Cathy Burnham Martin's Blog, page 108

Neil Armstrong served as a naval aviator from 1949 – 1952 and served in the Korean War. He then earned his Bachelor of Science degree in aeronautical engineering from Purdue University and became a test pilot for what later became known as NASA. Most of us think of him as the first man to walk on the moon, which happened 53 years ago today. The Apollo 11 Lunar Module “Eagle” landed on the moon with just 25 seconds of fuel left on July 20, 1969. Commander Neil Armstrong then transmitted, “Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed.” Everyone in the control room could finally breathe again!

Unable to sleep, Armstrong and lunar module pilot Buzz Aldrin prepared to leave the craft. As he stepped onto the moon’s surface 6 hours and 39 minutes later at 10:56 pm Eastern Daylight Time, Armstrong said, “That’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.” (Yes, he is famously misquoted without the little “a” article, due to a static crackle.) Armstrong and Aldrin explored the moon’s surface and collected samples for 2½ hours. Ahhhh, explorers!

(Photo by Mario Azzi)

Raspberries!!! Rude or sassy, playful or perky, today is the official day for celebrating our human act of sticking out our tongue. Perhaps it’s just to score a taste of that choice dill pickle from your plate, as our granddaughter, sweet Adaline demonstrates in the photo! But just go ahead… be silly… stick your tongue out at someone today.

Shhhhh…

(photo by Robin Higgins)

In 1984 President Ronald Reagan designated July as National Ice Cream Month and the 3rd Sunday of the month as National Ice Cream Day. He cited ice cream as the “perfect dessert and snack food.”

Since his passion for jellybeans… specifically Jelly Belly jellybeans… was openly touted, I couldn’t help but wonder if a jellybean ice cream would be good (or just crazy sweet). I have never made ice cream with jellybeans, but I was laughing when I saw how many such recipes exist online. (In case you simply must indulge, I share a link to one with you here: https://wearenotmartha.com/jelly-bean... )

Usually, the closest thing I have seen is to see mini jellybeans offered as “sprinkle” topping extras. Still, I could not help but picture President Reagan gobbling up jellybean ice cream. Since his favorite Jelly Belly flavor was licorice, I figured a Black Licorice Ice Cream must exist. OMG! Yes, it does. So, if you are a fan of the sweet, bitter, salty & sour twangs in licorice, go for it! If not, choose your favorite flavor. My fave in recent years is any spin on the Almond Joy bar, but my all-time favorite ice cream has no rival for my tastebuds. My Dad made the very best true Lemon Ice Cream in the old-time ice cream maker. The Common Man’s walk-up ice cream window at the Town Docks in Meredith, New Hampshire comes close enough to make me smile!!!

You either love corn fritters or you don’t, but today is their official day! Fritters, for me, are best when they are fresh and hot and served with soft honey butter. Hellloooo! As my many musical friends have taught me, it’s all about “theme and variation.” So, in my 2017 full-color cookbook Lobacious Lobster: Decadently Super Simple Recipes, I took corn fritters to a new (and definitely decadent) level when I created a crazy spin on friend Wendy Tirollo’s celebrated Triple Cornbread Pudding recipe. In tribute to her original recipe, I called this gem “Wendifully Orgasmic Triple Cornbread Pudding. And yes! It is made with lobster. And yes again! It’s delicious at any hour of the day.

Wendifully Orgasmic Triple Cornbread Pudding

16-oz sour cream

¼ tsp ground nutmeg

½ tsp pure vanilla extract

2 x-lg eggs, beaten well

2 c Mexicali corn kernels (or 2 c corn & ½ – ¾ c finely diced sweet pepper)

1 can (14.5-oz) creamed corn

½ – 1 c finely diced red onion

2-3 c diced or coarsely chopped lobster meat

7 T melted butter

1 box (8.5-oz) Jiffy corn muffin or bread mix

Whisk sour cream, nutmeg & vanilla into the eggs. Stir in all corn, onion & lobster, followed by butter and then the corn muffin mix. Pour into a well-buttered 9×13” baking dish; bake at 350°F for 40-45 min (for creamy, “spoonable” bread pudding) or 60 min for melt-in-your-mouth squares. Serve hot with softened butter. Makes 12 servings. (Or make 18 in buttered muffin tins, baked 20 min for spoon pudding or 30-40 min for muffins.)

