Creamed Corn, A Book Review and The Weekly Menu #LitHappens

When my husband saw Creamed Corn on the menu, he wasn't happy.  That was because he was expecting creamed corn from a can.  Imagine his delight when I served up this delicious, homemade creamed corn with parmesan cheese mixed in.

I was inspired to make this dish when reading our Lit Happens selection, Sold on a Monday.

I am hosting Lit Happens this first month of the year.  Amy of Amy's Cooking Adventures suggested the idea of reading historical fiction from one of the following regions for 2024. 

*New England *North Atlantic *Mid-Atlantic * Appalachia *Deep South *Gulf  *Ozarks *Great Lakes *North Central *Great Plains *South West *Rockies *Mormon Corridor *Cascadia (PNW) *Pacific *Alaska

Historical Fiction is my favorite genre, so I was in right away and volunteered to host the first discussion featuring the novel Sold on a Monday set in the North Atlantic (Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey) during the Great Depression.

Our Lit Happens group gathers on our Facebook page each month to discuss the current read.  The host posts discussion questions and each of us responds as we finish the book each month.  You are welcome to join in the discussion.  Just leave a comment below and I will send you an invitation. 

There is no requirement to make a recipe inspired by the books, however, a few of us are bloggers and often do share a recipe as well as our reviews on the book.  

This novel is based on a photo that was taken by Ellis Reed showing children on a porch underneath a handwritten sign advertising "Children for Sale".  

Here is what Wikipedia has to say about that photo and a copy of the original photo also courtesy of Wikipedia.

'4 Children for Sale' - original caption:[1] "August 5, 1948 - Chicago, Illinois: A big ‘For Sale’ sign in a Chicago yard mutely tells the tragic story of Mr. and Mrs. Ray Chalifoux, who face eviction from their apartment. With no place to turn, the jobless coal truck driver and his wife decide to sell their four children. Mrs. Lucille Chalifoux turns her head from camera above while her children stare wonderingly. On the top step are Lana, 6, and Rae, 5. Below are Milton, 4, and Sue Ellen, 2."

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:

'4 Children for Sale' - original caption:[1] "August 5, 1948 - Chicago, Illinois: A big ‘For Sale’ sign in a Chicago yard mutely tells the tragic story of Mr. and Mrs. Ray Chalifoux, who face eviction from their apartment. With no place to turn, the jobless coal truck driver and his wife decide to sell their four children. Mrs. Lucille Chalifoux turns her head from camera above while her children stare wonderingly. On the top step are Lana, 6, and Rae, 5. Below are Milton, 4, and Sue Ellen, 2." 4 Children for Sale is a photograph that depicts a mother hiding her head (presumably in shame) as her four children sit unwittingly beneath a sign that offers all of them for sale.[2] The image was first published by the Vidette-Messenger of Valparaiso, Indiana on August 5, 1948 and was circulated widely during the following week.[3] 

 After the photo:

While it has been speculated that the photo may have been staged, the story behind it was true. All of the children, (including the one the mother was pregnant with in the photo) were sold. One of the girls in the image claimed that she was sold for $2 for bingo money,[4] and others claimed to have been sold and chained to a barn to work as slave laborers on a farm.[5] 

References: 

1.  Ph.d, Dr Neil Gale (2020-02-06). "The Digital Research Library of Illinois History Journal : The true story about the 1948 Chicago yard sign; "4 Children for Sale," and the consequences for some of these children". The Digital Research Library of Illinois History Journal. Retrieved 2023-10-17. Harvey, Austin (2023-01-04). 
2. "The Heartbreaking True Story Behind The Infamous '4 Children For Sale' Photograph From 1948". All That's Interesting. Retrieved 2023-10-17. Ph.d, Dr Neil Gale (2020-02-06). 
3. "The Digital Research Library of Illinois History Journal : The true story about the 1948 Chicago yard sign; "4 Children for Sale," and the consequences for some of these children". The Digital Research Library of Illinois History Journal. Retrieved 2023-10-17. 
4.  "Finding peace in a life sold for $2". 2013-07-14. Retrieved 2023-10-17. OrangeBean (2020-10-04). 
5. "Heartbreaking History of the "4 Children For Sale" Photo". OrangeBean Indiana. Retrieved 2023-10-17.

In the novel, only two children are photographed, both boys with a handwritten sign on a board.  Before this photo can be published, however, it is accidentally destroyed.  The photographer, Reed, goes back to try to get another photo but the family had since found work and moved to another location with their children.

Reed stages another photo, paying a mother to allow her children to be used for the picture.  This photo is published and leads to the actual sale of the fictional children one of whom is bought to replace a lost daughter and one who is bought to work a farm and is chained in a barn.

It's a good, thought-provoking read that should lead to some interesting discussion.  In the novel, there are some family dinners featuring the comfort foods that many of us have enjoyed in our childhoods including creamed corn.

Here we are at the end of January already.  It is still pure comfort food weather out there.  We have been enjoying a lot of soups/stews/stoups, roasts, and pasta.  This week will be more of the same.

Soup Saturday

Chili

Cornbread

Sunday Supper

Lasagna

Salad

Garlic Bread

Meatless Monday

French Toast

Taco Tuesday

Burritos (made with leftover Chili)

Wednesday

Out for dinner before Choir

Thursday

Honey Turmeric Chicken Sheet Pan Dinner

Drop Biscuits

Fish Friday

Shrimp and Grits

Creamed Corn

Vegetables, Side Dishes

American

Yield: 4 servings

Author: Wendy Klik

Creamed Corn

Sweet Corn cooked with butter and cream. Seasoned with salt, pepper, and Parmesan Cheese.

Prep time: 5 MinCook time: 10 MinTotal time: 15 Min

Ingredients

• 2 c. fresh or frozen corn kernels
• 1/2 c. heavy cream
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 T. sugar
• 1 T. butter
• 1/4 c. milk
• 1 T. flour
• 2 T. grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

1. Place the corn, cream, sugar, and butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Season with salt and pepper and cook until butter is melted, sugar has dissolved and corn is crisp-tender.
2. Whisk together the milk and flour. Stir into the corn mixture and cook, stirring, until thickened.
3. Stir in the cheese until melted and serve.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

227

Fat (grams)

15.82 g

Sat. Fat (grams)

9.56 g

Carbs (grams)

19.85 g

Fiber (grams)

1.5 g

Net carbs

18.35 g

Sugar (grams)

9.15 g

Protein (grams)

4.67 g

Sodium (milligrams)

139.81 mg

Cholesterol (grams)

45.25 mg

Similar Recipes

Corn and Avocado Salad

Corn Casserole ala Second Hand Lions

Creamed Corn and Zucchini with Jalapeno

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