Lemon Cheesecake uses a lemon-flavored, flour pie crust

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Janell Maxwell shares her delicious Cashew Chicken in Northside Baptist Church’s cookbook. She adds her time-saving tips for our convenience.

Chicken Cranberry Salad from Paths of Sunshine Cookbook published by Florida Federation of Garden Clubs sounds delicious.

Asparagus Vinaigrette from Southern Living’s All-Time Favorites looks to be a terrific dish. Make it a day ahead and serve it cold.

We have a lemon cheesecake recipe from Savannah Style that uses a regular flour pie crust, flavored with lemon – for Carolyn, a reader, who says lemon is one of her favorites!

Mary Tice’s Green Tomato Ketchup looks intriguing. It sounds sort of like a relish. I believe it might be very good. This recipe is shared by Apopka Citizen Police Alumni’s Sharing Our Finest Cookbook.

JANELL MAXWELL’S

CASHEW CHICKEN

Northside Baptist Church

1 package uncooked chicken breasts, deboned and cut into 3/4-inch to 1-inch pieces

3 eggs

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 cup flour

1 teaspoon salt

Mix together eggs, soy sauce, flour and salt. Stir in chicken pieces. Let sit for 10 minutes. Deep fry until golden brown. Set aside for later.

Sauce:

4 chicken bouillon cubes

1 teaspoon salt

1-1/2 cups water, boiling on stove while dissolving bouillon cubes

1/2 cup cold water with 2-1/2 tablespoons cornstarch

After bouillon cubes are dissolved, add other sauce ingredients. Bring to a boil and add cold water with cornstarch. Let thicken. Place deep fried chicken on plate, pour some sauce over it and top with chopped green onions and cashews. Serve over cooked rice. Serves four.

Personal notes: I find that I can break up the bouillon cubes before adding them to the water to save on time. Also, I omit the salt in the sauce and use a tablespoon or two of additional soy sauce so the sauce is a darker color (my preference). This recipe is easy to double or triple for serving larger crowds. Another time-saving tip if you are cooking a larger amount of chicken: you can make the chicken the day before and store it in the refrigerator overnight. Next day, spread the chicken out on a cookie sheet and bake in the oven at 425 degrees, stirring occasionally, just long enough to get it hot and crisp it up.

CHICKEN CRANBERRY SALAD

Recipe from Florida Federation of Garden Clubs

Paths of Sunshine Cookbook

3 cups cooked chicken, diced

1-1/2 cups diced celery

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 cup mayonnaise

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1/2 cup almonds, toasted

1 envelope unflavored gelatin

1/4  cup cold water

1/4 cup hot water

Topping:

1 (8 ounce) can jellied cranberry sauce

1 (3 ounce) package lemon gelatin

3/4 cup boiling water

1 (6 ounce) can frozen orange juice

Grease 8- or 9-inch square pan with mayonnaise. Combine chicken, celery, parsley, salt, pepper, cream, mayonnaise, lemon juice and almonds in large mixing bowl. Refrigerate for one hour. Combine gelatin with cold water and let stand for five minutes. Add hot water; stir to dissolve gelatin. Add to chicken mixture. Press into prepared pan and refrigerate until set. Beat cranberry sauce in small bowl with electric mixer at high speed until fluffy. Dissolve lemon gelatin in boiling water in large bowl. Add orange juice and combine with cranberry sauce; mix well. Pour over chicken mixture. Refrigerate until set. Cut into squares and serve on lettuce leaves. Preparation time: 25 minutes. Chilling time: 6 to 8 hours, divided. Serves 6 to 8.

ASPARAGUS VINAIGRETTE

Recipe from Southern Living

All-Time Favorites

3 pounds fresh asparagus, trimmed

1 sweet red pepper, seeded and cut into strips

1/2 cup vegetable oil, divided

1/4 cup white wine vinegar

2 tablespoons water

1 tablespoon grated onion

1 teaspoon dry mustard

1/2 teaspoon salt

Pinch of pepper

Arrange asparagus in a steamer basket over boiling water. Cover and steam 8 minutes or until crisp-tender. Plunge asparagus into ice water; drain.

Saute red pepper strips in 1 tablespoon hot oil in a skillet over medium-high heat until crisp-tender. Plunge pepper strips into ice water to stop the cooking process; drain.

Place asparagus spears and pepper strips in a large shallow dish. Combine remaining oil, wine vinegar, and remaining five ingredients; pour over vegetables. Cover and chill at least 8 hours; serve with a slotted spoon.

Makes 12 servings.

LEMON CHEESECAKE

Recipe from Savannah Style,

a Cookbook by The Junior League of Savannah, Inc.

Crust:

3/4 cup butter, softened

1 egg

1-1/4 cups flour

1/3 cup plus 1 teaspoon sugar

Peel of 1 small lemon, grated

4 drops lemon extract

In a small bowl and at low speed of mixer, mix butter, egg, flour, 1/3 cup sugar, lemon peel and lemon extract. Shape the dough into a ball. Wrap in waxed paper and chill 1 hour. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Press one-third of the dough into the bottom of a spring form pan. Sprinkle with remaining 1 teaspoon sugar. Bake for 8 minutes. Cool.  Reset oven temperature to 475 degrees Fahrenheit.

Filling:

5 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, room temperature

1/4 cup milk

1-3/4 cups sugar

3 tablespoons flour

4 eggs

Peel of 1 small lemon, grated

In a large bowl, at medium speed of mixer, beat cream cheese with milk until smooth and fluffy. Slowly beat in sugar. With mixer on low speed, beat in flour and remaining ingredients. Beat at medium speed for 5 minutes.

Press remaining dough around sides of pan to within 1 inch of the top. Do not bake yet. Pour cream cheese mixture into pan. Bake for 12 minutes. Turn oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit and bake 35 additional minutes. Leave cheese cake in oven at least 30 minutes to cool, then cool on a wire rack. Chill overnight if possible, remove from spring form pan and serve. If cake appears to be too soft in the center after the 35 minutes at 300 degrees Fahrenheit, extend the time 10 to 20 minutes.

MARY TICE’S

GREEN TOMATO KETCHUP

Recipe from Apopka Citizen Police Alumni Association,

Sharing Our Finest Cookbook

1 gallon green tomatoes, ground and squeezed lightly

1 gallon ground cabbage

2 or 3 hot peppers (optional)

8 sweet green peppers

2 cups vinegar

2 cups sugar

Salt to taste

2 or 3 onions (if desired)

Mix all ingredients in order listed. Pack in quart jars and seal. Store in cool dry place.