My niece, Margaret Biddle down in Bowling Green, called me, excited about a recipe that she called Moroccan Chicken Stew. She had just tried it, and she loved it; true to her word, she has emailed the recipe to me. We have it below for you. It’s made with chicken thighs, so it is probably a thrifty dish. You can switch out other chicken parts if you’d rather have them, but if you stick with thighs, it’ll be tasty because thighs have a higher concentration of chicken fat. 

Here is a recipe for Country Fried Cabbage from The Original Country Cookbook. As it calls for bacon fat, you may choose to replace it with butter or vegetable fat, if you do not use pork.  

From the book, Field to Feast, we have a wonderful fresh salad using baby greens, strawberries and lime vinaigrette. The recipe comes from Gary Wishnatzki, third generation owner of Wish Farms, who is the grandson of Russian immigrant Harris Wishnatzki, a fruit and vegetable pushcart peddler in 1920s New York City. The summarization of this recipe says: “The citrusy tang of lime vinaigrette is a great match for the sweet strawberries. If you don’t like blue cheese, you can swap it for soft goat cheese, or leave it out altogether.” 

We have Hummingbird Cake from Southern Living, article written by Pam Lolley. She says, “Hummingbird Cake is a Southern gem that boasts three incredibly moist layers flavored with canned pineapple and bananas.”  

Marvin Woods’ Made-from-Scratch Lemonade from The New Low-Country Cooking looks as if it is going to be the best lemonade we’ve ever had. And let’s try his Iced Tea recipe, too. He says, “Did you know that iced tea was born at the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair? How it became one of the South’s most celebrated drinks isn’t really known.” It can be made in several ways. Whether you like it with or without lemon and sugar is completely up to you. But, I can tell Marv why Iced Tea is so popular: It’s because it is so delicious and thirst quenching and… there is nothing else like it! 

MOROCCAN CHICKEN STEW 
Contributed by Margaret Biddle, Reader 

INGREDIENTS: 
2 tablespoons olive oil 
8 (4 ounce) skinless, bone-in chicken thighs 
2 medium red onions, sliced 
1 large green pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces 
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped 
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 
1 tablespoon curry powder 
1 (10.75 ounce) can Campbell’s® Condensed Tomato Soup 
1 each 2.25-ounce can sliced black olives  
1/3 cup golden raisins 
1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained 
1/3 cup slivered almonds, toasted 

DIRECTIONS: 
1) Heat the oil in a 5-quart saucepot over medium high heat. Add the chicken in batches and cook until well browned on both sides. Remove the chicken from the saucepot; set aside. 2) Reduce the heat to medium. Add the onions, pepper and garlic and cook for 5 minutes or until they’re tender-crisp. 3) Add the cinnamon and curry and cook and stir for 1 minute. 4) Stir in the soup and heat to a boil. 5) Return the chicken to the saucepot. 6) Reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook for 15 minutes. 7) Stir the raisins and chickpeas into the saucepot. Cook for 10 minutes more or until the chicken is cooked through. 8) Stir in the toasted almonds. Serve hot. 

COUNTRY FRIED CABBAGE 
Recipe from Paragon Products, Inc.,  
The Original Country Cookbook 

INGREDIENTS: 
1 small head green cabbage, shredded 
3 tablespoons (or more) bacon fat 
2 teaspoons red pepper flakes 
Salt to taste 

DIRECTIONS: 
1) Wash cabbage and shred by cutting into quarters, then making thin slices across the cut sides of the cabbage. 2) Discard the core and any tough ribs. 3) Heat bacon fat in iron Dutch oven, put in the cabbage, and stir until it is all glistening. 4) Lower the heat, add pepper flakes, and continue cooking and turning until it is barely tender. 

GARY WISHNATZKI’S BABY GREENS WITH STRAWBERRIES AND LIME VINAIGRETTE 
Recipe from Field to Feast, by Pam Brandon, Katie Farmand, and Heather McPherson 

INGREDIENTS: 
3 tablespoons vegetable oil 
1-1/2 tablespoons white-wine vinegar 
1-1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice 
1 tablespoon honey 
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt 
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 
8 cups lightly packed baby greens 
1 pint strawberries, stemmed and sliced 
1/3 cup coarsely chopped red onion 
6 tablespoons toasted and chopped pecans 
6 tablespoons crumbled blue cheese 
6 tablespoons crumbled cooked bacon 

DIRECTIONS: 
1) Whisk together oil, vinegar, lime juice, honey, salt, and pepper. Set aside. 2) Toss together baby greens, strawberries, and onion. 3) Add vinaigrette and toss to coat. Top each serving with 1 tablespoon pecans, 1 tablespoon blue cheese, and 1 tablespoon bacon. 

HUMMINGBIRD CAKE 
Recipe from Southernliving.com/recipes 

INGREDIENTS: 
CAKE LAYERS – 
3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pans 
2 cups granulated sugar 
1 teaspoon table salt 
1 teaspoon baking soda 
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 
3 large eggs, lightly beaten 
1-1/2 cups vegetable oil 
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract 
1 (8-ounce) can crushed pineapple in juice, undrained (such as Publix Crushed Pineapple in Pineapple Juice) 
2 cups chopped bananas (about 4 medium bananas) 
1 cup chopped pecans, toasted 
Vegetable shortening 

DIRECTIONS: 
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Make cake batter: Whisk together: flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon in a large bowl; add eggs and oil, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened. Stir in vanilla, pineapple, bananas, and toasted pecans. 2) Add batter to cake pans: Divide batter evenly among three well-greased (with shortening) and floured 9-inch round cake pans. 3) Bake cake layers: Bake in preheated oven until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes. Remove from pans to wire racks, and cool completely, about one hour.  

INGREDIENTS: 
CREAM CHEESE FROSTING – 
2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened 
1 cup unsalted butter, softened 
2 (16-ounce) packages powdered sugar 
2 teaspoons vanilla extract 

ADDITIONAL INGREDIENT: 1 cup pecan halves, toasted 

DIRECTIONS: 
4) Prepare the Cream Cheese Frosting: Beat cream cheese and butter with an electric mixer on medium-low speed until smooth. Gradually add powdered sugar, beating at low speed until blended after each addition. Stir in vanilla. Increase speed to medium-high, and beat until fluffy, one to two minutes. 5) Assemble Cake: Place first cake layer on a serving platter; spread top with 1 cup of the frosting. Top with second layer and spread with 1 cup frosting. Top with third layer; spread remaining frosting over top and sides of cake. Arrange toasted pecan halves on top of cake in a circular pattern. Yield: 1 (3-layer) cake, servings: 12. 

ICED TEA 
The New Low-Country Cooking 
by Marvin Woods 

INGREDIENTS: 
6 to 8 tea bags 
6 cups boiling water 
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (optional) 
1/4 cup granulated sugar (optional) 

DIRECTIONS: 
Place the tea bags in a large heatproof pitcher. Pour the boiling water over the tea bags. Let stand for 3 to 5 minutes, or longer for stronger tea. Remove the tea bags. Add the lemon, if desired. Stir in the sugar, if desired, until dissolved. Let cool. Pour over ice and serve. 

MADE-FROM-SCRATCH LEMONADE 
The New Low-Country Cooking by Marvin Woods 

INGREDIENTS: 
2 quarts water 
Juice of 6 lemons 
Juice of 2 oranges 
Juice of 1 lime 
1 cup granulated sugar (give or take a little, according to your preference) 

DIRECTIONS: 
Mix all the ingredients together in a pitcher. Stir until the sugar dissolves. Serve in chilled glasses filled with ice.