Kitchen Kapers with Nancy

Sally Benton’s Vegetable Medley is delicious (as I can attest)! Sally says she just throws stuff in the pot and is guessing at the amounts, so you should use your own best judgment. Sally graduated from Apopka Memorial High School in 1968, married and moved to Melbourne and raised a family, still lives there and loves coddling her grandkids even though she still stays busy with a part-time job “at the pharmacy.” And, she subscribes to The Apopka Chief newspaper to keep up with her hometown’s activities! I personally don’t use cooking spray as she does, I simply apply a thin coating of EVOO to inner surface of pot. 

The Chalupa Dinner Bowl from Southern Living’s 2009 All Time Favorites will be a winner in your house. This is cooked in a slow cooker, and it may take all day… but it will be wonderful at the table. 

We have Melinda Stokes Allanson’s Greek Chicken Salad for you. It looks wonderfully refreshing and change of pace. This is from our friends in Punta Gorda’s book, A Taste of Heaven. A couple of rotisserie chickens would really come in handy with this recipe! 

From OceanSpray.com, here is their basic three-ingredient recipe I’ve used for years. I add two more ingredients to it, but basically it is cranberries, sugar, and water brought to a boil and boiled for 10 minutes. I add a fresh sweet orange sectioned with membranes removed and pecans after the cranberries cook, but that’s it. It is very good with the navel orange to sweeten up the tangy cranberries plus the pecans (because I love pecans) to put a little body and crunch to the relish. 

I adore Magic Cookie Bars. The recipe is printed on the Aldi company’s Baker’s Corner Sweetened Condensed Milk can. This is one of those recipes kids (and adults) love that they can do in the kitchen together. Kids are great at making crumbs from graham crackers. And they can measure ingredients. They may need a little help, but it can be fun to do together. 

Paths of Sunshine Cookbook provides our dessert recipe, Key Lime Pie.  This is wonderful for this time of year. It is beautiful, festive, simple, and delicious. This recipe yields two pies. 

SALLY THOMAS BENTON’S VEGETABLE MEDLEY 
Recipe from Reader of The Apopka Chief newspaper 

2 or 3 each zucchini and yellow squash 
2 fresh vine-ripe tomatoes, diced…  
OR… 1 pint of grape tomatoes, whole 
OR… a can of diced tomatoes 
3 slivered garlic cloves 
Thinly sliced onion 
Bell pepper 
Broccoli 
Cauliflower 
2 teaspoons basil 
1 teaspoon tarragon 
1/3 to 1/2 cup lemon juice 
1/2 teaspoon sugar (optional, to awaken the flavor) 
1/2 teaspoon salt (to taste) 
Pam Spray (or other cooking spray) 

Any other spices you prefer in addition to or as a replacement for the ones suggested here. For instance, some Mexican spices like cilantro, cumin, chili powder, etc., might be fantastic… OR… Italian spices… OR… Asian spices such as Oriental 5-spice, soy sauce, etc. 

If you like, add whatever YOU enjoy: green beans, edamame, celery, baby raw spinach, mushrooms, and water chestnuts. Get wild with it! 

Sliver the garlic, onion, and bell pepper. Spray them lightly with Pam Spray. Spray a frying pan lightly. Heat pan. Sauté. While they are sautéing, cut squash into small chunks. Squash will cook faster than more solid veggies, so if you’re adding broccoli or raw cauliflower, thin-slice them as well and toss in at the end of sautéing. 

Turn down heat. Add a tablespoon or two of water to deglaze the bottom of pan and to steam the veggies. Add the herbs and any spices you might want. Add a little salt and sugar to taste, if desired. Add lemon juice. Cover with lid. When the steaming veggies are to your desired tenderness, throw in tomatoes. They don’t have to cook. 

Preparation time is 30 to 45 minutes. 

