We thank Joan Tice for her Meat Balls in Sauce we found in Sharing Our Finest Cookbook. This recipe doesn’t call for any certain meat so she intends that you can decide what you want to use.
Ann Hlinak’s Simple Simon Stroganoff is… simple. But it looks pretty tasty. This is another recipe from Cooking with Foliage La Sertoma of Apopka, that wonderful ‘find’ we made recently.
We can thank our editor’s wife’s mother for her gift to us of this book titled Savannah Style. If you can find freshly-shucked oysters, they are the best. If not, look for shucked oysters packed in water in your grocery store’s seafood section. You can actually freeze oysters and they’ll keep for about six weeks. Make sure you get your fresh oysters in a month with an “R” in the month’s name. Be careful not to let the milk scorch on the bottom or even get to the boiling point, and do not overcook the oysters. You can cook your oyster stew in a double boiler if you have the patience.
Louise Ustler’s delicious Broccoli Casserole comes from Northside Baptist Church’s cookbook. It calls for two packages of frozen broccoli, canned mushroom soup, and some Cheeze-it Crackers. Throw it in a 350-degree oven for 30 minutes and you will have a wonderfully hot and tasty side dish.
Nancy Mahusay shares her Vermont Style Indian Pudding with us. This comes from the Jones-Morris Family Treasury that our friend Susan Nethercote shared with us. This family treasury is Susan’s very own, as she is one of the Morris girls!
Long-time reader Amanda Thomas-Henke shares her strawberry trifle with us. This delicious dessert (masquerading as a work of art) will make any holiday season brighter!
JOAN TICE’S
MEAT BALLS IN SAUCE
Recipe from Apopka Citizen Police Alumni Association,
Sharing Our Finest Cookbook
Meatballs:
1-1/2 pound ground meat
2 eggs
1/4 cup milk
1 cup bread crumbs
1 tablespoon parsley
1/4 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 clove garlic
Mix all ingredients. Shape into balls. Fry in 1/4 cup oil until brown. Fry garlic clove until brown.
Sauce:
1 can tomatoes (2 pounds, 3 ounces)
2 cans tomato paste (12 ounces each)
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon parsley
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1 can water for each can of paste
Combine all ingredients. Add meat and garlic clove. Simmer three to four hours.
ANN HLINAK’S
SIMPLE SIMON STROGANOFF
Recipe from Cooking With Foliage
La Sertoma of Apopka
3 pounds stewing steak, cut into cubes
2 cans mushroom soup
1 can mushrooms
3/4 cup sherry
Packet of onion mix
Mix well, cover, bake at 325 degrees for 3 hours or at 300 degrees for 4 hours. Serves 8 to 10.
OYSTER STEW
Recipe from Savannah Style,
a Cookbook by The Junior League
of Savannah, Inc.
1/2 cup water
1 small white onion, chopped
1/2 cup celery, chopped
1 pint stewing size oysters
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons butter
1 pint Half-and-Half
Pour 1/2 cup water into medium size saucepan. Add onions and celery and boil until slightly tender. Add oysters and cook until oysters curl. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Reduce heat and add butter. Pour in 1 pint of Half-and-Half.
LOUISE USTLER’S
BROCCOLI CASSEROLE
Recipe from Northside Baptist
Church’s cookbook
2 packages chopped frozen broccoli
1 onion, chopped
1 cup grated cheese
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 eggs
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 cup crumbled Cheeze-it crackers
Cook broccoli and onion together until tender. Mix cheese, mayo, eggs, and soup together. Pour over broccoli. Put mixture in a baking dish. Sprinkle with Cheeze-it cracker crumbs. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly and crackers turn slightly brown.
NANCY MAHUSAY’S
VERMONT STYLE INDIAN PUDDING
Recipe from Reader of The Apopka Chief and The Planter newspapers
4 cups milk
1/2 cup dark molasses
1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup yellow cornmeal
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2 tablespoons butter
Heat 3 cups of the milk in top of double boiler. Add molasses, sugar, cornmeal, salt, spices and butter. Cook over hot water, stirring occasionally about 20 minutes or until mixture thickens. Pour into 1-1/2 quart casserole and add remaining cold milk, without stirring.
Bake in slow oven (300 degrees) for 2-1/2 hours. Serve warm with cream or with ice cream or maple syrup. Serves 6 to 8.
AMANDA THOMAS-HENKE’S
FRESH STRAWBERRY TRIFLE
Recipe from Reader of The Apopka Chief and The Planter newspapers
Ingredients:
Cake:
1 box cake mix (any flavor… I usually use vanilla or butter recipe yellow)
Eggs (Amount depends on box instructions plus 1-2 additional)
Butter (instead of oil). Amount depends on box instructions.
Milk (instead of water). Amount depends on box instructions.
1 teaspoon REAL vanilla extract
Strawberry Cream:
3 cups COLD whipping cream
8 ounces softened cream cheese
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4 cup sugar
3 pints strawberries chopped and divided into 2 cups and 1 cup. You may slice berries for the top layer instead. See assembly instructions below to get an idea of what you’d like.
Directions:
Cake:
Preheat oven according to package directions.
Prepare cake mix according to package directions but add in 1-2 extra eggs, substitute butter instead of oil, substitute milk for water and add vanilla.
Pour batter into prepared 9 x 11-inch baking dish or 2 cake pans.
Bake according to package directions. Cool completely.
Strawberry Cream:
Place your mixing bowl and beaters in the freezer for 15-20 minutes before you start whipping the cream. The colder the tools and cream are, the better.
In a large COLD bowl, whip cream until stiff peaks are just about to form. Then carefully continue to beat the cream until stiff peaks form (don’t overbeat and make butter). Once fully whipped, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set in the fridge.
In another large bowl, beat cream cheese on high until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as you go. Mix in vanilla and sugar until fully incorporated.
Mix in 2 cups chopped strawberries (pour any juice that has developed into the remaining cup of strawberries).
Gently fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture. Cover with plastic wrap and place in fridge if not using immediately.
Assembly:
Cut the fully cooled cake into cubes, whatever size you like. Using a large glass bowl, lay cake pieces onto the bottom. Sprinkle 1/3 cup of the reserved strawberries and juice over the cake. Spread a layer of strawberry cream over the strawberries (use 1/3 of the cream). Repeat layers two more times. Make sure you can see all the layers from the sides of the bowl. The top of the bowl should be strawberries over the strawberry cream (no strawberry juice on the top layer). If you prefer a cleaner look, use sliced strawberries instead of chopped and arrange them in concentric circles.
