From Sarah Holden at the website of thepioneerwoman.com we have a recipe for Pork and Sauerkraut with the addition of sweet-tart apples. Firm, crisp apples like Pink Lady, Honeycrisp, or Braeburn won’t break down too much while braising. Sauerkraut is a naturally fermented product made with just cabbage and salt. Its consumption has several health benefits such as reducing inflammation, fighting free radicals, and helping prevent certain diseases. When buying sauerkraut, you’ll often find varieties that are raw and unpasteurized in the refrigerated section of the grocery store, typically near the pickles or specialty foods. 

How about Skillet Fried Corn? It calls for four ingredients, one of which is fresh corn. Fernwood Nurseries in Zellwood contributed this recipe to the Zellwood Sweet Corn Festival of 1982. The recipe calls for bacon, but if you are no fan of pork, simply replace that fat with maybe 1 to 1.5 tablespoons of butter. 

From Bob Warden’s Great Food Fast, subtitled Bob Warden’s Ultimate Pressure Cooker Recipes, we have Dirty Rice with Spicy Pork Sausage. Bob says, “While true Cajun Dirty Rice is made with chicken giblets and livers to get its brown color, I make mine with spicy pork sausage (to most people’s relief). But just because I don’t follow ALL the rules, doesn’t mean this doesn’t pack a ton of Cajun flavor!” He adds in a note, “To cut the fat: As this is great with pretty much any kind of sausage, ground turkey sausage can be used to cut the fat. You can even use sliced low-fat kielbasa or chicken sausages.” 

Our friend, Emily Meggett, author of Gullah Geechee Home Cooking, said in her book, “My church community is one of the most important parts of my life. Through church, not only do I deepen my connection with God, I get to connect with my community. Like many churches in the South, we have spring and summer picnics to celebrate the warmer days and catch up on the lives of friends and loved ones. One year, the church asked me to make a dish, and I just so happened to have some juicy tomatoes at home that an old friend brought me. I said to myself, ‘What if I stuffed these?’ I cut out the center of the tomato and replaced it with some chicken salad I made the day before. It was a hit at the picnic, and I’ve made it ever since.”  

Lemon Cloud Pie from Country Cookin’. “Very, very easy! Elegant results… perfect for summer in Florida. No oven required. Chill 3-4 hours,” so says Joyce LaFray Young. This pie comes to us from The Blueberry Patch in Brooksville. 

PORK AND SAUERKRAUT WITH APPLES 
From Sarah Holden at thepioneerwoman.com 

INGREDIENTS: 
1 (1-1/2 to 2 pound) pork tenderloin 
1 teaspoon kosher salt 
1/2 teaspoon black pepper 
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder 
4 slices bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces 
2 tablespoons salted butter 
2 apples, unpeeled and thinly sliced 
1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced 
16 ounces sauerkraut 
2 tablespoons light brown sugar 
1 teaspoon caraway seeds 
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard 
Fresh parsley, for sprinkling (optional) 

DIRECTIONS: 
1) Preheat the oven to 350℉. Pat the pork very dry with paper towels and cut in half crosswise so that the pieces fit in a large Dutch oven or braiser. 2) In a small bowl, combine the salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Sprinkle the spice mixture all over the pork, pressing to gently adhere. 3) In a large Dutch oven, cook the bacon over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Leave the drippings in the pot and increase the heat to medium-high. 4) Add the pork and sear on all sides until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. 5) Remove the pork from the pot and set aside. 6) Add the butter to the drippings in the pot and let melt. Add the apples and onion and cook, stirring frequently, until beginning to soften, about 3 minutes. 7) Stir in the sauerkraut, brown sugar, caraway seeds, mustard, and bacon. 8) Nestle the pork in the sauerkraut mixture, cover and bake until the internal temperature of the pork reaches 145℉ on an instant-read thermometer. 9) Transfer the pork to a cutting board and let rest for 10 minutes before slicing. 10) Serve the pork over the sauerkraut mixture and sprinkle with parsley, if desired.  

