Living 2 Eat |

For those with big mouths and small wallets, this is one recipe that can be stretched and contoured for the masses.  Children and novice cooks will have a very difficult time botching this recipe!   For those ‘cooking’ in the college dorm, this is one recipe that will work in your toaster oven.

Pizza Crackers

4 dozen Melba or cracker rounds

¾ cup Heinz ketchup

2 ounces pepperoni, thinly sliced

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Spread rounds with ketchup and top with pepperoni slices.  Sprinkle with cheese and bake on cookie sheet 3 – 5 minutes at 400F.

Sunday – October 12^th

Dear Foodies,

My mother called about two months ago to insure that Sunday, October 12^th was reserved on my calendar… it is “Homecoming Weekend” at my home church, First Baptist Church – Immokalee, Florida.

Our church was always a special place because of the warm friendly spirit that seemed to characterize the community.   Most of our preachers relocated to Immokalee from elsewhere and every one of them commented on the generosity of the membership.   Something about small towns lends itself to giving unselfishly.

Building upon October’s designation as Clergy Appreciation Month, I offer some suggestions for blessing your spiritual leaders:

Date Night – arrange for your leader and their spouse to have a nice romantic evening out without worries of childcare or limited budgets;

Car Wash – contact a local auto detailer and arrange for a first class auto detail.  Go all the way, and have this done once a month for a year;

Open the flood gates – contact each lay leader (Sunday School teacher, Bible Study host, Youth Group Chairman, etc.) and enlist their assistance in doing something special for each member of the church staff (including the janitor).  A gift of several dozen thank you notes from a children’s class can be extremely uplifting.

If you have any terrific ideas for encouraging the clergy, please share.

Good cookin’

Ben

In the South, your culinary skills are quickly defined based on how well you can make this legendary dish.   Countless variation exists, and I will attempt to post many of them as this is one of my all time favorite meals.

A funny story…   Bubba Mills from Okeechobee, Florida lived several doors down from my dorm room at Palm Beach Atlantic University.   His mother sent back a huge pot of chicken n’ dumplings one weekend.   Everyone came and ate, including a few guys from the North who never heard of this dish.   Well, one of the guys had something odd looking in his scoop of food and Bubba quickly identified it as the chicken heart, everyone wanted to see it.  Bubba considered it a delicacy and quickly stabbed it with a fork and ate it!    Did I forget to mention that Bubba’s mother made this dish using a truly fresh chicken!

Old Timey Chicken n’ Dumplings

1 Whole chicken

Salt and Black Pepper

Cut the chicken into quarters and place in a pot and cover with water. Simmer the chicken until tender. When the chicken is tender, add the salt and black pepper to taste.

Dumplings:

2 cups of flour

3 tablespoons of baking powder

1 teaspoon of salt

3 tablespoons of lard or shortening

1 egg, beaten well

1 cup of whole milk

Sift together the flour, baking powder, and the salt. Cut in the lard or shortening and mix in the egg and milk. Drop the dumplings by spoonfuls into the pot of chicken and broth and cook for 15 minutes or until the dumplings are done.

NOTE:  stir carefully as you do not want to break apart the dumplings.

The Capital Grille

Legacy Place – Palm Beach Gardens, Florida

561-630-4994

www.capitalgrille.com

Some marketing genius at 7-Eleven should be given a raise for this idea… your cup of coffee now makes a political statement!

Beginning today, every 7-Eleven will offer you a “7-Election cup” supporting presidential candidates John McCain or Barack Obama.   Results are to be tabulated weekly and reported in USA Today.

 My question for 7-Eleven… what cup do I select if I want neither candidate?

I have fond memories from my childhood back in Sparta, Tennessee of being at a friend’s house to play and going in the kitchen while her mom, Norma Kirby, was “fixin’ lunch.”  She had a big skillet on the stove filled with oil (probably lard) and she was frying sliced yellow squash.  When I tasted them, I said, “These are good - I’ve never had fried lemons before.” 

