(Or 'good grief, it's suppertime again')

BY  MARY JOHN RESCH

Alan and I tried this recipe for a Bourbon and Brown Sugar Flank Steak last weekend and agreed that this is something you might want to try for a 4^th of July cookout. We substituted a London Broil for the flank steak which is perfectly acceptable but it will be better than a flank steak. Because it was so hot, we opted for a pasta salad rather than the mashed potatoes (potato salad would be good, too) but we did make the sauce to serve with the steak. I think sliced steak served open-faced on a piece of buttered, toasted sour dough bread with the sauce would make a great use of leftovers—if you have any.

BOURBON and BROWN SUGAR FLANK STEAK

With GARLIC-CHIVE MASHED POTATOES

(Serves 6-8)

¼ cup packed dark brown sugar

¼ cup minced green onions

¼ cup bourbon

¼ cup low-sodium soy sauce

¼ cup Dijon mustard

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

¼ teaspoon Worchestershire sauce

1 2-pound flank steak, trimmed

½ teaspoon cornstarch

3 pounds small red potatoes

6 garlic cloves, peeled

½ cup reduced fat sour cream

1/3 cup 2% reduced fat milk

2 ½ tablespoons butter

1 teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper

¼ cup chopped fresh chives

To prepare steak, combine first 7 ingredients in a large zip-lock plastic bag; add steak. Seal and marinate in refrigerator 8 hours or overnight, turning bag occasionally. Remove steak from bag, reserving marinade.

Prepare grill.

Place steak on grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 5 minutes on each side or until the desired degree of doneness is reached. Remove from heat. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting diagonally across grain into thin slices.

Combine reserved marinade and cornstarch in a saucepan. Bring to a boil; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.

To prepare potatoes, place potatoes and garlic in a large Dutch oven; cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 30 minutes or until tender. Drain.

Return potatoes and garlic to pan, and place over medium heat. Add sour cream, milk, butter, salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Mash potato mixture with potato masher. Stir in chopped chives.

Serve plates and drizzle sauce over potatoes and steak.

Garnish with pieces of chives if desired.

I tried this Zucchini Casserole recently and both of us enjoyed it. This recipe will make a large casserole that will feed 10 to 12 people (or more) very generously. When I make this again for just the two of us, I will use 1 zucchini and 1 tomato and reduce the rest of the ingredients accordingly.

When you read the recipe your first response will probably be that I have left out some ingredients but I have not and that is the beauty of this recipe. I used the Pepperidge Farm zesty Italian croutons and if you use these you may want to reduce the amount of Italian seasoning that you use.

ZUCCHINI CASSEROLE

(Serves 6)

3 medium zucchini, cubed (do not peel)

3 fresh tomatoes, seeded and cubed

½ pound mushrooms, sliced

1 small finely chopped onion

1 green pepper, diced

8 ounces, grated mozzarella cheese

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1 box Pepperidge croutons

3 tablespoons butter

1 5-ounce package of shredded Parmesan cheese

Prepare vegetables. Gently mix all ingredients except butter together and place in a large greased shallow casserole dish.

Slice butter on top of the casserole and cover. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until the zucchini is crisp tender. Uncover, add Parmesan cheese and bake a very few minutes or until the Parmesan just melts.

Mary Alice sent me the recipe for this Mango Chutney Pasta Salad that a friend of hers had served recently. She thought that the salad was delicious and one that people who read this column might want to try. I have not made it myself but I think it sounds yummy and is certainly a good hot weather dish.

MANGO CHUTNEY PASTA SALAD

1 16-ounce package penne pasta, cooked to al dente

3 cups bite sized broccoli florets, steamed until just crisp tender

3-4 chicken breast halves cooked and cut into bite sized pieces

1 large red bell peper, julienned

1 cup plain yogurt

1 cup mayonnaise

1 12-ounce jar mango chutney

2 tablespoons mild curry powder

1-2 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoon lemon juice or to taste

Salt to taste

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Combine ground black pepper to taste.

Combine pasta, chicken and all vegetables in a bowl.

Combine the next four ingredients in a small bowl and then toss with the pasta.

Add honey, lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste. Chill for at least two hours before serving.

A couple of weeks ago I made these Blueberry Blintz-Style Pancakes. I actually made them for supper on a cooler day but had some leftovers so I was able to try reheating them for breakfast. The cottage cheese plus the four eggs give these pancakes a different texture from regular pancakes but we both really enjoyed them. I reheated the pancakes for breakfast for about 50 seconds on 50% power in my microwave and I thought they were just as good then. This recipe is also good because the cottage cheese gives the pancakes some extra protein. 

BLUEBERRY BLINTZ-STYLE PANCAKES

(Serves 4)

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons sugar

½ teaspoon salt

1 cup small curd cottage cheese

1 cup sour cream

4 large eggs, well beaten

1 cup blueberries

In a large bowl, sift together dry ingredients.

Lightly beat eggs. Add beaten eggs, cottage cheese, and sour cream to the dry ingredients. Stir until just combined.

Fold in blueberries.

Cook on a hot greased (with oil not butter) griddle, turning only once.

Stack on a plate, butter and serve with warm maple or blueberry syrup.

Mary Alice passed along this recipe for Asian Meatloaf recently. She and Steve had a dish similar to this at dinners-to go-type-place recently and enjoyed it so much that she decided to search the internet for a similar recipe. She found this recipe on the Cooking Light web site and decided to try it. She said she was very happy with the results. Because she didn’t have any of the rice crackers on hand, she substituted the Panko bread crumbs.

ASIAN MEATLOAF

(Serves 4)

1 3 ½ ounce package plain rice crackers such as ka-me

1 pound ground turkey

½ pound lean ground pork

1 cup chopped green onions

½ cup hoisin sauce, divided

½ cup chopped red pepper

½ cup chopped canned water chestnuts

1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce

1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger

¼ teaspoon salt

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 large egg whites

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place crackers in a food processor; process until finely chopped. (If you can’t find rice crackers, substitute 4 ounces of Panko bread crumbs.)

Combine cracker crumbs, turkey, pork, green onions, ¼ cup of the hoisin sauce and remaining ingredients in a large bowl.

Shape mixture into 6 loaves and place on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Spread 2 teaspoons hoisin sauce over the top of each meat loaf. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until a meat thermometer registers 165 degrees. Remove from oven and let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Several weeks ago I tried this recipe for a Blackberry-Lemon Upside-Down Cake that I found in Cooking with Wild Berries of Down East Maine (available from the Bar Harbor Jam Company along with other gourmet products). The cake was delicious. Alan looked at it and immediately headed to the grocery store because it called for vanilla ice cream. This certainly made a yummy combination but I think the cake is good enough that it doesn’t need anything else. When I ate the cake the next day I heated a single serving in the microwave at 50% power for about 25 seconds--be careful because you don’t want to ruin the texture of the cake.

When I made the cake I used blackberries that I had purchased in the grocery store. They have certainly been readily available this spring and I have been enjoying them. I did not have a 9-inch round cake pan so substituted a 9-inch square pan. This is a recipe that I will use again.

BLACKBERRY-LEMON UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE

(Serves 9)

2 teaspoons melted butter

1/3 cup packed light brown sugar

1 ½ teaspoon grated lemon zest

2 cups fresh blackberries

1 ¼ cups flour

1 ½ teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

2/3 cup sugar

2 tablespoons butter, softened

1 large egg

¾ teaspoon vanilla

½ cup milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put 2 teaspoons of melted butter in the bottom of a 9-inch cake pan and swirl to coat pan. Sprinkle with the brown sugar and evenly spread lemon zest over sugar. Sprinkle evenly with blackberries and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt.

In a large bowl, beat the sugar and softened butter at medium speed of an electric mixer until well-blended. Add egg and vanilla and beat well. Alternately add flour mixture and milk to the sugar and egg mixture, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Blend well. Spoon batter over the blackberries.

Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes or until a cake tester placed in the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Loosen the edges with a knife. Place a plate on top of the cake pan and invert onto plate.

Last summer I tried this recipe for fresh Asparagus Baked with Goat Cheese and Bread Crumbs and I thought this was an absolutely scrumptious combination of flavors. This is easy to prepare—just be sure to watch it carefully because asparagus cooks so quickly and you don’t want mushy asparagus.

ASPARAGUS/BAKED with GOAT CHEESE

and BREAD CRUMBS

(Serves 6)

1½ pounds large asparagus spears, trimmed

2½ tablespoons butter, melted and divided

2 ounces fresh white goat cheese, crumbled into bits

    (about ½ cup)

½ cup fresh white bread crumbs

Coat the asparagus spears with 1½ tablespoons of the melted butter, then salt lightly. (I did this in a zip-lock bag because it was easy to really coat the asparagus using this technique.) Arrange the asparagus spears in an oven-to-table shallow baking dish large enough to hold the asparagus in one layer. Evely distribute the cheese bits over the asparagus, then sprinkle with the bread crumbs. Evenly drizzle the remaining 1 tablespoon melted butter over the bread crumbs. Bake at 400 degrees until asparagus in tender-crisp and the bread crumbs are lightly browned, about 10 minutes. 

I tried this recipe for Chicken and Mushrooms recently and both of us think this recipe is a winner. The flavor is delicious and it is so quick and easy to prepare. I even used a package of presliced mushrooms to make things even easier. I found that I was able to slice a breast into medallions and layer it on a serving of rice. One larger breast half actually fed two of us, so depending on the size of your appetite, you might want to halve this recipe. I have a feeling that this recipe is going to be used often in our home. 

CHICKEN and MUSHROOMS

(Serves 4)

4 chicken breast halves, skinned and boned

5 tablespoons Worcestershire

5 tablespoons Dijon mustard

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 tablespoons chicken broth or water

½ pound mushrooms, sliced (or more if desired)

If your chicken breasts are very large, pound them a couple of times to help tenderize them and speed the cooking process.

Combine Worcestershire, mustard, broth or water, and oil in a large skillet. Add mushrooms and cook over medium heat just until they begin to release their liquid (2 to 3 minutes).

Arrange chicken on top of mushrooms, cover and cook for 5 minutes. Turn chicken and stir, combing with mushrooms. Cover and cook another 5 minutes or until chicken is thoroughly cooked. Uncover the chicken midway through the final cooking period.

If you decide you want a little more sauce, add a little more chicken broth or water during the last 5 minutes of cooking.

I prepared these Chilled Dilly Peas recently and they have a wonderful flavor. This is so easy to assemble that it makes a good addition for any meal, but especially if you want something extra for a buffet or covered dish.

CHILLED DILLY PEAS

(Serves 4)

2 cups frozen small green peas, defrosted and brought to

    room temperature

½ cup sour cream

2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

2 tablespoons chopped fresh dillweed

1/8 teaspoon salt or to taste

¼ teaspoon curry powder

Place frozen peas in colander and allow to defrost, drain and come to room temperature.

Combine remaining ingredients and stir well.

Place peas in a bowl and pour sauce over them. Toss gently. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours before serving.

Strawberry season is here once more. Several weeks ago I tried this recipe for Strawberry Muffins with some Florida berries that I had bought. Both of us thought that this recipe was a winner. I used standard sized muffin tins (not the oversized ones) and I wound up with more than 12 muffins so have an extra tin on hand in case you need it. The leftover muffins kept beautifully for a week in the refrigerator. I reheated them in my toaster oven and they were as good later as they were they day I made them. Furthermore, I’m sure they muffins will be even better with local strawberries, but try to use a firmer berry when you try this recipe.

STRAWBERRY MUFFINS

(Serves 12)

½ cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

2/3 cup milk

1 teaspoon grated lemon rind

1 cup fresh strawberries, chopped

1 tablespoon cinnamon sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease or line the muffin pans. (I used regular sized muffin pans.)

Cream butter in a large bowl; gradually add sugar and eggs, beating until light and fluffy.

Sift together flour, baking powder and the salt. Add to creamed mixture alternately with the milk, beginning and ending with dry ingredients.

Stir in the lemon rind and gently fold in the strawberries.

Spoon the batter into muffin pans, filling each 2/3 full. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar lightly over the top of the batter.

Bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until lightly browned.

Gloria Lee also sent me this recipe for a Hot Fudge Cake that I think sounds absolutely delicious. What can I say? I do have a weakness for dishes that combine chocolate and brown sugar—especially if they’re served warm. I think a lot of you are going to enjoy this recipe.

HOT FUDGE CAKE

(Serves 9)

1 cup all-purpose flour

¾ cup white sugar

6 tablespoons cocoa, divided

2 teaspoons baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

½ cup milk

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 ¾ cup boiling water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine flour, white sugar, and ONLY 2 tablespoons of cocoa, baking powder, and salt.

Stir in milk, oil, and vanilla and combine until smooth.

Spread in an un-greased 9-inch baking pan.

Combine brown sugar and remaining 4 tablespoons cocoa and sprinkle over the batter.

Pour boiling water over all. Do not stir!

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes.

Serve warm topped with whipped cream or ice cream. When you serve this, turn it over on your plate and the chocolate syrup will be on top.

Gloria Lee recently sent me this recipe for a Tropical Chicken Salad. A friend of hers had served it at a luncheon recently and Gloria says it is delicious. Gloria said her friend served it with a zucchini quiche but Gloria thinks any vegetable quiche would be good with it. This will be a great salad to serve during the spring and summer months.

TROPICAL CHICKEN SALAD

(Serves 6)

2 cups cubed cooked chicken

1 cup chopped celery

1 cup mayonnaise

½ teaspoon curry powder (more if desired)

1 20-ounce can chunk pineapple, drained (save juice)

1 11-ounce can mandarin oranges, drained (save juice)

2 large firm bananas, sliced and put in saved juice to soak (you can add a little lemon juice to the reserved juices)

½ cup flaked coconut

¾ cup toasted almonds

Place chicken and celery in a large bowl. Combine mayonnaise and curry powder and add to the chicken mixture and mix well. Cover and chill for at least 30 minutes.

Before serving add drained bananas, mandarin oranges, and coconut. Stir gently to combine.

Serve on lettuce or spinach leaves. Sprinkle with toast almonds.

Mary Alice sent me this recipe for a Cranberry Pork Roast that a friend of hers had served at a dinner recently. Mary Alice thought it was so good that she asked her friend to email her the recipe and she passed it along to me. I thought that because it was prepared in a slow cooker, some of you might be interested in trying it for Easter since with multiple church services and celebrations with children, you cooking and preparation time are probably limited. Happy Easter! 

CRANBERRY PORK ROAST

(Serves 6)

1 boneless pork roast (2 ½ to 3 pounds)

1 16-ounce can jellied cranberry sauce

½ cup sugar

½ cup cranberry juice

1 teaspoon dry mustard

¼ teaspoon ground cloves

2 tablespoons cornstarch

2 tablespoons cold water

Place pork roast in slow cooker. In a medium bowl, mash cranberry sauce; stir in sugar, cranberry juice, mustard and cloves. Pour over the roast.

Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or until meat is tender. Remove roast to a platter and keep warm. Skim fat from juices; discard.

Add cooking juices to a 2-cup measuring cup, adding water if necessary to equal 2 cups total liquid. Pour into a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Combine cornstarch and cold water to make a paste; stir into the saucepan. Cook and stir until thickened. Season with salt to taste. Serve over the sliced pork.

Several weeks ago I tried this recipe for Wheat Bread with Walnuts. I was very pleased with the results. It was quick and easy to assemble and I liked the texture of this wheat bread. The bread had just enough sweetness that a small piece satisfied me when I felt that I needed something that was just a little sweet. Although I like the flavor that the walnuts gave the bread, if I did not have any on hand, I would not hesitate to substitute pecans.

WHEAT BREAD with WALNUTS

(Serves 10)

1 ½ cups unbleached flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

¾ teaspoon salt

½ cup wheat germ

1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

½ cup coarsely chopped walnuts

2 eggs, beaten

1 ¼ cups milk

½ cup butter or margarine, melted

Combine the first 9 ingredients in a large mixing bowl, stirring well.

Combine eggs, milk, and butter; add to dry ingredients, stirring just until moistened. Spoon batter into a greased and floured 8 ½ x 4 ½ x 3 inch loaf-pans.

Bake at 350 degrees for 50 to 55 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean.

Cool in pan for 10 minutes on a wire rack. Remove from pan and allow to finish cooling before wrapping for storage. 

Several weeks ago I tried this recipe for a Bruschetta Dip. We both thought it was delicious.

After I mixed the cheeses I divided the mixture in thirds. I placed one part in a small round baking dish and heated it. I froze the rest of the cheese mixture to use later.

I halved the topping ingredients and found that I had extras.

We did not use all of the dip so I stirred it all together and refrigerated it. We used this as a cold spread for crackers and sliced zucchini. Alan actually preferred the cold version.

BRUSCHETTA DIP

(Serves 12)

2 8-ounce packages garden vegetable cream cheese

1 8-ounce package plain cream cheese

6 Roma tomatoes, seeded and chopped

2 cloves minced garlic

1 medium onion, chopped

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Salt and pepper to taste

1 baguette of French Bread, thinly sliced

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a pyrex baking dish, combine the plain and vegetable cream cheeses and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until hot.

In a sauté pan, heat olive oil, add onions and garlic, and cook until the onions are transparent. Add chopped tomatoes and cook for about 5 minutes until the tomatoes are soft but not mushy.

Add salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle vinegar on top of tomato mixture and mix thoroughly. Spread on top of cooked cream cheese.

Serve immediately with French bread. If you wish, brush the bread slices with olive oil and very lightly toast in the oven.

When we went to Margaret’s at Christmas, we took the round about way in order to avoid having to drive such a long stretch on I-95. We made a stop at a small country store that obviously catered to tourist in South Carolina and I saw a little specialty rice cookbook – Oscar Vick Cooks Rice from the Rice and Seafood Recipes from the Low Country of South Carolina series. Of course I bought it.

When I came home and was looking through the cookbook I saw this recipe for Cream of Rice Soup and it immediately jogged vague memories of my Mom making a Chicken and Rice soup and adding hard-boiled eggs. During our snow week I tried the recipe and I liked it. I used the fat-free half and half when I made it and if I had had some leftover baked chicken I might have added a little. This is super easy and a great and inexpensive way to use leftover rice.

