We thank Joan Tice for her Meat Balls in Sauce that we found in Sharing Our Finest Cookbook from the Apopka Citizen Police Alumni Association. This recipe calls for “ground meat,” so she probably intends that you decide to use whatever you want to use… beef, pork, poultry, or even venison, or combination thereof. Mixed with egg and breadcrumbs, it will all stick together well during cooking. You can serve these meatballs with spaghetti, which probably most of us will choose, but you can think about using spaghetti squash for a different and low-carb meal. Or simply serve it with breadsticks or garlic bread. 

Nita Collins’ Shrimp Newburg from Cooking with Foliage La Sertoma of Apopka looks wonderful. Be mindful when adding the cooked sauce into the beaten egg yolks; you don’t want to harden the yolks, you just want to quickly meld the sauce and the yolks together. Forgive me if I don’t use toast points; I will most certainly have rice as the base for my Shrimp Newburg! 

According to Southern Living, Ratatouille is simply a bunch of vegetables that slowly cook together in a large pot. It was once considered a peasant’s dish, but over time became worthy of appearing on restaurant menus throughout the world. It can be the main dish with a side of crusty bread or served over pasta, mashed potatoes, polenta, quinoa, or rice. The vegetables are somewhat overcooked in a tomatoey sauce, allowing flavors of sweet red pepper and butternut squash to meld with onion, parsnip, and zucchini.  

From the following recipe that comes from Allfoodchef.com, they say, “Although I call this Ratatouille, the name doesn’t do it any justice, as this is the most magnificently delicious dish, nothing like the drab pile of limp zucchini I’d normally associate with the name. I was given the recipe by Tamara Meitlis, a friend and a wise cook who would tell you, and I can’t agree more here, to get all the vegetableprep done before you start cooking. I also advise you to follow the instructions closely; overcooking the vegetables is exactly the point here.”  

Maggie Roland, my husband’s aunt (now deceased), a wonderful lady and so pleasant with her rolling Virginia speech, had a recipe called Apple Dobbler Cake that she used to prepare for us and for her church family for special occasions. And here it is as near as I can read her recipe. If you think, “Where’s the leavening agent,” whenever you combine acidic ingredients with baking soda, it forms a “rising” event in the baking. In this case, the acid is found in the apples and also the brown sugar. The simple topping consists of three ingredients. You can also use it on many otherwise undecorated goodies. 

JOAN TICE’S MEAT BALLS IN SAUCE 
Recipe from Apopka Citizen Police Alumni Association, 
Sharing Our Finest Cookbook 

Meatballs: 
1-1/2 pounds ground meat 
2 eggs 
1/4 cup milk 
1 cup bread crumbs 
1 tablespoon parsley 
1/4 tablespoon Italian seasoning 
1 clove garlic, crushed 
1 teaspoon salt 
1/4 teaspoon pepper 
1 clove garlic 

Mix all ingredients. Shape into balls. Fry in 1/4 cup oil until brown. Fry garlic clove until brown. 

Sauce: 
1 can tomatoes (2 pounds, 3 ounces) 
2 cans tomato paste (12 ounces each) 
3 tablespoons sugar 
1 tablespoon salt 

NITA COLLINS’ SHRIMP NEWBURG 
Recipe from Cooking with Foliage La Sertoma of Apopka 

3/4 pound cooked shrimp 
1/4 cup margarine or butter 
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 
3/4 teaspoon salt 
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper 
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg 
1-1/2 cup Half and Half 
2 egg yolks, beaten 
2 tablespoons sherry 
Toast points 

Cut large shrimp in half. Melt margarine or butter, and blend in flour and seasonings. Add Half and Half gradually and cook until thick and smooth, stirring constantly. Stir a little of the heated sauce into the beaten egg yolks; add to sauce, stirring constantly. Add shrimp; heat. Remove from heat and slowly stir in sherry. Serve immediately on toast points. Makes 6 servings. 

TAMARA’S RATATOUILLE 
Recipe from Allfoodchef.com 

Ingredients: 
7 tablespoon sunflower oil 
2 small onions, cut into 1-1/4-inch dice 
4 garlic cloves, sliced 
1/2 fresh green chile, thinly sliced 
2 small red peppers, cut into 1-1/4-inch dice 
1/2 small butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1-1/4-inch dice 
1 small parsnip, peeled and cut into 1-1/4-inch dice 
1 cup French beans, trimmed 
1 medium zucchini, cut into 1-1/4-inch dice 
1/2 large eggplant, peeled and cut into 1-1/4-inch dice 
1 small potato, peeled and cut into 1-1/4-inch dice 
2 medium tomatoes, peeled and chopped 
1/2 tablespoon sugar 
1 tablespoon tomato paste 
Salt and black pepper 
1 cup water 
Chopped cilantro to garnish (optional) 

Directions:  

1) Pour two-thirds of the oil into a large heavy casserole dish or a pot and place on a medium high heat. Add the onions and fry for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Next, stir in the garlic, chile and red peppers and fry for another 5 minutes. Add the squash and parsnip and continue frying for 5 minutes. 2) Using a slotted spoon, lift the vegetables out of the pot and into a medium bowl, leaving as much of the oil in the pot as possible. Top this up with the remaining oil. Add the French beans, zucchini and eggplant to the hot oil and fry for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. 3) Return the contents of the bowl to the pot. Add the potato, tomatoes, sugar, tomato paste and plenty of salt and pepper. Stir well, then pour in the water, or just enough to half-cover the vegetables. Cover with a lid and leave to simmer gently for 30 minutes. Taste the vegetables and add more salt and pepper, if you like. 4) Finally, preheat the oven to 400°F. Use a slotted spoon to gently lift the vegetables from the pot and into a large, deep roasting pan to make a layer about 1-1/4 inches thick. Pour the liquid over the vegetables and place in the oven to cook for 30 minutes. At this point all the vegetables should be very soft and most of the liquid evaporated. Garnish with cilantro, if you like, and serve. Yield: 4 Servings. 

AUNT MAGGIE’S APPLE DOBBLER CAKE 
Recipe submitted by family of Maggie Roland 

3 eggs 
1-1/2 cups salad (vegetable) oil 
2 cups brown sugar 
3 cups plain flour 
1 teaspoon salt 
1 teaspoon baking soda 
2 teaspoons vanilla 
3 cups chopped apples 
1-1/2 cups chopped pecans 

1) Mix eggs, vegetable oil, and brown sugar, blending them well. Add flour, salt and soda. Mix well. Add vanilla, fold in chopped apples, and pecans. 2) Bake in a greased tube pan at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 1 hour. 3) While cake is still hot, pour topping (below) over the cake in the pan. Let cool completely before removing from pan. 

TOPPING: 
1 cup brown sugar 
1/4 cup milk 
1 stick (4 oz) margarine or butter 

1) Combine ingredients. Cook 1-1/2 minutes until thick. 2) Pour over warm cake in the pan. Cool and serve.