#2873 - Sweet Corn Dip

(by Shirley McNevich)

3 cups of fresh sweet corn kernels
8oz. shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 - 8oz. Philadelphia cream cheese (cubed and softened)
salt and pepper to your taste

Peel an ear of sweet corn and use a knife to carefully slice the kernels into a bowl. Continue with more ears of corn until you have 3 cups total. In a greased cast iron skillet add the corn kernels, salt and pepper (to your taste). Cook/stir over medium heat until corn kernels are browned. Remove from heat--add shredded cheddar cheese and cream cheese cubes--stir to mix (it won't be melted yet). Place the whole skillet in the oven and bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until cheeses are melted and whole mixture is bubbling. Remove from oven--stir mixture well and pour it into a serving dish. Taste--sprinkle more salt and pepper on top if desired. Serve immediately with good quality crackers or tortilla chips.

#968 - Crab Soup

(by Shirley McNevich)

3 1/2 to 4 lbs. fresh tomatoes
6 cups water
4 cups beef broth
2 cups lima beans (fresh or frozen)
2 cups cut green beans (fresh or frozen)
2 cups sweet corn kernels (fresh or frozen)
1/4 to 1/2 cup chopped onions
2 TBSP (or more, if you like) Old Bay seasoning
2 lbs. fresh lump crab meat
salt and pepper to your taste
crackers for serving

Wash the tomatoes, peel them, and cut them into small pieces. Place tomato pieces, water, beef broth, lima beans, green beans, sweet corn, chopped onions and Old Bay Seasoning into a Dutch oven--turn heat to medium while stirring. Once it's boiling put the lid on and turn heat back to low for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, remove the lid and flake the crab meat into the soup--stir. Taste a little of the soup with a spoon--add salt and pepper to your taste (and more Old Bay seasoning if you wish). Put the lid back on and cook on low heat for 15 minutes or until crab meat is hot enough to serve. Serve with crackers.