CHALUPA DINNER BOWL 
SOUTHERN LIVING’S ALL TIME FAVORITES, 2009 

1 pound dried pinto beans 
1 3-1/2 pound bone-in pork loin roast 
2 4-ounce cans chopped green chiles 
2 garlic cloves, chopped 
1 tablespoon chili powder 
2 teaspoons salt 
1 teaspoon dried oregano 
1 teaspoon ground cumin 
1 32-ounce container chicken broth 
1 10-ounce can diced tomatoes and green chiles with lime juice and cilantro 
8 taco salad shells 
1 small head iceberg lettuce, shredded 
Toppings: shredded Monterey Jack cheese, pickled jalapeno slices, halved grape tomatoes, sour cream, chopped avocado 

1) Rinse and sort beans according to package directions. 2) Place pinto beans in a 6-quart slow cooker; add roast and next six ingredients. Pour chicken broth evenly over top of roast. 3) Cover and cook on HIGH 1 hour; reduce to LOW and cook 9 hours… OR cover and cook on HIGH 6 hours. Remove bones and fat from roast; pull roast into large pieces with two forks. Stir in diced tomatoes and green chiles. Cook, uncovered, on HIGH 1 more hour or until liquid is slightly thickened. 4) Heat taco salad shells according to package directions; place shredded lettuce evenly into shells. Spoon about 1 cup of the pork and bean mixture into each shell using a slotted spoon. Serve with desired toppings. 

Makes 8 servings. 

Note from Southern Living, “For testing purposes only, we used RO-TEL Mexican Festival tomatoes and a Rival Recipe Smart Pot slow cooker. Times may vary depending on the slow cooker used.” 

MELINDA STOKES ALLANSON’S GREEK CHICKEN SALAD 
Recipe from First Presbyterian Church of Punta Gorda’s A Taste of Heaven 

3 cups cooked chicken, cubed (about three breasts) 
2 medium cucumbers, peeled, seeded and chopped 
1-1/4 cups Feta cheese, crumbled 
2/3 cup (or 1 can) black olives, sliced 
1/4 cup fresh parsley, snipped 
1 cup mayonnaise 
1/2 cup plain yogurt 
1 tablespoon dried oregano 
3 cloves garlic (or to taste) 
Lettuce 

Combine chicken, cucumber, Feta, olives and parsley. Set aside. In a small bowl, mix mayonnaise, yogurt, oregano and crushed garlic. Use much less garlic if salad will stand more than a couple of hours before serving. Add to chicken mixture. Toss to coat. Cover and chill. Serve over lettuce. Also very good over toasted French rolls. 

NANCY THOMAS’ CRANBERRY RELISH WITH ORANGE AND PECANS 
Basic recipe from OCEANSPRAY.com 

1 bag fresh cranberries 
1 cup sugar 
1 cup water 
1 navel orange peeled, cut into pieces and membrane removed 
1 cup pecans chopped 

Bring to a boil and cook for 10 minutes. Add orange pieces and pecans, mix, and cool in refrigerator. Serve with turkey, ham, or other meat. It’s delicious, and it will keep in the refrigerator for several days. 

MAGIC COOKIE BARS 
Recipe from BAKER’S CORNER SWEETENED CONDENSED MILK 

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted  
1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed  
2 cup graham cracker crumbs  
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips  
1 cup shredded coconut 
1 cup coarsely chopped pecans  
1-2/3 cup Baker’s Corner Sweetened Condensed Milk  

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place butter in 8-inch square pan, heat in oven until melted. Combine brown sugar and graham cracker crumbs in a bowl and sprinkle evenly over melted butter. In layers, add chocolate chips, coconut and pecans. Put sweetened condensed milk over top. Bake 30 minutes. Allow to cool completely before slicing. 

KEY LIME PIE 
Recipe from Florida Federation of Garden Clubs  Paths of Sunshine Cookbook 

2 (14 ounce) cans sweetened condensed milk 
4 whole eggs 
1 cup key lime juice, fresh or frozen 
1 cup whipping cream, whipped 
2 graham cracker crust pie shells 

Beat the first three ingredients together. Fold cold whipped cream into first mixture. Pour into the two pie shells. Chill for several hours or overnight. Yields two pies.