We have a Treasures and Pleasures recipe titled Charlett Spencer’s Italian Meat Squares that sounds very good, maybe a little like pizza without the crust.
Mattie’s Chicken Salad is printed in Savannah Style cookbook. I am not familiar with Durkee’s dressing, but the internet refers to “Durkee’s Famous Sauce.” The “homemade mayonnaise,” I will most certainly replace with store-bought mayonnaise. This wonderful cookbook is copyrighted 1980, 40 years ago. I had been using mayonnaise from the store for a long time. However, the recipe is undoubtedly pretty old, from the era when we were making our own mayonnaise!
Alice Beth Miner, who was a wonderful friend to our area, shares her tasty recipe for Oxford Mississippi Pea Casserole. She prepares this dish with green peas, water chestnuts, and mushrooms along with other ingredients. We found this recipe in Treasures and Pleasures, published by First Presbyterian Church of Apopka.
Regarding the ingredient that Alice Beth said is a “must have,” we looked online for Spice Parisienne and found it at a shop in New York. But if you don’t feel like running up to New York, we found a recipe on the internet at allspiceonline.com, that tells you how to make it and have included it below.
We borrowed Miz Belle’s very own copy of The Progressive Farmer’s SOUTHERN Cookbook, Featuring Southern Food Ways. It was not ours to keep, but she loaned it to us for a short time. A dear friend was Miz Belle Gilliam! May she rest in peace.
If you love fried green tomatoes, try the recipe we found in this treasured cookbook, and we follow this one with a recipe for fried (partially ripe) tomatoes that calls for milk gravy to be poured over the tomatoes when serving.
From Plains Pot Pourri, published by the good folks of Plains, Georgia, we found Lauretta Mays’ Buttermilk Rolls and share it with you.
Joan Byers’ Peanut Butter Pie from New Vision Community Church’s Feeding the Flock is terrific. You and yours will love it. Thank you, Ma’am.
CHARLETT SPENCER’S
ITALIAN MEAT SQUARES
Recipe from 1990 Presbyterian Women First Presbyterian
Church of Apopka
Treasures and Pleasures
1 28-ounce can tomatoes
2 pounds ground beef (chuck)
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1/3 cup coarse fresh bread crumbs
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 egg
1/3 cup water
1 cup grated Mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Drain tomatoes, set aside. Mix beef, green pepper, onion, bread crumbs, salt, pepper, egg, and 1/3 cup water thoroughly. Press gently in a 13 x 9 x 2-inch pan. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes. Drain excess fat. Mash tomatoes slightly and mix with Mozzarella cheese. Spoon mixture over meat. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over all. Bake 25 minutes longer. Serves 8.
MATTIE’S CHICKEN SALAD
Recipe from Savannah Style,
a Cookbook by The Junior League of Savannah, Inc.
8 large chicken breasts
Few celery leaves
1 onion, sliced
Few sprigs parsley
Juice of 1 large lemon
1 cup celery hearts, chopped fine
1 cup homemade mayonnaise
1 tablespoon Durkee’s dressing
1 heaping teaspoon sugar
Salt to taste
Capers and large black olives or green grapes and almonds
Wash chicken breasts and place in heavy soup pot with celery leaves, sliced onion and parsley. Add water to cover and salt. Simmer until well done. Cool and remove meat from bones and cut into small pieces with kitchen scissors. Squeeze juice of a large lemon over cut chicken.
Mix celery, mayonnaise, Durkee’s dressing, sugar and salt. Toss gently with fork. Chill. Serve with capers and large black olives or with green grapes and toasted almonds.
ALICE BETH MINER’S
OXFORD MISSISSIPPI
PEA CASSEROLE
Recipe from 1990 Presbyterian Women First Presbyterian
Church of Apopka
Treasures and Pleasures
2 stalks celery, sliced
3 or 4 spring onions, sliced
1/2 stick butter or margarine
1 can mushrooms, sliced
1 can water chestnuts, sliced
1 package frozen green peas
1 tablespoon flour
1/2 teaspoon Accent
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Dash of Spice Parisienne (must have)
Cracker crumbs
Saute onions and celery in butter or margarine until golden. Drain mushrooms and water chestnuts and save juice. Add to celery and onions. Cook peas. Drain juice from peas and save to add to liquid. Put juices into boiler and thicken with flour and seasonings. Alternate layers of peas and vegetable mixture in greased casserole dish, ending with vegetable mixture. Add thickened liquid. Top with cracker crumbs. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.
SPICE PARISIENNE –
MAKE YOUR OWN!
3 bay leaves
1 tablespoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons ground white pepper
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1-1/2 teaspoons ground mace
2 tablespoons ground black pepper
1 tablespoon grated nutmeg
1 tablespoon ground thyme
1-1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
Steps:
Grind salt and bay leaves together into a coarse mixture. In a separate bowl, blend the other ingredients together thoroughly. Place in sealable jars or storage containers.
FRIED GREEN TOMATOES
The Progressive Farmer’s
SOUTHERN Cookbook
4 large green tomatoes
1/2 cup flour or cornmeal
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Cut firm green tomatoes into 1/4-inch slices. Mix flour or cornmeal with salt and pepper. Dip tomatoes in this mixture. Place in heavy skillet containing melted bacon fat. Fry slowly until brown, turning once. Yield: 6 servings.
FRIED TOMATOES
The Progressive Farmer’s
SOUTHERN Cookbook
Select firm, partially ripe tomatoes. Cut into thick slices. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle flour over each slice. Fry in hot butter or margarine, or fat. Cook to light brown on each side. Remove tomatoes. Make a gravy of 1 cup whole milk, 1 tablespoon butter or margarine, and 1 tablespoon flour. Mix and cook over low heat. Pour over tomatoes and serve hot.
LAURETTA MAYS’
BUTTERMILK ROLLS
Recipe from Food Favorites of Plains, Georgia Plains Pot Pourri
5 cups self-rising flour
1 tablespoon sugar
3/4 cup shortening
1 cake or package yeast
1/2 cup lukewarm (not hot) water
2 cups buttermilk (whole milk can be used)
Dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup water.
Sift dry ingredients together. Blend in shortening until thoroughly blended. Add buttermilk and yeast. Work together with a large spoon. This mixture will be sticky. Put into greased muffin tins. Bake at 425 degrees until browned. The remaining dough can be stored in a covered container in the refrigerator for days.
JOAN BYERS’
PEANUT BUTTER PIE
Recipe from New Vision
Community Church
FEEDING THE FLOCK
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1/3 cup peanut butter
2 tablespoons cocoa (optional)
1 teaspoon vanilla
8 ounces whipped topping
1 graham cracker or baked 9-inch pie crust
Mix first five ingredients until fluffy. Add topping and mix well. Spread into pie shell. Chill well.
