Hawaiian Chicken comes from The Jones-Morris Family Treasury, which our friend and former colleague, Susan, loaned us. Connie Polanshek uses one broiler or four boneless breasts, pineapple chunks, and coconut. Her recipe is below.

Chuckie’s Chuckwagon Stew sounds interesting and flavorful. It sounds like Chuckie (from Punta Gorda) has a great time in the kitchen while he is cooking, and cooking should be an enjoyable adventure for us since we spend a lot of time doing it!

Here is a Marvin Woods recipe for Sweet Potato Fries. It looks scrump-dilly-icious! He says, “Simple to make, these are a nice change of pace from ordinary French fries. I serve these fries with steak or pork chops, but they work well with most anything that you would ordinarily serve with French fries.”

And from Country Cookin’, we have Split-Pea Soup that was made famous at The Little Inn in Homosassa. This is the book that Joyce LaFray Young wrote featuring famous dishes from all over Florida.

If you like a salad extravaganza, try this Wilted Spinach Delight! It’s from Pana-
ma City’s Canary Cottage, also featured in Joyce LaFray Young’s book, Country Cookin’.

Green tomato Pie comes from Treasures and Pleasures. This is a recipe from Betty Land, a dear lady and great friend of ours who is “gone, but not forgotten.”

CONNIE POLANSHEK’S HAWAIIAN CHICKEN
Recipe from The Jones-Morris Family Treasury

1 broiler chicken, quartered (or 4 boneless breasts)
1 onion, diced
1 garlic clove
1 can pineapple chunks
3 tablespoons light soy sauce
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup coconut
1 cup water
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 cup cold water
1 diced green pepper
1/2 cup sliced celery
2 medium tomatoes peeled and cut up
Rice, cooked

Fry chicken in small amount of oil. Remove from pan, put aside. Add onion and garlic; fry until cooked. Drain syrup from pineapple chunks, add syrup to onion
and garlic. Return chicken to pan. Add soy sauce, bay leaf, coconut, and water. Cook 30 minutes. Mix cornstarch with 1/4 cup water. Stir quickly into chicken mixture. Finally, stir in pineapple chunks and vegetables. Simmer 10 minutes. Serve over rice.

CHUCKIE’S CHUCKWAGON STEW
Recipe from First Presbyterian Church, Punta Gorda, Florida, A Taste of Heaven

2-1/2 pounds beef cubes (5 cups)
2 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon paprika
1 teaspoon chili powder
2 teaspoons salt
3 tablespoons lard (or any shortening)
2 onions, sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 (28 ounce) can tomatoes
3 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon dry crushed red pepper
2 cups potatoes, chopped
2 cups carrots, chopped

1) Coat beef in a mixture of flour, paprika, salt and 1 teaspoon chili powder. Mix well before coating meat. Brown in hot fat in a large Dutch-oven or roasting pan. 2) Add onions and garlic and cook until onions are soft. 3) Add tomatoes, chili powder, cinnamon, cloves and red pepper. 4) Cover and simmer for about two hours. 5) Add potatoes and carrots and cook until vegetables are done, about 45 minutes. Feeds six cowboys or eight city slickers.

SWEET POTATO FRIES
The New Low-Country Cooking by Marvin Woods

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon celery salt
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
Vegetable oil for deep frying
6 sweet potatoes, cut into julienne strips

1) In a small bowl, stir together the nutmeg, chili powder, cayenne, celery salt,
coriander, and cumin. 2) In a deep fryer or a large deep skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat until it registers 375 degrees Fahrenheit on a deep-fat thermometer. Add the sweet potato strips and cook until crispy and golden, 5 to 7 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the cooked sweet potatoes to several layers of paper towels to drain. Sprinkle with the spice mixture.

SPLIT-PEA SOUP FROM THE LITTLE INN IN HOMOSASSA
Recipe from Country Cookin’ by Joyce LaFray Young

1 cup split peas (allow peas to soak overnight before cooking)
2 to 4 cups water
1 carrot (diced)
1 small onion (diced)
Ham bone
1/2 teaspoon celery salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Salt and pepper to taste
3 cups milk

1) Wash peas several times, then place them in pan with water and allow to soak
overnight. 2) The next day, add carrot, onion, and ham bone. Cook over medium heat until it boils. Simmer uncovered until peas are tender, about 1-1/2 hours. 3) Remove ham bone and press the material through a sieve. Return to pot with liquid they were cooked in. Add seasonings, milk, and any meat pieces from bone. 4) Heat through, stirring to thicken. Serve hot. Serves 4 to 6. Note says: “Lip-smacking good with cornbread.”

WILTED SPINACH DELIGHT FROM CANARY COTTAGE IN PANAMA CITY
Recipe from Country Cookin’ by Joyce LaFray Young

1/2 pound bacon
1/2 to 3/4 cups sugar (or sugar substitute)
2 tablespoons dry mustard
1 cup vinegar
1/4 cup water
1 pound fresh spinach (washed,
cleaned, torn into bite-size pieces)
3 tomatoes (cut into wedges)
1/2 cup scallions (sliced)
2 hard boiled eggs (chopped fine)
1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese
12 fresh mushrooms (sliced)

1) Place bacon in frying pan and fry until crisp. Remove bacon and allow to
cool. Crumble. Set aside. 2) Add sugar, dry mustard, and vinegar to bacon drippings. Stir to blend. Add water. Stir. Bring to boil. Simmer 5 minutes while arranging salads. 3) Place spinach on salad plates. Arrange the other ingredients on top, including the crumbled bacon. 4) Spoon the hot sauce over and serve immediately. Variation: Use yellow squash that has been sliced thin. Serves 4-6. Cooking: 10 minutes.

BETTY LAND’S GREEN TOMATO PIE
Recipe from First Presbyterian Church of Apopka, Treasures and Pleasures

4 medium size green tomatoes, unpeeled and diced
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 tablespoon plain flour
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup sugar (I use brown)
Grated rind of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon butter
Pastry for 2-crust pie

Mix flour, cinnamon and brown sugar. Stir into tomatoes along with vinegar, lem-
on rind and diced butter. Spoon into unbaked pastry shell. Make slits in top pastry and roll onto pie filling. Seal edges. Brush lightly with cream and sprinkle with sugar. Bake at 450 degrees for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake 30 to 40 minutes longer. Lay foil under dish while baking; sometimes it will run over. Makes 9-inch pie.