Black bean and corn tacos with bacon

• 3 pieces bacon, diced
• 2 medium onions
• 2 cups frozen corn
• 1 can black beans, drained
• 1T +/- chili powder
• Lime wedges
• Flour tortillas
• shredded or chopped lettuce
• shredded cheddar cheese

Cook bacon until crisp. Remove bacon to paper towels to drain. Reserve 2 T fat, discard remaining. Cook onion in bacon fat until soft. Stir in chili powder until fragrant. Add bacon, corn, and beans, stirring occasionally until hot.

While filling heats, warm tortillas. Serve with lettuce, lime wedges and shredded cheese. These made a quick yet satisfying lunch. They could easily become a vegetarian main dish, and could just as easily be converted into enchiladas or burritos. YUM!

Spoon bread with corn

• 1/2 cups water
• 1 cup yellow cornmeal
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 cups milk or buttermilk
• 4 eggs, well beaten
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 c corn kernels (thawed & drained if frozen)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Butter a 1 1/2-quart casserole dish.

Stir 1/2 cup of the water into the cornmeal. This prevents lumping. Beat the eggs, then stir the cornmeal into them.

Bring 3 cups milk to a simmer in a roomy pot. Add the salt, then add about 1/2 c hot milk to the egg/cornmeal mixture, stirring until smooth, then add that to the hot milk. Bring to a simmer stirring constantly, and cook for 1 minute. Remove from heat, stir in butter and corn kernels.

Pour into the casserole and use a spatula to spread the batter evenly. Bake for about 35-40 minutes, until a cake tester comes clean.

Maine Maple-Black Pepper Glazed Chicken

Maple-Black Pepper Glazed Chicken
Two split chicken breasts, bone-in
1 T oil
1T butter
1/4 c maple syrup
1+ t freshly ground black pepper
salt and pepper to taste

Rinse and dry the chicken, and allow it to come to room temperature. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Brush the chicken with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place on a lightly oiled baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes. While the chicken cooks, melt the butter and combine with the maple syrup and black pepper. Remove at 15 minutes and brush with the maple glaze. Return the chicken to the oven for another 10 minutes; remove and brush with glaze. Return to the oven and bake for an additional 10 minutes, brush a final time with glaze and return to the oven for another 5 minutes, or until a thermometer registers 170°F