Celebrating 102 years!

Treasured family recipes bind the generations together. The delicious dishes are repeatedly made and beloved parts of family gatherings. Corn pudding with fresh, sweet summer corn is a Schlafly family favorite. This recipe was created by my great-grandmother (who lived 1874-1962) and has been recreated by every generation since.

 

Today, August 15, is the anniversary of the birth of my mother, Phyllis Schlafly (who lived 1924-2016). She loved this corn pudding recipe and we would make it together every summer. Celebrate Phyllis on her 102nd anniversary by making this special summertime treat. The recipe is actually a puffy corn soufflé, because the eggs are separated and the whites are whipped to stiff peaks. My mother’s favorite job in the kitchen was to hand-whip egg whites; I would prepare the rest of the dish and then call her to come to the kitchen and whip it up! 

 

Phyllis Schlafly’s life is an example of rising to the occasion. She had a comfortable home with a large family in a small town in middle America. But she saw a threat to the American family, and she spent her life writing, speaking, and educating Americans to fight against the ideology of those who sought to destroy America: communists, socialists, feminists, and anyone who denied the sanctity of life. She taught American homemakers that we, too, can rise to the occasion and protect our families.

 

Everyone loves this corn recipe, but we used to make it only once a year in August. Why? Because preparing the corn used to be so difficult. Using a paring knife, we would laboriously slice down the center of each row of corn kernels and then use the back of the knife to scrape out all the juice. Then we discovered a “corn creamer” tool, which quickly extracts the creamy corn milk. The luscious texture of the creamed corn is what elevates this dish.