Wheat-free Corn Pasta Recipe

First - sorry for my absence. This has been a really busy month around our house. There's always plenty for me to do - because I do write copy for a living and have all the usual stuff with taking care of a house and critters - but this month has been different.

It all started when our neighbor got the flu. He and his wife are in their 80's and they have cattle - and he was too sick to tend to them. Just feeding them doesn't take long, but those cows are having babies now, so Mrs. neighbor has needed a little help.

We've still got plenty of snow and ice, so it's really too cold yet for newborns. That means we've had a bit of fun with getting weak ones into the house to get them warm, and trying to feed them imitation milk that they really don't want until they're strong enough to go back outside - and then moving them back outside. Some of those babies are way heavy! And in between, we had to get our neighbor to the doctor and then - on Saturday night - go after him when the hospital suddenly decided he could go home.

Before you think I'm whining - it's been kind of fun. I hadn't been around calves for many years, and they are awfully sweet. And it sure feels good when you see one getting strong when you weren't sure it was going to live.

Meanwhile, we have found time to eat dinner most nights, and this week we tried the corn rotini.

Maybe it's been around in "big" stores for a long time, but our little store just got corn pasta a few weeks ago. I was tickled to see it, because I'm always trying to find something different that I think my husband will eat (can't get too creative here.)

I had an idea that corn pasta would taste different - more like cornbread or a corn tortilla. So I made a kind of "spaghetti sauce" except with taco seasoning. I added some crumbled and browned ground beef, just like I do when I make spaghetti the lazy way.

We all agreed that it tasted good - but not very much different than regular wheat pasta. The biggest difference was probably the texture - the corn pasta is firmer. That was OK with me, but my husband thought we should have cooked it longer.

I was in a big hurry that night - the cows, you know - so I didn't go all out with extras or trimmings. Next time I think I'll shred some lettuce, chop some tomatoes and onions, and grate some cheese to pile on top of it. Maybe I'll also add a spoonful of sour cream on top.

If you've used corn pasta and have a good recipe - please do share!

Actually, if you have any kind of recipe to share, you're not just welcome to do so, you're invited!

Can you call it chili if it contains corn?

Yesterday I was at a potluck-type function, and one of the ladies brought a soup that caused quite the discussion.

At first I thought it was tomato soup, made with milk, because of the color. But, the aroma said no, it was taco soup. It definitely smelled like taco seasoning.

Since we had to heat it, everyone took a turn at stirring, and then the debate began. It was definitely soup - more liquid than anything else. But then, there were the kidney beans, and the baby corn, and some other lumpy things. Later I found out those were small pieces of diced chicken.

The person who made it said it was "Southwest Chicken Chili." One of the other ladies said that was ridiculous - chili can't have baby corn. Someone else said chili didn't have milk, and someone else said chili didn't have taco seasoning.

So, what's your opinion? Can it be chili and have those ingredients?

All that talk about chili made me hungry for the kind I make, so today I browned burger, tossed in a huge can of crushed tomatoes, kidney beans, pinto beans, chopped onions, and (cheating) 2 envelopes of chili seasoning from the spice aisle in the grocery store.

My only concern is that the pot won't make it to dinner time. I keep having to go back to taste it - just to make sure it's still as good as it was a half hour earlier.

I guess if there's not much left by then, my carpenter (who should be happy because he doesn't have to cook tonight) will just have to fill up on corn bread.

Wishing you something as good for dinner tonight as my chili!

Marte

Marte Cliff, Copywriter

Hamburger - ham meatloaf - Very Good!

Today I was gone all day and came home really worn out. I walked in the kitchen and couldn't see a thing going on, so sighed - thinking that my husband must have decided it was my turn to cook.

Must have been that I was so tired my nose wasn't working - or maybe it was all the dust I'd been breathing outside in the wind all day. No matter - a new creation awaited my hunger.

Carl had made meatloaf of ground beef, little chunks of leftover potato, and a good portion of tiny ham cubes, along with some crumbled bread and a couple of eggs. The little ham cubes were left over from making homemade pizza on Sunday - the little tiny ones that I usually toss into a homemade soup.

Goes to show what good things can come out of a refrigerator full of leftovers!

Here's to tasty creativity!