendary voice is now underpinned not by masculinity, but by longing and sadness. His reading of Hoagy Carmichael's "I Get Along Without You Very Well" is heartbreaking (the emotion invested into the opening couplet is stunning); opener "In The Wee Small Hours of The Morning", written specifically for the album, even more so. The real high watermark, though, is the album's centerpoint. Cole Porter's "What Is This Thing Called Love?" sees him crying, wounded.

You gave me days of sunshine
You gave me nights of cheer
You made my life an enchanted dream
til somebody else came near
Somebody else came near you
I felt the winters chill
And now I sit and wonder night and day
Why I love you still?

The album's concept is a night spent longing for a lost love. Simple but devastatingly effective. Riddle's arrangements throughout are brilliant. They don't jump off the page at all, but they're sympathetic and imaginative - the instrumental sections on "Ill Wind" being a highlight, along with the intro to "I'll Never Be The Same". In fact, oddly enough, Riddle appears to grow into the project as the album goes along - his music gets better and better towards the second half of the record, although there's something magical about the distant, distracted piano intro to "In The Wee Small Hours Of The Morning". Make no mistake, though - this is Sinatra's show, and Riddle understands that.

Serious fans of music can be split into two camps - those who own this album, and those who have a big fat gap in their collections. Luckily, for a little bit of searching time and a dollar, I am now in the first group.

Jalapeno Popper Corn Fritters
This was really easy to make. Just throw everything in a bowl, mix it up, form into patties and fry! THe amount of Jalapeno you use will depend on how hot you want to go. Sue tends to go with too much, heat, so I only used one, but you could use two if you want it to taste more like a jalapeno popper. Some bacon in the mix might be good too! (you can never go wrong with bacon)

Crispy golden brown sweet corn fritters with all of the flavors of jalapeno poppers including jalapenos, cream cheese and cheddar cheese. Enjoy!

Ingredients
2 cups corn (4 ears)
1/2 cup flour
1 egg
1/2 cup cheddar cheese, grated
1/4 cup cream cheese, room temperature
1 or 2 jalapeno peppers, seeds removed and diced
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon coriander, toasted and ground
¼ cup of red onion diced, (or two green onions, diced)
1 handful cilantro, chopped
1 lime, zest and juice
2 tablespoons oil
Ranch dressing for topping (optional)

Directions
1.Mix the corn, flour, egg, cheddar cheese, cream cheese, jalapenos, paprika, coriander, green onion, cilantro and lime juice in a bowl.
2.Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat, form into 1/4 cup patties and cook until golden brown on both sides, about 2-4 minutes per side.

Blackberry Balsamic Grilled Chicken Salad
People have asked for the “recipe” for this, Not sure this even constitutes a recipe! For the dressing, I just put everything in a mason jar, put the lid on a shook it up. I used part of the dressing as a marinade and saved the rest to top the salad. I used 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar. Sue loved it, I thought the vinegar taste was a little strong. I think next time, Ill use one to start and then add a little more to taste if needed.

Ingredients

For the blackberry balsamic vinaigrette dressing:
1/2 cup blackberries
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon soy sauce or tamari
1 large clove garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste

For the salad:
1/2 pound chicken breasts
6 cups lettuce (I used spinach)
1 cup blackberries
1 avocado, sliced
1/4 cup red onion, sliced
1/4 cup pecans (or pistachios or almonds)
Directions

For the blackberry balsamic vinaigrette dressing:
1.Combine all the ingredients and mix well, Refrigerate until ready to use.

For the salad:
2.Marinate the chicken in half of the vinaigrette for 30 minutes to over night before grilling over medium-high heat until cooked and slightly charred, about 4-5 minutes per side, and setting aside to cool and slice.
3. Assemble the salad and enjoy. I just put the red onions on top, the pecans on one side and the avocado opposite. I put the chicken across the middle and topped the whole plate with some extra blackberries.

Cajun Shrimp Alfredo
A creamy alfredo, spiced with Cajun seasoning and served with slightly blackened shrimp that makes for a quick and tasty meal for the family that is also sure to impress guests! I had some left over green pepper and grape tomatoes and put them in as well. We used a pasta called Bucatini which I have never found at home, and the shrimp was from the local market. Easy to make and taste great. Enjoy!

Ingredients
8 ounces fettuccine or your favorite pasta (we used Bucatini)
1 tablespoon butter
1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 tablespoon cajun seasoning (like Slap Yo Mama)
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 cup dry white wine or chicken broth
1 cup heavy/whipping cream
1 cup parmigiano reggiano (parmesan), grated
1/2 tablespoon Cajun seasoning or to taste
¼ cup chopped green peppers (optional)
6-10 grape tomatoes, halved (optional)
1/4 cup green onion, sliced (optional)

Directions
1. Start cooking the pasta.
2. Melt the butter in a pan over medium-high heat, toss the shrimp in the cajun seasoning, add to pan and cook, about 2-3 minutes per side, and set aside.
3. Add the garlic to the pan and sauté until fragrant, about a 30 seconds.
4. Deglaze the pan with the wine, add the heavy cream, parmesan and cajun seasoning and cook until it thickens a bit, about 3-5 minutes.
5. Add the shrimp and the green pepper.
6 .Toss the pasta in with the alfredo sauce and mix well
7. Garnished with tomatoes and green onions and serve

Nothing to me says fall in Ohio like Sausage with apples and onions. The whole house smells like fall. Made this tonight while Trick or Treat was in full force! The older kids all commented on how great the house smelled. Very easy to put together..e hqad ours with a side ot Thurn's Specialty Meats homemade sauerkraft with apples and brown sugar. They have, by far, the best kraut out there! Have this as the weather starts to turn cold...Enjoy!

