From our dear friend, Susan, who gave us a copy of her family’s book of recipes and family lore, we have her sister’s Gourmet Sirloin Tips.
Chicken-Fried Steak. Oh, boy! This recipe is from Southern Living’s All-Time Favorites. Do I have to say you can’t have this dish unless you have a big bowl of creamy mashed potatoes to go with it? Well, you can’t! And biscuits would help, too.
The Apopka Woman’s Club published What’s Cookin’? in 1963. This lovely little cookbook has recipes from women who are or were the backbone of our local community. This particular recipe is Adeline Bronson’s Chicken and Yellow Rice. It is quite simple and baked for an hour at 400 degrees in a casserole dish. It is wonderful for your everyday meals or special guests.
Don’t you love fresh vegetables in the summertime? Some of us have gardens, but if you don’t have that luxury, you can buy your veggies at the farmer’s market or grocery store. Savannah Style has a simple recipe for green beans that you will enjoy.
Susie Sams’ Mexican Black Bean Salad, is one of the recipes we have from a Taste of Heaven, our friends from First Presbyterian Church of Punta Gorda.
Paths of Sunshine, the book of our wonderful state’s produce and other products published by Florida Federation of Garden Clubs has a terrific Avocado Soup recipe. This soup can be served warm or cold.
Betty Nunn’s Fig Preserves comes to us from What’s Cookin’?. This recipe reminds me of the time back during WW-II, my grandma on daddy’s side sent us a case of her fig preserves. I was about four years old, and I still remember how luscious they were. Then, about two weeks later, we learned this wonderful woman had died. Her husband, my grandpa who was a Methodist minister in Georgia, had passed about six months prior. My mind wonders now how much she paid to have them shipped. This was long before UPS or FedEx.
SANDRA JOHANSEN’S
GOURMET SIRLOIN TIPS
Recipe from The Jones-Morris Family Treasury
1-1/2 pounds sirloin tips
2 tablespoons oil
1 clove garlic – minced
1 cup ketchup
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup melted butter or margarine
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste
Saute garlic in hot oil until cooked. Add meat and brown on all sides over medium heat.
Mix other ingredients and pour over beef. Mix other ingredients and pour over beef. Simmer one hour or bake in 350 degree oven for one hour or until tender.
Serve with potatoes or rice and broccoli or a salad.
CHICKEN-FRIED STEAK
Recipe from Southern Living
All-Time Favorites
4 (4-ounce) cubed steaks
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
38 saltine crackers, crushed (about 1 sleeve)
1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour, divided
2 teaspoons salt, divided
1-1/2 teaspoons black pepper, divided
1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
4-3/4 cups milk, divided
2 large eggs
1 cup peanut oil
Sprinkle steaks evenly with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Set aside.
Combine crackers, 1 cup flour, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, red pepper, and baking powder.
Whisk together 3/4 cup milk and eggs. Dredge steaks in cracker mixture; dip in milk mixture, and dredge again in cracker mixture.
Pour oil into a 12-inch skillet; heat to 360 degrees. (Do not use a nonstick skillet.) Fry steaks 2 to 3 minutes. Turn and fry 2 to 3 minutes or until golden.
Remove steaks to a wire rack in a jelly-roll pan. Keep steaks warm in a 225-degree oven.
Carefully drain hot oil, reserving cooked bits and 1 tablespoon drippings in skillet.
Whisk together remaining 4 cups milk, 1/4 cup flour, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon black pepper.
Add to reserved drippings in skillet; cook, whisking constantly, over medium-high heat, 10 to 12 minutes or until thickened. Serve over steaks and mashed potatoes. Makes 4 servings.
ADELINE BRONSON’S
CHICKEN AND YELLOW RICE
Recipe from
The Apopka Woman’s Club
WHAT’S COOKIN’?
2 fryers, halved
1/2 cup olive oil
2 cups chopped onions
1 green pepper, cut up
2 cloves garlic
2-1/2 cups rice
2 cups canned tomatoes
5 cups hot water
2 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon saffron
1 cup green peas
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Brown the chicken in olive oil. Remove to casserole. Brown onions, green pepper and garlic for about five minutes. Add to chicken in casserole along with all remaining ingredients. Cover and bake in 400-degree oven for one hour.
FRESH SNAP BEANS
WITH SHALLOTS
Recipe from Savannah Style,
a Cookbook by The Junior League of Savannah, Inc.
3 pounds fresh snap beans
4 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons shallots, minced
Salt
Snap beans and drop, a handful at a time, into rapidly boiling, salted water.
(Use approximately seven quarts of water for three pounds of beans.)
Return water to boil and cook beans, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Should be crunchy when done.
While beans are boiling, sauté shallots in one tablespoon butter until tender, about three to five minutes.
Drain beans and toss immediately with shallots and remaining three tablespoons butter.
SUSIE SAMS’
MEXICAN BLACK BEAN SALAD
Recipe from First Presbyterian Church, Punta Gorda, Florida
A Taste of Heaven
1 (8-ounce) carton sour cream
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon taco seasoning
1 large head green leaf lettuce, torn (about 10 cups)
2 cups (8-ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup chopped purple onion
2 (15-ounce) cans black beans, drained
2 large tomatoes, chopped
Corn chips, crushed
Combine sour cream, cilantro, and taco seasoning in a large bowl, stirring well. Add lettuce, then cheese, onion, black beans, and chopped tomatoes. Toss well. Sprinkle with crushed corn chips and serve immediately. Yield: 6 servings.
AVOCADO SOUP
Recipe from Florida Federation of Garden Clubs Inc., Paths of Sunshine
1 (13-3/4 ounce) can chicken broth
2 medium avocados, peeled, seeded and cut into chunks
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/8 teaspoon dried dillweed
3/4 cup light cream
2 tablespoons dry sherry wine
Combine all ingredients into a blender. Blend, medium speed until smooth. Serve warm or cold. Do not boil. Serves 4 to 6.
BETTY NUNN’S FIG PRESERVES
Recipe from The Apopka Woman’s Club, What’s Cookin’?
2 quarts firm figs
4 pounds sugar
1-1/2 cups water
2 lemons, sliced
1 ounce cinnamon
24 cloves
Wash fruit carefully in colander. Let sugar and water come to a boil. Add lemons and figs. Add spices (tied in a bag).
Boil slowly until figs are tender and clear, about one hour. Lift fruit carefully into sterilized jars and cover with juice. Seal while hot. Yield: three pints.
