Tempting Tuesday : Corn Pudding

This week's Tempting Tuesday (again, on a Wednesday) is a favorite at my house. It's always on the request list for holidays, and oftentimes randomly on rainy weekends. It's the epitome of comfort food.

Don't let the name fool you...this one is warm, creamy, old-fasioned, and (shhhh) really easy!

This week's Temptation is:

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Corn Pudding
(serves 8-12)

Ingredients

• 1 can : corn (whole kernel), drained
• 1 can : cream corn
• 1 stick : butter, melted
• 1 (8 oz.) tub : sour cream
• 2 large : eggs, beaten
• 1 box : Jiffy Corn Bread Mix
• 1/4 - 1/2 t. : vanilla

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Combine corn, cream corn, melted butter, sour cream, beaten eggs, and vanilla in a large bowl.
3. Slowly add corn bread mix and stir to combine.
4. Pour mixture into a greased 9x13 pan.
5. Bake 35 minutes or until center of casserole is set and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean.
6. Let stand 5 minutes to set. Serve hot.

Helpful Hints

• The butter in this recipe is best when you use salted butter. Either will work since canned corn has some salt to it. It simply depends on your personal tastes.
• There are MANY recipes for Corn Pudding. I've experimented with variations on this recipe and in my opinion, the sour cream sets this apart. It really makes the finished product richer than other recipes.
• The vanilla is my secret weapon. I start with 1/4 teaspoon and then taste the batter once everything is combined. If you want a little more sweet, continue adding vanilla 1/8 teaspoon at a time.
• This recipe can easily be doubled, just be prepared for a doubled (or longer) cooking time to get it to set up.
• I usually grease the 9x13 with Butter-Flavored Crisco. I've used Pam Spray in a pinch. I wouldn't recommend using butter to grease the pan as it tends to leave the bottom of the pudding soggy.
• It is important to avoid over baking this casserole. The easiest way to assure it's done is whether it jiggles in the center when you shake the pan or not. A toothpick pushed into the center should come out a little dirty...sort of like when you make brownies.
• Leftovers refrigerate (and reheat) really easily. Corn Pudding is even great the second (or third!) day.

I hope you all enjoy this one! It's a little unusual to some people, but if you give it a try you'll love it! It's one of my favorite comfort foods to make on a weekend at home and it's a hit at potlucks!

Enjoy!