Finally Friday!

We made it! TGIF! As my husband would say, doing his best George Jones impression, “It’s finally Friday, free again, got my motor runnin’ for a wild weekend…”

Don’t you just LOVE that song? Heh…

So anyway. I have one last sweet corn recipe to share with you to wrap this thing up. Thanks for hanging with me this week! It’s been real and it’s been fun. It’s even been real fun.

I’m ending the week with a classic – grilled corn 0n the cob! It’s the perfect weekend food. Whether you’re keeping it low key with just you and the fam, or inviting all your friends over, you really can’t go wrong with grilled corn.

I LOVE corn smothered in tons of butter. It’s heavenly. Although I typically try to keep the fat/calories in check by just adding a bit of Smart Balance and a sprinkling of salt, I just couldn’t resist making a butter bursting with tons of fun flavor to smear all over it at least once this summer.

A stick of butter is a blank canvas. You can mix in any spice, herb or flavor you want. This particular recipe features lime juice, tequila and chili powder. It’s got a nice kick from cayenne and the tequila and citrus flavors really pop. I’m a big fan of citrus and corn, the flavors compliment each other very well.

Now, grilling corn. Super easy. There’s a couple ways to do it. You can shuck it and just toss right on the grates. My husband thinks it gets too blackened and dry like that and doesn’t care for it that way so I don’t typically go that route.

You can also grill it in the husks. I pull the husks back and get as much silk off as I can then pull the husks back up over the ear. The corn has to be soaked for a good 20 minutes before throwing it on the grill less you want to start a massive  inferno in your grill. 😉 Doing it this way eliminates the over-browning but it’s an awful lot of work. Usually, I go for the best of both words by shucking the corn and then wrapping it in foil. Works great!! It still gets a little golden brown and kind of steams in the foil, leading to perfectly tender and delicious corn. Slather with your favorite toppings and enjoy the weekend! 🙂

GRILLED CORN WITH TEQUILA LIME BUTTER (Recipe inspired by: my local paper)

INGREDIENTS:

• Fresh corn on the cob, grilled to your preference
• 1 stick of unsalted butter, softened to room temp.
• 1 teaspoon freshly grated lime zest
• 1/2 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 to 2 pinches cayenne pepper
• 2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
• 2 teaspoons tequila
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (or more to taste)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Beat butter, lime zest, chili powder and cayenne together in a bowl with an electric mixer. Add lime juice and tequila and beat until combined. The mixture will be soft but there should be no liquid showing. Beat in salt. Taste and adjust seasoning to your preference.
2. Spoon butter onto a sheet of plastic wrap in the shape of a log and roll it into a cylinder. Twist ends of the plastic wrap in opposite directions to firm the cylinder and roll it gently on the counter to eliminate air pockets in the center. Refrigerate until ready to use. (Note: the longer it sits, the better it tastes. I’d make the day before, if possible.) Melt over hot corn and serve.

ENJOY! 🙂