It’s time for another rowdy edition of “5 Ways.”

(OK. Maybe rowdy isn’t the best word. Corny would be better, yes?!)

Just throw on some crazy music in the background and we’ll have a little rowdy, corny party, shall we?!

• Buttery Succotash with Dill
• Corn and Salsa Tortilla Soup
• Corn and Sausage Casserole
• All Natural Microwave Popcorn
• Dana’s Corn Salad

So that there you have it…a bunch of rowdy recipes. Corny recipes. With August fast approaching, the season of silver queen corn that’s less than $.10 per cob, I figured a few ideas wouldn’t hurt.

Oh…and here’s how I grill my corn.

Please share your favorite corn recipes, tips and tricks!

Are you hot yet? In these dog days of summer, I have been experimenting with fresh recipes for hot summer nights. I have been loving vegetable salad recipes that feature summer produce in a new way.  This is one of my favorite summer side dishes. It is a change from the classic corn on the cob and is a great make ahead dish to bring on a picnic.

A few years ago, my family visited Silver Dollar City and noticed a delicious meal being served up from street vendor carts for about $10 per plate.

I came home from that trip and decided I could make that same meal for my entire family of 10 for under $10!

We dubbed it “Fall Fry” and it is an often requested dish that is super simple to make because it only requires one skillet.

(The above picture has bell peppers, but we have decided we prefer it without them.)

You will need the following ingredients:

• 1 package smoked sausage
• 1 onion
• 4-6 potatoes (more or less depending on how far you want this meal to stretch)
• 2 cans whole kernel corn

Slice sausage into rounds and chop onion. Saute together in large skillet until onions are tender. Cube potatoes and add to skillet along with the cans of corn (including liquid), and simmer 10-15 minutes until potatoes become soft.

Serve with cornbread for a hearty meal the whole family will enjoy!

So I could have named this recipe a number of things.

Chicken Taco Soup

Chicken, Salsa and Double Bean Soup

Tex-Mex Chicken Soup

Clear out the Pantry Chicken Soup

And in the end I settled on Chicken, Black Bean with Salsa Soup.

(Which definitely hurts the feelings of the red beans…they feel totally left out.)

Have a Fabulous Weekend Friends!

So I made these a few weeks ago…and I’m so sorry it took me so long to get them posted.  I used 2 of the smaller peppers from my garden, along with some of my cherry-like tomatoes.

And avocados. *swoon*

And I think these would be just as great with ground beef or ground turkey tacos.  Love the different flavor and texture that the avocado chunks brought to these tacos!

Ingredients

2 chicken breasts ($1.66)
1 heaping Tbsp homemade taco seasoning ($.05)
1 Tbsp canola or vegetable oil ($.03)
2 small green/red peppers, seeded and diced from the garden
2 avocados ($2)
Handful lettuce ($.25)
Cherry tomatoes, quartered, from the garden
Taco Shells ($.69) Sale, store promo and e-coupon

Frozen corn ($.88)

Directions

1. Cut the chicken breasts into 1/4-1/2 inch cubes.  Toss in a mixing bowl with the taco seasoning.  You could certainly use cooked and shredded chicken too.

2. In a medium skillet, saute the chicken pieces in oil with the diced peppers.

3. Cut the avocado into 1/4-1/2 inch chunks and toss with the cooked chicken and peppers.  Place into the taco shells and top with lettuce, and tomatoes.  (Optional: Add shredded cheese and/or sour cream.)

4. Cook the frozen corn as directed on the package.

5. Serve Avocado Chicken Tacos with Corn.

Cost $5.56

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We’ve been doing burgers every Sunday night all summer…and these are up there in my top 5! Loved the Mexican flavor…the zip (but not so zippy that the kids wouldn’t eat them)…the added smokiness from the grill.

Yum!

