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To start off your Halloween evening tomorrow, we have a recipe from FoodNetwork.com for Spicy Juicy Lucy-fer Sliders, made with ground beef, pepper jack cheese, onions, and chipotle peppers. You serve them on slider-sized potato buns. It is rated easy. They advise, “To ensure a nice browned top to your sliders, check that the broiler flame is on when you pop them in. Many broilers cycle on and off as they work, so it’s important to broil these fast-cooking burgers during an ‘on’ cycle.”
I remember as a kid when Mama would start cooking a big pot of pea soup on Saturday mornings for us to eat that evening after she and Daddy finished working in the garden. She would put in ham or a ham bone if she had one. I loved it! And from Country Cookin’, we have Split-Pea Soup that was made famous at The Little Inn in Homosassa. This is the book that Joyce LaFray Young wrote featuring famous dishes from all over Florida. She has also written other books based on recipes from other states.
From the 1982 Zellwood Sweet Corn Festival recipe book, we have Doubly-Delicious Double Corn Pie that was shared by E. L. Williams in Eustis.
Susie Sams’ Mexican Black Bean Salad comes from A Taste of Heaven, a book that our friends over at First Presbyterian Church of Punta Gorda published.
We have a hummus recipe for you from Southern Living’s 1996 Annual Recipes. This recipe was contributed by Joan Ranzini of Waynesboro, Virginia.
From First Presbyterian Church of Apopka, we have their book, Treasures and Pleasures, where we found Sis Pitman’s recipe for Peanut Butter Fudge Dreams. Sis was a good friend but passed a few years back. We still have some of her recipes.
SPICY JUICY LUCY-FER SLIDERS
Adapted from FoodNetwork.com
INGREDIENTS:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, thinly sliced (about 3 cups)
2 chipotle peppers in adobo, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
4 ounces pepper jack cheese, cut into 12 equal pieces
1/4 cup ketchup
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
12 slider-size potato buns, split and toasted
DIRECTIONS:
1) Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat and add the onions, spreading them into an even layer. 2) Cook, without stirring, until the edges of the onions are beginning to brown, 5 minutes. 3) Stir the onions and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until browned and caramelized, another 20 minutes. 4) Add the chipotles, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. 5) Cook until fragrant and well combined, 1 to 2 minutes, and remove from the heat. 6) Preheat the oven broiler. 7) Divide the meat into 12 portions, about 2 ounces each. 8) Form a patty around each piece of cheese and flatten to 2 1/2 to 3 inches in diameter. 9) Put the wrapped patties on a foil-lined baking sheet and sprinkle all the patties with 3/4 teaspoon salt. 10) Broil until the cheese is melted and the beef reaches an internal temperature of 160°F, as measured with a food thermometer. Start checking at about 6 minutes. 11) Mix the ketchup, balsamic vinegar and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a small bowl. 12) Brush the burgers with some of the ketchup sauce and divide the rest among the bottom halves of the buns. 13) Place a burger on each bottom bun, top with some of the spicy onions and finish with a top bun. Serve warm.
DOUBLY-DELICIOUS DOUBLE CORN PIE
Recipe from E. L. Williams, Eustis
Published by 1982 Zellwood Sweet Corn Festival
INGREDIENTS:
4 cups fresh corn (cut from cob), or frozen corn
1 pound very lean ground beef
1 medium green pepper (finely diced)
1 large onion, chopped fine
1 can tomato sauce (about 6 ounces) mixed with 1 can water
1 teaspoon chili powder seasoning
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon crushed oregano
DIRECTIONS:
1) In a large skillet, lightly brown meat in just enough oil to cover bottom of pan slightly, with the onion and green pepper. 2) Add tomato sauce and seasonings. 3) Stir well; then fold in corn. 4) Place into a lightly buttered casserole dish, about 2 1/2 to 3 quarts. 5) Spread over with topping, as follows:
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup yellow cornmeal
4 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
1/2 cup milk
4 tablespoons butter or margarine (melted)
DIRECTIONS:
1) Combine all ingredients and stir together lightly. 2) Spread over meat mixture. 3) Bake in a 350°F oven about 30 minutes or until top is slightly browned. Serves 6.
SUSIE SAMS’ MEXICAN BLACK BEAN SALAD
Recipe from First Presbyterian Church, Punta Gorda, Florida
A Taste of Heaven
INGREDIENTS:
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 (1/2 pound) shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup chopped purple onion
2 (15-ounce) cans black beans, drained
2 large tomatoes, chopped
Corn chips, crushed
DIRECTIONS:
1) Combine sour cream, cilantro, and taco seasoning in a large bowl, stirring well. 2) Add lettuce, then cheese, onion, black beans, and chopped tomatoes. 3) Toss well. 4) Sprinkle with crushed corn chips and serve immediately. Yield: 6 servings.
SPLIT-PEA SOUP FROM THE LITTLE INN IN HOMOSASSA
Recipe from Country Cookin’
By Joyce LaFray Young
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup split peas (allow peas to soak overnight before cooking)
2 to 4 cups water
1 carrot (diced)
1 small onion (diced)
Ham bone
1/2 teaspoon celery salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Salt and pepper to taste
3 cups milk
DIRECTIONS:
1) Wash peas several times, then place them in a pan with water and allow to soak overnight. 2) The next day, add carrot, onion, and ham bone. Cook over medium heat until it boils. Simmer uncovered until peas are tender, about 1 1/2 hours. 3) Remove ham bone and press the mixture through a sieve. Return it to the pot with the cooking liquid. Add seasonings, milk, and any meat pieces from bone. 4) Heat through, stirring to thicken. Serve hot. Serves 4 to 6. Note says: “Lip-smacking good with cornbread.”
SOUTHERN LIVING’S HUMMUS
Recipe from Southern Living’s 1996 Annual Recipes
INGREDIENTS:
1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, drained
1/4 cup tahini
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 clove garlic
1/3 cup lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
2 tablespoons chopped onion
1 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce
DIRECTIONS:
Position blade in food processor; add all ingredients; process until smooth. Yield: 2 cups.
SIS PITMAN’S PEANUT BUTTER FUDGE DREAMS
Recipe from First Presbyterian Church of Apopka, Treasures and Pleasures
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup milk
Few grains of salt
1 cup marshmallows
1/4 pound peanut butter
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
DIRECTIONS:
1) Cook sugar, milk and salt to the soft-ball stage. 2) Add marshmallows, peanut butter and butter just before removing from the stove. 3) Cool, add vanilla and beat, then pour into a buttered pan. 4) NOTE: If you don’t have a food scale, you can probably use 1/2 cup (or a little less) of peanut butter and it will be just fine.