Mexican Corn

I like queso cheese dip at Mexican restaurants, but I've never used queso crumbling cheese. I tried it out, and it was pretty good, it tasted like you would think, like the dip, but in a solid form.

This recipe is from Acute Designs.

Ingredients:

-2 cups of corn kernels
-an ounce or two of queso blanco
-1 teaspoon of chili powder
-the juice from one lime

I just used a cheese grater to crumble the cheese,
it was soft so it fell off easily.

Mix in the lime juice and chili powder.

This was pretty simple, but I thought it made for a side dish that was a little different. It only took a few minutes, and you could make this while you are preparing a main dish.

Cheesy Corn Ramen

I've seen a few books and websites that make meals out of ramen. I like the concept, because it takes something that can be really boring and make it into an interesting meal. I think it is cool too because there are so many twists and options that you can do with it because the noodles are pretty versatile.

This recipe comes from the book 101 things to do with ramen noodles. My mom and I are hoping to do some more of these ramen recipes soon.

Ingredients:

-1 packet of ramen, with any seasoning packet

-1 14 oz can creamed corn

-1/2 cups shredded cheese

Make the ramen noodle packet in boiling water. In another saucepan, heat the creamed corn and cheese together until the cheese melts, about the amount of time it takes for the ramen to cook. Pour the cheese corn sauce over the ramen.

I didn't use all of the sauce, it was a little too much for the amount of ramen I had, I used probably 1/2, so if you wanted to make 2 packets of ramen or cut down the amount of cheese and corn, I think that would work well.

This was really simple, there were not many ingredients, but it really made them taste good and different than the plain ramen. It was almost like mac and cheese, it was really creamy, and the corn gave it some extra texture and sweet flavor.

Sweet Corn Gnocchi

A few weeks ago my family went out to eat at Cleveland Chop, and we had a Sweet Corn Gnocchi as an appetizer. It was really good, and I hadn't ever had anything similar, so I wanted to try it. It had a little bit of a sweet taste and a buttery sauce with a little bit of cheese.

Ingredients:

-1 package gnocchi

-1/2 can corn

-2 Tbsp butter

-sprinkle garlic salt

-sprinkle Parmesan cheese

-parsley for garnish

Cook gnocchi according to package directions.

Melt the butter in a pan, and add the gnocchi.

Cook for about 2 minutes, then add corn and a little more butter.

Add the cheese and garlic powder, cook for another 2 minutes.

I thought this was pretty good, and actually filling as a main dish. I think the restaurant version had some sugar in it too, and maybe it was cooked a little longer because it had a little bit of a crunch that mine didn't. Overall though the flavors went together well, an unexpected combination.