Corn Soufflé

Another one of my favorite dishes, passed on from Aunt Susan. Although we normally eat it in the winter because it's heavier and made in the oven, tonight it hung out with Mom's baby back ribs and Memphis cole slaw, making a great summer side.

We normally make this dish for Thanksgiving, as it yields a ton of food and is a total crowd pleaser. It can also be made ahead of time and refrigerated until ready to serve, making it great for guests.

Corn Soufflé
Ingredients
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 (8 oz) Jiffy corn bread muffin mix
1 (14 3/4 oz) can cream-style corn
1 (14 3/4 oz) can white corn, not drained
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup butter, melted
Cheddar or Swiss cheese, shredded

1. Preheat the oven to 350F.
2. Combine all but the cheese in a large bowl
3. Place in a buttered 2-qt casserole dish
4. Sprinkle or lay cheese on top.
5. Bake at 350F for 45 minutes. You don't want it wobbly in the middle. If it's starting to brown too much, place aluminum foil over the top. 

Spicy Mango-Ginger Chicken Salad

Michelle & Dan Fusion cooking at its finest!

Asian-inspired including some of my cooking favorites (cilantro, mint, mango) and Dan's soy, sriracha, rice this dish is amazing. Try it. SO GOOD

Spicy Mango-Ginger Chicken Salad
Commandeered from the lovely Kristin at Smokin Chestnut
Ingredients
Couple of chicken breasts - however much you & friends will eat
1 large Napa/Savoy cabbage, thinly sliced
4 medium carrots, peeled & thinly sliced
2 ripe mangos, peeled & thinly sliced
2 vine tomatoes, chopped
1 bunch green onions, chopped
4 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted (*to toast, heat oven to 350 and bake a few minutes)
Handful of fresh mint, chopped
Handful fresh cilantro, chopped
Handful roasted peanuts, roughly chopped - or hammered, in our case

Spicy Ginger Dressing:
4 teaspoons freshly-grated ginger OR 1 teaspoons dried ginger
2 tablespoons Sriracha sauce
4 tablespoons brown sugar
4 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon sesame oil
6 tablespoons vegetable oil

1. In a large bowl, whisk together all of the dressing ingredients, begin sure to scrape dry ingredients from the bottom. 
2. Cook chicken in a skillet with a touch of olive oil. 
3. Add all ingredients to the bowl with the dressing, tossing to combine. 
4. We served over rice with soy or sriracha. 

Slammin' Pizza Sauce

Sweet and spicy, this sauce is perfect for a fun night in with the crew. Its flavors are layered and many, yet as complex as the taste, it's incredibly easy to make! Add premade pizza dough (I've had one try at making pizza dough from scratch and boy did that go south! The penguins would even spit that one out hahaha) and your favorite toppings and cheese and your good to go. 

When Dan and I made this with friends we did our bizarre version of supreme - peppers, onions, pineapple, bacon, sausage, tomatoes, and lord knows what else. Tasty and fun for a pizza bar! 

Slammin' Pizza Sauce
Ingredients
1 (6oz) can tomato paste
6 fl oz warm water
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon freshly minced garlic (1 - 2 cloves)
2 tablespoons honey
3/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon dried marjoram
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/8 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
Salt to taste

1. In a medium sized bowl, blend all ingredients, being sure to scramble any parm chunks. 
2. Allow to sit in the fridge at least 30 minutes before using - this helps all the flavors to blend & pop, bend & snap!
3. Spread on your favorite dough, smother with cheese & toppings, bake, and enjoy!

Mom's Bad Ass Baby Back Ribs

Favorite grill item ever. Hands down glory.

Mom makes the world's best ribs. Slow cooked in Coke so until they cannot wait to fall off the bone and then crisped up on the grill and loaded with Sweet Baby Ray's. Wonderfully simple; utterly divine. Hello summer!

Mom's Bad Ass Baby Back Ribs
Ingredients
Baby back ribs (pork)
Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce
Coke & Ketchup (Ratio: 2L bottle coke - 1g ketchup)

1. Cut ribs to 3 - 4 ribs pieces.
2. In a large simmer pan, place cut ribs in coke, ketchup, adding water if needed. 
3. Bring to boil and simmer for approximately two hours.
4. Once the grill is ready, grill over medium-high heat for a couple minutes to crisp them up. Baste with BBQ sauce.
5. Enjoy hot off the grill!