Some of the best cooks in the world live right here in Apopka

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This week, we will revisit some of our recipes from the past that we haven’t used in a while and include a few new ones.

We really appreciate the response from one of our readers last week who said her recipe for calamondin pie was in response to our encouraging Apopkans to send in their traditional family recipes¡. Don’t be shy! Share with your Apopka neighbors via The Apopka Chief and The Planter newspapers Kitchen Kapers articles. Some of the best cooks in the world live right here in our locale. You can find anything on the Internet, but you probably can’t find Grandma’s biscuits or Uncle Hiram’s ‘puddin’ there.

Puddin’, for those of you who may not know, is a treasured breakfast treat, originally from the South Carolina lowcountry, but since word has got out about this delicacy, it can be found all over the east coast and over to Louisiana. Originally it was made when the weather turned cold and it was hog-killing time, but in our age of refrigeration, it is made any time. Puddin’, also called ‘liver puddin’, is made from pork parts, including the liver, rice, hot peppers and onions as well as other herbs and spices. It can be made from calves liver if you have an aversion to pork. It isn’t greasy and when sliced up kind of like Spam and fried, puddin’ is eaten with grits and eggs. Some is mild, much is hot, but in truth, it is ALL somewhat hot. It is so GOOD. If YOU have a recipe for it, we’d love to borrow it!

KATHY KING’S
BARBECUE BEEF

Recipe from
1990 Presbyterian Women First Presbyterian Church of Apopka,

Treasures and Pleasures cookbook

3 pounds beef (chuck)

3 green peppers (chopped)

2 cups chopped onion

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup chili powder

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon dry mustard

Combine all ingredients in crockpot. Add 1 cup of water and simmer 3 to 4 hours. Serve on rolls.

JENNIFER BURGUST 

BROUSSARD’S 

HONEY GLAZED CHICKEN

Recipe from
1990 Presbyterian Women First Presbyterian Church of Apopka,

Treasures and Pleasures cookbook

1 whole chicken, cut up

1/2 cup butter, melted

1/4 cup mustard

1/2 cup honey

Mix butter, mustard and honey. Pour over chicken in baking dish. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for one hour. Bake uncovered for an additional 15 minutes.

MARGARET REYNOLDS’ 

BAKED CHICKEN BREASTS 

Recipe from
1990 Presbyterian Women First Presbyterian Church of Apopka

Treasures and Pleasures cookbook

4 whole chicken breasts

1/2 cup melted butter or margarine

1 cup flour

1 teaspoon garlic salt

1 teaspoon seasoned salt

2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon savory

1 teaspoon basil

1 (10-1/2 ounce) can chicken broth

Slivered almonds

Bone chicken breasts and cut in half. Allow one or two halves per person. Dip breasts in slightly cooled melted butter. Roll in flour mixed with other seasonings. Dip in melted butter again. Tuck ends of breasts under and place skin side up in baking dish. Pour chicken broth about two-thirds way up in baking dish. Bake for about three hours at 250 degrees to 275 degrees. Sprinkle with almonds during last hour of baking. Serves four to five.

FESTIVE BAKED HAM

Recipe from
Florida Federation of Garden Clubs, Paths of Sunshine cookbook

1 cup apple cider

1/2 cup water

1 5-pound uncooked ham half

12 whole cloves

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 21-ounce can cherry pie filling

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 cup orange juice

Combine apple cider and water in saucepan; bring to a boil. Set aside. Remove skin from ham. Place ham in shallow baking pan, fat side up. Coat top with brown sugar. Insert meat thermometer making sure it does not touch fat or bone. Bake, uncovered, at 325 degrees for approximately 2 hours (22 to 25 minutes per pound), or until meat thermometer registers 160 degrees, basting every 30 minutes with cider mixture. Combine remaining ingredients in a saucepan, bring to a boil. Serve sauce with sliced ham.

SARA HARVEY’S 

MOCK SOUR CREAM

Recipe from
1990 Presbyterian Women First Presbyterian Church of Apopka,

Treasures and Pleasures cookbook

1 cup low-fat cottage cheese

1 to 2 tablespoons skim milk, to taste

2 to 3 teaspoons lemon juice, to taste

Combine cottage cheese, skim milk and lemon juice in a blender and process until smooth and creamy. Start with the lesser amounts of milk and lemon juice, adding more if a thinner texture or sharper taste is desired. Use in place of sour cream for dips and sauces or in cooking. Makes about 1-1/4 cups.

JANET CONNELLY’S 

SOUTHERN FRIED
GREEN TOMATOES

Recipe from
1990 Presbyterian Women First Presbyterian Church of Apopka,

Treasures and Pleasures cookbook

1 medium green tomato per person

Salt

Pepper

White cornmeal

Bacon drippings

Slice tomatoes about 1/4-inch thick, season with salt and pepper and then coat both sides with cornmeal. In a large skillet, heat enough bacon drippings to coat the bottom of the pan and fry tomatoes until lightly browned on both sides.

 

ANNA KENNEDY’S 

EGGPLANT CASSEROLE, 

Recipe from New Vision Community Church’s,

Feeding the Flock cookbook

1 medium eggplant

3/4 cup grated cheese

1/2 cup milk

1/2 stick butter or margarine

2 slices toast (crumbs)

Salt to taste

Pepper to taste

Peel eggplant and cut into blocks. Bring to boil and boil 4-5 minutes. Drain. To the eggplant, add toasted breadcrumbs, milk, butter, salt and pepper. Mix all together. Put in casserole dish and sprinkle grated cheese over top. Bake at 350 degrees until cheese melts and begins to bubble.

roasted-asparagusLORRAINE SETLIFF’S 

OVEN ROASTED ASPARAGUS 

Recipe from New Vision Community Church’s,

Feeding the Flock cookbook

1 large bunch asparagus, trimmed

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

Freshly ground pepper to your taste

1/4 Parmesan cheese, shredded (optional)

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Toss asparagus with olive oil in a shallow baking dish. Roast asparagus, turning once, until crisp-tender and slightly browned, about ten minutes. Sprinkle with freshly shredded Parmesan cheese, if desired.

TONI LAPIERRE’S 

APPLE CAKE 

Recipe from New Vision Community Church’s,

Feeding the Flock cookbook

2 tablespoons cinnamon

1/4 cup sugar

4 large tart apples, peeled, sliced or diced

3 cups flour

2-1/2 cups sugar

1 cup oil

4 eggs

7 tablespoons orange juice

2-1/2 teaspoons vanilla

3 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

Mix cinnamon and 1/4 cup sugar. Sprinkle over apples and let stand. Grease Bundt pan with Crisco and flour it. Cream the oil, eggs, orange juice and vanilla. In another bowl, sift flour, sugar, baking powder and salt together. Add to liquid mixture and beat some more. Put layer of batter in Bundt cake pan, then a layer of apples. Continue alternating layers, starting and ending with batter. Bake in preheated oven at 350 degrees for 1-1/2 hours.

Suggestion: Cook small amount of batter in small containers so batter will not run over.