This coming Sunday, we celebrate Father’s Day. According to Good Housekeeping Magazine, on July 5, 1908, a father-themed memorial was held by a West Virginia church for the 362 men who were killed in an explosion at the Fairmont Coal Company mines. Since that time, we families, especially here in the USA, love to honor Dad and give him gifts, and allow him to cook our dinner out on the grill in the blazing heat! And according to History.com, in the United States, 6 in 10 adult men are fathers! Let’s hear it for all our dads! Hooray! 

Arlen Mizell, a true friend and mentor to the community of Apopka, passed in February of 2023. He dedicated his life to service in the Lord’s work. One of his gifts to us, which he served many times at First Presbyterian Church of Apopka, is his recipe for Arlen’s Baked Beans. It is a simple recipe from Treasures and Pleasures with quantities for larger celebrations, and we have it below for you. 

And for all you okra lovers, here is Okra Creole from Southern Living All-Time Favorites. Fry up some bacon; drain it, crumble it all up, and set it aside. You can use frozen okra for this recipe and combine canned diced tomatoes, corn, onion seasoning blend, water, and seasonings, and cook it in the bacon drippings for 15 minutes or so. Serve this lovely stuff over rice, and top it with the crumbled bacon. Enjoy! 

The first time I ever tasted fried pies was when I was a child and enjoyed them at a church bazaar in South Carolina. They were so hot, but so good. We thank the Apopka Citizen Police Alumni Association for contributing their recipe for Fried Pies to their publication, Sharing Our Finest Cookbook. 

From Southern Style by Jane Bradley, here is another recipe that I suspect will be a dynamite discovery for our readers. Jane says, “This is my cooking colleague’s (Betty Rosenblum), recipe for chutney. It is without peer. I have made this recipe with peaches fresh from my back yard, but it works just fine with frozen peaches. Try with plums, apricots, or mangoes. Delicious! Spoon over a cube of cream cheese and serve with wheat crackers, or fill a peach half with chutney and serve with cold poached chicken. Add 1/4-cup chutney to tuna or chicken salad with a pinch of curry powder and serve in a tomato cup or as a filling for cream puffs. Use for tea sandwiches by adding minced chutney and ground country ham to mayonnaise or butter, perhaps with a dash of curry powder. Spread on bread and sprinkle with chopped, roasted peanuts.”  

Mrs. Emily Meggett, in her book Gullah Geechee Home Cooking, has instructions for you that will use up those bananas that are going to get too ripe to eat. Baked Bananas is a good way to make use of too many bananas or bananas that are a bit past their prime. Once baked, add a little whipped cream and honey on top of each banana. 

ARLEN’S BAKED BEANS 
Recipe from Treasures and Pleasures,  
Published 1990, Presbyterian Women,  
First Presbyterian Church of Apopka 

INGREDIENTS: 
1 gallon B&B beans 
12 ounces Grandma’s Molasses 
1/2 cup vinegar 
1/2 cup honey 
1 cup brown sugar  
1 chopped onion 
1/2 bell pepper, chopped fine 
Salt and pepper to taste 
1 tablespoon garlic powder 
1/2 pound bacon 

DIRECTIONS: 
1) Mix together: beans, molasses, vinegar, honey, and brown sugar. 2) Add onion, bell pepper, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. 3) Top bean mixture with bacon strips. 4) Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until beans are brown and bubbly. Serves about 25. 

OKRA CREOLE 
Recipe from Southern Living All-Time Favorites 

INGREDIENTS: 
3 bacon slices 
1 (16-ounce) package frozen sliced okra 
1 (14-1/2 ounce) can diced tomatoes 
1 cup frozen corn kernels 
1 cup frozen onion seasoning blend 
1/2 cup water 
1 teaspoon Creole seasoning 
1/4 teaspoon pepper 
Hot cooked rice (optional) 

DIRECTIONS: 
1) Cook bacon in a Dutch oven until crisp; remove bacon, and drain on paper towels, reserving the drippings. Crumble bacon, and set aside. 2) Cook okra and next 6 ingredients in hot bacon drippings in Dutch oven over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 15 minutes or until vegetables are tender. 3) Top with crumbled bacon. Serve over rice, if desired. Makes 4 servings. 

FRIED PIES (From Old Pennsylvania Dutch Cookbook) 
Recipe from Apopka Citizen Police Alumni Association, 
Sharing Our Finest Cookbook 

INGREDIENTS: 
2 cups sifted flour 
1 teaspoon salt 
1/2 cup shortening 
1/3 cup cold water 
Sweetened sieved fruit (dried apricots, peaches, prunes or thick applesauce) 

DIRECTIONS: 
1) Sift the flour and salt together. Cut in shortening with pastry blender or two knives until pieces are size of small peas. 2) Gradually sprinkle water over mixture, mixing lightly with a fork after each addition. Add only enough water to hold pastry together. 3) Roll out dough on a floured surface about 1/8-inch thick. 4) Cut out 4-inch rounds. 5) Spoon 1 tablespoon sweetened fruit onto each round. Moisten edges with water. 6) Fold into semi-circles and press edges together with fork. 7) Fry in deep fat, heated to 365 degrees. Fry about 3 minutes or until light golden brown; turn pies during frying. 8) Remove from fat; drain on absorbent paper. Makes 1 dozen pies. 

FRESH PEACH CHUTNEY 
Recipe from Southern Style by Jane Bradley 

INGREDIENTS: 
2 cups brown sugar 
2 cups white sugar 
1-1/2 cups white, distilled vinegar 
2 teaspoons crushed red pepper 
4 teaspoons salt 
2 tablespoons mustard seeds 
2 large cloves garlic, minced 
2 large onions, thinly sliced lengthwise 
4 teaspoons fresh ginger, minced 
4 cups seedless raisins 
8 cups fresh peaches, thinly sliced 

DIRECTIONS: 
1) Using a large, heavy pan, combine all ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until thickened, about 2 hours, stirring from time to time so that mixture does not stick. 2) When desired thickness is reached, place into sterilized jars and seal. 3) Allow to cool on a double thickness of towels away from drafts. Store in refrigerator or process to keep indefinitely. 

EMILY MEGGETT’S BAKED BANANAS 
Recipe from Gullah Geechee Home Cooking by Emily Meggett 

INGREDIENTS: 
5 bananas 
1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 
1/4 cup packed brown sugar 
1 teaspoon cornstarch, plus 1/4 cup water 
1 tablespoon honey, plus more for serving (optional) 
Sweetened whipped cream 

DIRECTIONS:  
1) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. 2) Peel the bananas and place the whole bananas in a casserole dish. Sprinkle the bananas with the cinnamon and brown sugar. 3) In a separate bowl, combine the cornstarch and 1/4 cup water, and pour the mixture over the bananas. Top the bananas with the honey, if desired. 4) Bake for 20 minutes, then serve topped with whipped cream and more honey.