Enjoy this week’s recipes from Punta Gorda, Georgia and Apopka

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This week, we have a chicken dish that our Punta Gorda contributor attests you will LOVE!

There is a salmon loaf recipe along with a salmon patties recipe, both from our friends in Georgia.

Black bean soup, from our friends in Punta Gorda, is not only good for you in that it has a lot of protein, it is delicious!

We have strawberry cheesecake from a reader and banana bread from one of our friends in Georgia.

There is “foolproof” divinity and maple-nut fudge, both from our friends at The Apopka Woman’s club.

We want to hear from you. We eagerly await your contributions for old family favorites or perhaps a concoction that you dreamed up and your family agrees it’s “the best ever!”

And if our churches notice their name is not mentioned in this column, perhaps it is time to canvass members for recipes of their own. If your church has a cookbook that we don’t have, please send one or bring one by. We are right across from the Apopka Middle School; our address is 400 North Park Avenue in Apopka.

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.

PHYLLIS GASS’ LOVE-THIS-STUFF MAIN DISH CHICKEN

Recipe from First Presbyterian Church of Punta Gorda, 

A Taste of Heaven

8 ounces Linguine

1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms

1/2 cup sliced celery

1 tablespoon margarine or butter

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 cup Campbell’s chicken broth

1/3 cup dry white wine

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed

Tabasco sauce, a few dashes

1/2 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese

1-1/2 cups cooked chicken, cut into strips

4 ounces fresh spinach, chopped

Freshly ground Parmesan cheese

Prepare linguine according to package directions except omit salt.

Drain linguine and keep warm. Set aside.

Cook mushrooms and celery in margarine or butter until tender. Stir in cornstarch, broth, white wine, lemon juice, dried thyme, and Tabasco. Cook and stir until bubbly.

Stir in cheese until melted. Stir in chicken and spinach. Cover and cook one minute or until heated through. Serve over linguine. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Serves four.

LOUISE POWELL’S SALMON LOAF

Recipe from Food Favorites of Plains, Georgia Plains Pot Pourri

1 can red salmon

4 hard cooked eggs, chopped

1 cup celery, chopped

1 green pepper, chopped

1 teaspoon sugar

1/2 bottle Durkee’s Famous Sauce

1/2 cup sweet pickle, chopped

2 envelopes gelatin, dissolved in 1/2 cup hot water

Mix all together and season with salt, pepper, sugar and Durkees. Put in a dish to congeal. Slice and serve with mayonnaise.

MRS. C. S. BALDWIN’S 

SALMON PATTIES

Recipe from Food Favorites of Plains, Georgia Plains Pot Pourri

1 large can salmon

1 egg

1/3 cup minced onion

1/2 cup flour

1-1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Drain salmon and reserve two tablespoons of the juice. Mix salmon, egg, and onion. To the salmon juice, add flour and baking powder. Mix ingredients together. Form into patties and fry in hot oil until golden brown. Serve with tartar sauce.

STAN SMITH’S BLACK BEAN SOUP

Recipe from First Presbyterian Church, Punta Gorda, Florida

A Taste of Heaven

2 cups (1 pound) black turtle beans

1 cup onion, chopped

1 cup celery with leaves, chopped

1 medium carrot, chopped

1 bay leaf

pinch thyme

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

2-1/2 quarts water

3 smoked ham hocks

1 cup chicken stock OR a bouillon cube

Salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup dry sherry

Wash beans. Add onion, celery, carrot, bay leaf, thyme, Worcestershire sauce, water, ham hocks and chicken stock. Simmer at least three hours. Remove ham hocks and bay leaf and puree soup. Add salt, pepper and sherry. Heat. If thin, add a roux; if thick, add water or stock. At the table, sprinkle on some chopped raw onion and lace with a little more sherry.

CONNIE POLANSHEK’S 

STRAWBERRY CHEESECAKE

Recipe from Reader of 

The Apopka Chief and The Planter newspapers

1 package graham crackers

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup sugar

1 8-ounce package cream cheese

1 cup confectioner’s sugar

1 package Dream Whip

1 box frozen strawberries

1 tablespoon cornstarch

2 tablespoons water

NOTE: You can substitute one can pie filling, blueberry or other fruit, for frozen strawberries

Melt butter. Add sugar and graham crackers, mix well. Press into 8 x 8-inch or 9 x 9-inch square pan.

Mix softened cream cheese with confectioner’s sugar using low speed on electric mixer.

Make up 1 package Dream Whip according to directions. Add to cream cheese mixture and mix well.

Spread cream cheese mixture over crumbs. Chill 1 hour until firm. Top with strawberries which have been thawed and thickened with cornstarch and water mixture over medium heat.

MRS. MAY WISE’S BANANA BREAD

Recipe from Food Favorites of Plains, Georgia Plains Pot Pourri

3 medium ripe, mashed bananas

1/2 cup shortening or margarine

1 egg

1 cup sugar

2 cups plain flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup chopped nuts

Cream shortening into bananas with sugar. Beat in egg and add dry ingredients and vanilla. Pour into greased, paper-lined pan. Put into cold oven set at 350 degrees. Bake for 1 hour without opening oven.

MRS. WILLIAM B. (SALLY)

 HOWELL’S FOOLPROOF DIVINITY

Recipe from The Apopka Woman’s Club, Apopka, Florida 

What’s Cookin’?

2 stiffly beaten egg whites

5 cups sugar

1 cup white Karo syrup

1 cup water

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup or more of nuts

Beat egg whites until stiff. Then mix sugar, syrup and water together. Heat slowly to boiling point. When it begins to boil rapidly, take 1/2 cup and pour slowly over egg whites, beating constantly. Let remainder of mixture boil until it spins a thread 12 inches long. Add vanilla and pour over egg whites slowly while beating. Beat until stiff enough to drop from spoon. Add nuts. Drop onto waxed paper from buttered spoon. Makes at least 70 pieces. Color with food coloring if desired.

MARTHA W. KIZER’S 

MAPLE-PECAN FUDGE

Recipe from The Apopka Woman’s Club, Apopka, Florida

What’s Cookin’

4 cups sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar, firmly packed

1-1/3 cup evaporated milk

Pecan halves

1/4 cup light corn syrup

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup margarine

2 teaspoons maple flavoring

Line a pan with foil. Grease well with butter. In medium saucepan, combine sugars, milk, corn syrup, and salt. Stir over medium heat until sugar is dissolved. Bring to boiling point without stirring.

Boil, uncovered to 234 degrees Fahrenheit on candy thermometer or until a small amount in cold water forms a soft ball. Remove from heat, add 1/2 cup butter.

Let cool without stirring, to lukewarm. Add flavoring. With wooden spoon, beat vigorously until mixture thickens and loses its gloss and is no longer sticky. Turn thickened mixture into pan. When firm, cut into squares. Top with pecan halves.