The cookbook really has some interesting recipes that I am looking forward to trying. The next time I cook rice I am going to reserve two cups before I serve it so I can try a rice pudding recipe from the book.

LOWCOUNTRY-STYLE CREAM of RICE SOUP

(Serves 4)

2 cups half & half

2 tablespoons melted butter

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

1 teaspoon garlic salt

2 diced hard-boiled eggs

2 cups chicken broth

2 cups cooked long grain rice

½ teaspoon cracked black pepper, or to taste

Place chicken broth in a saucepan. Add the parsley and butter. Bring to a boil and reduce to simmer as you add the rest of the ingredients. Simmer gently for 10 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasonings as needed. Serve and enjoy.

I think a little chopped cooked chicken would be good in this.

We tried this Irish Stew recipe several weeks ago and both of us enjoyed it. It is very easy to assemble. You could even prepare this recipe ahead, up to the point where you add your vegetables. Refrigerate it at this point. Then bring it back to a simmer and add the vegetables. This way you can easily remove the grease that has coagulated while the stew was in the refrigerator.

Hope you will enjoy this stew as the main course for your St. Patrick’s Day celebration. 

IRISH STEW

(Serves 6-8)

1 cup dry red wine

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 bay leaves

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

¼ teaspoon dried whole thyme

3 pounds lean beef for stewing, cut into cubes

¼ cup olive oil

1 10-1/2 ounce can condensed beef broth

1 ¼ cups Guiness Stout or other dark beer

2 tablespoons tomato paste

6 carrots, scraped and cut into 2-inch slices

12 small boiling onions

6 medium potatoes, peeled and halved

Combine first six ingredients, stirring to dissolve salt. Pour over beef cubes in a shallow dish. Cover and refrigerate for 8 hours.

Drain meat, reserving marinade. Remove and discard bay leaves.

Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat; brown beef in oil.

Add broth, stout, tomato paste, and reserved marinade. Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 1 ½ hours. Taste and adjust seasoning, You may want more salt and pepper.

Add carrots, onions, and potatoes; cover and cook for 30 minutes or until the vegetables are done.

I tried this recipe for Asparagus roasted with Yukon Gold Potatoes and Parmesan cheese and we both thought this was a winner. This is very easy to prepare and you are literally preparing two vegetables in one pan. I’ll use this recipe frequently.

ASPARAGUS ROASTED POTATOES and PARMESAN

(Serves 4)

1 pound asparagus, tough ends trimmed

1 pound Yukon Gold potatoes

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

¼ cup grated Parmigiana-Reggiano cheese

Place rack in upper third of oven. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Cut asparagus and potatoes into 1-inch pieces

Toss together asparagus, potatoes, oil and salt and pepper in a zip-lock bag.

Spread vegetables in a large shallow baking pan, spreading evenly. Roast, stirring once, for 20 minutes.

Sprinkle evenly with cheese and roast until cheese is melted and golden in spots, about 3 minutes more.

Mary Alice sent me this recipe for Better than Chicken and Dumplings that she says is good and very easy to prepare. (I think I may have printed a recipe very similar to this, years ago.) If your chicken breasts are small you may need to add a few more. You want to have enough chicken to generously cover the bottom of your pan. Be careful not to overcook the chicken when you boil it or it will be tough. 

BETTER THAN CHICKEN AND DUMPLINGS

(Serves 8)

6 chicken breasts

¼ cup butter

1 cup self-rising flour

1 cup milk

1 can cream of chicken soup

2 cups chicken broth

Boil chicken until done. Remove chicken breast from the broth and set on a plate to cool.

Melt butter and pour into a 9x13-inch baking pan.

Tear chicken breasts into pieces and layer on top of the butter. Mix flour and milk; pour over the chicken. Mix soup and chicken broth—taste and add a little salt and pepper if you think it is needed. Pour the broth mixture over the chicken. Do not stir.

Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes or until top is brown.

 I found this recipe for Easy Hawaiian Fish in a free publication that I picked up when we spent a night in Fernandina Beach, Florida. When I saw this recipe, I knew I was going to try it.

We had a package of Mahi fillets in our freezer that a friend had given us so I used them for the recipe. I really don’t know the amount of fish that I was working with and if you are in a similar situation, just select the right size of dish for the amount of fish that you have. Then adjust the other ingredients accordingly.

The Mahi was delicious and I enjoyed leftovers that I heated at 50% power in the microwave for lunch. Our kitchen did not reek of fish when I prepared this. Just be careful not to overcook the fish—watch your cooking time, especially when you broil the fish after you add the coconut. Our oven did not need 5 minutes for the coconut to brown.

EASY HAWAIIAN-STYLE FISH

(Serves 4)

1 pound fish fillets—mahi, grouper or snapper

½ cup of Lawry’s Hawaiian Marinade

½ cup chopped pecans

1/3 cup coconut flakes

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a baking fish with non-stick cooking spray.

Place the fish fillets in your baking dish. Pour the Lawry’s Marinade over the fish. Sprinkle generously with the chopped pecans.

Bake for about 10 minutes, then sprinkle the coconut over the fish and broil for another five minutes or until the coconut is brown. 

My “chocolate” Valentine for you this year is a recipe that appeared in Gourmet magazine about five years ago. The magazine says the recipe was adapted from a Ritz-Carlton recipe.

 I think the cookies are yummy although the pistachios do make them a little expensive to make. However, if you bought and shelled your own pistachios, that might make them a little more economical. (I used a small package that was already shelled, roasted and salted.) I used a bar of Ghirardelli bittersweet baking chocolate (60% cacao) when I tested the recipe.

 The cookies are small—bite-sized actually but they are delicious. You might be able to substitute chopped pecans for the pistachios but I have not tried this.

 I won’t wait until next Valentine’s Day to bake these cookies again.  

CHOCOLATE and PISTACHIO COOKIES

(Serves 20)

6 oz. fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened)

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 stick plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened

1 ¼ cups light brown sugar, packed

1 large egg

½ teaspoon vanilla

1 1/3 cups shelled pistachios, (not dyed red), finely chopped

 Finely chop 2 ½ ounces chocolate and melt in a small bowl set over a small saucepan of barely simmering water, stirring until smooth. Remove bowl from heat and cool chocolate.

 Finely chop remaining 3 ½ ounces chocolate.

 Sift together flour, baking powder and baking soda.

 Beat together butter and brown sugar with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes, then, beat in egg and vanilla until combined well. Add flour mixture in batches and mix at medium speed until just combined, then beat in melted chocolate until incorporated. Stir in pistachios and chopped chocolate.

 Divide dough into 6 equal portions and roll each piece into a 12-inch long log (3/4 inch thick). Wrap each log in wax paper and freeze until firm, at least 30 minutes.

 Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350 degrees.

 Slice 12 inch-thick rounds from 1 frozen log and arrange about 1 inch apart on an ungreased baking sheet. Place baking sheet on top of another sheet (to protect undersides of cookies from over-browning) and bake until cookies rise slightly and then fall (tops of cookies will be cracked), 10-12 minutes. Transfer cookies to a rack to cool. Make more cookies (on cooled baking sheets) in same manner. Cookies keep, cooled completely, in an airtight container at room temperature for one week.

 Wrapped dough logs can be frozen for up to 3 months. If you plan to keep logs to bake later, wrap the logs in plastic wrap after they have frozen.  

I seldom visit Charleston without bringing a new cookbook home with me. Last year I purchased Breakfast on the Battery – a Charleston Chef’s Collection of Breakfast and Tea Recipes by Connie Stahl when we were there.

This weekend I tried her recipe for Lemon Brownies from this cookbook and they were delicious. Even better, they were so easy to prepare. I carried them to serve at coffee hour at my church I brought hardly any home – much to Alan’s disappointment. There is also a recipe for Orange Brownies in the cookbook which is identical only substituting orange flavorings for the lemon extract, juice and rind.

This cookbook retails for $22.95 plus taxes when applicable. It may be ordered online from www.breakfastonthebattery.com. There is a $5 shipping and handling charge. 

LEMON BROWNIES

(Serves 20)

2 cups sugar

1 cup butter, softened

4 large eggs

1 tablespoon lemon extract

1 tablespoon finely grated lemon rind

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

 1 ½ cups confectioners sugar

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 teaspoons finely grated lemon rind

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Butter a 9x13x2-inch baking dish. Set aside.

In a bowl, cream the sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add eggs and mix well. Add flour and salt and mix until just combined.

Pour into buttered baking dish and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until done.

While brownies are baking, prepare the glaze. Sift the powdered sugar and add lemon juice and rind. Stir until sugar is dissolved and glaze is thickened.

Pour glaze over hot lemon brownies. Cool and cut into squares. Cover and store in a cool room 

Years ago before he moved to Chattanooga, Jeff Brewer gave Alan his recipe for chili but he asked him not to pass the recipe along to anyone else. Alan immediately tried Jeffs recipe and we both liked it so much that this is the recipe that we have used ever since whenever we make chili.

When I was trying to decide on a recipe to feature the week before the Super Bowl, I wondered if Jeff would let me use his recipe in this column, so I asked Alan to call him. Jeff gave us permission so we can now share this special recipe with you. We like to make this a day before we plan to eat the chili although we do a lot of sampling throughout the cooking process and it is delicious whenever you decide to eat it. You might decide that this is your favorite chili recipe, too. I always like to have a couple of containers of it in my freezer.

JEFF BREWER’S CHILI

(Serves 10)

1 pound hot pork sausage

1 pound ground chuck

2 8-ounce cans tomato sauce

16-ounce can tomato paste

1 can tomato puree

2 14 1/2-ounce cans diced tomatoes

1 Granny Smith apple, peeled and finely diced

1 green pepper, diced

2 medium onions, diced

2 stalks celery, finely diced

2 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning

1 tablespoon oregano

2 tablespoons chili powder

2 teaspoons Worcestershire

1 bottle beer

½ teaspoon black pepper

Brown beef and sausage; add green pepper, onions, and celery. Saute until onions are soft and meat is browned. Add apples, tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce and tomato puree and all seasonings. Add beer. Bring to boil, reduce to simmer and cook for 3 hours. Taste and adjust seasonings as desired—it may easily require more chili powder.

‘Chili can now be served over spaghetti, by itself, or mixed with pinto or red kidney beans. (Jeff uses 2 cans red kidney beans—we like pintos that Alan cooks.) If you add beans, you may need to add water to keep from being too thick.

Mary Alice’s friend Karolyn Stuver gave me a cookbook that she and several friends had created from Taste Book. The cookbook contains recipes contributed by Karolyn and her friends as well as some that they had selected from the internet. You also have the option of adding some additional recipes or your own.

Karolyn is an excellent cook so I immediately looked for some recipes that she had contributed and decided to try this recipe for Sweet Potato Hash. It was delicious - Alan said it was the best sweet potato dish he had ever eaten. When I make this again, if my bacon is thinly sliced, I will add a couple of additional strips and maybe even a little more onion. I think you will enjoy this sweet potato dish. 

SWEET POTATO HASH

4 strips applewood smoked bacon, cooked and cut into a

   ¼-inch dice

½ medium Vidalia onion, cut into half moon slices

2 tablespoons kosher salt for the boiling water

2 jumbo or 4 small sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into a

   ¼-inch dice

3 tablespoons dark maple syrup or cane syrup

2 tablespoons unsalted butter cut into several pieces

Salt, pepper, and rosemary to taste

Cook and dice the bacon.

Brown the onions in the same pan you used to cook the bacon. You want to cook the onions until they start to caramelize—about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile bring water to a boil; add the kosher salt. Add the potatoes and cook for about 2-3 minutes (they will have a slight crunch). Drain in a colander then spread on paper towels and pat dry.

Add potatoes to the bacon-onion mixture; add syrup and butter. Stir to combine and cook for 1-2 minutes or until potatoes are tender. (Your cooking time may vary depending on your sweet potatoes.)

Add salt, pepper and rosemary to taste.

Jeanne Pierce found this recipe that is described as the most dangerous cake recipe in the world on the internet before Christmas. It is so dangerous because now you are only five minutes away from warm chocolate cake at any time of the day or night. Needless to say I immediately tried the recipe and the flavor is delicious – my daughter Margaret was a little disappointed because she thought the cake was a little “tough”. Her Dad told her that was easily solved with vanilla ice cream. The whole cake really goes in one mug. I think children will be fascinated to watch it rise and go over the top. Depending on the strength of your microwave, you may decide to adjust your cooking time by a few seconds.

5-MINUTE CHOCOLATE MUG CAKE

(Serves 2)

1 coffee mug

4 tablespoons all-purpose flour (not self-rising)

4 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons baking cocoa

1 large egg

3 tablespoons milk

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

3 tablespoons mini chocolate chips or chopped nuts or a

   combination of both (optional)

1/8 teaspoon of vanilla (scant)

Select a straight sided coffee mug that holds at least a cup of water—the one I used held a cup plus 2 tablespoons. Do not use a cup that contains lead because it will become too hot to handle.

Add dry ingredients to the mug and mix well. Lightly beat the egg and add to the dry ingredients and mix well. Pour in the milk and oil and mix well. Add the chocolate chips and nuts (if using) and vanilla, and mix again.

Put your mug in the microwave and cook for 3 minutes on high. The cake will rise over the top of the mug, but don’t be alarmed.

Allow to cool a little, and tip out onto a plate if desired. Eat while warm (with a little vanilla ice cream and chocolate syrup if desired. (This will serve 2 if you want to share!)

After reviewing the recipes that ran in this column in 2008 I have selected my favorites. This is in no way scientific and many of you might make different choices, but these are recipes that I keep making.

The Lasagna Soup recipe came from the West Chatham Food Pantry Cookbook that they published late last spring. The recipe was one of Johnna Canipe’s. This is an easy recipe to prepare and is a great recipe when you want soup to be your main dish.

Gloria Lee sent me the recipe for the Sausage and Cheese Muffins. After making the first batch and freezing part of them I always keep some in my freezer. This is a great muffin for breakfast on the run or a nice hors d’oeuvre if you make miniature muffins.

My daughter Margaret gave me the Aunt Abby’s Beef Brisket recipe. This is a delicious brisket and is incredibly easy to prepare. We always freeze a couple of small casseroles of brisket slices. This is a leftover that Alan does not complain about.

We both enjoyed the Garlic Lovers Shrimp Bake. It is a nice change from fried or boiled shrimp. However, as its name implies, it is garlicky so if this is a problem for you simply cut back on the garlic when you prepare this.

The Cream Cheese Pecan Pie is yummy and certainly makes an impressive dessert that is worth the calories. Because this pie is so rich I thank you could stretch it and serve 10 people or if you are serving a buffet with more than one dessert it might go even further.  

LASAGNA SOUP

1 lb. ground beef

1 onion, chopped

1 bell pepper, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 (32-oz.) box chicken broth

2 (14.5-oz.) cans petite diced tomatoes

1 (15-oz.) can tomato sauce

1 T. firmly packed brown sugar

2 tsp. Italian seasoning

½ tsp. salt

2 C. broken lasagna noodles

1 (5-oz.) pkg. Grated Parmesan cheese

1 (5.5-oz.) box Italian seasoned croutons

2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese

 Combine ground beef, onion, bell pepper and garlic; cook over medium-high heat, 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until beef is browned and crumbles. Drain well.

Stir in broth, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, brown sugar, Italian seasoning and salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes. Add noodles, and simmer until noodles are tender. Stir in Parmesan cheese.

Preheat broiler. Ladle soup into 10 ovenproof bowls. Top with croutons; sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Broil soups for 3 to 4 minutes or until cheese is browned and bubbly.

SAUSAGE and CHEESE MUFFINS

(Serves 8)

1 pound pork sausage, cooked until no longer pink –

   drain and cool

3 cups Bisquick

1 ½ cups shredded Cheddar cheese

1 10-3/4-oz. condensed Cheddar soup

¾ cup water

Combine cooked sausage, Bisquick and shredded cheese in a large bowl. Make a well in the center of the mixture.

Stir together the soup and the water, add to sausage mixture, stirring just until the dry ingredients are moistened. Spoon into lightly greased muffin pans, filling to the top of the cups.

Bake at 375 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes or until lightly browned.

This will make about 15 regular-sized muffins or 36 small muffins.

AUNT ABBY’s BEEF BRISKET

(Serves 10)

1 fresh beef brisket – ours weighed about 4 ½ pounds

½ cup packed dark brown sugar

2 envelopes regular onion soup mix (not instant)

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 ½ cups catsup

Line a large roasting pan with heavy foil, letting the ends of the foil hang over the edges of the pan. Place brisket on the foil Sprinkle the sugar, soup mix, and garlic powder over the brisket. Drizzle catsup over all. Fold the ends of the foil over the brisket, sealing securely and leaving air space.

Be sure to seal really tightly so nothing leaks out while it is baking—if juices do leak out, then take it out of the foil and put it in the roasting pan and reseal the top tightly with foil so it stays moist while it continues baking slowly.

Bake in a 325 degree oven for 3 ½ hours or till tender. Transfer to a platter and allow to cool slightly before slicing. Skim grease from sauce and serve warm sauce with the meal.

To make ahead and reheat; after cooking, cool and slice brisket. Store in refrigerator in sauce or freeze in sauce. Reheat before serving.

GARLIC LOVERS SHRIMP BAKE

(Serves 3-4)

1 ½ pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

6 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon lemon juice, freshly squeezed

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

½ teaspoon hot pepper flakes

¼ teaspoon salt

1/3 cup cracker crumbs

Arrange shrimp in one layer in a shallow baking dish. (I used a

10-inch-pyrex pie plate.)

In a small saucepan, melt the butter and add the lemon juice, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, red pepper flakes and salt. Reserve two tablespoons of this mixture and pour the remainder evenly over the shrimp.

Add the reserved butter to the cracker crumbs and sprinkle evenly over the shrimp.

Bake in a preheated, 450-degree oven for approximately 8 minutes, or until the crumbs are lightly browned and the shrimp is pink, Do not overcook or your shrimp will be tough.

CREAM CHEESE PECAN PIE

(Serves 8)

1 15-ounce package refrigerated pie crusts

1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened

4 large eggs, divided

¾ cup sugar, divided

2 teaspoons vanilla, divided

¼ teaspoon salt

1 cup coarsely chopped pecans

1 cup light corn syrup

 Unfold and stack the 2 pie crusts; gently roll or press them together. Fit the crust into a 9-inch pie plate according to package directions; fold the edges under and crimp.