And so began my love of fried squash.  I have now passed on that love to my son, Dylan, who at almost 16 years old, loves Southern food almost as much as I do.  Recently, I was frying squash and he came in the kitchen to sample some.  Upon that first bite, a huge grin came across his face and he said, “Yummmmm, the potato chip of the South!”  So true - they are salty and tasty and you sure can’t eat just one! 

Below is my recipe and it has no measurements.

Denise Sparkman Plunkett

Fort Myers, Florida

FRIED SQUASH

Yellow squash

All-purpose flour

Cornmeal

Oil (Vegetable or canola)

Salt

Heat oil in skillet or fryer. 

Slice squash into large bowl.  Add 1/2 flour and 1/2 cornmeal, enough to coat the squash, and toss so that each piece is coated. 

Fry until squash reaches desired shade of golden brown.  Drain on rack with newspaper underneath to catch excess oil. 

Salt immediately.

Growing up, I loved school lunch days with Salisbury steak.   My mother never cooked it, and I am not sure why.   To this day, if Salisbury steak is on the menu… I am going to order it!

After a quick Google search, I find that Salisbury steak was invented by an American physician, Dr. J. H. Salisbury (1823–1905) and the name was in use by 1897.  H. L. Mencken reported (in 1945) that the name was used to replace “hamburger steak” during World War I as a political euphemism.

If you were inviting me over for dinner, I would ask that you serve this dish with mashed potatoes and little green peas… and I would hope to wash it down with multiple glasses of sweet tea!

Salisbury Steak

1 1/2 lbs of ground beef

1 cup of chopped onion

1/2 cup of cooked rice

1/4 tsp of black pepper

1 egg

1 3/4 cups of sliced fresh mushrooms

2 tbsp of Worcestershire sauce

1/2 tsp of salt

2 - 13 3/4 ounce cans of beef broth

3 tbsp of water

2 tbsp of cornstarch

Combine first five ingredients then divide into six equal portions. Shape each into a 1-inch thick patty.

Coat a skillet with a vegetable oil and cook the patties about five minutes on each side. Set aside and keep warm.

Add the mushrooms to the skillet and cook for three minutes. Then add the Worcestershire sauce, salt, and beef broth. Cook for another ten minutes. Return the patties to skillet, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes. Place the patties on a platter and keep warm.

Combine the water and cornstarch and add to broth mixture, stirring well. Bring mixture to a boil and cook one minute more. Serve over patties.

Well, I have discovered something new… or at least new for those of us in Florida… SONIC!

Yes, I am now a fan of Sonic for one reason and one reason only – tater tots!   When these nuggets from heaven (or perhaps Idaho) are piping hot and salty, they will burn your mouth and make you smile at the same time.  They are terrific.

For a location near you, click here.

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This dish is a perfect complement to any roasted meat entrée.  

Portobello Wild Rice with Caramelized Onion Sauce

10 oz long-grain and wild rice mix

10 oz Vidalia onion

4 tbsp butter

1 tbsp sugar

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp garlic powder

4 oz Portobello mushrooms

1 1/2 cup whipping cream

3/4 cup vegetable broth

Sauté onions in 2 tablespoons butter. Add sugar until caramelized.

Puree onion in blender until smooth. Sauté Portobello mushroom in 1/2

tablespoon of butter.

Over medium-high heat, combine cream, broth, and onion. Cook until it thickens.

Cook rice as directed. Combine ingredients. Bake at 350F until heated thoroughly, 20 - 30 minutes.

My family and I went to Key West about 22 years ago and discovered Key Lime Pie. We tried every Key Lime Pie in every restaurant, so thru the years I have recreated some and added my own touch to make the most fabulous Key Lime Pie of all time!  In fact, it is so popular that during the holidays, my friends start calling and ask for me to make them one (or two!).

There are many variations but I will give this one. Remember, you can change the tartness if you like by not adding so much at one time and gradually taste it when adding it in.  I happen to like it tart.

Debbie Sampson

Miami, Florida

Artsports.com

Debbie’s Most Fabulous Key Lime Pie

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1 pre-made graham crust pie-shell (the small one)
1 can of sweetened condensed milk
3 egg yolks (save the egg whites)
1/4 cup Nellie’s Key lime juice
1/2 tsp of vanilla
3 tbsp sugar