Corn Bacon Casserole

One of my favorite potluck dishes that's always a big hit is my Corn Casserole. It has been requested on several family gathering. It is a very very simple casserole. It is a 5 ingredient dish; can of corn, creamed corn, sour cream, butter and Jiffy corn mix. You drop it in a bowl and mix, pour into a 9x13 dish, bake at 350F for 45 minutes & you're done! It's a no-brainer! The outcome is this creamy delicate corn delight.

The casserole is delicious as is, but I was thinking what if I add bacon to the mix. Bacon can only enhance this deliciousness. So that's what I did and boy does it work! The salty bacon plays well with the sweet corn. It's a balanced bite of salt & sweet.

I've made both versions, one with bacon and without. Both are a hit! You can't go wrong!!

Buen Provecho!

The Yummy Suspects!

Delicious crisp bacon, divided into 2 piles.

Into a medium bowl pour can of drained corn,

can of creamed corn,

8oz of sour cream, 

 2 oz of melted butter (1/2 a stick)

and then Jiffy corn mix.

Stir until it looks like....

...this.

Add 1/2 of the bacon and

stir to combine.

Pour into a 9x13 casserole, smooth out with spoon and gently shake and tap casserole to settle and even out mixture.

Crumble and sprinkle the other half of bacon. Bake for 40-45 minutes. Put toothpick in and if it comes out clean it's ready.

Put oven to broil and brown casserole for 1-2 minutes. Watch carefully don't let it burn! Take it out when golden brown.

Let it set for 5 minutes. Serve warm or room temperature. Delicious creamy, sweet and salty! So good!!!

Corn Bacon Casserole - 5-7 servings

1- 15.25 oz can whole corn kernels, drain
1- 14.75 oz can creamed corn
8 oz sour cream
2 oz butter, melted (1/2 a stick)
1- 8.5ox box of favorite corn mix (Jiffy is my brand)
4-5 thick cut bacon, chopped (I use applewood bacon)

Note: If you cook in a smaller casserole your cooking time will be longer, 50-60 minutes. Test doneness with a toothpick. It comes out clean your casserole is ready. Then broil until golden brown for 1-2 minutes.


Road Map:

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Chop bacon and place in a dry skillet on medium heat. Crisp up bacon bits and drain on a paper towel. Divide bacon in half.

2. Place drained corn kernels, creamed corn, sour cream, butter and corn mix in a medium bowl and mix until well combined. Add half of the bacon and mix until combined.

3. Pour mixture into a 9x13 pan. Smooth out with the back of a wooden spoon. Gently shake and tap the casserole dish to help the mixture settle and even out. Crumble and sprinkle the half of bacon over casserole.

4. Place casserole into the oven, cook for 40-45 minutes, until toothpick comes out clean. Turn oven to Broil and cook until brown, 1-2 minutes. Watch carefully, will brown rapidly you don't want it to burn.

5. Once golden brown, place casserole on a trivet to rest for 5 minutes. Serve warm or room temperature.

6. Enjoy! 

Krispy Kreme Burger

I know that I'm years behind on this trend, but I've always been curious about this unusual pairing. I just never had both items around the house at the same time. Because of the ridiculous calories this burger would entail, I just couldn't see myself seeking it out, despite my curiosity. So how did this moment come? It went down like this....

We found a Groupon for Krispy Kreme, bought it, got them and have a lot leftover. We had ground meat in the fridge, already defrosted (for a different meal), just needing to be cooked.  Serendipity,  Krispy Kreme and Ground Beef under the same roof at the same time. I couldn't ignore this opportunity so here we go.....

I made a basic burger. No frills, no extras, a simple cheeseburger. Meat, cheese, tomato, lettuce. I wanted to be able to taste all the different components.

I mixed the meat, with McCormick's Montreal Steak Seasoning and Worcestershire Sauce. This combo is my go to quick meat seasoning, I put it on basically every meat dish. Add a little salt and pepper and that's it. Pretty simple.

I shape the burgers, cook them 4-5 minutes on each side. To melt the cheese I add a bit of water into the pan and cover immediately. The water creates a steam that melts the cheese evenly. A little diner tip I picked up on Food Network. It works every time!

Cut the donut in half with a serrated knife, place burger on bottom bun, lettuce, tomato and then top.  What you end up with is a crazy good All American Burger. The sweet and savory mix that this burger brings, is distinct and delicious. The tomato and lettuce gives it the freshness it needs to offset the richness of the bun.  The burger is a little sticky but that's just part of the experience. This burger is juicy, savory, sticky, a bit sweet and fresh. It's never to late to have a Krispy Kreme Burger.

Buen Provecho!

Main Players

In a bowl mix ground meat, steak seasoning, Worcestershire sauce, salt & pepper.

Form into 4 patties.

Form patties, making sure each one is thinner at the center and thicker at the edges for even cooking.

Cook for 4-5 minutes on each side.

In the last 1-2 minutes of cooking, add the cheese. Pour a bit a water into the pan.

Cover immediately, allowing the water to create steam ensuring evenly melted cheese.

Melted perfection!

Split buns with serrated knife.

Time to eat!!!

Krispy Kreme Burger - Yield 4 burgers

Ingredients:

1lb ground beef
3-4 Tbsp Montreal Steak Seasoning, or your favorite seasoning
2Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
Salt n Pepper
4 Krispy Kreme original glazed, split
4 American, slices
Lettuce
Tomato

Oil, for pan frying

Road Map:

1. In a medium bowl mix together ground beef, montreal seasoning, worcestershire & salt n pepper. To ensure proper seasoning roll up a small piece into the size of a quarter and cook. Adjust seasoning if necessary.

2. Add oil to a medium pan on medium heat.

3. Divide meat into 4 equal pieces. Form patties, making sure each one is thinner at the center and thicker at the edges for even cooking.

4. Cook 4-5 minutes on each side. Top each patty with cheese during the last 1-2 minutes of cooking. Pour a splash of water into the pan and immediately cover to help the cheese melt evenly. 

5. Using a serrated knife split the donuts in half. Assembly burger. Bun, Burger, Lettuce, Tomato, Bun. 

6. Enjoy!!!