Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad

 At work we have a tradition of holding a potluck lunch on an employee's last day. We had an opportunity for one last week. Another co-worker offered to bring gorditas. Having never tried them before, I was looking forward to it! Knowing what she was bringing, helped me pick what to bring. I scoured my saved recipes on Pinterest and saw this one for Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad. 

The recipe was super easy to put together and turned out really good! I even received compliments from my two Mexican-American co-workers. Yes! 

Because this dish is served cold, it is a perfect one for a potluck. Bring some extra cotija cheese for everyone to sprinkle on top of their portion and your serving bowl will be empty before you head home. Or if you're lucky like me you'll have just enough to have a portion later. 

*Because I'm not a fan of onions or cilantro, I left those out and it still tasted really good.

Gingersnap Cheesecake Bars

I have been working part time at the Thrift Shop on our base. It's not a dream job by any means, but it has given me something to do (not that I really needed one more thing to do between all my volunteer gigs) and some extra travel money. We had a potluck for lunch in honor of Veteran's Day and to celebrate one of our regular volunteers who is heading to the States for the winter. 

I scoured Pinterest for some ideas of something I could bring that did not require being warmed up since I was coming in to work in the morning and wanted to make sure my item was still going to be tasty a few hours later. I had this recipe for Gingersnap Cheesecake Bars saved and knew it was the perfect time to try it! Charles is not a huge fan of cheesecake, so he would not appreciate it as much as my co-workers and volunteers would. 

I received many rave reviews on the bars so the recipe is a keeper! The original recipe was for a 13x9 inch pan, so I halved it for this occasion, but seeing how quickly they were devoured I should have made the full recipe. The recipe card below is for half the recipe so if you want a full pan just double all the measurements. Enjoy!

 

Oktoberfest Quiche

I am not normally one to go off-book when it comes to recipes. I love following directions. I love rules. I am not a confident cook. However, I had this idea to make an Oktoberfest or German themed quiche to bring to a Fest potluck with the other residents in our apartment building. I searched Pinterest and did not come up with anything exactly like what I had in mind, so I combined ideas from a couple different recipes and came up with my own Oktoberfest Quiche. It is a little risky serving something you have never made or tried before, but it turned out pretty tasty! 

This was my first time wearing my brand new dirndl! I am in love with it and so glad I found it in the sale section. Not only did I save a bunch compared to buying a current season style, but I had my eye on this exact one from my online browsing. Finding it in my size at 50% off made my day! And of course Suzie was a big hit in her "dirndl". 

In addition to my Oktoberfest Quiche, I brought my German Apple Cake. This is one of my favorite things in life and this time I made a salted caramel frosting instead of the typical vanilla buttercream. Yummy! It's not authentically German AT ALL! Germans would never make something that sweet, but it was made with apples we picked in Germany, so that makes it more legitimate to me. 

Brie stuffed garlic bread

Potlucks always push me to try new recipes! I love to search Pinterest for new ideas and often come across some real winners. I hosted an event at my house and wanted to make something with brie cheese, but did not want the standard baked brie with crackers. I came across a recipe for brie stuffed garlic bread and it was perfect! So cheesy, gooey and delicious!

Lemon Cream Cheese Cake

One of the neighbors on my street planned a potluck for everyone and I used it as a chance to try out a new recipe. Originally I planned to try a recipe for lemon poppy seed bars, but the grocery store on base was out of poppy seeds so I decided to try for something else instead of stressing out trying to find them at another store. I ended up grabbing some cream cheese while at the store...just in case. When I returned home and searched Pinterest for recipes for lemon desserts, I found this one for lemon cream cheese cake and thought it sounded good for a summer evening get-together. 

It is always a risk trying a new recipe for an event. I worry a bit about if it does not taste good. That was especially on my mind for this occasion because we are new to the street and I had never shared baked goods with my neighbors, so they would have no idea that I am generally a good baker. Luckily they told me the cake was really delicious and I confirmed when I tasted it! It did not have as big of a lemon punch that I thought, but that may be because instead of lemon zest I used a couple drops of lemon essential oil. I also had to bake it quite a bit longer than the recipe stated, but I am not sure if that is an issue with the recipe or with my oven. If you try this one out, just keep an eye on it and take it out when it is no longer very jiggly in the middle. 

Pineapple Rum Cake

Wow! Has it really been since June that I last posted? Well, I am still alive and have been busy, busy, busy.

Recently I had to purchase some rum for a fondue recipe. While at the store I saw pineapple rum and on an impulse bought a bottle. Fast forward a couple weeks, I attended a murder mystery party and we were asked to bring either an appetizer or dessert. I thought, what can I make with that pineapple rum? I searched Pinterest for inspiration and came across a recipe for Rum Cake. I wanted to punch up the pineapple flavor, so I experimented a little with the recipe. It turned out pretty tasty, so I thought I'd share the recipe on here.

I hope you enjoy!

Creamy Cheesy Polenta

I have a spouse social coming up and was trying to decide what to serve. Sometimes we do potluck style, but lately I have been enjoying menu planning and cooking. I know not everyone has the time or expendable income to bring something. I was thinking about making polenta, but I have never made it before. So I made it for dinner to try it out.

It turned out to be really easy and a yummy side. I found the recipe on Pinterest and it is from Shared Appetite.

Creamy Cheesy Polenta

Ingredients
1 cup milk
2 to 3 cups water
1 cup cornmeal
3 T butter
1 T olive oil
1 cup cheese, shredded
Salt
Black pepper

Directions
Bring the milk, 2 cups of water and a large pinch of salt to a boil in a medium saucepan. Reduce heat to a low simmer and add cornmeal in a slow and steady stream, constantly whisking to prevent lumps.

Polenta should be at a bare simmer and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. If the mixture gets too thick, add water 1/2 cup at a time.

Remove from heat, stir in butter and olive oil. Then stir in cheese. I used a mixture of cheddar and pepper jack. Season with salt and pepper.

For the cornmeal, the Shared Appetite author suggested medium grind. I have no earthly idea what grind I had. I store everything in containers and lose the bag. But I think pretty much any kind of grind will work.