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I think I know just how The Little Red Hen felt.
You know... The Little Red Hen who asked for help to pick the wheat, grind the flour, mix the dough, and bake the bread. The Little Red Hen who received NO help until it was time to eat that delicious homemade bread!
That's me right now, only with CORN!
Yes, my family and I went to a local Sweet Corn Festival this weekend, and came back with a souvenir of- well, corn! I couldn't resist taking a bag full of this amazingly delicious sweet corn back with us, and managed to squeeze 32 ears of corn into the paper bag I bought there. ($8 for all the corn you could fit into the bag!) But now, I have corn coming out my ears...
I knew the clock would be ticking, as it always does on fresh ingredients. So after surveying my Facebook friends for their favorite freezer corn recipes, I turned to my two favorite helpers- my young children. "Who will help me shuck this corn?" I asked. After explaining to them what "shucking corn" actually was, and proceeding to demonstrate as well, my 5 year old informed me that he needed to go play with his "Star Wurst Legos" while my 2 year old stated "I go pway wif my kitchen!" Thanks, children.
So I shucked and shucked and shucked all 32 ears of corn, filling up my entire trash can with husks and silk. Then I asked those two sweet darlings, "Who will help me give this corn a nice bath?" Apparently the Star Wurst Legos were in the middle of an epic battle, while an epic mess was happening in the kitchen. (Thankfully, the FAKE kitchen with FAKE foods!) OK, off I go again to "bathe" the corn in the sink by myself.
The next step was to remove the kernels of corn from the cob in order to blanche them and freeze them. "Who will help me use this super-cool corn husking tool to take the kernels off the cob?" I asked my small helpers again. I demonstrated how easy it was to use, and how the corn just came right off. "Eww! Messy!" exclaimed my 2 year old daughter. "Um, no thanks, Mommy. Can I watch Scooby Doo?" asked my 5 year old son. Looks like it's up to me again! Removing the kernels, times 32 ears of corn... awesome.
Once the corn kernels were sitting comfortably in a pot, I dared to ask those children "Who will help me to measure out the sugar, water, butter, and salt? The corn needs some friends!" You can guess their answers, I'm sure.
I measured and stirred, cooked that corn just perfectly, and then was ready to put it into baggies. I paused, and thought I'd give those children one last chance to be the good helpers they usually are. "Who will help use the special measuring cup to scoop-scoop the corn into the bags?" This time, I was just met with silence. I repeated my question, and the 5 year old gave a muffled shout from the living room- "No thanks!" Since my 2 year old wants nothing more in life than to be just like him, she immediately shouted "No fanks!" as well. The task went back to me. (Turns out they were making a fort together now! Well, at least they were getting along and were polite with their responses. lol)
Now the corn is all bagged up, sitting prettily in the freezer, and is ready to be used as a delicious side dish for the months ahead. I can't wait to enjoy this corn, as it smells wonderful! (And the little tastes I took at the end were quite excellent!)
So now it's time for...
Can you guess what my two little "helpers" will say when I ask who will help eat the corn?
I can. And I'll bet that Little Red Hen can guess their answers too.
