Cooking with Emily: Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes & Carrots and Caesar-Parm Corn on the Cob

The weather has finally improved enough to feel like summer, and I spent a lovely weekend basking in the sun with my book.  The weekend, like the week before it slipped away quickly and suddenly it was Monday again.  Sunday evening I set Emily to the task of figuring out what she planned to cook, asking for something lighter, please, as we had eaten out a few times over the course of the weekend and I was feeling the need for something summery and easy.  She brought me a recipe for a potato casserole, which, while looking tasty did not look particularly light, and a recipe for corn on the cob.  I confess when it comes to corn on the cob I do love the stuff, but prefer to wait for when it is in season here.  Fresher is definitely better.  But she would not be deterred.  I pointed out that both dishes were sides, asking what about meat.  Breezily she said she'd just cook some steak or pork chops too.  What a kid.
I found a small package of bison tenderloin in the freezer Monday morning and made a foray to the store for potatoes (we were down to our last 2) and corn on the cob.
I admit she is getting better about the amount of help and supervision she needs, although she seemed surprised when I suggested at 4 o'clock she start her potatoes, since they took more than an hour and she is not yet the fastest peeler around.
The recipe she was using made enough for 12 servings, so I suggested she halve it, making notes for her in the margins of what the half amounts were.  She peeled and sliced 3 large potatoes, a couple carrots and asked me to slice the onion, since they make her cry.  I told her she'd have to do it sooner or later, but helped her out anyway.  The vegetables went into a pot to boil while she made the sauce.  I told her to measure the flour and seasonings into a small  bowl and measure out the milk first, while the butter melted, since white sauce goes rather quickly.  She stirred the flour into the melted butter, I gave it a few good turns with the whisk to ensure there were no clumps of flour.  I continued to stir while she poured in the milk, explaining that stirring and pouring at the same time can be tricky.  Then I left her to stir it until it thickened.  Once it had reached the desired consistency she stirred in shredded cheese to create a cheese sauce.  This was layered with the now cooked vegetables in a casserole dish, which we covered and put in the oven to bake.
While the potatoes were cooking I sent Emily outside to husk the corn.  The recipe described how to steam it in the microwave in the husk, which I think might be okay with absolutely fresh, picked today, corn.  That and I didn't like the idea of trying to peel the husks off hot cobs.  I set a pan of water on the stove to steam them instead while she made the dressing for the corn.  She combined Caesar salad dressing and Parmesan cheese with fresh parsley, and then said she didn't much like Caesar salad, so she wasn't going to have any.  I told her to try it anyway.  She didn't like the dressing still, but did try it on the corn.  I told her the sweetness of the corn cut back the bite of the dressing, and said if she was going to cook something she really did need to try it.  She did and she decided it was very tasty.  Personally I still like good butter, salt & pepper best, but this was quite nice.  An interesting change...and maybe better on corn that is not at its peak.
We grilled the tenderloin while the corn was cooking and sat down to a very nice meal.  It seems Emily's instincts are getting better for combining recipes to make a cohesive meal.  I am pleased she is willing to try new things more readily and following instructions a little better.  She recognized the corn only needed about 20 minutes so she allowed for that while starting the potatoes so everything was done at about the same time, which is a skill in itself.

I made a chocolate chip banana cake yesterday afternoon because I had several overripe bananas on the counter top.  We rarely have an official dessert with dinner, but Emily was delighted to have cake for no particular reason, and she declared it very good.

Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes & Carrots (12 servings)

2 lbs potatoes (about 6) peeled & thinly sliced            1 teaspoon salt

4 carrots, cut diagonally into thin slices                       1/2 teaspoon pepper

2 onions, sliced, separated into rings                           1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

3 tablespoons butter                                                      1 1/2 cups milk

2 tablespoons flour                                                       1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

Preheat the oven to 375F.  Cook the vegetables in boiling water 8-10 minutes, until tender.  Meanwhile melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat.  Add flour and seasonings; mix well.  Cook & stir about 1 minute then gradually stir in milk until well blended.  Bring to a boil and cook until thickened, about 5 minutes, stirring constantly.  Stir in cheese, cook over low heat until melted, about 1 minute.

Drain the vegetables, spoon half into a 9x13" greased casserole dish.  Cover with half the cheese sauce, repeat layers. Cover.

Bake 45 minutes to 1 hour, until heated through, uncovering after 30 minutes.  

* Emily thought this needed more cheese, so she added extra on her plate.  Topping the casserole with more grated cheese is also an option.  Making the sauce with chicken stock instead of milk will reduce the calories somewhat.

Caesar-Parm Corn on the Cob

4 ears corn on the cob                      1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup Caesar salad dressing           1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley

Cook the corn as per your preferred method (I steam mine in a large, shallow pan).  Combine remaining ingredients until blended.  Spread onto hot cooked corn.

*We had leftovers, I removed the corn from the cob & tossed the kernels with the remaining dressing.

Chocolate Chip Banana Cake

1 1/2 cups flour                                 1 egg

2/3 cup sugar                                     1/2 cup butter, melted

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder         1/4 cup milk

1/4 teaspoon salt                                3/4 cup chocolate chips

3-4 ripe bananas, mashed

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder & salt.  In a second bowl combine bananas, egg, melted butter & milk.  Stir the banana mixture into the flour mixture until blended, stir in chocolate chips.  Bake at 350F for 30-35 minutes.  Cool & frost with chocolate or cream cheese frosting.