Beat the softened cream cheese, 1 egg, 1/2 cup sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla and salt at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth.  Pour evenly into the prepared crust. Sprinkle with the chopped pecans.

Stir together the remaining 3 eggs, ¼ cup sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla and the corn syrup. Pour this mixture over the pecans.  

Bake at 350 degrees for 50 to 55 minutes or until set.

Allow pie to cool before trying to slice. Store any leftovers in the refrigerator.

This Black-Eyed Pea New Year’s Casserole will give you a head start on your “lucky” New Year dinner and all in one dish. This is so quick and easy to prepare and you will probably already have a lot of the ingredients on hand or you will have no trouble finding them in the grocery store. After you assemble the casserole, all you will have to do is add some greens and perhaps some sweet potatoes to your meal and you should be all set for an auspicious start to 2009.

BLACK-EYED PEA

NEW YEAR’S CASSEROLE

(Serves 10)

1 pound mild or hot pork sausage

1 large onion, chopped

4 15-oz. cans black-eyed peas, drained

2 14 ½-oz. cans whole tomatoes with their juice, chopped

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste

½ teaspoon salt, or to taste

½ teaspoon dry mustard

½ teaspoon oregano

½ teaspoon marjoram

1 bay leaf

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Brown sausage over medium heat. Add onions and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add remaining ingredients, draining some of the grease if there seems to be too much.

Place in a greased 3-quart baking dish and bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees.

Remove bay leaf before serving. 

What to serve on Christmas Eve is often a dilemma because it can be such a busy day as we try to finish up loose ends. I also like to have something that can be prepared ahead to serve either before or after church services.

This Shrimp Chowder has often been the main course for us on Christmas Eve. When I make it I always think about a comment that a friend of ours made about the recipe when she included it in a self-published cookbook. She said, “This is about the only recipe you will ever get from me that calls for Velveeta Cheese, but the chowder is so good I will give in…but just this once…” I like to make this a day ahead because I think it is even better that way.

If you think you just don’t have time this year to prepare a special dessert from scratch, you might like the Cranberry Cheesecake Topping that I prepared last week. I had purchased a plain Jane New-York style cheesecake from a discount store. I made the topping and drizzled it over individual slices. We both thought it was outstanding and really pretty as well. What could be quicker or easier?

SHRIMP CHOWDER

(Serves 8)

5 large onions, peeled and chopped

1 stick butter

4 large potatoes, peeled and diced

2 cups boiling water

    Salt and pepper to taste

1 pound Velveeta cheese

1 ½ pints milk

1 ½ pounds shrimp, cooked

   Chopped fresh parsley for garnish

Lightly cook onions in butter. Add potatoes and boiling water. Simmer until potatoes are tender and season to taste. Melt cheese in milk in top of double boiler and add to potatoes and onions. Add shrimp and simmer gently for 20 minutes or more; do not boil. Place a little snipped parsley in bottom of each bowl and fill with chowder.

If my shrimp are large, I usually cut them in halves or thirds. 

CRANBERRY CHEESECAKE TOPPING

(Serves 12)

1 cup granulated sugar

2 teaspoons cornstarch

½ cup water

4 cups fresh cranberries

1 teaspoon grated orange rind

Mix sugar and cornstarch. Add all other ingredients to the sugar and cook until the cranberries pop. Chill.

To serve, drizzle topping over individual servings of your favorite New York-style cheesecake—either homemade or purchased.

This is a pretty salad for the holiday season and is a nice change from congealed salads. If you have pomegranate seeds on hand it is easy to prepare. I found the seeds in Greensboro several weeks ago at a large chain grocery store. The next time I prepare this, I am going to try adding some slivered toasted almonds.

POMEGRANATE-CRANBERRY SALAD

(Serves 6)

1 bunch romaine lettuce, torn into bite-sized pieces

1 cup fresh pomegranate seeds

½ cup dried cranberries

½ medium red onion, sliced 

½ cup mayonnaise

1/3 cup granulated sugar

¼ cup milk

2 tablespoons white vinegar

1 tablespoon poppy seeds

 Place salad ingredients in a large glass salad bowl.

 Place all dressing ingredients in a small bowl; beat with a wire whisk until well blended; pour over salad. Toss. Serve immediately or refrigerate for a little while. 

Two years ago, I went to a Cookie Swap with my daughter. My grandchildren had a great time helping me assemble these Holiday Mexican Wedding Cakes that were my contribution to the party. I think if you wanted, you could use your favorite Lady Finger recipe, which is what my daughter Margaret did when she made them. I was able to find the natural pistachios at an area location of a national west coast specialty grocery chain but if this is not an option, substitute pecans. The cake flour that I used when I prepared the recipe gave the cookies a very tender texture.

HOLIDAY MEXICAN WEDDING CAKES

(Serves 35)

2 cups unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup powder sugar plus more for rolling cookies

2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup shelled unsalted natural pistachios, salted

1 cup dried cranberries or dried tart cherries

3 1/3 cups sifted cake flour

1 2/3 cups sifted all-purpose flour

  Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter 3 heavy large baking sheets.

 Using electric mixer, beat 2 cups butter and 1 cup powdered sugar in large bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla and salt, then pistachios and cranberries. Using spatula, stir in all flour. Do not over-mix dough—you may have to use your hands.

 Shape dough by generous tablespoonfuls into football-shaped ovals. Place on prepared sheets, spacing 1 inch apart. Bake cookies, 1 sheet at a time, until bottoms just begin to color, about 16 minutes. Cool cookies on sheets 10 minutes before coating.

 Pour generous amount of powdered sugar into medium bowl. Working with 5 or 6 warm cookies at a time, add cookies to bowl of sugar, gently turn to coat thickly. Transfer cookies to sheet of waxed paper. Repeat to coat cookies with sugar again. Cool completely.

 Can be made 4 days ahead. Store in airtight containers at room temperature.  

This is the time of year when we like to have nibbles on hand for unexpected guests. I’ve tried both of these recipes recently and liked them both.

 The Ham Dip is a wonderful use for the leftover ham. I think if you had leftover baked country ham it would be even better than the dip I made. I really enjoyed this with some Honey Wheat Dipping Pretzels that I had bought in a specialty shop. Alan and I both thought this would also be good as a topping for baked potatoes.

 I think you will have fun with the Rum Sugared Pecans by asking your friends if they can guess the mystery ingredient. This is very easy to prepare, just be sure to pay attention and stir your pecans every 15 minutes. These are just delicious. 

 Several weeks ago we ran a recipe for “Sweet” Cornbread Dressing that I had created, thanks to an idea that my daughter had passed along. Unfortunately, the ¾ cup of celery was eliminated from the recipe because of my frustration with the computer at the time. I hope this error did not ruin the dressing for any of you that might have tried it for Thanksgiving. Some of you might prefer it without the celery, anyway. We had the half of the dressing that I had frozen with our Thanksgiving meal and both of us still thought it was some of the best dressing that we have eaten. The corrected recipe is printed below.

HAM DIP

(Serves 8)

1 16-oz. container of sour cream

3 tablespoons mayonnaise

1 ½ teaspoons light brown sugar or more to taste

¼ cup chili sauce

1 tablespoon mustard

1 cup ground ham

Blend together and refrigerate. Serve with crackers or fresh, raw vegetables.

RUM SUGARED PECANS

(Serves 16)

1 pound shelled pecans

8 tablespoons butter, (1 stick)

1 cup white sugar

½ cup rum, preferably dark

Spread pecans on a baking sheet which has been lightly greased or sprayed with nonstick vegetable spray. Be sure to use a pan with sides.

Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan, add sugar and rum. Bring to a boil and cook for 2 minutes. Pour over the pecans and shake the pan to coat evenly.

Slow roast in a 250 degree oven for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes to prevent from sticking. Remove from pan and cool. Store in a cool location, not a refrigerator, in an airtight container.

May be put in decorative jars or boxes for gift-giving.

Several weeks ago Sallie Milholen shared these candy recipes with me as well as some samples. The candy was yummy and we both agreed that these were recipes that you might be interested in making for the holidays. I’m running the recipe this week because you might have time to practice with these during Thanksgiving.

 One thing that I like about all three of these recipes is that they are simple. Sallie said that when she made the Pecan Millionaires, she did not have any milk chocolate chips on hand and substituted semi-sweet chocolate chips instead. I liked this version so much that I will probably make this version.

 The Pralines are delicious, however, the draw-back  with pralines is that they quickly lose their creaminess and begin to harden and get a little grainy. If you have ever bought any at the Market in Charleston or Savannah, you will find that the one you eat immediately is the best, by night they are still addictive but not quite as creamy. When you order these by mail, they arrive sealed in individual packets but even this does not completely solve this problem. This recipe would be easy to halve and if you only needed a few pralines, why not try this. The recipe is so easy you can simply make them as needed.

 The Peanut Butter Pin Wheels are a good no bake recipe and if you like peanut butter you will enjoy the flavor. This would be a good recipe to make with children although you may need to do the slicing.

PECAN MILLIONAIRES

1 14 oz. package of Kraft Caramels

3 tablespoons water

2 cups chopped pecans

1/3 block of paraffin

1 12 oz. package milk chocolate chips

 Butter a piece of wax paper or spray with cooking spray with butter. (Place paper on a cookie sheet.)

 Melt caramels with water in a double boiler. Add chopped pecans and stir. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto buttered wax paper. Refrigerate until firm.

 Melt paraffin and chocolate together. Drop cooled caramels and nuts into the chocolate mixture. Remove and place on buttered wax paper. Allow chocolate to set up. Place in an air tight container and store in a cool location.

PECAN PRALINES

2 cups white sugar

1 cup light brown sugar – firmly packed

1 tablespoon butter

½ cup sweet milk

3 cups chopped pecans

 Combine first 4 ingredients and bring to a boil. Add pecans and cook for 4 minutes. Remove from heat and drop by spoonfuls on waxed paper. Allow to set up and then enjoy.

PEANUT BUTTER PIN WHEELS

1 box powdered sugar

1 stick butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 tablespoons evaporated milk

 Mix the ingredients and work together into a mass similar to dough. When smooth and well mixed, divide into four or five parts. Take one part at a time and roll it (like you roll pie dough) between sheets of waxed paper sprinkled with powder sugar.

 Spread the “dough” with peanut butter and roll up jelly roll fashion. (If bottom is inclined to stick, lightly coax the edges with a knife.) Slice rolls into pinwheels.

My daughter Margaret told me about a delicious dressing that she made last week but when I asked her to send the recipe she told me that she didn’t have a recipe, that she just winged it. Buy she did tell me what she did although she couldn’t give me amounts.

 When Margaret made this she cubed cornbread that she had made using the old “Flako” corn muffin recipe with cream-style corn and sour cream. However she had to use a different mix since “Flako” is no longer available. Because this is a very moist cornbread she toasted her cubes.

 I decided to try this last week, buy rather than making cornbread I had the remains of a square of cornbread that I had bought at a local grocery store. Although it was not made with the corn it was still a “sweet” cornbread. I cubed my leftovers and toasted them at 275 degrees and when I measured them I had just a little over 2 cups so I decided to add a cup of sourdough cubes, which I did not toast.

 If you don’t like mushrooms or don’t have them on hand, just use more celery. This really is a recipe to play with and find your own special version.

 I had 2 7x5-inch casseroles of dressing. We ate one which Alan, who is not a big dressing fan, said was some of the best dressing he had ever eaten. We had enough left over for another meal. I froze the other which I will reheat to enjoy later. (I baked the casserole that I froze.)

 I think one of the things that I like best about this recipe is that is makes a reasonable amount for two people I’m looking forward to making Margaret’s version in the future.

“SWEET” CORNBREAD DRESSING

(Serves 8)

2 cups “sweet” cornbread cubes, lightly toasted (generous cup)

1 cup sourdough bread cubes (generous cup)

¾ cup chopped onion

2 green onions, chopped

¾ cup sliced mushrooms

1 teaspoon sage

1 teaspoon poultry seasoning

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 cup chicken broth

3 tablespoons butter (and additional butter to dot the top of the

   dressing when you bake it)

 Combine bread cubes in a mixing bowl.

 Melt 3 tablespoons of butter in a skillet. Add onions and celery and sauté over medium heat until they begin to turn translucent. Add sliced mushrooms and seasonings and continue to sauté until the mushrooms are slightly tender. (You may need to add a little more butter.

 Pour the onion mixture over the bread cubes and stir thoroughly to combine.

 Combine a lightly beaten egg and 1 cup chicken broth. Add to the bread mixture and stir to combine. If you think the dressing is too dry, add a little more chicken broth.

  Lightly grease a shallow casserole dish or dishes and put dressing mixture in them. Dot with butter. Refrigerate until ready to bake.

 Bake at 350 degrees until lightly browned and bubbly.

 Several weeks ago I baked Pumpkin Bars to serve at coffee hour at church. I was really pleased with the recipe. These are about as easy to assemble as anything you could try and I really enjoyed the spicy flavor—perfect for this time of year.

 I baked my bars in a 9 x 13-inch metal pan and found that they were ready in 25 minutes. I cooled them in the pan for a few minutes and then cut them into bars but left them in the pan when I drizzled them with the glaze. After they had completely cooled I covered the pan until I was ready to place the bars on a serving dish.

Pumpkin Bars

(Serves 20)

½ cup butter, softened

1 large egg

1 cup light brown sugar

½ cup canned pumpkin puree

1 ½ cups flour

1 teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon ginger

½ teaspoon allspice

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ cup golden raisins

½ cup chopped pecans

Glaze:

1 cup sifted powdered sugar

1 ½ tablespoons orange juice

1 teaspoon grated orange rind

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Spray a 9 x 13-inch pan (or you may use one that is very slightly smaller).

Mix all ingredients together and pour into prepared pan. This is a very thick batter that you will need to spread in the pan.

Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the bars pull away from the edge of the pan and it tests done.

Mix together the powdered sugar, orange juice and rind and drizzle over the bars while they are still warm.

Kathy Grigg gave me these venison recipes that she said were given to her by Trudy Walters. Although canning venison takes more time and is more trouble than simply freezing it you don’t fill up your freezer with it. However, when I talked with Trudy about the recipe she says that the canned venison is not pretty so you may want to hide it behind your other canned goods. Kathy says that cleaning the jars after you empty them is also a chore. However, they both agree that this is a good and versatile way to prepare venison—something that you may be more inclined to do this year with the high cost of meats.

 Kathy also passed along this recipe for Deer Jerky that Ricky Scott gave her. You might want to try this.

 I know that some of you are laughing about me featuring these recipes if you have heard the infamous story of our missing crock pot with the Deer Stew that Alan was cooking overnight!

Canned Venison

 Cut venison up into bite size pieces, trimming meat as needed. Pack loosely into quart jars, leaving 1 inch of head space at the top. Add 1 teaspoon of salt to each quart. Do not add any water.

 Cook in a pressure canner for 1 hour on 10 pounds pressure. Cooked in this manner the meat can then be used as you would for stew beef for soup or a beef stew with onions, potatoes, carrots, or whatever you like in your stew. Season this stew to your own taste.

 If you prefer you can pack the meat in jars as described above and cook at 10 pounds pressure for 2 ½ hours. Using this method you have fully cooked meat, ready to serve over rice, toast, biscuits, mashed potatoes, etc. If you are serving it this way someone gave me a recipe several years ago suggesting that you warm 1 can of cream of mushroom soup in a saucepan. Do not add water to the soup. After soup is warmed and broken up, add a quart of the deer meat. Simmer for 10 minutes. She described this as tasting very much like Bunker Hill Beef and Gravy.

Deer Jerky

½ cup water

½ teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon Old Hickory Smoke liquid

¼ cup soy sauce

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

¼ teaspoon lemon pepper

¼ teaspoon garlic powder

3 pounds of venison

 Cut meat into long, thin strips. Combine all the ingredients and marinate the deer meat strips overnight. Cook on the rack of a foil lined roasting pan or a foil lined baking sheet. Bake at 150 degrees for 8 hours, turning after 4 hours. An outdoor grill with a thermostat is ideal for this.

Several months ago I tried this recipe for Spicy Lemon Chicken and we both enjoyed it. I was interested in the cooking technique and think you could do the same thing with any marinade or sauce that you enjoy on your chicken. I found an Asian chili sauce in a local store and was interested to see that it was something that my son in law had brought us when he came home after a yearlong stint in Korea—he always referred to it as rooster sauce because of the design on the bottle.

Chicken/Spicy Lemon

(Serves 6)

6 skinless chicken drumsticks 

6 skinless chicken thighs

2 lemons

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 large onion, finely chopped

1 teaspoon Indonesian chili sauce or any Asian chili sauce

2 tablespoons olive oil

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper or to taste

¼ cup chopped parsley

 In a medium bowl, combine the lemon zest and the juice from the two lemons, garlic, onion, Asian chili sauce, olive oil, salt and pepper. Transfer the chicken and marinade to a zip-lock plastic bag and seal. Place the bag in the refrigerator to marinate overnight, or about 10 hours.

 Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

 Remove the chicken from the marinade and arrange on a large roasting pan. Roast until cooked through, about 45 minutes to 1 hour. When the chicken is pierced with a knife the juices should run clear.

 Serve hot, sprinkled with the chopped parsley.

Recently I saw some butternut squash in the produce section of a grocery store that had already been peeled and diced—a real plus. I tried this recipe and I liked it. I did not use the vanilla wafer crumbs. If I were going to do that I think I would reduce or eliminate the thyme in the recipe.

Honey & Thyme Butternut Squash

(Serves 4)

2 cups pureed butternut squash

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut in pieces

1 ½ tablespoons honey

¾ teaspoon dried thyme

¼ teaspoon salt or to taste

1/8  teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

½ cup vanilla wafer crumbs or as many as needed (optional) to sprinkle over your casserole

 If you are working with a fresh butternut squash, cut it in half and place cut-side down on a greased baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to one hour, or until it pierces easily with a kitchen fork; remove from the oven.

 Turn squash cut-side up to cool, then remove seeds and dis-card.

 Scoop out the pulp and place in a food processor fitted with a steel blade and puree or if your squash is very tender just mash it thoroughly with a potato masher. Measure to get the amount of squash needed for the recipe and freeze the rest for another use.