KIELBASA WITH APPLES & ONIONS

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound kielbasa sliced on the bias into
1-inch thick pieces. (Ours was fresh from Thurns)
1 slarge sweet onion (thinly sliced, about
2 cups)
Kosher salt to taste
2 Granny Smith apples (quartered and
sliced 1/8 inch thick)
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds toasted
and ground ( I just smashed mine with side of a big knife.
3/4 cup IPA or wheat style beer
Fennel seeds

KIELBASA WITH APPLES AND ONIONS

Put a large skillet over high heat. Add the olive oil followed by the kielbasa and cook until it begins to brown, about 2 minute. Flip
the meat and scoot the pieces to one side of the pan. To the open space, add the onions and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring
occasionally, until the onions begin to soften and caramelize, about 3 minute.

Add the apples, coriander, and butter and cook until everything softens and begins to brown. . Add the beer
and cook until the sauce reduces and thickens to a glaze-like consistency, about 3 minute. Add the fennel seeds to the top.

Remove from the heat, stir well to combine, and serve.

Seems like I love to cook more in the fall then any other time of the year. Not sure why, but I love cooking with squash and brussel sprouts and othe fall veggies and the dishes can just be, well, heartier! Plus Suze loves all the soups we make in the fall (recipes to come). This one is from Michaal Symon , with a couple changes, but not enough not to give him the credit. It is Orecchiette with brussel spouts and bacon. You don't have to use orecchiiette, a little ear shaped pasta, but it does work well with this dish Enjoy!
ORECCHIETTE WITH BRUSSEL SPROUTS AND BACON

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 pound orecchiette pasta
1 tablespoon olive oi
l½ pound bacon, small diced
4 cups thinly sliced Brussels sprouts (from 3/4 pound)
½ cup fresh parsley leaves, chopped
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
2 Tablespoons ( a couple big splashes) of Balsamic Vinegar

Cook pasta: In a very large pot, bring 5 quarts water and 3 tablespoons salt to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until just al dente, about 1 minute less than the package directions. Occasionally give the pasta a stir so it doesn't stick together. Scoop out and reserve 1 cup of the pasta water before draining the pasta.

Meanwhile, put a large skillet over high heat. Add the olive oil and bacon and cook, stirring occasionally, until the bacon is crisp and the fat has mostly rendered, about 3 minutes. Add the Brussels sprouts and cook until they begin to wilt and brown, about 1 minute. Lightly season with salt and pepper.

Add the pasta and reserved pasta water to the pan and cook for 30 seconds,Add the Balasamic Vinegar and stir to blend.

: Remove from the heat, stir in the parsley and Parmesan, and serve. Pass more Parmesan on the side for topping.

Fiery Roasted Pepper and Corn Salsa

Since we started Thyme In, I have always wanted to put together a step by step, 4 course dinner, complete with a drink recipe, wine selection, dinner music, even a grocery list, so that you could prepare a “thyme in” from start to finish. I never seem to have time to do it, but am going to give it shot! Since we just posted the Mexican zucchini corn soup recipe, I decided to stay with that theme and create a Mexican dinner party. Today’s recipe is actually the appetizer. We already used corn in the soup, so i put together a corn salsa to go with it. I used a fresh Anaheim pepper out of our little garden, and the pepper was a little hotter than I expected! So I added some tomato to cool it off a bit. I used a hand full of cherry tomatoes (again from the garden), which was about the same as 2 small tomatoes. The charred poblano and red peppers mixed with the corn, the spicy jalepeno/Anaheim pepper and cilantro came together in minutes for sweet and fiery corn salsa that pairs well with chips, topped over chicken or shrimp or by itself as a side dish. Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS

• l poblano chile pepper,
• 1 red bell pepper,
• 4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt
• Ground black pepper
• 1 cup fresh corn kernels (from 2 ears), or 1 cup frozen corn, thawed (You can add more corn if you like!)
• 1 small jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
• 2 ripe small tomatoes, seeds slightly removed and diced
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/3 cup chopped red onion
• Juice of 1 fresh lime
• 1 teaspoon sugar

DIRECTIONS
Preheat a grill to medium high. Brush the poblano and red pepper with 1 teaspoon olive oil and grill, skin-side down, until charred but still firm, about 5 minutes. Cool slightly; peel the black skin off, remove seeds and finely chop. ( If you have a gas stove, you can put the peppers directly on the burner).
If using fresh corn, heat 1 teaspoon oil in a skillet, add corn and cook slightly until tender, 2 to 3 minutes; drain.
Mix the corn (if using frozen, add thawed corn here), poblano, jalapeno, cilantro, tomato and red onion in a bowl. Stir in the remaining 2 teaspoons olive oil, the lime juice, sugar and salt and pepper to taste.
Serve immediately with taco chips or fried tortilla trips, or chill in the refrigerator for a few hours.