Ingredients

1.2 lb. ground beef ($1.78)
1 4 oz. can green chilies ($.59)
1 egg ($.10)
1 Tbsp homemade taco seasoning ($.10)
1 tsp salt
4 buns ($.40) $1 sale and $.20 e-coupon loaded on my card = $.80/pack
12 oz. bag frozen corn ($.88)
Chips and salsa ($2)

Directions

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground beef with the egg, green chilies, taco seasoning and salt. Once mixed, form into patties, then grill until cooked through. Top with pepper jack cheese slice, if desired. (I woulda if I coulda.)

2. Prepare corn as directed on package.

3. Serve Green Chile Burgers with salsa, corn and a side of chips and salsa.

Cost $5.85 – With 2 extra burgers for the boy’s lunch and plenty of chips and salsa leftover to snack on!

So I grabbed some green chilies a few weeks ago when I was stocking up (and going over-budget, sigh!)…and I had plans to make a green chile chicken in the slow cooker…but decided to pound out the chicken and roll it around the green chilies instead.  I paired this with brown rice, corn kernels and green onions…plus some green beans from the garden.

I’m glad I changed my mind because this was terrific!  We all loved it.  I did have to push some of the green chilies to the side on the boys’ plates…because they were too spicy.  I wish we’d have had 2 more ingredients though…I think it would have been perfect to mix fresh chopped cilantro in with the green chilies, and I would have loved to give Steve a dollop of sour cream on his plate to dip the green chile chicken bites.

Or if so many of us weren’t dairy-free, I would have mixed the green chilies with some sour cream before “stuffing.”  If anyone tries that, let us know how it turns out!

Le recipe…

Ingredients

1 cup brown rice ($.40)
2 corn cobs ($.30)
3 green onions ($.20)
Salt and pepper

1 tsp garlic powder ($.05)
1 tsp ground cumin ($.05)
About 1/2 tsp salt and pepper each
3 chicken breasts ($3.04)
1 4 oz. can green chilies ($.59)
1/4-1 cup cheese, mexican blend or other variety ($.25-$1)

Green Beans from the garden

Directions

1. Start cooking brown rice as directed on the package.  Then shave off the kernels from 2 corn cobs (2 cups frozen or canned corn works too), and slice 3 green onions.  After the brown rice has been cooking for 20 minutes, slide these goodies in with some salt and pepper and let finish cooking over low heat. Fluff with fork before serving.

2. Set up your spice plate. Lightly toss the garlic powder, ground cumin, salt and pepper.  Spread out in a thin layer on a plate or shallow dish.

3. Pound out 3 large chicken breasts with a meat tenderizer or other pounding tool.

4. Place smooth side of the thinned out chicken breast onto the spices.  Add some green chilies (and some cheese if you so desire), and roll up.  Place in baking dish.  Top with any remaining green chiles and/or cheese.

5. Bake at 350 for 55-60 minutes, or until chicken has cooked through and through. Let cool slightly before serving.

6. Wash and cut stems from the green beans. Steam or saute.

7. Serve Stuffed Green Chile Chicken with Corn-y Brown Rice and Green Beans.

Cost $4.88 – $5.63, depending on amount of cheese

Thought I’d replace the traditional beef in Stuffed Green Peppers with some black and red kidney beans instead.  And I’m glad I did!  The “filling” is so delicious and fresh…and it be great rolled up in a tortilla for lunch.

(That’s what I’ll be having for lunch tomorrow.)

Ingredients

1 cup brown rice ($.40)
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped ($.30)
2 large tomatoes, diced ($1.20)
1 4 oz. can diced green chilies ($.59) Substitute the fresh tomatoes and green chilies with 1 15 oz can of diced tomatoes with green chilies
2 cups cooked black beans ($.40)
2 cups cooked red kidney beans ($.40)
1 tsp ground cumin ($.05)
Salt and pepper to taste
4 green peppers ($1.20)
Few pinchfuls of Shredded cheddar cheese ($.50)

1 bag frozen corn ($.88)

Directions

1. Cook the brown rice as directed on the package. (Takes about 45 minutes.) Substitute white rice if desired.

2. To the cooked brown rice, add the chopped onions, diced tomatoes, green chilies, cooked black beans, cooked red kidney beans, ground cumin and salt and pepper (to taste).