 Add butter, honey, thyme, salt and pepper to the squash and puree or beat until smooth.

 Place mixture in a well-oiled casserole dish and sprinkle with vanilla wafer crumbs if you are using them. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 30 minutes or until hot.

When I was growing up my Mother frequently served a Grated Sweet Potato Pudding for dessert and it was always a favorite of mine. I do not ever remember her making a Sweet Potato Pie.

 I combined her sketchy recipe—I suspect that when she was making this she never used a recipe—with several others that I had come across and we both enjoyed this when I fixed it several weeks ago. Although it was served as a dessert when I was a child, if the Sweet Potato Casserole with the Praline Topping is considered a vegetable dish this certainly can count as a vegetable, too.

Grated Sweet Potato Pudding

(Serves 6)

3 tablespoons pure maple syrup

¼ cup white sugar

¼ cup light brown sugar

¾ cup milk

3 cups grated raw sweet potato

2 tablespoons melted butter

½ teaspoon nutmeg

½ teaspoon cinnamon

½ cup chopped pecans

¼ teaspoon salt

2 eggs, well beaten

 Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease shallow baking dish.

 Combine your first 10 ingredients. Then stir in your 2 well beaten eggs. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until set and the pudding begins to brown around the edges.

This  Stuffed Green Pepper Recipe is a nice variation from the recipe that I was accustomed to preparing because it uses bulk pork sausage. This is truly almost a meal by itself—just add a green salad and perhaps another vegetable like an ear of corn and you are ready to serve.

Peppers/Stuffed

(Serves 8)

8 medium-sized green peppers (about 4 lbs.)

1 pound bulk pork sausage

1 ½ cups chopped onion

½ pound fresh mushrooms, chopped

1 (6oz.) package herb-seasoned stuffing mix

1 cup sour cream

2 cups chopped fresh tomato

1 can (10 ¾-oz.) tomato soup

¾ cup water

2 teaspoons of your favorite herb and spice blend seasoning or just use a little salt

 Cut off tops of green peppers and remove seeds. Wash peppers and set aside to drain.

 Crumble sausage into a frying pan, add onion and mushrooms and sauté until the sausage is browned. Drain well; set aside. Place sausage mixture in bowl and add stuffing mix, sour cream, and seasonings; stir well. Add chopped tomato and stir gently.

 Stuff pepper with the sausage mixture, and place in a lightly greased 12 x 8 x 2-inch baking dish. Combine soup and remaining ingredients and pour over the peppers.

 Bake 30 to 40 minutes at 350 degrees or until peppers are tender and sauce is hot and bubbly. If you need to, insert a knife into the sausage mixture and be sure that it is good and hot.

 Several weeks ago I tried this recipe for Oven Roasted Carrots and Parsnips and we both thought it was delicious. This is easy to prepare. The only difficult thing about the recipe is not to nibble so many pieces when you take this out of the oven that you don’t have enough for your meal! Try to use vegetables that you have just bought rather than ones that have been lingering in your vegetable drawer for several weeks.

Oven Roasted Carrots and Parsnips

(Serves 6)  

1 pound parsnips

1 pound carrots

2 tablespoons olive oil

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

¼ teaspoon dried thyme

 Peel and cut carrots and parsnips into 3 inch lengths. Halve or quarter as necessary to make all pieces more or less uniform.

 Toss with olive oil, thyme, salt and pepper. (Rub the dried thyme between your palms to break up and really release the flavors.)

 Place in a shallow baking dish that you have lightly sprayed with an olive oil cooking spray. A jelly roll pan is ideal.

 Roast in a 425 degree oven for 45 minutes, or until tender and browned. Stir occasionally while roasting.

 I tried this recipe for a Cream Cheese Pecan Pie last week and we both agree that this is a winner. The only reason that I know for rolling the two pie crusts together is because of the weight of the filling but you could certainly try it with a single crust. This is a pretty pie—almost like a picture in a magazine.

Cream Cheese Pecan Pie

(Serves 8)  

1 15-ounce package refrigerated pie crusts

1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened

4 large eggs, divided

¾ cup sugar, divided

2 teaspoons vanilla, divided

¼ teaspoon salt

1 cup coarsely chopped pecans

1 cup light corn syrup

 Unfold and stack the 2 pie crusts; gently roll or press them together. Fit the crusts into a 9 inch pie plate according to package directions; fold the edges under and crimp.

 Beat the softened cream cheese, 1 egg, ½ cup sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla and salt at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth. Pour evenly into the prepared crust. Sprinkle with the chopped pecans.

 Stir together the remaining 3 eggs, ¼ cup sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla and the corn syrup. Pour this mixture over the pecans.

 Bake at 350 degrees for 50 to 55 minutes or until set.

 Allow pie to cool before trying to slice. Store any leftovers in the refrigerator.

Apple trees are loaded this year so I wanted to try to give some apple recipes to try. The Pan Fried Apples with Raisins and Nuts is very easy and very tasty. This is just the kind of basic apple dish that my mother fixed routinely without the raisins and nuts-and yes, she probably used bacon grease. If you have leftovers they reheat beautifully in the microwave. I enjoy them with breakfast.

 When we were in Florida in July I had the Apple Caesar Slaw at a restaurant in Fernandina Beach and decided that I could easily make it at home so I wrote down the ingredients so I could replicate the dish. Frankly I think that mine was better. I used Pink Lady apples because that was what I had on hand. I had the last of the slaw three days late and the apples still had not begun to turn brown.

Pan Fried Apples with Raisins and Nuts

(Serves 8)  

6 medium apples (Granny Smith or another firm cooking apple)

½ cup pecans, roughly chopped

½ cup walnuts, roughly chopped

½ cup raisins

½ stick of margarine or butter

½ cup light brown sugar

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 tablespoon water

 In a heavy frying pan, sprayed with cooking spray, space cored apples, (unpeeled and quartered). Add pats of margarine or butter, spices and brown sugar on top of the apples. Add water. Cover and steam until the apples are tender at medium heat. Do not stir. Add nuts and raisins and steam a few minutes longer. Avoid stirring the ingredients to prevent tearing the apples. Shake the pan on the stove to keep apples from sticking. Serve from the pan.

Caesar Apple Slaw

(Serves 6)

3 cups shredded cabbage

1 cup chopped red skin apple--do not peel--sprinkled with a little lemon juice

½ cup Caesar salad dressing (when I tested this I used Ken’s Creamy Caesar)

2 tablespoons (heaping) shredded parmesan cheese or to taste

 Combine all ingredients and allow at least two hours for the slaw to chill. Feel free to adjust the ingredients to your taste.

This recipe for Hungarian Goulash is really simple to prepare once you have your ingredients assembled and cut and diced. This is a tasty dish and I think your family will enjoy it. If you wanted you could easily make a double batch and freeze some for use later.

HUNGARIAN GOULASH

(Serves 4)  

1 pound lean, boneless top round steak

2 teaspoons vegetable oil

1 ¼ cups coarsely chopped onion

1 cup green pepper strips

2 ½ cups chopped fresh tomatoes

1 ¼ cups water

1 tablespoon paprika

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

2 cups hot cooked rice

Trim all visible fat from steak; cut steak into bite-sized pieces. Cook in hot oil in a large skillet over medium heat until browned, stirring often. Add onion and green pepper; cook 5 minutes longer, stirring often.

Stir in tomatoes and next 4 ingredients. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and cook 45 minutes longer or until tender, adding additional water, if necessary.

I made these Crispy Oat cookies with Heath Bar Bits recently and had several people ask me for the recipe. Alan thought they were worth repeated trips to the cookie tin. I found this recipe in a fund raising cookbook that the Carteret Obstetrics and Gynecology practice had published to raise money for Relay for Life. It is available at several stores on the Crystal Coast so be on the lookout for a copy if you vacation in that area. It retails for $15.00

CRISPY OAT COOKIES WITH HEATH BAR BITS

(Serves 20)  

2 sticks butter, softened

2 eggs

2 cups packed light brown sugar

1 ¾ cups all purpose flour

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

3 cups quick cooking oatmeal

1 10-oz. package milk chocolate covered Heath Bar bits

Heat oven to 350 degrees; lightly grease cookie sheet.

Beat butter, eggs, brown sugar, and vanilla until blended. Add flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; beat until blended. Stir in oats and Heath bits.

Drop by rounded teaspoon onto prepared cookie sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Cool one minute, remove to wire cooling rack.

Gloria Lee sent me this recipe for a Taco Pie several months ago and she says that she really enjoyed this dish. She said that when she made it she only used about ¾ of the can of green chilies because she thought it might be too spicy. She says that this is simple to make and is a pretty dish. However she says to be sure to let it rest for at least 5 minutes before beginning to slice it.

Gloria said that a friend of hers had made this using chicken instead of ground beef and her family really enjoyed this version of the pie. Gloria thought you could use a roasted chicken and cut it in small pieces to do this. You could probably also use leftover diced turkey for this—about 2 cups of diced meat. If I were doing this version I would simply sauté my onion in a little cooking oil and add the cooked chicken or turkey to the onion for just a few seconds.

TACO PIE

(Serves 4-5)  

1 pound lean ground beef

½ medium onion, finely chopped

1 (1.25) envelope taco seasoning mix

1 4-oz. can drained chopped green chilies

1 cup milk

2 eggs

½ cup Bisquick

¾ cup shredded Monterey Jack Cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Coat a 9-inch pie plate with cooking spray.

Cook ground beef and onion in a nonstick skillet on medium heat stirring occasionally, about 6 minutes or until beef is no longer pink and onion is tender, drain. Stir in the seasoning mix. Spoon mixture into the pie plate and top with the chilies.

In a medium bowl, mix together the milk, eggs and baking mix. Pour over the beef mixture in the pie plate.

Bake for 25 minutes or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Sprinkle with the cheese and bake 8 to 10 minutes longer. Remove from oven. Cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Serve with salsa, sour cream, shredded lettuce and diced tomatoes.

Last week in honor of the Olympics I cooked Szechuan Chicken, Don’t be afraid to try this and don’t feel like you have to run out and buy a wok if you don’t have one – a large skillet or chicken fry pan will work just fine.

When I do stir fries I use tamari sauce rather than regular soy sauce because it seems to be a little less salty. I couldn’t find frozen pea pods in the grocery stores I checked in Siler City but I didn’t go to all of them so I substituted frozen snow peas and they worked. I thawed them in a colander and then spread them on a paper towel and patted them dry before I started cooking.

My actual cooking time on this recipe was probably a little less than 15 minutes, so once you get your chopping and dicing done, a stir fry is a quick and easy meal.

I served the Szechuan Chicken with some melon that I had in the refrigerator and we both felt that this made a nice combination. We enjoyed this dish and will prepare it again even without the stimulus of the Olympics.

SZECHUAN CHICKEN

(Serves 4)  

1 egg white, lightly beaten

2 tablespoons cornstarch, divided

3 tablespoons soy sauce, divided

1 tablespoon sherry

2 large chicken breast halves, skinned, boned, and cut into

   1-inch cubes

¼ teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon cider vinegar or rice wine vinegar if you have

   it on hand.

3 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon molasses

1/3 cup water

1 large clove garlic, crushed

1 bunch chopped green onions, including part of the green tops

1 10-ounce package frozen pea pods or snow peas (whatever

   you can find)

½ teaspoon dried red pepper flakes or to taste

 Combine egg white, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, sherry, and 1 tablespoon cornstarch and beat until frothy.

Marinate chicken cubes in this mixture for ½ hour.

Combine salt, remaining soy sauce, garlic, vinegar, sugar, molasses, water, and remaining cornstarch.

Remove chicken pieces from marinade and quickly sauté them in hot peanut oil. Remove chicken from oil and cover with foil to keep warm. Put chopped onion and pea pods in wok or skillet. Quickly stir fry. Add red pepper, chicken pieces and sauce to wok. Bring to boil. Immediately serve over rice.

I enjoy eating fresh salmon almost any way that it is prepared. This is a great way to prepare fresh fillets in the oven. If you can’t find small fillets, use larger ones and halve them when you serve them. Just adjust your cooking time a little but do be careful not a overcook them. You will probably find yourself using this cooking method for salmon frequently and perhaps trying it with other fish as well.

BAKED DIJON SALMON

(Serves 4)  

¼ cup butter, melted

3 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1 ½ tablespoons honey

¼ cup dry bread crumbs

¼ cup finely chopped pecans

4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

4 4-ounce salmon fillets

¼ teaspoon salt or to taste

1/8 teaspoon pepper or to taste

1 lemon for garnish

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a small bowl, stir together butter, mustard, and honey. Set aside. In another bowl, mix together bread crumbs, pecans, and parsley.

Brush each salmon fillet lightly with honey-mustard mixture and sprinkle top of fillets with the bread crumb mixture.

Spray a baking sheet lightly with a cooking spray. Place salmon on prepared pan and bake in a preheated oven until it flakes easily with a fork, approximately 10-15 minutes.

Season to taste with salt and pepper and garnish with a wedge of lemon.

I’m always on the lookout for different salad ideas in the summer because I like to use cool dishes that can be prepared ahead. This Summer Corn and Cabbage Salad (or slaw as we like to call dishes made with uncooked cabbage) is quick, easy and delicious. Just be careful not to overcook your corn—in fact, I have seen several salad recipes this summer that use uncooked corn. Margaret served us one when we visited her and I liked it.

SUMMER CORN and CABBAGE SALAD

3 medium-size fresh ears of corn or 1 10 oz. frozen whole

   kernel corn

1 ½ cups shredded green cabbage

1 medium sweet red pepper chopped

1 stalk celery, thinly sliced

1 medium onion, thinly sliced

¼ cup olive or vegetable oil

¼ cup fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons honey or to taste

1 teaspoon dry mustard

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon black pepper

Cook ears of corn, cut corn from cob. (If using packaged corn, cook according to directions, and then drain.) Combine corn along with remaining vegetables in a salad bowl.

Mix oil, lemon juice, honey, dry mustard, salt, and pepper. Mix well. Pour over salad mixture. Toss to coat.

Cover and refrigerate 2-24 hours. Adjust salt and pepper to taste before serving.

Spoon salad onto a lettuce leaf to serve if desired.

Many years ago my daughter Margaret gave me a copy of Beyond Parsley, a cookbook compiled by the Junior League in Kansas City, Missouri. The book was originally published in 1984 and I have no idea whether it is available today although you could probably find a copy somewhere on the internet.

This cookbook has one of the best and simplest recipes for a Tomato Sauce using fresh tomatoes that I have ever tried. The splatters on this page in the book certainly attest to the fact that I have used this recipe frequently. It is wonderful on pasta or over a piece of fish or a grilled chicken breast. It also makes a great base for spaghetti sauce or shells stuffed with a cheese mixture. While tomatoes are so plentiful, why not make up several batches for your freezer to use this winter?

TOMATO SAUCE WITH FRESH TOMATOES

(Serves 8)  

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

2 pounds fresh tomatoes, peeled, seeded and finely chopped

   (approximately 5 cups)

5 large basil leaves, finely sliced

¾ teaspoon salt or to taste

½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper or to taste.

Heat oil in a heavy pot, and sauté onion until transparent. Add garlic and sauté another 2-3 minutes.

Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer very gently for about 15 minutes.

Gloria Lee sent me several recipes recently and I tried this one for a Fresh Tomato Pizza last week. It is just as delicious as Gloria said it was and is so pretty. Gloria says the fresh herbs are the secret of this recipe and she thinks that fresh oregano might be good on this. This pizza is one of the prettiest that you’ll ever see, especially if your tomatoes are uniform in size.

I had leftovers so the next day I put a slice in my toaster oven and reheated it for several minutes on bake at about 250 degrees and it was as good as when I had just made it. I have also frozen several slices to try later.

Alan wants me to add some pepperoni for him the next time I make this – he thinks all pizzas need pepperoni. I’ll add some on his half next time.

Gloria’s recipe does not call for exact amounts but I will indicate roughly the amounts I used although basically you want to use enough to generously cover your pizza crust.   

FRESH TOMATO PIZZA

1 refrigerated pizza crust

Generous amount of grated Parmesan Cheese (approximately 1

    cup)

Generous amount of grated Mozzarella Cheese (approximately

    3 cups)

Chopped fresh rosemary (approximately 1 ½ tablespoons)

Chopped fresh basil (approximately 1 ½ tablespoons)

Sliced firm fresh tomatoes (as many a you need to cover your

    crust)

Freshly ground pepper and garlic salt to taste

Lightly spray a baking sheet or pizza pan with olive oil spray.

Preheat oven to temperature indicated on the pizza crust you

are using.

Top pizza crust with the remaining ingredients in the order listed in the recipe.

Bake approximately 20 minutes or until golden brown – watch this carefully, I found that in my oven it was ready in about 15 minutes.

I recently found this recipe in a North Carolina Art Museum Cook Book edited by Elizabeth Norfleet. I had given the cookbook to Mary Alice for her birthday so she could take a taste of North Carolina with her when she moved to Whidbey Island, Washington, later this month.

I browsed through the cookbook when we were babysitting several weeks ago and this recipe for Cheesy Crusted Chicken caught my eye. When we came home I tried this dish. It was delicious – something that I will make again. I think you will enjoy it too.

If you see this cookbook, I’m sorry I don’t remember the title; it has some wonderful sounding recipes and beautiful pictures reproduced from the North Carolina Museum of Art collection. This cookbook would be a great gift for someone.

CHEESY CRUSTED CHICKEN

(Serves 4)

3 cloves garlic, sliced

½ cup vegetable oil

1 cup bread crumbs

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

½ cup finely grated sharp cheddar cheese

½ cup finely grated Parmesan cheese

4 bone-in chicken breast halves, skinned

Mix sliced garlic and oil in a bowl; let stand at least 20 minutes or preferably longer. Remove garlic.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a separate bowl, mix together bread crumbs, salt, pepper, and cheeses.

Dip chicken pieces in garlic oil, then in crumb mixture.

Place crusted chicken on a rack that you have sprayed with Pam in a shallow baking pan. Pour the remaining oil over the chicken pieces.

Bake uncovered for about 45 minutes or a little longer if you have really large chicken breasts. However, be careful not to overcook.  

