Plain Jane
This is for you, Emily. Emily is the Plain Jane in my life--she likes her food unadorned (for the most part) and is minimalist in just about everything except for how much mail she likes to receive. Love you, sister.
The kids and I have been having a lot of fun eating this week. Wyatt has been picking raspberries from our bushes every morning. He brings them inside, pulls down a piece of parchment paper, lines a cookie sheet, and freezes them to enjoy in the afternoon. Is he precious or what?
We made popsicles this morning, have been chewing on raw mint from the garden, and whooping it up at the Georgetown Farmers Market. We got a bouquet of fresh garbanzo bean stalks, and Wyatt helped shell them today, eating one every once in awhile. Still don't know what I'm going to do with them--probably saute in olive oil, garlic, and cumin, then a squeeze of lime. I've never seen them before.
And the kids and I have eaten two huge bunches of rainbow carrots since yesterday morning. The carrots right now taste like candy, and they can't get enough of them. Today, at snacktime, Wyatt asked for two carrots, two pickles, and two baby cucumbers. Plain Jane.
As promised, dinner tonight was just corn on the cob. Six beautiful ears from Alvarez Farms. I had one, Wyatt had three, and Loretta had two. They turned into neanderthals, munching the kernels off the cob like it was their last meal. Finally, all of us in stitches, I got out the camera, which prompted even more performance. Plain Jane, Ridiculously Delicious.
Plain Jane Corn
So silly I'm telling you this, but somewhere along the line, I learned to cook corn this way, and nothing beats it. Put big old pot of water on the stove. Shuck your ears (or have your seven-year-old do it). Cut them in half if they won't fit in the pot. Drop them in, and get the water to a boil. As soon as it boils, turn the water off, cover your pot, and let the corn sit for 10 minutes. Now it's ready to eat, and not even a tad overcooked. Nothing worse than mushy corn. And if you have a grill going, you can throw it on there for a quick second for some smoke and grill marks. Oh--one more thing. Let your children completely annihilate whatever cube of butter happens to be in the butter dish. No sense trying to protect it. Slathering corn is its highest use, anyway.
July 25, 2010
Reader Comments (16)
This post immediately made me think of this: www.youtube.com/watch?v=OvgHNP-M1eQ which is how much corn is enjoyed by a little one I know. Love the plain jane of summer at times, because that's exactly how I've been feeling of late.
My favorite way too! You are absolutely right about the butter.
Sarah, I have my delightful six and a half year old niece with me for a few days and we are having corn for dinner tonight. Yummy. Last night I suggested she make a salad - after watching her carefully make a "soup" in her backyard yesterday with ingredients she had me chase down - spinach and celery being different kinds of weeds. It was scrumptious - the real salad, of course, not the pretend soup.
Nadia carefully cut up spinach and then added dried cranberries and cherries and fresh blueberries and carrots. And no salad dressing. Then for dessert she suggested more salad which she also made - this time with fresh raspberries and blueberries and almonds. Along with a small cup of hot chocolate.
Not only has she never made salad before but she rarely eats it. She asked for tomatoes and corn to add to her salad-making tonight. Sounds perfect with corn.
Hi Lynn! Love this story about Nadia making salad. Isn't it amazing what kids can create if we get out of their way? It's a good reminder to me to let my kids do that more often. I think Wyatt would LOVE concocting a salad, and I'd just have to get over it not being what I normally create :) I'll let you know how it goes. Hugs.
I just read a great tip about buttering corn on another blog. Spread butter on a heel of bread & then pass around to everyone to use to butter their corn (grasp it like a taco & slide up/down). I thought this was a great idea, as often the heel of bread gets abandoned in our house. Seemed like a great tip for the Leftoverist!
Okay. . . you have inspired me once again. I had to go buy some today and we are having it tonight, cooked your way. Can't wait to get my corn on! Your kid pics just scream "childhood delights"!
Hi Sarah,
I've been lurking around your blog for a month or so ever since I found it & I wanted to say that you are a great inspiration for creative cooking. Your thought provoking posts are amazing lessons for life! Thank you for all the wonderful things you share!
The mention of fresh garbanzo beans compelled me delurk and comment! It is a very popular snack in India and that's where I am from. It is a common sight here to see vendors loading up bunches of these fresh goodness on bicyles and selling them to travellers. Story has it that shelling & snacking on these (yes, raw) ease the boredom while travelling by bus or train! A trendy variation is to make a smiple salad: diced cucumber, tomatoes, minced shallot, shelled beans, all tossed with a dash of salt, pinch of sugar, lemon juice and garnished with chopped cilantro. Optionally you could add jalapeno for some kick. Hope you like it if you dress them up like so! :)
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE these photos!
Loved this post! If I don't grill my corn, I do it the exact same way you did. My SIL could never understand how come my corn was so tender. I asked her how she cooked it and she said "I boil it for 30 minutes!" Well no wonder! Sadly, she is a hamburger helper cook and doesn't really want to learn to cook at this stage of the game. Which is why she loves to come to my house when they are in town!
Three cheers for the plain Janes - meals and people. I don't think I'm alone out there. Love you too , sister. And those cute ass kids of yours. Big squeeze.
Okay, I have to stay with this story. Last night Nadia's salad was scrumptious - spinach, corn, tomatoes, strawberries and a few dried cherries and cranberries. With lemon juice - at her insistence. It was so good.
We told our friend Rita about the salads while we were over swimming at her condo complex yesterday and she suggested we add chocolate bits for the breakfast salad. We'll see.
I love the look of bliss on Loretta's face here.
And the salads continue! It sounds like the two of you are having so much fun. And you must be talking about "our" Rita. Give her a squeeze for me :)
Anyone who can boil up (okay, boil and stop) a batch of corn and call it dinner is a friend o' mine. We've been eating ours raw, it's so dang sweet. But to get the full-butter-blanket effect, you do really need to warm it up a smidge. This is just how I make hardboiled eggs. I think I can remember it!
cute ass kids. SERIOUSLY! love the hammy pics...i can hear the groans of delight as the pics are being snapped.
Emily is the only person I know who orders just "hot water" to drink at a restaurant, and is perfectly happy with it! Love you Em.
Thanks for the simple tip on cooking corn Sarah, i'll try this. Just came back from Michigan where my dear family cooks the hell out of the corn and it's a terrible mushy, starchy mess once you sink your teeth into it. You're right, nothing worse.
Kids are adorable. Hope to meet them someday. : )
Great pictures! This has been the scene around our house for the last couple weeks, too.