Cool wintertime climes have returned to us again, following another long, hot Florida summer!
And, oh, yes, this wonderful so much appreciated annual seasonal change surely does get noticed and appreciated by both Floridians and visiting northerners who gratefully become every freezing winter’s refugees happily fleeing to our warmer far south weather for the season, temporarily escaping their great, but maybe just a tad too cold, up-north territory’s icy temperatures.
Florida-style winter calls northern refugees here from the bitter-cold northern area all through these winter months every year.
These few annual cold Florida days affect us inside our homes as well as when stepping outside. Our rarely used heating systems are set on heat rather than the customary cool setting, and our rarely used ovens suddenly start being prolifically used once again for double-duty, helping heat our homes while cooking our hot meals on cold days.
When that happens, it’s very likely that will get us really cooking, with noticeably more than usual stove and oven time. Florida is a wonderful place to be living in wintertime, and cooking something good to eat while enjoying the seasonal weather, can be a most enjoyable pursuit on all our occasional Florida-style “wintry” days.
Here we are in January already, so winter-Florida-style won’t be sticking around a lot longer. Let’s grab and enjoy this seasonal cool while we can, now and through the next couple of months, always accompanied of course by lots of tasty hot foods, including your picks from the following recipe possibilities, all from your Apopka area neighbors’ kitchens.
Winter-warming hot soups and a chowder from your Apopka-area friends’ and neighbors’ kitchen stoves are on this cool January week’s menu, along with just one very cool vichyssoise. With the exception of that very interesting cold soup, everything else on this week’s menu is on the warm side, just right for warming up winter a little bit.
ESTHER BUSENLEHNER’S
VICHYSSOISE
(COLD POTATO SOUP)
Recipe from Errol Country Club’s Errol Membership Recipes
Chopped olives
1/2 small onion
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1-1/2 cups diced cooked potatoes
2 cups canned chicken broth
1/2 cup cream
1 cup crushed ice
Cover and blend olives on high speed for eight seconds.
Into container of an electric blender, put half of the small onion, one half teaspoon salt, one fourth teaspoon white pepper, one and one-half cups diced cooked potatoes and two cups canned chicken broth. Cover and blend on high speed for eight seconds.
Add half cup of cream and 1 cup crushed ice. Cover and blend for 10 seconds longer. Thin to desired consistency with milk or cream. Serve garnished with chopped chives.
JEANNE BALLARD’S
BUTTERSCOTCH-CHOCOLATE DOUBLE CHIP COOKIES
Recipe from Apopka Memorial Middle School’s 1987 Cookbook
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup butter or margarine
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2-1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 ounces (1 cup) semi-sweet chocolate pieces
6 ounces (1 cup) butterscotch pieces
1 cup chopped nuts
Cream together the shortening, butter or margarine and sugars. Beat in the eggs and vanilla. Combine and add, mixing well, the flour, chocolate, butterscotch pieces, and nuts. Drop by teaspoonfuls on ungreased Ebonware Cookie Sheets. Bake at 350 degrees F. for about 8-10 minutes. Recipe yields about six to seven dozen cookies.
CATHY PARKER’S CHIVES AND SOUR CREAM HOT POTATO SOUP
Recipe from Zellwood United Methodist Church’s
Cooking With Friends
6 to 8 medium potatoes
2 stalks celery
1 small onion
3 chicken bouillon cubes
1 large carrot, slivered
4 cups water
3 cups milk, divided
2 cups sour cream
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Chopped chives (amount of your choice)
Dice the potatoes, celery and onion. Put all in a four-quart Dutch oven. Add bouillon cubes, carrots and water. Cook over low heat until potatoes are done. Remove from heat and add one cup milk and the two cups of sour cream, stirring with wire whip until sour cream is dissolved. Add the six tablespoons of all-purpose flour to remaining two cups milk, stirring until the flour is dissolved, then, add that mixture to the potato mixture and cook on low heat until thick, about 20-25 minutes. Add the chopped chives before serving. Recipe yields 8-10 servings.
SPINACH CASSEROLE
Recipe from Apopka Memorial Middle School’s 1987 Cookbook
3 packages chopped frozen spinach, cooked
1 8-ounce package cream cheese
1/2 stick butter
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon grated onion
Dash of nutmeg
2 tablespoons sour cream
Topping: half stick butter mixed with one cup bread crumbs or stuffing mix
While hot, put the three packages of cooked chopped frozen spinach in a casserole dish and add the 8-ounce package of cream cheese, butter, lemon juice, grated onion, nutmeg and sour cream. Mix all together well. Spread topping made by mixing one stick of butter with one cup of bread crumbs or stuffing mix on top of spinach mixture in casserole dish. Bake the spinach casserole in a 325 degree oven for 20-25 minutes.
CAROL HEISEY’S
BAKED POTATO SOUP
Recipe from Apopka Citizen Police Alumni Association’s
Sharing Our Finest Cookbook
4 large baking potatoes
2/3 cup butter
2/3 cups all-purpose flour
6 cups milk
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
4 green onions,
chopped and divided
12 slices fried bacon,
crumbled and divided
1-1/4 cup shredded cheese,
divided
8 ounces sour cream
Bake the potatoes for one hour at 400 degrees, or microwave the potatoes. Let potatoes cool and then cut the potatoes in half lengthwise and scoop out the pulp.
Melt butter in a large saucepan over low heat. Add all-purpose flour, stirring until smooth. Cook for one minute, stirring constantly. Gradually add six cups of milk, cooking over medium heat while stirring constantly until thick and bubbly.
Add potato pulp, salt, pepper, two tablespoons green onion, a half-cup of fried bacon and one cup cheese. Cook until thoroughly heated. Stir in sour cream. Add extra milk if too thick. Serve with remaining onions, the bacon and cheese.