SKILLET FRIED CORN 
Recipe from Fernwood Nurseries, Inc. 
Published by 1982 Zellwood Sweet Corn Festival 

INGREDIENTS: 
4 slices bacon 
3 cups cut fresh corn 
1/4 cup chopped green pepper 
1/4 cup finely chopped onion 

DIRECTIONS: 
1) Cook bacon until crisp; drain and crumble. 2) To drippings, add corn, green pepper, and onions. 3) Cover and cook over low heat until just tender, 5 to 8 minutes. 4) Season with 1 teaspoon salt and a dash of pepper. 5) Sprinkle bacon over top. Makes 6 servings. 

DIRTY RICE WITH SPICY PORK SAUSAGE 
Recipe from Great Food Fast: Bob Warden’s Ultimate Pressure Cooker Recipes 

INGREDIENTS: 
2 tablespoons olive oil 
8 ounces spicy ground pork sausage 
1 small yellow onion, diced 
1 small green bell pepper, diced 
3 stalks celery, diced 
1 tablespoon minced garlic 
2 cups long-grain white rice (uncooked) 
1 teaspoon dry oregano 
1 teaspoon chili powder 
1 teaspoon paprika 
1/4 teaspoon pepper 
2-1/4 cups chicken stock or broth 

DIRECTIONS: 
1) With the cooker’s lid off, heat oil on HIGH or “brown” until sizzling. 2) Place the sausage, onion, bell pepper, and celery in the cooker and sauté until sausage has browned, about 5 to 7 minutes. 3) Stir in garlic, rice, oregano, chili powder, paprika, and pepper, and sauté for 1 additional minute. 4) Add the chicken stock and securely lock the pressure cooker’s lid. Set for 4 minutes on HIGH. 5) Let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes before performing a quick release for any remaining pressure. 6) Depending on the salt content of the sausage and chicken stock, you may need to salt to taste before serving. 

EMILY MEGGETT’S TOMATO STUFFED WITH CHICKEN OR TURKEY SALAD 
Recipe from Gullah Geechee Home Cooking 
By Emily Meggett

INGREDIENTS: 
6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts 
1/2 cup sliced scallions 
1 cup chopped celery 
3 hard-boiled eggs, chopped 
1 tablespoon mustard 
1 teaspoon celery salt 
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning 
2 cups Hellmann’s mayonnaise, plus more if needed 
10 large tomatoes 

DIRECTIONS: 
1) Boil the chicken breasts and scallions in a pot of water until the chicken is cooked through, 25 to 30 minutes. 2) Remove the skin from the chicken and let cool. When the chicken is completely cool, cut it into small pieces and put in a large bowl. 3) Add the celery, hard-boiled eggs, mustard, celery salt, poultry seasoning, and mayonnaise. 4) Stir to combine. If the mixture is too dry, add more mayonnaise. Stir, taking care not to break up the chicken pieces. 5) Place the salad in the refrigerator to chill. (You may make the chicken salad a day ahead.) 6) Cut the tops off the tomatoes. Use a small paring knife to remove the inside of each tomato. A spoon may be helpful in scooping out the insides. 7) Once you’ve removed the insides of the tomatoes, fill them with the chilled chicken salad. Be generous – it’s called stuffed tomato for a reason! 

LEMON CLOUD PIE FROM THE BLUEBERRY PATCH IN BROOKSVILLE 
Recipe from Country Cookin’ by Joyce LaFray Young 

INGREDIENTS: 
8-ounce package cream cheese 
1 cup powdered sugar 
8-ounce container whipped topping (Cool Whip) 
1 baked pie shell (or use butter-flavored ‘ready crust’) 
1 can lemon pie filling 
Cool Whip for topping 

DIRECTIONS: 
1) Soften cream cheese. Add powdered sugar and whip together. 2) Fold whipped topping into cream cheese mixture. 3) Layer cream cheese mixture in bottomof pie shell. Place lemon pie filling on top. 4) Refrigerate for 3 to 4 hours. Top each serving with Cool Whip, if desired. Serves 8.