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Columbus Day is coming up on Monday. Christopher Columbus, an Italian explorer sailing under the flag of Spain, first landed in “the new world” on Oct. 12, 1492, on an island that he called “San Salvador.” Some scholars believe that location is the same island that we know today by the same name, San Salvador, located in the Bahamas. He later explored other islands including Cuba and Hispaniola, now the home of Haiti and the Dominican Republic. We celebrate this momentous occasion every year on the second Monday in October. It was in 1792 on the 300th anniversary of his landing that the Society of St. Tammany (or the Columbian Order) first honored Christopher Columbus.
Paths of Sunshine recipe book has a recipe for Mexican-Style Taco Salad, and we have it below for you. This will be a great dish to serve for any celebratory occasion including Columbus Day or simply a happy supper table with the family gathered around! It is quite simple to put together as well as delicious.
Here is a different way to prepare eggplant. It looks pretty good. It doesn’t take long to fix, either. It’s Eggplant Casserole from Vera Lester in What’s Cookin’? Mrs. Lester and her husband, Bud, were neighbors of mine. Bud raised cows and grew citrus for a living. Since I didn’t move to Apopka (all the way from Conway) until 1966, I have really missed them and their stories about old-time Apopka. They passed several years back. I haven’t missed his cows getting into my garden, though! As the old saying goes, “Cows will be cows!” (Or do I have that mixed up with another old saying?) The Lesters would really be surprised to see their property now; it’s all covered with high-dollar houses instead of gorgeous citrus trees!
My sister, Isabel, submitted a friend’s recipe for Sweet Potato Bake. If you don’t have a “Mixmaster,” any electric mixer will work. I looked up Mixmaster; it is “an electric kitchen mixer that was the flagship product of Sunbeam Products.” It was the pride and joy of any modern kitchen queen back in the day. And where she calls for a “long baking dish,” probably a 9 x 13-inch oven-safe baking casserole dish will work just fine.
Molasses Popcorn Balls from The Original Country Cookbook should be a lot of fun for both kids and grown folks. And the reference to “not stirring until syrup forms a brittle ball in cold water,” that is an old method for determining just when the syrup is ready to use. If the syrup doesn’t fall apart in cold water andit forms a “brittle ball,” it is ready!
From thePioneerWoman.com, we have a wonderful recipe for your holiday or anytime doings: sausage balls, along with a honey mustard dipping sauce. Sausage balls are delicious and easily prepared and baked ahead for just about any occasion where you want to serve finger foods. After being baked, they can be stored in your freezer for up to two months and heated in your microwave for one to two minutes. If you heat them in your oven at 350 degrees, they will be sizzling in 10 to 15 minutes. Just watch them so they don’t dry out.
MEXICAN-STYLE TACO SALAD
Recipe from Paths of Sunshine Cookbook
INGREDIENTS:
4 cups chopped lettuce
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup sliced green olives
1 large green pepper, diced
1-1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
1 pound ground beef
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 (26-ounce) can kidney beans
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Taco chips and sour cream
DIRECTIONS:
1) Arrange the first five ingredients on a serving platter and chill from 1 to 12 hours. 2) Brown meat and onions. Drain. 3) Add beans, drained and rinsed, and seasonings to meat mixture. 4) Cook three or four minutes, stirring constantly, until moisture has evaporated. 5) Cover loosely and let stand 30 minutes. 6) Before serving, spoon meat over salad, sprinkle with taco chips and serve with sour cream. 7) Garnish with avocado.
VERA LESTER’S EGGPLANT CASSEROLE
Recipe from What’s Cookin’?
Compiled by The Apopka Woman’s Club
INGREDIENTS:
1 eggplant
Flour for dipping
Cooking oil for frying
1 onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 can stewed tomatoes
Salt and pepper to taste
Crumbled Ritz crackers
DIRECTIONS:
1) Peel eggplant. 2) Slice and dip in flour. 3) Fry in cooking oil. 4) Then put in casserole dish. 5) Fry chopped onion and green pepper until clear. 6) Pour can of tomatoes in frying pan and cook just a minute or two. 7) Pour this mixture over the eggplant. 8) Sprinkle crumbled cracker crumbs on top. 9) Bake in 325-degree oven for 25 minutes. Serve hot.
KAULA’S GRANDMOTHER CAROLYN’S SWEET POTATO BAKE
Submitted by Reader Isabel Beach
INGREDIENTS and DIRECTIONS:
Cook 5 to 7 cut-up sweet potatoes
Add to good-sized pot of boiling water
Drain
Beat up with Mixmaster until pulpy
Add 1-1/2 sticks of butter
2 eggs
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
Mix well
Grease a long baking dish with butter
Pour sweet potato mixture into baking dish
Mix up topping:
3 cups crushed corn flakes
1/2 stick butter, melted
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup pecan bits, optional
Spread topping over sweet potato mixture
Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes
MOLASSES POPCORN BALLS
Recipe from Paragon Products, Inc., The Original Country Cookbook
INGREDIENTS:
3 quarts popped corn (3/4 cup unpopped)
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup water
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup molasses
1/4 cup butter
3/4 teaspoon vanilla
DIRECTIONS:
1) Pop the corn, and set aside. 2) Place all of the ingredients, except vanilla and popcorn, in a saucepan and cook, stirring until sugar is dissolved. 3) Continue cooking without stirring until syrup forms a brittle ball in cold water (270 degrees). 4) Add vanilla and stir only enough to mix in through hot syrup. 5) Put popped corn in a large bowl. 6) Pour cooked syrup slowly over popped corn and mix well. 7) Wet hands slightly and shape corn into balls.
PIONEER WOMAN’S SAUSAGE BALLS
Recipe from thepioneerwoman.com
INGREDIENTS:
For the Sausage Balls:
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 tablespoon Creole seasoning
1 pound ground pork sausage
1 (8-ounce) block cream cheese, softened
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
2 green onions, finely chopped
For the Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce:
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons yellow mustard
1 tablespoon whole grain mustard
2 teaspoons white vinegar
DIRECTIONS:
1) For the sausage balls: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. 2) In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and Creole seasoning until well combined. 3) In a large bowl, crumble the raw sausage. Add the cream cheese, cheddar cheese, green onion, and flour mixture. Using clean hands, knead the ingredients together. 4) Scoop and roll the sausage mixture into tablespoon-sized balls and place on the prepared baking sheets. 5) Bake until golden brown and cooked through, 20 to 25 minutes. 6) For the honey mustard dipping sauce: In a small bowl, stir together the mayonnaise, honey, yellow mustard, whole grain mustard, and vinegar until well combined. 7) Serve the sausage balls warm or at room temperature with the honey mustard dipping sauce. 8) Tip: Feel free to switch up the flavors! Use other raw sausage such as hot Italian or maple. Switch up the shredded cheese with pepper jack or Swiss.