Sunny With A Chance Of Corn Pudding

She's been all over the world...my best friend, Sunny. She has dined with Presidents, Famous Athletes, Celebrities, and Kings. Her adventures and misadventures are the stuff novels are made of. Our shared passion of anything food is one of the first topics discussed when Sunny returns from a jaunt or she's regaling me with an exciting story from her past. It seems that regardless of the excursion, past or present, a description of a fabulous restaurant, an unusual menu or a succulent street cart fare weaves its way into the story. I feel the sea breeze of the Amalfi coast as she tells me about the sweet-tart taste of gelato al limone. The creamy texture of formaggio (cheese) lingers on the taste buds of my mind as well as the fragrant saltiness of prosciutto when she speaks of Parma, Italy. In Japan, she found that a picky eater is not appreciated and one must eat rice to the last grain. Soba (buckwheat noodles)swimming in a broth with bits of Kani(crab)is comfort food in a Nihonjin household. She was careful not to draw frowns from her Japanese host,never--never leaving her chopsticks vertically into her rice, as this resembles incense sticks during offerings to the dead. Etiquette is ever so important and well it should be. Ah, in Greece....baklava, what else. That sinfully delicate pastry oozing with honey and crunchy walnuts. Diet isn't even considered when this rich επιδόρπιο (dessert)is presented.
My husband and I have the best time when we spend a long weekend with Sunny and her husband, Russ, at their seaside summer home in Rhode Island. They are the perfect host & hostess, always seeing to the needs and comfort of their guests. The men take advantage of the down-time and know how to relax; each reading a newspaper and making short relevant comments on this or that. On the other hand, Sunny and I gab straight through the day and into the next morning if given the chance. We are infamous on making a simple meal such as a few panini into a 2 hour fiasco! We get side tracked, talking-over each other and dissolving into fits of laughter...a third glass of wine doesn't help the situation. But our men are patient, knowing the meal will eventually get to the table and always worth the wait. So whether we are breakfasting at a dockside-cafe, brunching elegantly at the Union League Club in Manhattan or dining on a mouth-watering teriyaki steak at the Dakota in the Berkshires...food, glorious food binds our friendship together. In a custom made kitchen, a cozy fire burning in the pot-belly stove, two forever friends cook side by side. There are even moments of easy silence as one stirs a sauce in a pot while the other sautes something aromatic in a pan. Sunny has pulled together a traditional New England Clam bake, lobster bibs & all, prepared a crown roast...finished off with little white "socks", presented an Italian feast that Chef Batali would raise his glass to, but it's the simple meals that memories are made of...the pizza baked on a grill on a warm summer evening, blueberry pancakes on her porch overlooking sand dunes and the sea, and my most favorite--corn pudding that compliments many an autumn meal. George Bernard Shaw said, "There is no sincerer love than the love of food." That has much truth to it, but I think that when food is part of making memories with the perfect friend that is one of the sincerest love of all.
CORN PUDDING
1 (16) oz container of sour cream
1 large can of creamed corn
1 large can of corn (drain)
4 large eggs (slightly beaten)
1 & 1/2 sticks butter (melted)
2 T sugar
2 boxes of corn muffin mix
9X13 baking dish (greased)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix all ingredients and blend well. Pour into prepared baking dish. Bake for 45 minutes. If toothpick comes out clean when inserted then corn pudding is done. If not, bake another 10 minutes or until done. This recipe can be halved by cutting all ingredients in half, but use 1 stick of butter. It also freezes well.

Remember To Make Memories At The Table