Well, hello, everyone. Happy to see all your smiling faces with this somewhat cooler weather. Mornings are delightful, are they not?
This week, let’s try some recipes that may become favorites for many of us.
There is taco salad which most of us just love, kids and adults, alike. We have a baked ham that is dressed up with cherries, raisins and orange juice. Potatoes Italian sounds delicious with cheeses, tomatoes and onions and baked in the oven.
For our vegetable lovers, there is Holiday Rice made from wild rice and white or brown rice and a broth of vegetables and soup that is baked for 20 minutes.
There is pumpkin dessert, fresh apple cake and friendship pecan pie for dessert.
Please email your recipes to: news@theapopkachief.com or mail them to The Apopka Chief, P.O. Box 880, Apopka, 32704-0880. And send us not only your recipes but ideas for future recipe columns as well.
TACO SALAD
Recipe from Florida Federation
of Garden Clubs Inc.,
Paths of Sunshine
1/2 pound ground lean beef
1 (1-1/4 ounce) package taco
seasoning
1 large head iceberg lettuce,
shredded
1 cup cubed tomatoes
1 cup sliced green peppers
1 cup onion, chopped
1 (8-ounce) can pitted black olives,
sliced
1 (16-ounce) can pinto beans,
drained
1 (16-ounce) bag corn chips
1 (8-ounce) bottle Catalina salad
dressing
Brown meat. Drain and sprinkle with taco seasoning. Stir well. Place lettuce in large salad bowl. Add tomatoes, green peppers, onion, black olives and pinto beans. Crush corn chips in their bag and add to salad. Pour salad dressing on and toss gently. Add meat mixture on top. To make ahead, combine all ingredients except the corn chips and dressing. These should always be added just before serving.
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-oun™¢¡ce 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.
POTATOES ITALIAN
Recipe from Apopka Historical
Society Preserving the Big Potato
4 large baking potatoes
1 teaspoon olive oil
3 medium tomatoes, sliced
1 large Spanish onion, sliced thin
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup provolone cheese
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1-1/2 tablespoon butter
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Peel and slice potatoes 1/4-inch thick. Oil a 9 x 13-inch casserole with the olive oil. Combine the three cheeses. Arrange potatoes, tomatoes, and onion slices in layers, sprinkling each layer with cheeses and seasonings, ending with a layer of potatoes sprinkled with the cheeses and seasonings. Dot with butter and bake uncovered for 50 minutes or until vegetables are tender and the top brown.
HOLIDAY RICE
Recipe from Florida Federation
of Garden Clubs Inc.,
Paths of Sunshine
4 ounces wild rice
1 cup brown or white rice
1 pound bulk sausage
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped green pepper
1 cup sliced water chestnuts
2 tablespoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 (10-1/2 ounce) can cream of
chicken soup
1/2 cup toasted almonds
Butter
Cook rice as directed on package and drain. Saute sausage and drain off grease, leaving 2 tablespoons in skillet to mix with 2 tablespoons of butter. Saute onion, celery, green pepper for 8 to 10 minutes, then add water chestnuts, salt, pepper, and soup. Toss all together with rice and place in buttered casserole. Dot with almonds and butter. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until bubbly hot. Can be refrigerated two days ahead, or it freezes well.
BARBARA RITSHIE’S
PUMPKIN DESSERT
Recipe from New Vision
Community Church’s
Feeding the Flock
1 (15-ounce) can
solid pack pumpkin
1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
(cinnamon, ginger, cloves, etc. or
just use the mix)
1 cup chocolate chips (optional)
1 package yellow or white cake mix
1 stick butter cut into chunks
1-1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
In a mixing bowl, combine first five ingredients. Transfer to a greased 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking pan. Sprinkle with dry cake mix and sprinkle with chunks of butter. Top with walnuts. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour or until a knife entered into the middle comes out clean. If you prefer the chocolate chips, mix them in after the first five ingredients. You can also serve this with ice cream, Cool Whip, or whipped cream.
VIOLET SCHOENING’S
FRESH APPLE CAKE
Recipe from Northside Baptist Church cookbook
1-1/4 cup oil
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla
2-1/2 cups flour
1 cup pecans
3 cups raw apples
Mix in order. Pour batter into 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 55-60 minutes. Cool, slice and serve from pan. Best if pan is glass.
Frosting:
1 stick butter, soft
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons evaporated milk
1 cup dark brown sugar
powdered sugar, as needed.
Cream butter, salt, milk and brown sugar. Stir in powdered sugar until it takes form and spread over cooled cake.
This cake may be frozen, and it is good without the frosting.
CAROL AUSTIN BOGAN’S
FRIENDSHIP PECAN PIE
Recipe from Apopka Citizen Police Alumni Association’s
Sharing Our Finest Cookbook
1 cup light brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup melted butter
3 eggs, beaten well
1 cup white corn syrup
1 cup pecan halves
1 teaspoon vanilla
Mix in order given. Pour into unbaked deep pie shell. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour or until set in center and knife blade comes out clean. The contributor says, “Foolproof and delicious.”
