Stan Smith’s Chicken a la King, found in A Taste of Heaven, is wonderful when served over toast points, rice, noodles, or bread. There is no salt called for in this recipe, but it is probably salted with the addition of the one bouillon cube. 

In her book titled Gullah Geechee Home Cooking, Mrs. Emily Meggett says, “Frying Seafood can be a tricky thing. It’s a fast process, but the key is to add just enough oil, and make sure the oil is hot enough for the oysters to actually fry instead of just soaking up the cooking oil. If you have a deep-fry thermometer, clip it to the side of the skillet and heat the oil over medium heat until the thermometer registers 350 degrees Fahrenheit. If you don’t have a thermometer, just drop one oyster in on its side and cook: It should be golden brown on that side within one minute.” 

Charleston Receipts shares Hush Puppies from Mrs. Taft Walker. This will go very well with the oysters recipe, above. 

Spinach au Gratin from Charleston Receipts looks like a dish suitable for supper or a special occasion. It was contributed by Mrs. Thomas A. Huguenin (Mary Vereen). It calls for fresh spinach, chopped hard-boiled eggs, and grated sharp cheese.  

The Apopka Historical Society shares their recipe for Potatoes Italian in Preserving the Big Potato. We thank those wonderful folks for all the good work they do for our community. 

Nana Morris’ Bran Muffins looks like a great recipe, especially if you choose to use the optional raisins. I might use a whole cup of raisins! Nana’s recipe comes from our friend Susan’s The Jones-Morris Family Treasury. Nana adds a few cautionary notes at the end. 

Verlina’s Calamondin Pie recipe came from one of our readers a while back. Our contributor, Verlina Keener said, “This is in response to your encouraging Apopkans to send in their traditional family recipes.” She adds, “The Calamondin is a small citrus fruit that is a cross between a lime and mandarin orange. It is grown in Southeast Asia and the Philippines. They were imported from China and have been grown throughout Florida since the early 1900s. Growing season is in the early spring and summer months. I get mine from my father’s tree or the Asian supermarket (Dong Ah Supermarket on Mills Avenue). I am part Filipino and make this traditional pie for my family.” 

Simply as a reminder, Verlina sent in her recipe for calamondin pie because of our encouragement to all of our readers to send in their traditional family recipes. We encourage you to send in any of your recipes that stand out in your mind as a food that would be enjoyed by our readership! Please don’t be shy about sharing. They don’t have to be old family recipes, simply recipes that you love and wish to share. 

STAN SMITH’S CHICKEN A LA KING 
Recipe from First Presbyterian Church of Punta Gorda, A Taste of Heaven 

1/4 cup margarine 
1 to 2 cups mushrooms 
Green pepper, chopped 
1/4 cup flour 
1 chicken bouillon cube 
1/8 teaspoon pepper 
Thyme 
Tabasco 
2 cups milk 
1/4 cup sherry 
2 cups chopped chicken 
9 ounces frozen peas, thawed and drained 
2 ounces pimento, drained 

In a medium saucepan, melt margarine and sauté mushrooms and green pepper. Stir in flour, bouillon cube, pepper, thyme and Tabasco. Gradually add milk. Cook over medium-high heat until thickened, stirring constantly. Add sherry, chicken, peas and pimento. Simmer 5 minutes. Serve over toast points, rice or biscuits. 

EMILY MEGGETT’S FRIED OYSTERS 
Recipe from Gullah Geechee Home Cooking by Emily Meggett 

2 large eggs, beaten 
1 tablespoon grated onion 
1/3 cup self-rising flour 
1 pint shucked oysters 
2 cups vegetable oil 
1 lemon, quartered 
Cocktail sauce for serving 

1) In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs. Add the onion and flour, creating a batter. Set aside. 2) Drain the shucked oysters, and add them all at once to the batter. Mix the oysters and batter together, coating the oysters in the batter. 3) Pour the oil into a large cast-iron skillet. Heat the oil over high heat. There must be enough oil for the oysters to float, and the oil should be hot enough so the oysters don’t sit and soak up all the oil. Once you have enough hot oil, reduce the heat to medium. 4) In batches, spoon the oysters into the hot oil and cook for about 1 minute on each side, until golden brown. Remove the fried oysters to a plate covered with a paper towel to drain. Serve the oysters with the lemon quarters and cocktail sauce. 

