I fixed two chicken breasts last night in my little countertop Cuisinart oven. It is a rare night I don’t use this wonderful convenience. Of course, you CAN fire up your big oven if you want. I timed it from start to finish. It took a little over an hour from freezer to dinner plate! I timed it: 20 minutes to defrost in water (sealed); 20 minutes to marinate; 28 minutes at 375 degrees to reach 165 internal degrees. Labor might have been five minutes. I LOVE my Taylor digital temperature gauge. I used to overcook chicken. What a revelation chicken was when it was not overcooked. Delicious, tender, juicy, flavorful. And since I only ate one, I have the other sealed in a Ziplok for supper some night soon.
Betty Ann Vakauza’s Swedish Meatballs is from the Book of Morris Family Recipes. We thank Susan Nethercote, our friend of many years, for sharing this delightful family history with us. Betty Ann is Susan’s sister.
We have Mary Tice’s Green Tomato Ketchup. It looks intriguing. It sounds sort of like a relish. I believe it might be very good. This recipe is shared by Apopka Citizen Police Alumni’s Sharing Our Finest Cookbook.
From Preserving the Big Potato, compliments of the wonderful Apopka Historical Society, we have potato soup. They make it from refrigerated mashed potatoes, which would be faster than cooking potatoes.
Spinach Salad is a favorite of mine and so many of you readers. Savannah Style’s version is one I want to try very soon.
From Jim Tice, Squash Pickles! Quick, simple, and delicious. This was printed in Apopka Citizen Police Alumni Association’s Sharing Our Finest Cookbook. Thank you, folks, for sharing.
From Charleston Receipts, Miss Matilda Bell shares her recipe for Yummy Cake. It looks to be very simple, and from reading the ingredients, I’ll bet it is delicious! This is a cake you bake in a 9 x 13-inch pan, dress with meringue before you bake it, cool it, and cut into squares!
From the Apopka Woman’s Club’s What’s Cookin’?, we have Mary Moore’s Lemon Cheese Cake. It appears to be very simple and quick. We appreciate you ladies of the Apopka Woman’s Club.
NANCY’S QUICK OVEN BAKED CHICKEN BREASTS
Recipe from Reader of
The Apopka Chief and The Planter
2 chicken breasts, defrosted
2-3 tablespoons Moho Criollo
1 tablespoon Balsamic vinegar
1/4 teaspoon Butt Rub Seasoning (spicy and salty)
1/4 teaspoon Montreal Seasoning (salty)
1/4 teaspoon granulated garlic
1 teaspoon dehydrated onion
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Defrost, rinse, pat dry each breast. For marinade, mix together seasonings, except olive oil. Place marinade (minus oil) in quart-size Ziplok along with the chicken. Marinate for 20 minutes, then add a couple tablespoons extra virgin olive oil to the bag and squish it all around. Place marinated chicken on foiled oven pan. Dribble excess marinade over the chicken. Place the tip of temperature probe in fattest part of the chicken breast. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. I used the convection bake setting. Bake to internal temperature of 165 degrees.
BETTY ANN VAKAUZA’S
SWEDISH MEATBALLS
Recipe from Susan Nethercote’s Book of Morris Family Recipes
2 pounds ground meat (pork, beef, and veal)
2 teaspoons salt
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon
2 eggs
1 cup dry bread crumbs
Milk to moisten
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 onion, chopped and sautéed
Tomato sauce
Mix all ingredients together. Roll into balls, and bake in loaf pan one hour at 350 degrees.
MARY TICE’S
GREEN TOMATO KETCHUP
Recipe from Apopka Citizen Police Alumni Association,
Sharing Our Finest Cookbook
1 gallon green tomatoes, ground and squeezed lightly
1 gallon ground cabbage
2 or 3 hot peppers (optional)
8 sweet green peppers
2 cups vinegar
2 cups sugar
Salt to taste
2 or 3 onions (if desired)
Mix all ingredients in order listed. Pack in quart jars and seal. Store in cool dry place.
GOLDEN GARLIC
AND POTATO SOUP
Recipe from
Apopka Historical Society’s
Preserving the Big Potato –
A Collection of Potato Recipes
1/4 cup diced sweet onion
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup white wine
2 14-ounce cans chicken broth
2 packages (about 2-1/2 pounds) refrigerated mashed potatoes
1/2 cup half and half
1/4 cup diced red bell pepper
Salt to taste
1/4 cup chopped fresh chives
Saute onion and garlic in hot oil in a Dutch oven over medium high heat 5 minutes. (Do not let the garlic burn.) Stir in wine, cook 5 minutes. Whisk in broth and potatoes until smooth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium and simmer 10 minutes. Stir in half and half and bell pepper. Cook 5 more minutes or until thoroughly heated. Add salt to taste. Top with chives.
SPINACH SALAD
Recipe from Savannah Style,
A Cookbook by The Junior League of Savannah, Inc.
1 pound fresh spinach, washed and drained
2 apples, peeled and diced
8 slices bacon, fried and crumbled
1/2 cup almonds, slivered and sautéed in bacon grease
2 green onions, sliced
Dressing:
1 cup oil
3 tablespoons sugar
2-2/3 teaspoons dry mustard
5 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon cider vinegar
Blend dressing thoroughly and toss lightly over salad.
JIM TICE’S SQUASH PICKLES
Recipe from Apopka Citizen Police Alumni Association,
Sharing Our Finest Cookbook
8 cups sliced squash
2 cups sliced onion
1 tablespoon salt
1/2 cup dried green sweet peppers
1 cup cider vinegar
1-3/4 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon celery seed
1/2 teaspoon mustard seed
Combine squash and onion. Sprinkle with salt. Let stand one hour. Combine green peppers, vinegar, sugar, celery seed and mustard seed and bring to a boil. Add squash and onion and return to a boil. Remove from heat and pack into hot jars and cover with vinegar mix.
MISS MATILDA BELL’S
YUMMY CAKE
Recipe from Charleston Receipts, America’s Oldest Junior League Cookbook in Print,
A Cookbook by The Junior League of Charleston, Inc.
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup sugar
1 whole egg
2 eggs, separated
1 teaspoon vanilla
1-1/2 cups self-rising flour, sifted
Meringue ingredients:
2 egg whites
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup nut meats
Cream shortening, add sugar and continue creaming. Add separately: one whole egg and two egg yolks. (Set two egg whites aside for meringue.) Beat well. Add vanilla, then add flour. Beat well. Pour batter in greased 9-inch x 13-inch pan and cover with meringue. (Method: beat two egg whites stiff; add brown sugar slowly and beat until mixture forms heavy peaks; then add nuts). Bake in 350-degree oven 30 or 40 minutes. Cut into squares. Yield: 15 squares.
MARY MOORE’S
LEMON CHEESE CAKE
Recipe from The Apopka Woman’s Club, What’s Cookin’?
1 8-ounce pkg cream cheese
1/2 cup milk
1-1/2 cups milk
1 pkg lemon instant pudding mix
Stir one large package (8 ounces) cream cheese until very soft. Gradually blend in 1/2 cup milk until smooth and creamy. Add 1-1/2 cups milk and one package lemon instant pudding mix. Beat slowly with mixer at low speed for one minute. Pour into a baked, cooled, 9-inch graham cracker crust. Chill one hour or until firm.
