'Blah' Baked Corn Mash

Recipe: Baked Corn Mash

Source: The Orange Strainer

Time: 45 minutes total

Ease: 2

Taste: 3

Leftover Value: 2

Down the Drain or Keep in the Strainer: Down the Drain!

I gave myself a longer break than normal from posting.  I have my reasons.  After a few unsuccessful recipes, I didn't have the heart to post about my failures right away.  This recipe is one that works great when you follow the original recipe and cook it in a slow cooker, however, my rendition was just blah.  And yes, I have dubbed 'blah' to be a new cooking term.  In fact, in my recipe books, when I don't like a recipe I write 'blah' next to it.

I'm not kidding.  I seriously do that.

Here's what you need**:

1 can creamed corn
1 can frozen corn*
1 cup corn meal*
1/4 cup milk
1 egg
2 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp sugar*
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder

**Now, I know you're thinking, 'This recipe was a complete flop, why give the recipe?'.  What I want to make very clear is that this is an awesome recipe when you change three of the ingredients and throw it all into a slow cooker on low for 3 hours.  I've made it for Thanksgiving for the past two or three years and it's a hit.

So, if after reading this post, you think you'll be more successful with the slow cooker just change the items with a * to:

1 quart frozen corn
1 box (8.5 oz) corn muffin mix
2 Tbsp sugar

Now, back to the 'blah' recipe...

Start with a can of creamed corn.  I never tasted the uniqueness that is creamed corn before going with my husband.  And when I had it, I couldn't understand why anyone would want to eat corn like that.  But, it definitely works great in a recipe like this one.  The original recipe calls for a quart of creamed corn, but I never put that much in.  It is too much wet ingredient for me.

Because I was baking this, and had chosen a smaller baking dish, I used less frozen corn than normal.  Normally I will fill the creamed corn can twice.  For this recipe, I filled it once.  However, I'm positive this is not what lead to this recipe's downfall.

Toss in the frozen corn.

This is, I'm sure, what lead to the lack of flavor in my corn mash.  I used a cup of corn meal rather than a box of cornbread mix because, well, I didn't have any cornbread mix.  I realize they are two totally separate things, however, how would I really know if I didn't try?  

Pour the milk all over.

Beat the egg in a separate bowl and then pour all over.

Lightly mix the ingredients together.

Sprinkle the seasonings all over and lightly mix them in.

Top with the butter.

And bake for 45 minutes or longer.

Here is what I have to say in favor of this recipe.  If you, yourself, and yours like a good bland cornbread, this is actually pretty good.  But, if you like something that has a flair of cornbread, but is not dry and bready like cornbread, then make this in the slow cooker with the adjustments at the top and you will not be disappointed.

P.S.  Make it for Thanksgiving along with my slow cooker mac and cheese and everyone will think you've worked so hard all day long.  They'll give you just as much credit as the turkey cooker.  Then you'll smile to yourself thinking about how easy it was to make.

And feel just a little bad that you weren't the one making the turkey.