MRS. TAFT WALKER (MARY TAFT) HUSH PUPPIES 
Recipe from Charleston Receipts 

2 cups corn meal 
1 teaspoon soda 
1 teaspoon salt 
2 tablespoons flour 
1 tablespoon baking powder 
Red pepper, to taste 
6 tablespoons chopped onion 
1 egg 
2 cups buttermilk 

Mix all dry ingredients, add chopped onion; then buttermilk and egg, beaten together. Drop by small spoonfuls into boiling deep fat. They will float whendone. Drain on brown paper. Serves 8. 

MRS. THOMAS A. HUGUENIN’S SPINACH AU GRATIN 
Recipe from Charleston Receipts  

2 pounds fresh spinach 
4 tablespoons melted butter 
2 tablespoons flour 
1-1/2 cups sharp cheese (grated) 
4 hard-boiled eggs (chopped) 
Salt and cayenne to taste 

Wash spinach thoroughly, then place moist spinach in a saucepan without adding more water. Cover and cook for seven minutes or until tender. Drain well. Mix two tablespoons butter and the flour and add spinach. Season well with salt and cayenne. Add the other tablespoons melted butter, chopped eggs and one cup grated cheese. Mix well. Put in buttered casserole and cover with 1/2 cup grated cheese. Brown for 25 minutes at 350 degrees. Serves six. 

POTATOES ITALIAN 
Recipe from Apopka Historical Society, Preserving the Big Potato 

4 large baking potatoes 
1 teaspoon olive oil 
3 medium tomatoes, sliced 
1 large Spanish onion, sliced thin 
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese 
1 cup provolone cheese 
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese 
1/2 teaspoon oregano 
1/2 teaspoon pepper 
1-1/2 tablespoon butter 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Peel and slice potatoes 1/4-inch thick. Oil a 9 x 13-inch casserole with the olive oil. Combine the three cheeses. Arrange potatoes, tomatoes, and onion slices in layers, sprinkling each layer with cheeses and seasonings, ending with a layer of potatoes sprinkled with the cheeses and seasonings. Dot with butter and bake uncovered for 50 minutes or until vegetables are tender and the top brown. 

NANA MORRIS’ REFRIGERATED BRAN MUFFINS 
Recipe from The Jones-Morris Family Treasury 

1-1/2 cup sugar 
1/2 cup shortening 
2 eggs 
2-1/2 cups flour 
2-1/2 teaspoons baking soda 
1/2 teaspoon salt 
2 cups buttermilk 
1 cup boiling water 
1 cup 100% Bran Buds 
2 cups ALL BRAN 
Raisins (optional) 

Pour boiling water over Bran Buds. Set aside. Cream sugar and shortening. Add eggs, then buttermilk. Sift dry ingredients and stir in BY HAND. Stir in ALL BRAN and moistened Bran Buds. Stir in raisins as desired. Cover tightly and put in refrigerator overnight. NEVER stir after placing in refrigerator. Spray muffin tins with PAM. Fill with mixture. Bake 20-25 minutes at 400 degrees. 

VERLINA’S CALAMONDIN PIE 
Recipe from Reader of The Apopka Chief  

5 egg yolks, beaten 
1 can of condensed milk 
1/2 cup freshly squeezed Calamondin juice 
1 pre-made graham cracker crust 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix first three ingredients together. Pour into graham cracker crust. Bake for 15 minutes. Cool to room temperature and then refrigerate until chilled.