Leftovers charmed by Jimmy Dean

Leftovers from holiday celebrations, save the hard candy flavors favorite'd only by me (clove, anise, horehound, licorice) were reconfigured into other dishes or rotated out of the household by the first of the year. At least that was what I thought until I reached into my freezer today.  In a crevice wedged between two large bags of pellet and cubed ice lay a large container of frozen corn kernels.

When a left over bag of holiday corn kernels meets a two for one (BOGO) Jimmy Dean sage sausage promo at BiLo the net result is a wonderfully rich soup for an otherwise damp day in the Lowcountry. We enjoy a large assortment of chowders and gumbos in our coastal community.  We even host a charitable soup challenge at the Westin Hilton Head Resort & Spa this month (every year) ~ worth the entry fee for every taste! But today a simple and hardy recipe for Sausage Corn Chowder from Taste of Home provides the comfort I'm craving.

Biscuits, crusty bread, flatbread crackers, you pick your accompaniment as the sage flavored sausage, marjoram and luscious cream are meant to be swiped up the sides of this bowl full of yummy!

An Overnight Soak Makes Better Beans

Recently I posed a question on my Facebook page about the practice of soaking beans.  That is, whether there was any advantage to soaking beans over night versus the "quick soak" method.  Overwhelmingly those that responded deferred to the overnight method, indicating that the beans would render more tender and taste much better.  Following the well heeded advice of familiar foodies I brought picture perfect beans to the kitchen for a Spicy Black Bean Chili for service at a local potluck Oscar party gathering.  Preparing this recipe from another elder cook book on the shelf, my 1993 copy of  Better Homes and Gardens Cooking for Today: Vegetarian Recipes. I included one cup of cooked sweet corn kernels for additional texture and color as well as a touch of cinnamon to the recipe.  I also followed the advice of the recipe to provide plain yogurt and leaves of cilantro to "dress" the chili. And for those forever loving cheese heads I provided slivers of Asiago cheese to top off their bowls. Cornbread does make for a complete meal of this recipe, but I'm rather smitten with the Late July Organic Snacks and elected to serve a variety of their multigrain chips (note these chips stand alone in flavor quite well, but also pair nicely with all sorts of dips, soups, etc).  An overnight soak delivers superbly in this case, but much like life I imagine the short cut exists for those lacking the patience to let every moment ease itself into being.