Next Monday is Memorial Day. Originally known as Decoration Day, this is a day when we reflect on and honor veterans and those in the military who were killed in overseas deployments or in service or training in the US. It is a somber day of reflection, one of honoring those who lost their lives in service to our country, not a “happy” day of celebration.
Having said that, we often spend Memorial Day with friends and relatives while we are honoring the people who have passed while serving our country. Sharing time for courteous regard is honored in our country, and the sharing of food is part of this tradition.
We have dry rubbed ribs from Palmetto Creek Farms which comes from the book titled From Field to Feast. This is simple to prepare and absolutely delicious. The ribs are oven baked in heavy-duty foil packets you make and seal around the ribs, great for folks who don’t want to fool around with a grill or smoker. I saw the temperature, “250 degrees” and thought I must have made a mistake. But no, the book really says “250 degrees for 2- to 2-1/2 hours.”
Arlen Mizell , who was a true friend and mentor to the community of Apopka, dedicated his life to service in the Lord’s work. His recipe for Baked Beans which he served many times at First Presbyterian Church of Apopka, follows for your celebrations in the coming season.
From What’s Cookin’?, we have Shrimp or Chicken Curry. This recipe was contributed by Mrs. Myrtle Womble who suggests serving it over hot, steamy rice.
Zucchini casserole from Paths of Sunshine published by the Florida Federation of Garden Clubs, is wonderful. Try it. You’ll like it!
Here is a recipe for Charles’ Cornbread from Savannah Style that uses fresh or cream style corn. It is probably wonderfully moist because it also contains sour cream.
From The New York Times NEW Natural Foods Cookbook, by Jean Hewitt, we have Apricot Bar Cookies.
PALMETTO CREEK FARMS,
AVON PARK,
DRY-RUBBED BABY BACK RIBS
Recipe from Field to Feast
1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup paprika
1/4 cup ancho chili powder (dark Mexican chili powder)
4 teaspoons coarse salt
4 teaspoons smoked paprika
4 teaspoons cumin
4 teaspoons cayenne
4 (2-pound) slabs loin back ribs, membrane removed (ask your butcher to do this for you)
For the rub:
Mix brown sugar, paprika, ancho chili powder, salt, smoked paprika, cumin, and cayenne in a small bowl, making sure to break up chunks of brown sugar.
Put ribs bone side up on sheet pan. Season each slab with rub on both sides. Refrigerate at least 1 hour, loosely covered.
Heat oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit. Cut four (12- by 12-inch) square sheets of heavy-duty aluminum foil. Put a slab of ribs, meat side up, on a sheet of foil. Fold ends to make loose packet around each slab; seal. Put packets on sheet pan. Bake 2- to 2-1/2 hours. Check ribs for doneness by gently pulling on bones. When they begin to pull away from meat, they are ready to serve.
ARLEN’S BAKED BEANS
Recipe from Treasures and Pleasures, published 1990 Presbyterian Women, First Presbyterian Church of Apopka
1 gallon B&B beans
1 chopped onion
1/2 bell pepper, chopped fine
12 ounces Grandma’s Molasses
1/2 cup vinegar
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup honey
1/2 pound bacon
1 tablespoon garlic powder
Salt and pepper
Mix all liquid ingredients. Add to beans, onion and bell pepper; add salt, pepper, and garlic. Top with bacon strips. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until beans are brown and bubbly. Serves about 25.
MRS. MYRTLE WOMBLE’S
SHRIMP OR CHICKEN CURRY
Recipe from What’s Cookin’?
Published by
The Apopka Woman’s Club
3 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup minced onion
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
3 tablespoons flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
1 cup chicken broth (or 1 chicken bouillon cube dissolved in 1 cup hot water)
1 cup milk
2 cups cooked, cleaned shrimp or 2 cups cut-up cooked chicken
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
Melt butter over low heat in heavy saucepan. Saute onion and curry powder in melted butter. Blend in flour and seasonings. Cook over low heat until mixture is smooth and bubbly. Remove from heat. Stir in chicken broth and milk. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil 1 minute. Add shrimp or chicken and the lemon juice. Serve over rice. Makes 4 servings.
ZUCCHINI CASSEROLE
Recipe from
Florida Federation of Garden Clubs
Paths of Sunshine Cookbook
4 cups sliced zucchini
2 cups boiling water
2 eggs
1 cup mayonnaise
1 chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped green pepper
1 cup Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons buttered breadcrumbs (optional)
Cook zucchini in water until just tender, then drain. In a large bowl, beat eggs, stir in mayonnaise, onion, green pepper, cheese, salt, and pepper. Add zucchini. Turn into a greased 1-1/2 quart baking dish. Dot with butter and sprinkle with breadcrumbs. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until bubbly. Serves six.
CHARLES’ CORNBREAD
Recipe from Savannah Style,
a Cookbook by
The Junior League of Savannah, Inc.
1 cup corn meal
1/2 cup corn oil
3 teaspoons baking powder
2 eggs
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
1 cup cream style corn, or fresh if available
1 cup sour cream
Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Mix ingredients until blended. Pour into a greased 8- x 8- x 2-inch dish and bake for 30 minutes.
APRICOT BAR COOKIES
THE NEW YORK TIMES
NEW NATURAL FOODS COOKBOOK
Copyright 1982 by Jean Hewitt
1/2 cup honey
1/3 cup molasses
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1-1/2 cups steel cut oats
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup wheat germ
3 tablespoons soy flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup cut-up unsulphured apricots
1 cup raisins
1/2 cup sunflower seed kernels or pumpkin seeds
Orange juice, if necessary
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. 2. Beat together the honey, molasses, and oil very well in an electric mixer, electric blender, or food processor. 3. In a large bowl, combine the oats, whole-wheat flour, wheat germ, soy flour, and salt. Pour in the honey mixture and stir to moisten the dry ingredients. 4. Add the apricots, raisins, and sunflower seed kernels and mix well. If the mixture is very stiff, add a small amount of orange juice. Press the mixture into a well-oiled 9-inch square baking pan. Bake for 20 minutes. Cool in the pan. Cut into squares. Yield: Sixteen squares.