Several weeks ago I made a Corn and Vidalia Onion Pudding. When Alan walked through the kitchen while I was preparing this he observed that he didn’t see how it was going to be worth the trouble. After tasting it, he changed his mind. Furthermore, the leftovers were as good when reheated in the microwave as when the pudding was fresh from the oven. This is a good weekend or special occasion dish. I also think it would transport well for an addition to a covered dish meal. 

CORN and VIDALIA ONION PUDDING

(Serves 8)

3 tablespoons flour

1 ½ cups 2% milk

1 cup shredded Vermont white Cheddar cheese

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

½ teaspoon dried thyme

1/8 teaspoon Cayenne pepper

1 tablespoon butter

2 cups chopped Vidalia onion or other sweet onion if

   Vidalias are not available

1 tablespoon chopped garlic

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

2 ½ cups scraped fresh corn kernels

Arrange oven rack on center position. Spray a shallow oven to table baking dish with nonstick cooking spray—I used a 2.8 liter Corning French white oval dish when I made this.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Place flour in a heavy, medium saucepan and whisk in ¼ cup of milk to make a paste. Pour in remaining 1 ¼ cups milk and stir thoroughly. Place pan over medium heat and cook, stirring, until mixture thickens, about 5 minutes. Add cheese a handful at a time, whisking constantly. Remove sauce from heat. Stir in salt, black pepper, dried thyme and Cayenne pepper. Set aside to cool.

Melt butter in large, heavy medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook, stirring until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook and stir 4 to 5 minutes more. Season with a little, additional salt and pepper. Remove from heat.

Whisk lightly beaten eggs into cooled sauce. Add corn and onions. Spread mixture evenly in prepared pan. Bake at 375 degrees on center shelf until pudding is firm and golden on top, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool 5 to 10 minutes. May garnish with sprigs of fresh thyme before serving, if desired. Serve hot. 

I tried this recipe for shrimp several weeks ago and we both enjoyed it. It does have a definite garlic flavor, particularly when I reheated the leftovers later, so if this is a problem for you, just cut back on the garlic. This is a very easy way to prepare shrimp—just be careful not to overcook them.  

GARLIC LOVERS SHRIMP BAKE

(Serves 3-4)

1 ½ pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

6 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon lemon juice, freshly squeezed

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

½ teaspoon hot pepper flakes

¼ teaspoon salt

1/3 cup cracker crumbs

Arrange shrimp in one layer in a shallow baking dish. (I used a 10-inch pyrex pie plate.)

In a small saucepan, melt the butter and add the lemon juice, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, red pepper flakes and salt. Reserve two tablespoons of this mixture and pour the remainder evenly over the shrimp.

Add the reserved butter to the cracker crumbs and sprinkle evenly over the shrimp.

Bake in a preheated, 450-degree oven for approximately 8 minutes, or until the crumbs are lightly browned and the shrimp is pink. Do not overcook or your shrimp will be tough.   

Local peaches are available now and it is wonderful to have them after the cold snaps did so much damage in recent springs. To celebrate this, I tried this incredibly easy recipe for a Spicy Peach Upside Down Cake. We thought it was delicious – we tried it served slightly warm with vanilla ice cream. The next night, I just warmed it for about 30 seconds at 50% power in the microwave and enjoyed it without a topping. I had a friend tell me that is was good for breakfast, too. I hope you’ll enjoy this as much as we did.

SPICY PEACH UPSIDE DOWN CAKE

(Serves 15)

2 cups chopped peaches

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon sugar

¼ cup butter

¾ cup brown sugar

½ cup chopped pecans

1 package spice cake mix (18 ½ oz.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Sprinkle chopped peaches with lemon juice and sugar and set a 

aside.

Melt butter in 9x13-inch cake pan. Sprinkle evenly with brown sugar and pecans. Evenly add a layer of chopped peaches.

Prepare cake mix according to package directions. Spread evenly over the peaches. Bake at 350 for approximately 35 minutes or until done.

Cook for 10 minutes in pan, then invert onto serving tray. Serve warm with whipped topping or vanilla ice cream, if desired.

If all the blooms on the blackberry bushes yield berries we should have a bumper crop of this fruit. In anticipation of this, I gave in and bought some blackberries in a grocery store several weeks ago so I could try this recipe for Wild Blackberry Crisp. It was delicious and I didn’t even serve it with ice cream or whipped cream. There could hardly be an easier dessert to make than this.

WILD BLACKBERRY CRISP

(Serves 6)

1 quart wild blackberries, fresh or frozen

¾ cup sugar

¼ cup flour

½ cup butter, chilled

2/3 cup brown sugar, packed

1 1/3 cups flour

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Generously butter a 9x9-inch baking dish.

Mix berries, sugar and flour. Place in prepared baking dish. If your blackberries are not very juicy, sprinkle this mixture with a tablespoon or two of water.

In a separate bowl, cut the topping ingredients together with a pastry blender until crumbly. Sprinkle the topping over the blackberries.

Bake in a preheated oven for about 45 minutes or until browned and bubbly.

Serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

When Mary Alice was married, one of my friends gave her a copy of Come On In! recipes from the Junior League of Jackson, Mississippi. This is a wonderful cookbook that is easy to use and it has a lot of recipes that are user friendly.

Since Mary Alice and Steve have been married, Uncle Sam has sent them from coast to coast and Mary Alice says that a lot of the time when she is asked to take a dessert to a covered dish or to a bake sale, she uses the recipe for this Vanishing Blueberry Pie that she found in Come On In! She says it truly vanishes. Mary Alice says that frequently when she is making this for her family she will use the almond extract since this is a flavor that they like.

Mary Alice did observe that at the last bake sale at her church she took this pie as well as a Southern Chess Pie and her west coast friends did not seem to know what a chess pie was.

VANISHING BLUEBERRY PIE

(Serves 8)

1 cup sour cream

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

¾ cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract or ½ teaspoon almond extract

¼ teaspoon salt

1 large egg, beaten

2 ½ cups fresh blueberries, washed and drained

1 unbaked 9-inch pie shell

3 tablespoons all purpose flour

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

3 tablespoons chopped pecans or walnuts

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

For this pie, blend sour cream, flour, sugar, vanilla, salt and egg until smooth. Fold in blueberries. Pour filling into the pastry shell and bake for 25 minutes.

Make the topping by thoroughly combining the flour, butter, and nuts. Sprinkle the topping over the pie and bake 10 additional minutes. Chill before serving.

I was excited to get a copy of A Taste of Tradition, the new West Chatham Food Pantry cookbook, several weeks ago. (See story about the cookbook on the B front in this week’s paper.) As a matter of fact, it was my reading material on a road trip that week.

I found many interesting recipes and have been given permission to share a couple of them with you—hopefully to tempt you to purchase this cookbook. One recipe that really intrigued me, and my daughter May Alice agrees, is Joanna Canipe’s for a Lasagna Soup. This is definitely on my list of recipes to try in the fall or on a cool summer day. As soon as I make a dent in the leftovers in my refrigerator, or when Alan say no to them, I am planning to try Paula Hargrove’s recipe for Day Ahead Dijon Chicken.

I think you will enjoy this cookbook and may want to buy extras to give to family and friends.

LASAGNA SOUP

1 lb. ground beef

1 onion, chopped

1 bell pepper, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 (32-oz.) box chicken broth

2 (14.5-oz.) cans petite diced tomatoes

1 (15-oz.) can tomato sauce

1 T. firmly packed brown sugar

2 tsp. Italian seasoning

½ tsp. salt

2 c. broken lasagna noodles

1 (5-oz.) pkg. grated Parmesan cheese

1 (5.5 oz.) box Italian seasoned croutons

2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese

Combine ground beef, onion, bell pepper and garlic; cook over medium-high heat, 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until beef is browned and crumbles. Drain well.

Stir in broth, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, brown sugar, Italian seasoning and salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes. Add noodles, and simmer until noodles are tender. Stir in Parmesan cheese.

Preheat broiler. Ladle soup into 10 ovenproof bowls. Top with croutons; sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Broil soups for 3 to 4 minutes or until cheese is browned and bubbly.

DAY AHEAD DIJON CHICKEN

4 boneless chicken breasts

½ c. honey

½ c. Dijon mustard

1 T. curry

2 T. soy sauce or teriyaki sauce

Place chicken snugly in baking dish, meat side down. Mix other ingredients.  Pour over chicken and refrigerate overnight. Turn chicken over. Cover with foil and bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees. Baste well with sauce and continue baking, uncovered, for 15 minutes. Spoon sauce over chicken and serve. Excellent with buttered rice.

I tried this recipe for Chicken with Mushrooms and Shallots recently and was very pleased with it. This is easy to prepare and I thought it was a nice way to do something a little different with chicken. I served this on top of a serving of rice and garnished it with a little chopped parsley.

CHICKEN with MUSHROOMS and SHALLOTS

(Serves 4)

4 boneless chicken breast halves with skin removed

¼ cup olive oil

1 cup sliced mushrooms

2 tablespoons minced shallots or purple onions

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon black pepper

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

If your chicken breasts are extremely large you may want to tenderize them.

Saute Chicken in olive oil in skillet over medium heat for 8 minutes. Turn chicken.

Add mushrooms and shallots. Season with salt and black pepper. Cook for an additional 8 minutes or until chicken is tender and done. Don’t overcook.

Place chicken on platter. Sprinkle generously with the shredded cheese and top with the mushrooms and shallots. Cover with aluminum foil and let stand for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.

I tried this recipe for Everything but the Kitchen Sink Cookies several months ago when I needed a recipe that yielded a lot of cookies. I realize that the yield will vary depending on the size of your cookies, but I had at least 12 dozen cookies. I thought it was a very good cookie and I found that they froze nicely.

A good feature of this recipe is that you can vary it according to what you have on hand after you combine the first nine ingredients. Then add a spice or delete according to what you like and what you have on hand. Try substituting semisweet chocolate morsels and peanut butter morsels and rather than adding toffee bits use 1 2/3 cup chopped pecans and combine all of these with the rolled oats. Experiment and find what combinations you like best.

A word of caution, however, I used the biggest bowl I own when I assembled these.

 EVERYTHING BUT THE KITCHEN SINK COOKIES

(Serves 50)

2 cups butter, softened

2 cups sugar

2 cups brown sugar

5 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

4 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

   2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

   1 tablespoon instant coffee granules

   1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

   1 teaspoon allspice

   1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

5 cups rolled oats

1 (12-ounce) bag milk chocolate morsels

1 (12-ounce) bag white chocolate morsels

2/3 cup almond toffee bits

1 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer until creamy. Add sugars and beat until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, coffee granules, pumpkin-pie spice, all-spice, nutmeg, and salt. Gradually add to the butter mixture.

In a separate bowl, combine oats, chocolate morsels, toffee bits, and pecans. Add oat mixture to cookie dough and mix with hands.

Drop cookies by rounded teaspoonfuls onto an un-greased baking sheet.

(Try making these without some of the spices and substitute peanut butter morsels for the white chocolate and use 1 2/3 cups chopped pecans eliminating the toffee bits if you don’t have them on hand.)

Bake for 11 to 13 minutes per batch, or until edges of cookies are lightly brown.  

When I was a child you could not persuade me to eat a tomato whether it was fresh from my Daddy’s garden or was cooked. How my tastes have changed! Amber Morris King sent me the National Symphony Orchestra Cookbook (soft cover--$19.95) and it has some great recipes. The cookbook would make a wonderful souvenir of a trip to Washington.

One recipe that I have prepared several times that I have really enjoyed is this recipe for a Tomato Casserole. I have taken this to several covered dish meals and did not have any leftovers.

TOMATO CASSEROLE

(Serves 8)

2 14 ½ ounce of diced tomatoes

1/2 cup chopped onion

¼ cup chopped green pepper

1/2 cup of light brown sugar

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

3/4 teaspoon Creole seasoning (generous)

1 cup Pepperidge Farm Cornbread stuffing

1 cup sharp Cheddar cheese, grated or as needed to sprinkle

    over the casserole (optional—I used it)

Combine diced tomatoes, chopped onion, chopped bell pepper, light brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, Creole seasoning and cornbread stuffing mix. Pour into a lightly greased shallow baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Top with grated cheese if using and cut off oven while leaving casserole in oven just long enough to melt the cheese—only a minute or two.

If I were serving this during the Christmas season I would try to find white cheddar cheese and sprinkle it with chopped fresh parsley just before serving.

My daughter Margaret shared this recipe that a friend had given her for a fresh beef brisket. Margaret says this is the best brisket recipe that she has ever tried. We bought a brisket and cooked it using her recipe and it was delicious and incredible easy. This is a recipe that we will use again.

AUNT ABBY’s BEEF BRISKET – MARGARET

(Serves 10)

1 fresh beef brisket – ours weighed about 4 ½ pounds

½ cup packed dark brown sugar

2 envelopes regular onion soup mix (not instant)

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 ½ cups catsup

Line a large roasting pan with heavy foil, letting the ends of the foil hang over the edges of the pan. Place brisket on the foil. Sprinkle the sugar, soup mix, and garlic powder over the brisket. Drizzle catsup over all. Fold the ends of the foil over the brisket, sealing securely and leaving air space.

Be sure to seal really tightly so nothing leaks out while it is baking—if juices do leak out then take it out of the foil and put it in the roasting pan and reseal the top tightly with foil so it stays moist while it continues baking slowly.

Bake in a 325 degree oven for 3 ½ hours or till tender. Transfer to a platter and allow to cool slightly before slicing. Skim grease from sauce and serve warm sauce with the meat.

To make ahead and reheat: after cooking, cool and slice brisket. Store in refrigerator in sauce or freeze in sauce Reheat before serving.

While fresh local strawberries are available, try this recipe for Strawberry Drop Biscuits. When served warm they are just delicious. Also drop biscuits, which I remember my mother making, are a good way for a beginning cook to start making biscuits. When blueberries come in I am going to try substituting them in this recipe. (When I made these, my strawberries had not been refrigerated and were at room temperature.)

STRAWBERRY DROP BISCUITS

(Serves 12)

2 cups all-purpose flour

3 teaspoons baking powder

2 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons shortening

1 1/3 cup milk

1 cup sliced strawberries

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Combine dry ingredients. Add shortening and cut it in until the mixture is crumbly. Add milk and beat until smooth. Fold in sliced strawberries.

Drop batter by spoonfuls onto greased cookie sheet.

Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes until lightly browned. Allow to cool for a couple of minutes before serving warm.

This makes 12 generous sized biscuits.

I was going through recipes that I had clipped from magazines years ago and came across this recipe for Lemon and Rosemary Pinto Beans. I tried it and Alan thought they were some of the best pinto beans he had ever eaten. This is a great variation of a marinated bean salad. If you make this in advance it is important to let the beans come to room temperature, otherwise they will be quite crunchy. 

PINTO BEANS MARINATED LEMON & ROSEMARY

(Serves 6)

2 15-ounce cans pinto beans, rinsed and drained

¾ cup chopped sweet onion

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 ½ teaspoons minced, fresh rosemary

1 teaspoon minced fresh garlic

1/8 teaspoon Tabasco sauce

6 lemon wedges

Combine the first seven ingredients in a medium bowl. Toss to blend. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be made a day ahead. If so, cover and chill in the refrigerator. Then allow to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving.)

Garnish with lemon wedges to squeeze over the beans and fresh rosemary sprigs, if desired. 

Several weeks ago I bought some fresh rhubarb and some Florida strawberries and baked this Strawberry-Rhubarb Crisp. I served this warm from the oven and we both enjoyed it. I will make this again but if my strawberries are really sweet I will reduce to about ¾ cup the amount of sugar that you mix with the fruits because I like for this dessert to be a little tart – especially if it is served with vanilla ice cream. 

STRAWBERRY-RHUBARB CRISP

(Serves 8)

1 cup packed light brown sugar

1 ½ cups flour

¾ cup cold unsalted butter cut into pieces

1 pound rhubarb

½ quart strawberries

1 lemon (use zest from entire lemon and juice from half the        

    lemon)

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup sugar – or less if strawberries really sweet

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Using a food processor, with a metal blade, mix brown sugar and flour together. Add butter. Mix until large pea-size chunks from and crumbs hold together. Set aside.

Trim off rough ends of rhubarb and cut into 1-inch lengths. Remove stems on strawberries and cut into quarters. Place rhubarb and strawberries in a bowl. Add juice of half the lemon, the zest, vanilla and sugar and toss gently.

Place fruit mixture into a buttered 8-inch square casserole. Cover with the brown sugar topping. Bake for 45 minutes or until fruit juices are bubbling. My crisp did not bubble over but to protect your oven, place a cookie pan on the bottom oven rack.

One of the signs of spring is fresh asparagus. While they are available, try this recipe for Roasted Asparagus. They are delicious prepared this way and it is so easy with little or no cleanup. Just be sure not to overcook them.

I toasted the pine nuts in a 325 degree oven for 4 or 5 minutes watching them carefully. You want them to be a very light golden-brownish color.

ROASTED ASPARAGUS

(Serves 4)

1 pound medium-size fresh asparagus spears, trimmed

½ tablespoon olive oil (you can use olive or vegetable oil spray)

¼ cup pine nuts, toasted

¼ teaspoon salt or to taste

1 plum tomato, seeded and chopped

Toss asparagus in olive oil or spray lightly with cooking spray. Arrange asparagus in a single layer in an aluminum foil-lined pan.

Bake at 425 degrees for 7 minutes or just until crisp tender.

Sprinkle asparagus with salt, toasted pine nuts and chopped tomatoes.

Recently I had leftover ham as you usually do when there are only two of you and you bake a ham. I decided to use it by trying this recipe for ham salad. Both of us liked this. It is a good sandwich filler or a tasty spread to use for hors d’oeuvres. This recipe is basically just a starting point—depending on the type of ham you use you may need more or less Miracle Whip or any of the other ingredients. If you ham is especially salty eliminate the salt. (I used a Cure 81 ham when I prepared this salad). Try this recipe and don’t be afraid to play with it!

HAM SALAD

(Serves 8)

3 cups cooked ham, ground

½ cup chopped sweet pickle

2 teaspoon sweet pickle juice

3 green onions, chopped, including a little of the tops

3 hard boiled eggs, chopped

2 tablespoons Durkee’s Sauce or Dijon mustard

½ cup Miracle Whip or more if needed

2 teaspoons prepared horseradish

¼ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper or to taste

Mix all ingredients together by hand. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Try to allow enough time for the flavors to develop—at least overnight. Serve on rye, whole wheat or white bread for a delicious sandwich. This recipe will easily double or triple but do not freeze it.