3. Slice the stem out of the top of the green pepper and place in a pot with boiling salt water for 5 minutes. Remove from water, then stuffed with the filling. Top with a pinchful of shredded cheese.

4. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes, or until the cheese has melted and is bubbly.

5. Cook the corn as directed on package.

6. Serve Double Bean Stuffed Green Peppers with Corn.

(Note: I had a few extra smaller green peppers in the fridge…so I made Stuffed Bite Size Peppers for Steve to take to work for lunch!)

Top with some shredded cheese, then freeze.  Thaw in the fridge overnight, then reheat  in the oven long enough to melt the cheese before taking to work.

Cost $5.92 – With lots of leftovers for lunch!!!

So grateful for a stocked freezer when coming home from a trip.  I grabbed some ground meat, cooked black and pinto beans, and set to work in the kitchen.  After thawing it all, I browned the ground meat, then added the beans and some BBQ sauce.

So. So. Simple.

I also had some drop biscuits in the freezer…so I thawed those and poured the cowboy beans over top. Served with a side of frozen corn…a delicious, well balanced manly meal from the freezer.

And the added bonus…plenty of leftovers for lunch!

Ingredients

1.3 lb ground beef ($1.93)
2 garlic cloves, crushed ($.10)
2 cups cooked black beans ($.40) Substitute 1 15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
2 cups cooked pinto beans ($.40) Substitute 1 15 oz can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup BBQ sauce ($.75)
1 15 oz can petite diced tomatoes, drained ($.29)
Drop biscuits ($.75)
1/2 bag frozen corn ($.44)

Directions

1. Brown the ground beef with the crushed garlic cloves. Drain and return to skillet. Add the black and pinto beans, as well as the BBQ sauce, diced tomatoes…and stir through. Let simmer over low heat for 5-10 minutes.

2. Make drop biscuits.

3. Prepare the corn as directed on package.

4. Serve BBQ Cowboy Beans over Drop Biscuits with Corn.

Cost $5.06

(Sorry about the funny photos this week…I posted them from our desktop and it does weird things to them?!)

Here’s what I love about this recipe. You can make a ton of the “filling” and use it so many different ways! The recipe for the filling that I will post below will easily stretch into 3 meals! You could…

• Stuff the filling into green peppers, or other bell peppers
• Eat the filling for lunch with chips
• Add the filling to some nachos with lots of melt-ey cheese
• Add it to some taco shells or tortillas with lettuce and tomatoes from the garden
• Eat it straight up

You could also freeze the unused portion and make any of the above items at a later time!

Versatility. At it’s best!!!

Ingredients

1 1/3 lb. ground beef or chuck ($1.93)
1 1/2 cup rice ($.60)
1 15 oz can diced tomatoes, undrained ($.19) Sale, store promotion and coupon
1 6 oz can tomato paste ($.19) Used $1/1 coupon
1 cup frozen corn ($.40) Sale price of $.88/bag
3-4 Tbsp homemade taco seasoning ($.10) Depending on how much kick you want!
Salt and pepper to taste

2 poblano peppers, seeded and halved ($1) (4 if making for 4 adults…I know the kids wouldn’t go for the spice.)
1-2 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese ($1.50)

Side salad with lettuce from the garden and homemade dressing ($.25)

Directions

1. Prepare filling: Brown the ground beef in a large skillet, drain and return to skillet. Stir in the rice with 3 1/2 cups of water. Add the diced tomatoes, tomato paste, and frozen corn. Stir together and bring to a boil. Then cover and reduce heat to low. Cook for about 20 minutes, or until the rise is done. Continue cooking to let any extra liquid cook off. Once it reaches the desired consistency, spoon into open peppers.

2. Top the stuffed peppers with some shredded Mexican cheese and bake at 400 for about 10 minutes, until cheese has melted and peppers begin to soften.

3. Serve Stuffed Poblano Peppers with side salad.

4. Save or freeze leftovers for a “repurposed meal” a few days later.

Cost $6.56 (including the filling for 2 other meals!)