Tips: Try this as a perfectly Lobacious side dish for entrees like salmon, chicken, pork, ribs, or steak. Turn this sweetness to savory by adding any of all of the following:

½ – 1 c crumbled, cooked bacon

1 or 2 T dried onion soup mix

½ c finely diced green bell pepper

And/or top with 1½ c shredded Cheddar or Colby-Jack cheese for the last 5 min of baking time.

Need more variations: For a sweet treat “Peachy Lobster Bread Pudding” replace Mexicali corn with 2 c diced or sliced sweet peaches and add 2 packets Stevia (or other) sweetener and 1 c coarsely chopped pecans. Serve with whipped cream. Any unlikely leftover spoon pudding (sweet or savory) can be refrigerated and then formed into “Breakfast Pudding Cakes.” Simply brown spoonfuls quickly in butter in a hot skillet. And these freeze beautifully. With or without the kernels, you can also use the raw batter to slowly brow in butter some mini or regular “Lobster Cornbread Pancakes” that caramelize beautifully on the edges.

“The more we try, the more we fail. The more we fail, the more we succeed.”

— Cathy Burnham Martin

American author, voiceover artist & dedicated foodie

We all have our favorite renditions of this all-American classic. But for the summer, I go for gooey, cheesy, and yet light, by replacing pasta with cauliflower florets. Feel free to use macaroni instead. You can also add a super crunchy topping of toasty, buttered breadcrumbs.

Cauliflower Mac and Cheese Extraordinaire

1 large head cauliflower, cut in florets (5-6 c)

2 T olive oil

½ tsp garlic powder & salt & pepper, to suit your taste

1 c heavy cream

6 oz (½ c) cream cheese, softened & cut in chunks

4 c shredded sharp cheddar cheese

½ tsp sweet paprika

1 T Frank’s Red-Hot Sauce (regular, not Buffalo), optional

Topping: ¼ c shredded Parmesan cheese & 2-3 T crushed pork rinds (any flavor)

Garnish: 2 T chopped fresh, flat-leaf parsley

Toss florets with oil; season with garlic powder, salt & pepper. Spread in single layer on parchment- or foil-lined baking sheets; roast 15-20 min at 450°F. Meanwhile, warm cream over medium heat in large pot. Reduce heat & stir in cream cheese and cheddar till melted. Remove from heat and stir in paprika & hot sauce, if using.  Stir in any mix-ins, as desired.) Then gently stir in roasted florets and transfer to well-buttered 9×13” baking dish. Sprinkle evenly with Parmesan and crushed pork rinds. Bake 15-20 min at 375°F. Let stand 10 min at room temp, garnish with parsley, and serve. Makes 4-6 servings.

Mix-in ideas (choose 1 or a combo):

½ c chunky salsa

1 c raw, trimmed baby spinach leaves

½ c chopped, cooked bacon

½ c baby peas

½ – 1 c sliced mushrooms, sautéed mushrooms

½ c chopped onion, caramelized or microwaved till crisp-tender

2 c coarsely diced lobster (or shrimp)

2 c shredded rotisserie chicken

“Happiness is a butterfly, which, when pursued, is always just beyond your grasp, but which, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you.”

— Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804 – 1864)

American novelist

(Photo by Frank Winkler)

“When good people in any country cease their vigilance and struggle, then evil men prevail.”

— Pearl S. Buck (1892 – 1973)

American writer & novelist

(As if there is possibly some day when it’s NOT Pet Photo Day!)

Sooooo… share a fave photo of your pet or a dear friend’s pet. Our photo for All American Pet Photo Day is none other than Bandit. Yup… the “famous” author of A Dangerous Book for Dogs: Train Your Human. (And he recorded an audiobook as well as a full-color edition of his paperback.) He remains a favorite furrrr-ever dog for us and so many of his human and canine and feline friends.