Several weeks ago a reader from Moncure called and wanted to know why I had not featured a recipe for a New Orleans-style gumbo in this column. I told him that I would try to remedy that omission shortly so I began to look at gumbo recipes. I discovered that there are about as many versions of this dish as there are of Brunswick Stew. The recipe that I finally tried is one that I came up with after combining elements from two recipes. I chose to use chicken and shrimp in my version because they are easy for us to obtain unlike some versions that call for smoked duck’s breast or any other number of meats.

This version is also easy in that it does not require making a roux. We both were pleased with this gumbo and I think you might enjoy it, too.  

CHICKEN and SHRIMP GUMBO

(Serves 8)

4 sliced thick-cut bacon

1 large onion, finely chopped

½ large green pepper, chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

1 large clove garlic, minced (optional)

1 ½ cups frozen sliced okra, rinsed under cold water and

   drained, or fresh okra, ends trimmed and sliced

3 cups chicken broth

2 14.5 can whole tomatoes, with their juices, chopped

1 bay leaf

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, any fat removed

½ pound medium shrimp, peeled and de-veined

2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

¼ teaspoon freshly-ground  black pepper

½ teaspoon salt or to taste

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper or more to taste (optional)  

2 teaspoons gumbo file powder to sprinkle over gumbo when serving (1/8-1/4 teaspoon or to taste for each individual serving)

 4 cups cooked long-grained rice

In a large pot, cook the bacon until crisp. Remove bacon, drain on paper towels and crumble.

Add onions, green pepper, celery, garlic and okra to pot. Saute in bacon fat for 5 minutes until onion is translucent. Stir in the tomatoes and chicken broth and salt and black pepper. Add whole chicken breasts and simmer until chicken is done. Remove chicken from pot and shred into bite-sized pieces and return to the pot.

Remove bay leaf, Add parsley. Taste for seasoning and add cayenne pepper at this point. Stir in shrimp and simmer over medium low heat for 20-30 minutes. (Prepare rice while shrimp are simmering.)

Ladle gumbo over hot rice and sprinkle with reserved crumbled bacon and gumbo file powder.

When I was in Florida with Margaret several months ago we ate lunch in a little tearoom-type restaurant that is very popular with locals in her area. Jonathan says that when he joins her he is always the only man in the place but the food is so good that he doesn’t mind. When we were there we shared a slice of Key Lime Pound Cake with a Cream Cheese Glaze type of icing. The cake was delicious but we decided we could replicate it ourselves.

At the time I thought this would be a wonderful addition to any meal so why not try it for Easter this year?

I found this recipe on the Internet and tried it and thought is was delicious. I was in a hurry so I simply used the glaze in the recipe but the next time I try this I am going to try to replicate the cream cheese glaze – I think they probably slightly thinned the usual cream cheese icing with a very small amount of key lime juice.

KEY LIME DAIQUIRI POUND CAKE

(Serves 16)

1 cup butter

½ cup shortening

2 cups white sugar

5 eggs

3 cups all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon baking powder

1 cup milk

2 tablespoons rum

1 tablespoon grated key lime zest

2 teaspoons key lime juice

1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract

½ teaspoon lemon juice

1/4 cup white sugar

1/4 cup butter

2 tablespoons key lime juice

2 teaspoons grated key lime zest

3 tablespoons rum

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Grease and flour a 10-inch tube or bundt pan.

Mix together the flour and baking powder.

In a large bowl, cream together 1 cup butter, shortening, and 2 cups sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Beat in the flour mixture alternately with the milk, mixing just until incorporated. Stir in 2 tablespoons rum, 1 tablespoon key lime zest, 2 teaspoons key lime juice, vanilla and lemon juice.

Pour batter into the prepared pan.

Bake in preheated oven for 90 minutes, or until cake tests done. Allow to cool in pan 10 minutes. Turn it out onto a wire rack. While warm, prick top of cake with toothpick. Brush Key Lime Daiquiri Glaze over the warm cake. Cool completely.

To make Glaze: In small saucepan, combine 1/4 cup sugar, 1/4 cup butter, 2 tablespoons key lime juice and 2 teaspoons key lime zest.

Bring to boil. Continue boiling, stirring constantly, for 1 minute.

Remove from heat and stir in 3 tablespoons rum.

Mary Alice’s friend Kyla sent this recipe for a Hot Wing Chicken Dip which I think would be a wonderful addition when you are planning snacks to serve if you have friends over to watch the basketball tournament games. Kyla said that when she made this she used Texas Pete wing sauce. She also confessed that she cheated and used 2 cans of chicken that she drained and shredded. Kyla said that when she served this for a Super Bowl party everybody loved it.

Alan says it tastes exactly like Hot Wings! 

KYLA’s HOT WING CHICKEN DIP

1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened

1 cup bottled Ranch Salad Dressing

1 package original dry Ranch Dressing mix

½ cup bottled Wing Sauce—or to taste

1 8-ounce package shredded Cheddar cheese

3-4 cooked chicken breasts, shredded (or two cans of chicken, drained and shredded)

Mix and bake at 350 degrees until bubbly and golden. Serve with celery sticks and tortilla scoopers.

If you decide to use less wing sauce you may need to thin the mixture with a little additional Ranch Dressing.   

Years ago I clipped this recipe for Stir-Fried Beef with Broccoli and Oranges because I thought it seemed like an interesting flavor combination. I finally got around to trying the recipe several weeks ago and we both really enjoyed it. It was quick and easy to prepare and best of all was something a little different. I used a Stir-Fry Sauce that I bought in the Oriental food section at a local grocery store. 

STIR-FRIED BEEF with BROCCOLI and ORANGES

(Serves 4)

1 bunch broccoli (about 1 ¼ pounds), stems peeled and cut

   in ½-inch pieces, florets separated

3 large naval oranges

3 teaspoons vegetable oil

12 ounces beef top round for London broil, sliced thinly on

    the diagonal, then cut in bite-sized strips

½ cup bottled stir-fry sauce 

Add broccoli to a large pot of boiling water. Cook 3 to 5 minutes or until barely crisp-tender. Drain and immerse in ice water to stop the cooking. Remove from water and spread on paper towels to dry.

Squeeze juice from 1 orange into a medium bowl. With a sharp knife, cut peel and white membrane from remaining 2 oranges. Holding oranges cut between membranes to release sections. Squeeze any juice remaining from the membranes into bowl. (You should have ½ cup of juice.)

Heat 1 teaspoon of the oil in a large nonstick skillet or wok over high heat. Add beef in batches and stir-fry until brown, taking care not to crowd skillet and adding the remaining oil as needed. Remove beef to a bowl as it browns.

Remove any excess oil from your wok.

Add stir-fry sauce, orange juice and broccoli to skillet or wok. Stir over medium heat 2 to 3 minutes until the liquid is lightly reduced and the broccoli is hot. Stir in the beef and orange sections; cook 1 minute to heat through.

Serve over a bed of rice.

(Put the beef in the freezer for 10 to 15 minutes to make slicing it easier.)

Both of these cookies were served at coffee hour at our church this month. I ran the recipe for Joan Thompson’s Oat Bars years and years ago, but I had not made them in a long while. When Joan served these this week and we  were practically inhaling them, they were so good. I promised to rerun the recipe for those of you who missed it the first time around or for people like me who had forgotten just how good these crispy bars are.

I found the recipe for Butterfinger Cookies in the Best of the Best from Washington Cookbook that Caroline and Jackson gave me for Christmas. (There are Best of the Best Cookbooks for almost every state or region of the US – a good travel souvenir if you are like me.) When I saw this recipe I knew that I needed to try this since Butterfingers are Alan’s favorite candy bar. We both thought these were yummy-almost addictively so. When I made these I added additional flour and baking soda to the recipe in the cookbook because of the moistness of my peanut butter (Peter Pan).The ingredient amounts in the recipe in the paper are for the version of the cookies that I baked.

JOAN THOMPSON’S OAT BARS

(Serves 20)

1 cup butter or margarine, softened

1 cup sugar

1 beaten egg yolk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 ¾ cups flour

1 lightly beaten egg white

½ cup oats.

Preheat oven to 275 degrees.

Lightly grease a 10x15-inch jelly roll pan.

Cream butter or margarine and sugar. Add beaten egg yolk and vanilla. Stir in flour.

Pat mixture into prepared jelly roll pan. Brush with egg white and sprinkle with a generous ½ cup of oats.

Bake at 275 for approximately 1 hour and 10 minutes or until a light golden brown. Remove from oven and cut into bars. Let cool and remove from pan.

Several weeks ago I found a piece of beef in my freezer and upon examination I decided it was a small piece of chuck. When I weighed it I found that I had enough to try this recipe if I halved the recipe, which I did. This beef had a delicious rich flavor that we both really enjoyed. I had never thought of adding coffee to a beef stew but it works and really enhanced the flavor of this dish. (Since I halved the recipe, I used a small slow cooker.)

BRAISED BEEF with COFFEE and RED WINE

(Serves 8)

3 pounds beef stew meat, such as boneless chuck, trimmed of

   fat and cut into 1 ½” cubes, and patted dry

2 tablespoons all purpose flour

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 medium onions, chopped

3 carrots, sliced diagonally into 2-inch pieces

4 new red or white potatoes, diced

6 small turnips, peeled and quartered

1 cup strong coffee

½ teaspoon dried thyme

½ cup dry red wine

Use a medium or large round or oval slow cooker.

In a zip-lock plastic bag or a bowl, toss the beef with the flour, salt, and pepper, shaking off the excess. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, warm 1 ½ tablespoons of the oil until very hot, add half the beef and brown on all sides about 5 minutes. Transfer to the slow cooker. Repeat with the remaining oil and beef.

Add the onions to the skillet and cook, stirring until softened, about 5 minutes. Transfer to the slow cooker and add the carrots, potatoes, and turnips. Add the coffee and thyme to the cooker. Pour the wine into the skillet and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly and scraping up any browned bits stuck to the pan. Pour into the cooker and stir. Cover and cook on LOW until the meat is tender; 7 to 8 hours. Taste for salt and pepper and adjust seasonings if necessary. Serve.

Gloria Lee included a recipe in her Christmas card to me and I already consider it one of my favorite Christmas gifts. She said that she had prepared these muffins and taken them to a Pot Luck and they were almost inhaled. Gloria said that she planned to serve them Christmas morning.

I thought this was a good idea so I had Mary Alice add the ingredients to her grocery list and we had these as well as Moravian Sugar Cake as our Christmas morning breakfast. I prepared these again after we came home and thought they were even better with our “Southern Sausage” than with what was sold in the Northwest. I used hot sausage both times and fixed some regular sized muffins and a few miniature muffins and adjusted my cooking times accordingly. I individually wrapped and froze some of the muffins and when we were at the beach several weeks ago, I heated them and served them for breakfast I found that one medium sized muffin was enough for me and did not leave me feeling hungry before lunch. I served these then with fresh orange sections and I really enjoyed this flavor combination—try it.

I hope you enjoy Gloria’s Sausage-Cheese Muffins as your Valentine!

SAUSAGE and CHEESE MUFFINS

(Serves 8)

1 pound pork sausage, cooked until no longer pink—

   drain and cool

3 cups Bisquick

1 ½ cups shredded Cheddar cheese

1 10-3/4-ounce condensed Cheddar soup

¾ cup water

Combine cooked sausage, Bisquick and shredded cheese in a large bowl. Make a well in the center of the mixture.

Stir together the soup and the water, add to sausage mixture, stirring just until the dry ingredients are moistened. Spoon into lightly greased muffin pans, filling to the top of the cups.

Bake at 375 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes or until lightly browned.

This will make about 15 regular-sized muffins or 36 small muffins.

This recipe appeared in Southern Lady magazine last year and I tried it. It was embarrassingly easy and is delicious. It took so little time to prepare that Alan was working on the computer and didn’t even realize that I had already made the fudge and cleaned the kitchen. I really don’t see how you could have a failure with this recipe.

KAHLUA CHOCOLATE FUDGE

(Serves 16)

1 can Eagle Brand condensed milk

¼ cup Kahlua

2 tablespoons instant coffee granules

12 ounces semisweet chocolate morsels

1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

½ teaspoon vanilla

Combine condensed milk, Kahlua, and instant coffee granules in a heavy saucepan. Bring to a brisk simmer and cook for 2 minutes or until thickened, stirring constantly.

Remove from heat and stir in chocolate morsels. Stir until melted. Add nuts and vanilla and blend in.

Pour fudge mixture into an 8x8-inch pan that you have lined with aluminum foil. Refrigerate for 2 hours. Remove pan from refrigerator and turn upside down to remove candy with the foil lining. Gently peel away the lining.

Cut fudge into 32 pieces and store in an air tight container in the refrigerator.   

Today’s recipe was created by Kathy Shortt of Garner and she won first place in the N.C. Pork Council Tarheel Pork Challenge. I made this recipe this morning and I like it. It is incredibly quick and easy. The only change that I made to the recipe was that I used a nonstick pot and did not add the olive oil when I cooked the sausage. After I had sautéed the sausage, I drained it in a colander and then spread it on paper towels to drain some more. Then I added the olive oil and began sautéing my mushrooms and added the sausage at this point. From start to finish it took me 45 minutes to prepare this recipe.

Although I am sure you could do this in advance I probably wouldn’t because you will lose the pretty bright green spinach color.

I think this will be a great Super Bowl recipe. Serve it with some crusty bread and you should have some happy guests.

KATHY’s SAUSAGE and TORTELLINI SOUP

(Serves 10)

1 teaspoon olive oil

2 (19.76-ounce) packages sweet Italian sausage

2 (8-ounce) cartons sliced, fresh mushrooms

1 (9-ounce) bag of baby spinach

2 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes

2 (32-ounce) cartons low sodium chicken broth

1 (28-ounce) package fresh Three Cheese Tortellini (from dairy

   case)

Grated Parmesan cheese for garnish.

Coat a large stock pot with olive oil or cooking spray.

Remove sausage from casings and heat over medium heat in a stock pot until sausage is completely cooked, add sliced mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until they are sautéed. Add the entire bad of baby spinach. Cook stirring occasionally, until spinach is lightly sautéed. Add diced tomatoes and stir thoroughly.

Add chicken broth and bring to a boil. Add tortellini and simmer on low for 10 to 15 minutes until the pasta is cooked. Ladle into soup bowls and sprinkle generously with Parmesan cheese.

Variation: The first four ingredients can be cooked together and used as a tasty sauce for pasta

.

I am always attracted to green salad recipes that have interesting ingredients. My daughter suggested that I might like this recipe for an Orange-Avocado Salad with Baby Mixed Greens that appeared in Southern Living several years ago. She was right. This is a great combination of flavors and it is a pretty salad as well.

SALAD/ORANGE – AVOCADO WITH BABY MIXED GREENS

(Serves 6)

2 medium avocados, sliced

2 navel oranges, peeled and sectioned

1 5-ounce bag baby mixed greens

3 slices prosciutto, cut into thin strips

¼ cup thinly sliced red onion

1/3 cup chopped toasted walnuts

½ cup olive oil

¼ cup white balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon honey

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Arrange greens on a serving platter. Top with avocado slices and orange segments. Sprinkle evenly with prosciutto, red onion and toasted walnuts.

Whisk dressing ingredients together in a small bowl.

Drizzle arranged salad with the desired amount of dressing.

We all like the convenience of bottled salad dressings and the variety that is available now is mind-boggling. Although the quality of these dressings has improved dramatically sometimes it is nice to have something homemade. These are two of my favorites. The recipe for the Tangy French Salad Dressing was given to me by my aunt many years ago and it is almost identical to the dressing that used to be served on salads at the Rathskeller in Chapel Hill. The Italian dressing is very good—in fact, I think the perfect salad dressing if you are serving spaghetti or lasagna.

TANGY FRENCH DRESSING

(Serves 8)

1 cup safflower oil

1/3 cup cider vinegar

½ cup catsup

½ cup sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon Worcestershire

1 small onion

1 clove garlic (optional)

If you are using garlic, lightly mash it and let it soak in the vinegar for an hour. Then remove it from the vinegar

Cut onion in small pieces. Place ingredients in the blender in the order given. Blend. Refrigerate.

If you like a slightly less sweet dressing cut back on the sugar.

ITALIAN SALAD DRESSING

(Serves 20)

1 clove garlic

1 cup tarragon vinegar

1 tablespoon salt

1 tablespoon sugar

2 teaspoon dry mustard

1 teaspoon paprika

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 tablespoon chopped parsley

2 cups safflower oil

Soak garlic in vinegar one hour before mixing the dressing.

Remove garlic from vinegar. Mix dry ingredients together in a covered jar or bottle. Add vinegar to dry ingredients. Shake for several minutes to mix. Pour in oil slowly, mixing as you pour. Chill until ready to use. Shake well before using.

The Spicy Lemon Chicken is very flavorful. We both enjoyed it and found that is was a nice change from plain old chicken. I found the Indonesian chili sauce locally. My son-in-law introduced us to this condiment when he brought us some when he returned from Korea—because of the packaging he called it Rooster Sauce.

SPICY LEMON CHICKEN

(Serves 6)

6 skinless chicken drumsticks

6 skinless chicken thighs

2 lemons

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 large onion, finely chopped

1 teaspoon Indonesian chili sauce or any Asian chili sauce

2 tablespoons olive oil

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper or to taste

¼ cup chopped parsley

In a medium bowl, combine the lemon zest and the juice from the two lemons, garlic, onion, Asian chili sauce, olive oil, salt and pepper. Transfer the chicken and marinade to a zip-lock plastic bag and seal. Place the bag in the refrigerator to marinate overnight, or about 10 hours.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Remove the chicken from the marinade and arrange on a large roasting pan. Roast until cooked through, about 45 minutes to 1 hour. When the chicken is pierced with a knife the juices should run clear.

Serve hot, sprinkled with the chopped parsley.

Every year I review the recipes that have appeared in this column during the past year and select some of my personal favorites as the best of the year. Of course, this is a purely subjective judgment and any of you might select entirely different ones.

My new favorite squash recipe is this one for a Squash and Cheese Casserole. I like it because you do not precook the squash, which means that it has some texture after baking.

