Pepare ahead for Thanksgiving with these varied recipes

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From Foliage La Sertoma of Apopka we have a recipe for marinated oysters, served cold, over salad greens.

Old Fashioned Mac ‘n Cheese from Muellers is a recipe loved by everyone. I’ve used this very same recipe for years.

Lisa McClung shares her Spicy Black Bean Soup in New Vision Community Church’s Feeding the Flock. Three 15-ounce cans of black beans, called for in this recipe, will yield 4-1/2 cups or 27 ounces of DRAINED beans. If you’re a bean snob (or cheap like me) and choose to go the dry bean route, a rule of thumb is 1 cup dried beans = 3 cups of cooked beans. Obviously, you MUST cook the dried beans before making the soup. Figuring out how much you need for the soup below is your homework for today! (But I would use 1.5 cups of dried beans for this recipe.)

It won’t be long before we are wondering, “What am I going to do with this left-over Thanksgiving turkey?” Tracy Watson of the Apopka Citizen Police Alumni Association has a wonderful suggestion for us published in Sharing Our Finest Cookbook.

Lemon Cheese Cake from Plains Pot Pourri submitted by Kaye Morris will make your day. It looks scrump-dilly-icious!

We have Buck Benton’s Pecan Pie. Buck is my sister Sally’s deceased husband. Folks say, “It’s the best pecan pie I have ever tasted!” Buck carpeted the top of that pie wall-to-wall with pecans. He also made an aluminum foil “fold-over collar” to shield the rim of crust to prevent over-browning. Mama used moistened cotton strips for that purpose when we didn’t have aluminum foil back in WW-II days. Pre-bake (partially) the pie shell using pie weights (or dry beans on parchment paper).

MARINATED OYSTERS

Recipe from Cooking with

Foliage La Sertoma of Apopka

1 pint oysters, fresh or frozen

1 pint cherry tomatoes

6 ounces fresh whole mushrooms

6 green onions, cut into 2-inch lengths

1/4 cup chopped pimento

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup salad or olive oil

1/2 cup water

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano leaves, crumbled

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Salad greens

1 teaspoon seasoned salt

Thaw oysters if frozen. Drain oysters. Remove any remaining shell particles. Rinse cherry tomatoes in cold water. Clean mushrooms thoroughly with a damp cloth. Cut large mushrooms in half. In a 2-quart bowl, combine oysters, cherry tomatoes, mushrooms, green onion and pimento. In a 1-quart bowl, combine vinegar, salad oil, water, garlic, sugar, salt, oregano and pepper. Mix thoroughly until sugar is dissolved. Pour marinade over oysters and vegetables. Cover loosely and marinate in the refrigerator at least 12 hours. Drain. Serve on salad greens. Makes approximately 1-1/2 quarts.

OLD FASHIONED

MAC ‘N CHEESE FROM MUELLERS

8 ounces (1/2 pkg) Mueller’s Elbows

1/4 cup margarine or butter

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/8 teaspoon dry mustard

1/8 teaspoon salt (optional)

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

2 cups milk

2 cups (8 ounces) shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1 cup croutons

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook pasta for 3 minutes and drain well. In medium saucepan, melt butter. Blend in flour, mustard, salt, and pepper. Gradually add milk and cook until mixture is smooth and bubbly, stirring constantly. Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture boils, stirring constantly. Turn heat to low, and simmer 1 minute, stirring constantly. Gradually mix in cheese and stir until cheese is melted. Add pasta; mix lightly. Pour into 2-quart casserole. Top with croutons. Bake uncovered 25 minutes or until temperature reaches 165-175 degrees.

LISA MCCLUNG’S

SPICY BLACK BEAN SOUP

Recipe from New Vision

Community Church’s

Feeding the Flock

3 cans (15 ounce) Progresso Black Beans (drained)

1-1/2 (14 ounce) cans of chicken broth

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 cloves of garlic (minced)

2 bottles (16 ounce) Old El Paso Thick ‘n’ Chunky Salsa

1 tablespoon crushed red pepper

1 cup chopped onion

1 bag shredded sharp cheese

Heat onion, garlic and red pepper in olive oil until tender. Add black beans, salsa and chicken broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer 25-30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve with shredded sharp cheese on top. Serves 8.

TRACEY WATSON’S TURKEY HASH

Recipe from Apopka Citizen Police Alumni Association,

Sharing Our Finest Cookbook

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

2 cups cubed, boiled potatoes (new potatoes)

2 or 2-1/2 cups cubed, cooked turkey, white or dark

Broth or leftover gravy from cooked turkey

Salt if desired

Pepper to taste

1-1/2 tablespoon Italian bread crumbs

Stir-fry all in a large frypan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. After done stir-frying, pour into baking dish. Sprinkle in bread crumbs. Bake 30 to 40 minutes or until golden brown.

KAYE MORRIS’

LEMON CHEESE CAKE

Recipe from Food Favorites of Plains, Georgia

Plains Pot Pourri

1 cup butter

2 cups sugar

3-1/3 cups sifted flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

8 egg whites

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Sift dry ingredients together. Add flour mixture, milk and vanilla to creamed mixture gradually, beating after each addition. Fold in stiffly beaten egg whites. Spoon batter into three greased and floured pans (9-inch). Bake until done and cool thoroughly before removing from pans.

Filling:

8 egg yolks

1 cup lemon juice (fresh)

3 tablespoons flour

2-1/2 cups sugar

1/4 pound (1 stick) butter

Beat all ingredients and 1/2 cup hot water together well in a double boiler. Cook, stirring constantly, over boiling water until of spreading consistency. Spread on and between layers.

BUCK BENTON’S PECAN PIE

Recipe from Reader of The Apopka Chief and Planter Newspapers

1/2 stick (1/4 cup) butter

1 cup light-brown sugar

1 cup white corn syrup

3 eggs

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon flour

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 9-inch pie shell

1 cup-plus pecans

Using your electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar together. Add the syrup and whip until light. In a separate bowl, whip the eggs and salt together until light and fluffy. Combine the eggs with the sugar mixture along with the flour, vanilla, and cinnamon. Mix well and pour into lightly-browned pie crust. Add an aluminum foil shield to the rim of the crust to prevent over-browning. Sprinkle pecans liberally on top and bake in a 350-degree oven for 50 minutes.