I especially enjoyed the Bailey’s Irish Cream cheesecake. It has a wonderful creamy texture and a delicious subtle flavor.

One of Mary Alice’s friend’s mothers sent her the recipe for Meatloaf Muffins. Meatloaf is one of my favorites and I really enjoyed these. I individually wrapped my leftover “muffins” and placed them in a zip lock bag and froze them. They make a quick and easy lunch and I discovered that my two-year-old granddaughter liked them too.

This recipe for Shrimp Creole appeared in the cookbook Blessed Isle-Recipes from Pawley’s Island that was published in 1995 by the Episcopal Church Women of All Saints Parrish, All Saints Waccamaw Episcopal Church. This is not a typical shrimp Creole because it is prepared in a casserole version. I used petite-diced canned tomatoes and breadcrumbs when I prepared this. If you opt to use cracker crumbs, you may need to reduce the amount of salt called for in the recipe.

SQUASH & CHEESE CASSEROLE

(Serves 8)

1 medium onion, chopped

1 stick butter or margarine

1 cup Pepperidge Farm Dressing Mix (herb flavor)

4 medium-sized yellow squash (unpeeled and sliced)

½ pound grated American cheese

Sauté onion in butter. Add crumbs when onions are translucent (this will be mushy).  Remove onion mixture from heat. Layer sliced squash in a lightly greased casserole dish. (I used an 8x8 one.) Lightly salt and pepper the squash. Sprinkle crumbs over the sliced squash and then add a layer of cheese. Continue layering---I had 3 layers---ending with cheese on top. Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 45 minutes.

Note: Use only fresh uncooked squash for this recipe.

BAILEY’S IRISH CREAM CHEESECAKE

(Serves 16)

1 tablespoon butter, softened

2 cups graham cracker crumbs

½ cup sugar

½ cup unsalted butter, melted

2 ¼ pounds cream cheese, softened and at room temperature

1 ½ cups sugar

5 large eggs, at room temperature

¼ cup flour

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup Bailey‘s Irish Cream

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease bottom and sides of 10-inch spring-form pan with the softened butter. In a medium bowl, stir together with a fork the graham cracker crumbs, ½ cup sugar and the melted butter until well-blended. Evenly press the cracker crumb mixture on to the bottom and 1 inch up the sides of the spring-form pan.

In a large bowl beat the cream cheese at a low speed until smooth. Add the remaining 1 ½ cups sugar and beat at low speed until smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add eggs one at a time, making sure to scrape the sides of the bowl after each addition. Continue to beat until well incorporated  and very smooth. Sift the ¼ cup of  flour into the batter and beat just to incorporate. Add vanilla and Bailey’s Irish Cream and blend into the batter. Pour batter into pan and place in preheated oven. Add a pan of hot water on a lower rack. Bake for about one hour and 15 minutes. The center of the cake will have the consistency of set jello when done. Turn off oven, crack the door, and allow the cake to cool for 90 minutes in the oven. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to continue to cool. When completely cool, remove from spring-form pan and refrigerate until ready to serve, ideally overnight.   

MEATLOAF MUFFINS

(Serves 12)

2 pounds lean ground beef

1/2 cup onion, minced

1 teaspoon seasoned salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

1 cup crushed cracker crumbs

2 eggs

¼ cup ketchup

¼ cup spicy ketchup

2 teaspoons mustard

¼ cup milk

Mix all ingredients together.

Spray standard-sized muffin tins with cooking spray.

Shape meat mixture into balls and place in prepared muffin tins. Place tins on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees until done.

SHRIMP CREOLE

(Serves 4)

4 slices bacon, chopped

1 pound shrimp cooked, peeled and deveined

2 cup diced tomatoes

½ cup chopped onion

½ cup chopped green pepper

½ teaspoon hot pepper sauce

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon black pepper

1 cup bread or round buttery cracker crumbs

Fry bacon until crisp.

Combine bacon, shrimp, tomatoes, onion, bell pepper, hot pepper sauce, Worcestershire sauce, salt, black pepper and bread or cracker crumbs.

Pour into a buttered 2 ½ quart casserole dish.

Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or until hot and bubbly—don’t overcook or the shrimp may get tough.

For New Years I like to cover all the bases with my menu. I seem to go back to this recipe for Hopping John that I found in the Mystic Seaport Christmas Memories Cookbook again and again. Not only is it one of the easiest recipes that you will ever try for this traditional Southern favorite, I think it is one of the tastiest. I predict that once you try this recipe t may become one of your New Year’s traditions, buy you will pr9obably use it other times of the year as well. 

HOPPING JOHN (Black-Eyed Peas and Rice)

(Serves 10)

4 strips bacon

½ cup chopped onion

2 10-ounce packages frozen black-eyed peas

½ cup uncooked long-grained white rice

2 cups water

Dice bacon and place in a Dutch oven over medium heat; add onion and cook until bacon is crisp and the onions are yellow.

Add peas, rice and water. Cover and simmer over low heat for 20 to 25 minutes, or until rice is tender. Add salt and pepper to taste.

I tried this recipe for Spinach Party Sandwiches in the Charleston Junior League Party Receipts Cookbook when I was trying to find something that would serve at lot of people. I liked this recipe because it can be assembled ahead and refrigerated until you need it. I used a  multi-grain bread that had some seed in it when I served these sandwiches and I liked the texture it added. This recipe is also good because you probably are going to have most of the ingredients you need to make this on hand.

I find when I need recipes or ideas for hors d’oeuvres I usually wind up browsing through this cookbook.

SPINACH PARTY SANDWICHES

(Serves 40)

1 package (10-ounces) frozen chopped spinach

2 cups mayonnaise

½ cup dried minced onion flakes

½ cup dried parsley flakes

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

4 drops Tabasco sauce

2 loaves of your favorite whole wheat or multi-grain bread

Cook the spinach according to package directions and drain well to remove all excess moisture.

In a medium-size bowl, combine the spinach with the mayonnaise, onion, parsley, lemon juice, and Tabasco. Mix well.

Refrigerate the mixture for 2 to 3 hours or preferably overnight to allow the flavors to develop.

Trim the crusts from the slices of bread. Spread the spinach mixture on a slice of bread and top it with another slice. Cut each sandwich into halves and each half into thirds. Depending on the size of your bread slices you will have 60 to 80 sandwiches.

Refrigerate sandwiches until you are ready to serve them.

Last week someone asked me if I was planning to feature a recipe for a Standing Rib Roast before Christmas. After thinking about this I thought this would be easy to do but I discovered that we had not cooked one in a long time since we usually opt for a rib eye roast or beef tenderloin. Last night we practiced our technique and both of us were very pleased with the outcome.

If there is a secret to this recipe I think it is using a good meat thermometer and trusting it. If you don’t have one, invest in one before you attempt to do this recipe. Both of us like our beef medium rare so there is no argument for us about when the meat is done. If you have people preferring different degrees of doneness there’s always the microwave or you could pan sauté the slices in a little butter until they are done enough.

Some recipes that we found on the Internet suggest starting the roast at temperatures as high as 500 degrees but if we did that, we would set off every smoke alarm in the house.

We cooked a two-rib roast and it would have fed at least four people very generously – and maybe one or two more with all the other food we tend to serve with the holiday meal.

STANDING RIB ROAST BEEF

(Serves 6)

1 standing rib roast (2 or 3 bone)

1 tablespoon coarse salt

1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

1 teaspoon thyme

½ teaspoon garlic salt

Remove roast from refrigerator 2 hours ahead of the time you plan to start cooking.

Preheat oven to 430 degrees.

Rub the top of the roast with coarse salt, freshly ground black pepper, crushed thyme, and garlic salt. Do not rub the sides of the roast.

Place roast, bone side down in pan (preferably not non-stick).

Place roast in preheated oven and bake to 30 minutes. Lower oven temperature to 325 degrees for the rest of the cooking time—approximately 40 minutes or until your meat thermometer reaches 120 degrees. Remove meat from oven and cover with aluminum foil and let stand for 20-30 minutes. The internal temperature of your meat will increase to 125-130 degrees and the meat will be medium-rare.

If you want a less rare roast, before serving, return the meat to a 325 degree oven and continue cooking until it reaches 140 degrees—then remove the roast from the oven and slice immediately.  

Last week I baked this Cream Cheese-Bourbon Pecan Pound Cake and I thought is was delicious. The bourbon flavor was subtle and I don’t know that I have ever baked a cake that has a better texture. I had all my ingredients at room temperature and well softened and I found this an easy cake to assemble. Be careful not to over toast your pecans or over bake your cake—cooking times will vary depending on your oven. I won’t wait until the holiday season to bake this cake again.

CREAM CHEESE-BOURBON PECAN POUND CAKE

(Serves 30)

1 ½ cups butter, softened

1 (8-oz) package cream cheese, softened

3 cups sugar

6 large eggs

3 cups all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon salt

¼ cup bourbon

1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 ½ cups chopped pecans, toasted

2 cups powdered sugar

2 ½ tablespoons bourbon

1 tablespoon milk (or more if needed to reach

   desired consistency)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour a 12-cup tube cake pan.

Beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add sugar, beating at medium speed until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until the yellow yolk disappears.

Sift together flour and salt; add to butter mixture alternately with bourbon, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat batter at low speed just until blended after each addition. Stir in vanilla and pecans. Pour batter into prepared pan.

Bake on middle rack in preheated oven for about 1 hour and 30 to 35 minutes or until a long wooden pick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack 10 to 15 minutes in the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from pan; cool completely on wire rack.

If glazing, stir together 2 cups sifted powder sugar, bourbon and milk until smooth. Slowly pour over cooled cake.

This recipe originally appeared in Cooking Light Magazine over a year ago. I tried it and thought it was delicious. This does not take very long to prepare and if you want, you could do it a day ahead. I actually thought it might have been better the second day. I won’t look for another New England Clam Chowder recipe after trying this one.

This chowder will be a treat after all the turkey you’ve had this week.

CLAM CHOWDER/NEW ENGLAND STYLE

(Serves 10)

4 (6 ½ ounce) cans chopped clams

2 (8-ounce) bottles clam juice

5 slices center-cut bacon, cut into ½-inch pieces

¾ cup chopped onion

½ cup chopped celery

1 ½ teaspoons butter

2 cups cubed red potato

1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning or to taste

1 bay leaf

2 ¼ cups evaporated fat-free milk

1 ½ cups 1% low-fat milk

1 ½ tablespoons dry sherry

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley 

Drain clams in a colander over a bowl, reserving juice. Add bottled clam juice to reserved clam juice to equal 3 ½ cups. Set aside clams and juice.

Cook bacon in a Dutch oven over medium heat until crisp, stirring occasionally. Remove bacon from pan; increase heat to medium-high. Add onion, celery, and butter; sauté 6 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

Add clam juice mixture (but not clams), potato, and next 5 ingredients (through bay leaf); bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes or until potato is tender. Stir in clams, evaporated milk, 1% milk, and sherry. Cook 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated, stirring occasionally. Discard bay leaf. Sprinkle with parsley. Serve and enjoy!

I thought this was even better the second day.

 I added this cake to the selection of desserts at Thanksgiving dinner at my daughters last year. I enjoyed the flavor of this cake and those of you that like things with an orange flavor should really like this cake. It is easy to prepare and the cranberries make a very attractive slice of cake. 

CAKE/CRANBERRY ORANGE BUNDT

(Serves 16)

2 ¾ cups cake flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature

1 ¼ cup granulated sugar

4 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 teaspoons orange zest

1 cup orange juice

1 cup confectioners sugar

1 tablespoon corn syrup

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon milk 

 Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 12-cup bundt with solid vegetable shortening and dust with flour. Set aside.

 In a large bowl, blend cake flour, baking powder and salt. Whisk to combine. Set aside.

 In another large bowl, beat butter and sugar on medium-high speed until smooth, about 3 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla extract and zest until combined.

 On low speed, beat in flour mixture, alternating with orange juice, in three additions, beginning and ending with flour. Beat on medium-high speed for 2 minutes. Stir in dried cranberries. Pour into prepared pan.

 Bake at 350 for 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack for 15 minutes. Turn cake out onto rack and cool completely.

 Beat confectioners sugar, corn syrup and milk in medium bowl until smooth. Drizzle over cooled cake. Allow to stand until set.

When I was at Alan’s high school reunion recently, one of his classmates, Jane Routh Tolbert, brought me this recipe for a Raspberry-Applesauce Molded Salad that she says is a favorite with her family. I had a package of raspberries in my freezer so I decided to try the recipe. Jane said that when she makes this salad she uses the no sugar added applesauce and sugar free gelatin and this is what I did when I tried the recipe. Rather than using a mold, I put the salad in an 8”x8” dish and cut it into squares to serve.

We both thought the salad was delicious although the raspberry seeds bothered Alan a little. The salad is a bright vibrant red and will be a beautiful addition to a holiday table. Furthermore it is the easiest holiday salad that I have ever made – no slicing or chopping.  

RASPBERRY-APPLESAUCE MOLD

(Serves 9)

2 cups applesauce

1 12-ounce package frozen raspberries, slightly thawed

2 3-ounce packages raspberry gelatin

**Note that this recipe calls for no water.

Heat applesauce until almost boiling. Add gelatin and stir until dissolved. Remove from heat and add raspberries and stir until well mixed. Pour into a 4-cup mold and chill. (Jane greases her mold before adding salad.

I tried this recipe for Curried Pumpkin Seeds last Thanksgiving and thought it was an interesting nibble and a change from the usual. I will fix this again. You can usually find the raw pumpkin seeds at specialty grocery stores.

PUMPKIN SEEDS/CURRIED

(Serves 16)

1 large egg white

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

1 teaspoon olive oil

2 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon curry powder

1 ½ teaspoon coarse kosher salt

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

12 ounces hulled pumpkin seeds

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment; spray with nonstick spray.

Whisk egg white, lime juice, and oil in a large bowl. Add next 4 ingredients; whisk. Add pumpkin seeds; toss. Transfer to baking sheet, spreading evenly. Bake until toasted and fragrant, stirring often, about 18 minutes.

(Watch carefully because these will burn easily and time may vary depending on your oven and your pan.) Cool on baking sheet.

Can be made up to 5 days ahead. Store toasted seeds airtight at room temperature.

This recipe for Cider Beef Stew appeared in a Taste of Home special publication that I picked up at the grocery store about a year ago. Since then I have prepared this stew several times and the cider really gives this dish a great flavor. The number of people it will serve depends on the size of your package of beef. If it is a little over a pound it should serve four people if you serve the plates rather than letting them serve themselves! This is a great recipe if you are cooking for two because you don’t have many leftovers to deal with.

BEEF / CIDER STEW

(Serves 3)

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour              

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

1 pound beef stew meat, cut into 1-inch pieces

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 cup apple cider

½ cup water

1 tablespoon white vinegar

½ teaspoon dried thyme

2 large carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 celery rib, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 large potato, peeled and cubed

1 medium onion, sliced

In a bowl or bag, combine flour, salt and pepper; add beef and toss to coat. In a large saucepan, brown beef in oil. Add cider, water, vinegar and thyme; bring to a boil.

Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 1 hour and 45 minutes or until the meat is tender.

Add the carrots, celery, potato and onion; return to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 45 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.

Last week I tried this recipe for Baked Cauliflower with Dill-Cheese Sauce and we both enjoyed it. It is easy to prepare and you can assemble it ahead of time, which is always a plus. When I prepared this, I used plain Monterey Jack cheese. Just experiment with this and use whatever cheese you happen to have on hand.

BAKED CAULIFLOWER with DILL-CHEESE SAUCE

(Serves 8)

1 medium head cauliflower

3 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons flour

1 ½ cups milk

¾ cup grated Monterey Jack or Cheddar cheese

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon dried dill weed

3 drops Texas Pete (optional)

Divide cauliflower into florets. Cook in a small amount of boiling salted water, or steam until barely tender. Drain.

Melt butter in saucepan, remove from heat and stir in flour. Return to the heat and add milk, stirring constantly until thickened. Add cheese and stir until melted. Add salt and dill and mix well. Add Texas Pete if using. Taste and adjust seasonings.

Place cauliflower in a greased 2-quart baking dish and pour cheese sauce over. Sprinkle with a little paprika for color if desired. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes, until golden.

I like this recipe for Crunchy Chicken Baked Your Way because I usually have boned chicken breast halves in my freezer. With the choices the recipes gives with the rest of the ingredients, I usually would have what I need on hand. This can be a real plus if you don’t want to have to go to the grocery store. The chicken really has a good flavor and I like the fact that it’s a little crunchy.

CRUNCHY CHICKEN BAKED YOUR WAY

(Serves 4)

4 chicken breast halves, skinned and boned

1 can cream of chicken or cream of mushroom soup

4 slices Swiss or Provolone cheese

¼ cup dry white wine or chicken broth

2 cups Pepperidge Farm Herb stuffing mix, crushed

1 stick butter or margarine, melted

Place chicken in a greased, shallow baking dish. On each piece of chicken, place a piece of cheese. In a small bowl, mix the soup with the wine or chicken broth. Blend and spread over the chicken and cheese. Spread the crushed stuffing mix over this. Melt the butter or oleo and drizzle over the stuffing. Bake for about 1 hour at 350 degrees until bubbly and crunchy.

Several weeks ago I ran into a friend at Third Friday and she said that I should reprint this recipe for Breakfast Cookies that appeared in this column many years ago. She said that it was a favorite of her grandson and she sent him a batch almost every week while he did two deployments to Iraq. She said that not only were they popular with her grandson but with his friends who where stationed with him as well.

I remember that when I originally ran the recipe I suggested that this would be a good cookie to send to college students. So if you need to bake a cookie that ships well try this recipe or just bake them to treat you and your family. 

BREAKFAST COOKIES

(Serves 12)

½ pound bacon

½ cup butter

¾ cup sugar

1 egg

1 cup flour

¼ teaspoon baking soda

2 cups corn flakes

½ cup raisins 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cook bacon until very crisp, drain well. Break into ½-inch pieces.

Beat together butter and sugar until fluffy; beat in egg. Combine flour and soda; stir into the butter mixture. Stir in bacon, corn flakes and raisins. Drop by rounded tablespoons two inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake for 15 to 18 minutes. Cool for one minute in pan. Remove to racks to finish cooling.

I tried this for Apple Oatmeal Bars recently and we both enjoyed them. When I prepared these I cut them into very small pieces and removed them from the pan after they had cooled. (I think I had about 50 pieces.) This is a very versatile recipe because you could cut it into larger squares and serve it warm with vanilla ice cream. Try this if you are lucky enough to have any new crop apples or just use Granny Smiths from the grocery store, which is what I did.

APPLE OATMEAL BARS

(Serves 20)

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed

1 cup quick-cooking oatmeal

1 cup shortening

6 tablespoons butter

4 cups peeled, sliced apples

½ cup sugar

½ teaspoon cinnamon, or to taste

½ teaspoon nutmeg, or to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Sift together flour, salt and baking soda. Add brown sugar and oatmeal; mix well. Cut in shortening until crumbly. Press half of crumbs in a greased 13x9x2 inch baking pan. Dot with 4 tablespoons of the butter.

Mary Alice sent me this recipe for Penne Pasta with Chicken and Mushrooms that her friend Sharon Martin had sent her. Sharon is an excellent cook (she makes a killer Apple Pie) so Mary Alice and I are both sure that this will be yummy. Sharon says that the recipe is from the Robert Rose Book of Classic Pasta that she says is a great book to buy. Sharon says that when she makes this she does not use the arugula because her kids won’t eat it. She also says that if you have it, smoked chicken makes this even better. You can probably buy smoked chicken at a good deli and if you are using this, you won’t need to cook it before adding the mushrooms, tomato and arugula.

PENNE PASTA WITH CHICKEN AND MUSHROOMS

(Serves 4)

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 cup chopped onion

1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

¼ cup white wine          

¼ cup chicken stock

½ cup whipping cream

8 ounces penne pasta

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 ounces cooked chicken, sliced or chopped

4 ounces mushrooms, chopped

1 tomato, chopped

1 small bunch arugula, chopped (optional)

1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

In a large skillet, heat butter and olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic, onion, basil and parsley; cook until onions are softened. Stir in the wine; cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the chicken stock and cook for 2 more minutes. Stir in the cream; cook gently for 5 minutes. Set sauce aside.

In a large pot of boiling water, cook penne according to package directions for 8-10 minutes or until it is al dente. Meanwhile prepare the sauce.

In another large skillet, heat butter and oil over medium heat. Cook chicken for a couple of minutes and then add mushrooms, tomato and arugula and cook for about 3 more minutes. Stir in the cream sauce, reduce heat to low and cook for 5 minutes.

Toss drained pasta with sauce and Parmesan cheese. Serve immediately with more Parmesan sprinkled over the pasta.

A member of my Greensboro Knitting Group contributed this Potato Soup recipe. Now that the weather is turning cooler again my idea of the perfect lunch or light supper is soup and a half of a sandwich. This soup has a wonderful flavor and can be easily prepared in advance. Furthermore it just seems to get better every time it is reheated.

SOUP/POTATO/KNITTING GROUP

(Serves 6)

4 medium potatoes, peeled

2 slices bacon

½ cup sliced onion

2 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon minced parsley

2 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

¼ teaspoon dry mustard

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

3 cups milk

½ cup grated Cheddar cheese

Cook potatoes until tender in one inch of boiling salted water.

Saute bacon until crisp and remove from pan.

Add onion and sauté over low heat until tender, stirring often.

Mash potatoes well and add to the onion mixture with the next seven ingredients.

Slowly stir in the milk. Heat over low heat until warm enough to serve. Crumble bacon and add to the soup. Sprinkle with cheese.

Mary Alice passed along this recipe from her friend Kyla who got it from her Mom. I remember Swiss steak being served when I was growing up but haven’t seen a recipe for it in years. This is a dish that should bring lots of compliments from your family. For me, it’s another type of comfort food.

KYLA’S MOM’S SWISS STEAK

(Serves 4)

1 ½ pound boneless round steak

1 ½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon oregano

¼ teaspoon thyme

¼ teaspoon garlic powder

¼ teaspoon celery seed

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 can stewed tomatoes

1 can tomato soup

½ cup chopped onion

1 cup finely chopped carrot

Tenderize round steak and then coat it with flour and salt and brown in vegetable oil in a large skillet with a lid.

Add other ingredients to the browned steak. Cover and simmer for one hour. Serve with mashed potatoes.

Recently I made these Pound Cake Cookie Bars and thought they were good. Alan says he really doesn’t consider these cookies buy that didn’t seem to stop him from going back for seconds, thirds, etc. These are quick and easy to prepare when you need to sling something together. They are rich and sweet so cut them into small pieces. 

I did not need much of the reserved ¼ cup of powdered sugar to sprinkle on the bars and I just discarded the rest.

POUND CAKE COOKIE BARS

(Serves 30)

1 box Betty Crocker pound cake mix

1 stick butter, melted

4 eggs

1 cup chopped pecans

8 ounces cream cheese, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 box powdered sugar (minus ¼ cup to sprinkle on top of baked

   cookies)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Reserve ¼ cup powdered sugar to sprinkle on top of baked cookies.

Mix cake mix, melted butter, 2 eggs and chopped pecans until smooth and spread in a greased and floured 9x13 casserole dish.

In another bowl, beat the softened cream cheese, vanilla, 2 eggs and remaining powdered sugar. Spread this mixture over the batter and bake at 350 for 40 minutes Remove from oven. Spread this mixture over the batter and bake at 350 for 40 minutes. Remove from oven. Cool, cut into cars, sprinkle with remaining powdered sugar if desired.

When ready to serve, remove from pan, arrange on a serving plate, and sprinkle with more powdered sugar if desired.

I was able to cut about 60 small squares of cookies. 

We used this Tahitian marinade on flank steak several weeks ago and Alan thought it was one of the best marinades that I have ever prepared. He liked it because it was not an especially sweet marinade. I used a light soy sauce when we prepared this. I’m looking forward to trying this on chicken as well as beef. This would be a good recipe to try for the holiday weekend.

If you have a large piece of flank steak or London broil, try halving it and freeze part of it in the marinade for a later meal. However, don’t leave it in the freezer indefinitely.

MARINADE/TAHITIAN

(Serves 6)

2 tablespoons sesame oil

1 garlic clove, minced

2 tablespoons sherry

¾ cup soy sauce or tamari sauce

¼ cup brown sugar

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon ketchup

1/8 teaspoon five spice blend

In a small bowl, combine all of the ingredients and pour over beef or chicken. Marinate 2 to 3 hours or overnight.

Yield: About 1 cup.

This week is another hot one and frankly if you are like me, you are not interested in cooking. Even eating has lost a little of its appeal—but it is a necessity. One way to help with this situation is to cook a little extra and then utilize your leftovers in a main dish salad. A perfect plan for this is to use this recipe for a Steak or Roast Beef Salad—just grill a little extra steak for one meal and use the rest for this meal later in the week. Prepare your potatoes, hard-boiled eggs, and salad dressing in the morning and your meal preparation should be quick, easy, and cool! If you prefer you can even use your own favorite bottled salad dressing.

STEAK or ROAST BEEF SALAD

1 head romaine lettuce

3 cups cooked steak or roast beef, thinly sliced

6 new red potatoes, cooked, cooled and sliced

20 cherry or grape tomatoes, quartered

1 small onion, thinly sliced into rings

¾ cup thinly sliced fresh mushrooms

1 tablespoon capers

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

Dressing:

6 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons wine vinegar

1 teaspoon horseradish – or to taste

1 teaspoon dry mustard

1/8 teaspoon pepper

4 hard-boiled eggs, sliced

Break romaine into pieces in a large bowl. Top with the next 7 ingredients. Chill until ready to serve.

Mix dressing ingredients in a jar and shake well. Pour over all and toss well. Garnish with the egg slices and serve immediately.

Recently several people have asked me about recipes for halibut. Naturally I consulted my daughter Mary Alice who lived in Alaska for three years since this fish is a staple there much the way flounder is here in the South. She suggested recipes that she and a friend had put in their squadron cookbook and also suggested that I try making Alaskan Poor Man’s Lobster. Alan says that considering the price of a pound of halibut there is nothing “poor” about this recipe. We bought a piece of halibut and tried this recipe last night and we both enjoyed it and although the texture is more tender than lobster, it is similar in taste and the leftovers would be good in a fish salad or the halibut quiche recipe that I am also printing.

MARY ALICE’S HALIBUT WITH ROSEMARY

1 ½ to 2 pounds of pieces of halibut filets (about 1 inch thick)

Salt and pepper to taste

All-purpose flour

1/3 cup olive oil

¼ cup balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons water

3 cloves whole garlic

½ teaspoon dried rosemary

Sprinkle fish with salt and pepper. Coat with flour. Heat oil in frying pan over medium heat. Arrange fish in a single layer; turn once. Cook until fish is browned and flakes easily, approximately 10 minutes per inch of thickness. When last fish is removed, add vinegar, garlic and rosemary to cooking pan; boil until reduced by half. Remove garlic with spoon. Pour sauce over fish. Yield: 4 to 6 servings.

ALEX ORCHARD’S HALIBUT FAJITAS

   Fajitas

2 pounds halibut, cut into ½ inch strips

Juice of 3 oranges

Juice of ½ lime

1 sprig of fresh tarragon, coarsely chopped

1 tablespoon chopped cilantro

2 tablespoon pureed fresh garlic

½ red pepper, julienned

½ yellow pepper, julienned

½ medium red onion, julienned

8 flour tortillas

   Melon Salsa  

½ cantaloupe, ¼ inch dice

1 ripe tomato, ¼ inch dice

½ red onion, finely diced

½ red pepper, finely diced

1 jalapeno pepper, minced or less depending on how hot you

   want your salsa

½ lime, juiced

1 orange, juiced

1 sprig tarragon, chopped

Place first 9 fijita ingredients in a large mixing bowl and toss lightly from time to time. Marinate for at least 4 hours, refrigerated. Heat a large skillet to “Smoking hot”; add 2 tablespoons olive oil and cook halibut mixture until the fish and vegetables are cooked, but vegetables are tender crisp, approximately 4 to 5 minutes.

Make the melon salsa by mixing all the ingredients together. Serve with the halibut/vegetable in warmed tortillas with the melon sauce. Yield: 4 servings

Optional condiments include guacamole, sour cream and fresh salsa.

ALASKAN POOR MAN’S LOBSTER (Halibut)

1 gallon water

1-cup sugar

¼ cup salt

Halibut chunks

Boil water, sugar and salt. Drop pieces of halibut into the boiling water. When halibut rises to the top of the water, immediately remove with slotted spoon. To serve, sprinkle with fresh lemon juice and sprinkle with salt. Serve with melted butter. 

HALIBUT QUICHE

½ pound cooked halibut, flaked

2 tablespoons green onion, sliced

1 cup Swiss cheese,  shredded

¼ cup Parmesan cheese, finely shredded

3 eggs

1 cup milk

¼ teaspoon nutmeg

½ teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon white pepper

1 teaspoon dill weed

1 piecrust

Bake piecrust in a 450-degree oven for 6-7 minutes until very lightly browned. Turn oven down to 350 degrees. Remove pie shell from oven.

Break eggs into medium mixing bowl. Add spices and milk and beat lightly. Distribute halibut evenly over the bottom of the pie shell; add onion, Swiss cheese and Parmesan, spreading evenly over the halibut, pour egg mixture over the top. Bake at 350 degrees until knife inserted in quiche comes out clean. Approximately 45 minutes.

We serve a baked chicken frequently so I am always interested in different ways to use the leftovers. This recipe for Chicken Salad with Rice Pilaf makes a wonderful supper in hot weather or any other time so far as that goes. When you make this you are going to either have enough to share or probably a lot of leftovers. Actually this would be a great dish to take to a covered dish meal.

CHICKEN SALAD with RICE PILAF

(Serves 8)

1 package (6-ounces) rice pilaf

3 cups cubed cooked chicken

3 cups cubed crisp tart apples

1 ½ teaspoons lemon juice

½ cup raisins

1 head curly or leaf lettuce, torn into bite-sized pieces

1 cup toasted slivered almonds

¾ cup mayonnaise

½ cup orange marmalade

¼ cup sour cream

2 tablespoons lemon juice

¾ teaspoon curry powder

In a small bowl, combine dressing ingredients. Refrigerate, covered, at least 2 hours. If this is too thick you may need to add additional lemon juice. If you like a pronounced curry flavor, add a little more curry powder.

Prepare rice pilaf according to package directions, then refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Earlier in the summer I wanted to make a Corn Pudding using fresh corn so I started sorting through recipes. I chose this one because it used the least sugar of any I saw—if you can believe it, there was even a recipe that called for a can of Eagle Brand condensed milk. We both agreed that the recipe that I used was a winner. Alan said that he thought I could reduce the sugar called for in the recipe if I wanted to. 

CORN PUDDING

(Serves 8)

2 cups fresh corn kernels

2 cups milk

¼ cup sugar

1/3 cup flour

3 eggs, beaten

1 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

¼ cup butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Lightly grease a 1 ½ quart casserole dish. (I used a shallow rectangular dish that was this size.)

Combine corn, flour, sugar and salt. Mix well.

Combine milk, eggs, pepper and melted butter. Mix well. Stir into the corn mixture. Pour into your prepared casserole dish. Bake at 350 degrees until firm and lightly browned—45-60 minutes. (In my oven, using the rectangular dish, it took about 45 minutes.) Stir twice during the first 30 minutes of baking to keep the corn from settling at the bottom.

I recently tried this recipe for Bailey’s Irish Cream Cheesecake and was very pleased with the results. It had a wonderful creamy texture. However, if you are going to try this recipe, before you start, make sure that if you plan to use the rest of a bottle of Bailey’s that has been opened for several years, that it is still good. If not, given the expense involved in making a cheesecake, select a different recipe.

This recipe definitely requires a 10-inch spring-form pan as you have a lot of batter. Be sure that your ingredients are at room temperature and be sure to take the time to beat the ingredients at a low speed because you do not want to incorporate a lot of air in the batter. 

BAILEY’S IRISH CREAM CHEESECAKE

(Serves 16)

1 tablespoon butter, softened

2 cups graham cracker crumbs

½ cup sugar

½ cup unsalted butter, melted

2 ¼ pounds cream cheese, softened and at room temperature

1 ½ cups sugar

5 large eggs, at room temperature

¼ cup flour

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup Bailey’s Irish Cream

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease bottom and sides of 10-inch spring-form with the softened butter. In a medium bowl, stir together with a fork the graham cracker crumbs, ½ cup sugar and the melted butter until well-blended. Evenly press the cracker crumb mixture on to the bottom and 1 inch up the sides of the spring-form pan.

In a large bowl beat the cream cheese at a low speed until smooth. Add the remaining 1 ½ cups sugar and beat at low speed until smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add eggs one at a time, making sure to scrape the sides of the bowl after each addition. Continue to beat until well incorporated and very smooth. Sift the ¼ cup of flour into the batter and beat just to incorporate. Add vanilla and Bailey’s Irish Cream and blend into the batter.  Pour batter into pan and place in preheated oven. Add a pan of hot water on a lower rack. Bake for about one hour and 15 minutes. The center of the cake will have the consistency of set jello when done. Turn off oven, crack the door, and allow the cake to cool for 90 minutes in the oven. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to continue to cool. When completely cool, remove from spring-form pan and refrigerate until ready to serve, ideally overnight.

Serve with whipped cream and garnish with chocolate shavings.   

BROILED MAHI-MAHI w/ GREEN ONION BUTTER

Several weeks ago I tried this recipe for a Curried Couscous Salad with Dried Cranberries that I had clipped from a magazine 3 or 4 years ago. I enjoyed this. It is a pretty salad and actually would be a great addition to a buffet at Christmas with the red and green colors. It is also a salad that would be nice to include if any of your guests were vegans.

Before you prepare this salad check your curry powder to be sure it is still flavorful. I frequently find that I need to replace mine because it is not a spice that I use every day.

This salad would be a good one for a 4^th of July cookout. Because it contains no mayonnaise, meat or eggs, it can sit out longer in hot weather.     

CURRIED COUSCOUS SALAD WITH DRIED CRANBERRIES

(Serves 8)

1 ½ cups uncooked couscous

½ cup dried cranberries

1 ½ cups frozen green peas, thawed

½ teaspoon curry powder

2 cups boiling water

¼ cup thinly sliced green onions

¼ cup finely chopped fresh basil

2 cups chickpeas (garbanzo beans) rinsed and drained

1/3 cup fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon grated orange rind

1 ½ tablespoon water

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon thawed orange juice concentrate

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 cloves garlic, crushed

To prepare salad, combine couscous, cranberries, green peas, and curry powder in a large bowl. Pour 2 cups boiling water over the couscous mixture; cover and let stand 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork; cool. Stir in onion, basil, and chickpeas.

To prepare dressing, combine lemon juice and the remaining ingredients in a jar; cover tightly, and shake vigorously. Pour over couscous mixture, and toss well to combine. Cover and chill for at least one hour before serving.

This Squash and Cheese Casserole is my new favorite squash casserole recipe. I like it because it has the ease of not precooking the squash, which means that they have some texture after the casserole has baked. I have always liked the flavor of the Pepperidge Farm dressing in other squash casseroles but it is often so overwhelming that you don’t even know that you are eating squash. This recipe gives you some of that flavor but it is not the dominant flavor. I could not find American cheese to grate when I prepared this dish so I substituted a shredded mix of cheeses that I bought already packaged. If you use cheddar be sure and use a mild one. I hope you like this recipe as much as I do. The leftovers are great, too.  

SQUASH & CHEESE CASSEROLE

(Serves 8)

1 medium onion, chopped

1 stick butter or margarine

1 cup Pepperidge Farm Dressing Mix (herb flavor)

4 medium-sized yellow squash (unpeeled and sliced)

½ pound grated American cheese 

 Sauté onion in butter. Add crumbs when onions are translucent (this will be mushy). Remove onion mixture from heat. Layer sliced squash in a lightly greased casserole dish. (I used an 8x8 one.) Lightly salt and pepper the squash. Sprinkle crumbs over the sliced squash and then add a layer of cheese. Continue layering---I had 3 layers---ending with cheese on top. Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 45 minutes.

  Note: Use only fresh uncooked squash for this recipe.