From Taste of Heaven, so kindly shared by our friends at First Presbyterian Church of Punta Gorda, we have Chicken Cashew Guk.
Roasted broccoli with orange-chipotle butter from Southern Living’s All-Time Favorites looks like a whole new way for our old friend, the beautiful, delicious, nutritious vegetable, broccoli.
Summer squash season is in full swing from early to late summer. Take advantage of it with Lillian Cleghorn’s Yellow Squash Casserole from Northside Baptist Church’s book of recipes.
Two pounds of small, fresh okra is needed to prepare the Pickled Okra recipe that we found in Charleston Receipts. Who doesn’t LOVE pickled okra!
The members of the esteemed Apopka Citizen Police Academy Alumni Association compiled Sharing Our Finest Cookbook. It seems they are all wonderful cooks. Earl Coell’s Buttermilk Muffins is one of those creations.
From Treasures and Pleasures, Peter Leathersich treats us to his pizza that uses no tomatoes or meat. You can probably dress it up however you wish. Be adventurous! But his basic veggie pizza with cheese is probably a treat in itself. This might be a kitchen adventure to share with children.
From Cooking with Foliage La Sertoma of Apopka, we have a fancy dessert for you – Brandied Fruits with Ice Cream.
PHYLLIS GASS’
CHICKEN CASHEW GUK
Recipe from First Presbyterian Church of Punta Gorda, A Taste of Heaven
3 whole chicken breasts, boned, skinned and cut into bite-size pieces
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 green pepper, cut in strips
1 cup celery, diagonally cut
3 tablespoons scallions, minced
1/2 cup cashew nuts
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
3/4 cup liquid (1/2 cup pineapple syrup and 1/4 cup water)
1 chicken bouillon cube
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 large can pineapple chunks
4 peach halves or 1 small can sliced peaches
2 tablespoons arrowroot or cornstarch
1/4 cup water
Heat oil in large electric skillet. Add chicken and cook over high heat stirring constantly for 3 minutes. Add green pepper, celery, scallions and nuts. Sprinkle with curry and nutmeg. Stir fry 2 minutes longer. Add liquid, bouillon cube, soy sauce, pineapple chunks and peaches. Bring to boiling and cook covered 4 minutes. Blend together cornstarch (or arrowroot) and water. Stir rapidly into chicken-vegetable-fruit mixture until thickened. Serve over rice cooked with an additional chicken bouillon cube. Serves 6-8.
ROASTED BROCCOLI WITH
ORANGE-CHIPOTLE BUTTER
Recipe from Southern Living
All-Time Favorites
2 (12-ounce) packages fresh broccoli florets
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup butter, softened
2 teaspoons orange zest
1 teaspoon minced canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
Combine broccoli and oil in a large bowl; toss to coat. Place broccoli in a single layer on an ungreased jelly-roll pan. Roast at 450 degrees for 15 to 17 minutes or until broccoli is crisp-tender.
While broccoli roasts, combine butter and next three ingredients in a large bowl. Add roasted broccoli to bowl, and toss to coat. Serve hot.
Makes 6 to 8 servings.
LILLIAN CLEGHORN’S
YELLOW SQUASH CASSEROLE
Northside Baptist Church
6 medium squash, sliced 1/2-inch thick
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup canned evaporated milk
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup cheese, grated
1 cup onions, chopped
2 cups saltine cracker crumbs (divided)
3/4 stick butter or oleo, melted
Mix squash, pepper, salt and milk in large bowl. Add eggs, cheese, onions and 1 cup of the crumbs. Pour into greased 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Sprinkle another cup of cracker crumbs on top and drizzle with melted butter. Bake at 375 degrees for about 40 minutes. Makes 12 servings.
MRS. JAMES M. HAGOOD’S
PICKLED OKRA
Recipe from Charleston Receipts, America’s Oldest Junior League
Cookbook in Print,
a Cookbook by The Junior League
of Charleston, Inc.
2 pounds okra (approximately)
Dill weed
Hot peppers
Garlic buds
Onion slices
Powdered mustard and/or Turmeric
2 cups white vinegar
1 cup water
2 tablespoons salt
1 tablespoon sugar
Green food coloring, if desired
Use small fresh okra. Wash, drain, and pack tightly in jars, stem end down for one row and stem end up for another. To each jar, add seasonings to your taste such as: 1/2 teaspoon dill weed, 2 slices hot pepper, garlic bud, onion slice, powdered mustard and/or turmeric. Boil the following ingredients for three minutes: vinegar, water, salt, and sugar. Food coloring may be added. Fill jars and seal while hot.
EARL COELL’S
BUTTERMILK MUFFINS
Recipe from Apopka Citizen Police Academy Alumni Association,
Sharing Our Finest Cookbook
2 eggs
1 tablespoon sugar
1 quart buttermilk
4 cups flour
2 tablespoons corn meal
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon soda
Cream sugar and eggs. Add buttermilk. Mix. Add flour, corn meal, salt and soda. Beat for one minute. Bake in hot oven, 400 degrees, for 20 minutes in muffin pan.
PETER LEATHERSICH’S
BROCCOLI PIZZA
(NO-TOMATO VARIATIONS)
from 1990 Presbyterian Women First Presbyterian Church of Apopka
Treasures and Pleasures
1 pizza crust – make your own recipe for 1 pound of Italian bread dough, use dough from the dairy counter, or use frozen pizza crusts
1 large bunch of fresh broccoli, florets and small stems chopped coarsely, or 1-1/2 to 2 packages frozen chopped broccoli
1/3 cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic, sliced
2/3 cup grated Italian cheese, Parmesan or Romano
Heat oven to 425 degrees. In a small pan, brown garlic slices in oil, removing them before they burn. While oil cools, spread dough in shallow pan so that it is less than 1/2-inch thick. When oil has cooled to “warm,” toss broccoli in it and then spread broccoli mixture evenly across the crust. Sprinkle cheese evenly over the top. Bake in oven until edges of crust begin to brown or until inserted toothpick (in center) comes out clean (about 18 to 22 minutes for fresh dough). Cut and serve.
VARIATIONS:
Do the same with chopped spinach or thinly sliced onions and sweet peppers sprinkled with salt and herbs to taste. Or spread oil on crust, sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of fresh chopped or 1/2 tablespoon of whole dried rosemary and dot the area with anchovy paste or small pieces of fillets.
BRANDIED FRUITS WITH ICE CREAM
Recipe from Cooking with
Foliage La Sertoma of Apopka
2 cups pitted large Bing cherries
2 cups canned apricot halves
2 cups canned sliced peaches
1 small can pear halves
3 large firm bananas, sliced
2 tablespoons orange concentrate
1/2 cup apricot nectar
1/2 cup brandy
1 quart vanilla ice cream
Empty all fruits into a large casserole or baking dish, reserving the liquid. Add 1/2 cup each of apricot, peach, and pear juice, the orange concentrate and the apricot nectar. Sweeten with a little sugar, if desired. Bake in a hot, 400-degree oven, until juice becomes thick and syrupy. Keep fruits hot over a candle warmer or in a chafing dish. When ready to serve, warm the brandy and pour flaming over the fruits. Have ready portions of ice cream in deep dessert dishes. Top with hot brandied fruits. The addition of large, firm strawberries, tiny Mandarin orange sections, and canned pineapple cubes enhances the fruit combination. The fruits must be served very warm, the sauce thick and syrupy. Serve at once. Try flaming the brandy with the lights dimmed, as the flame is a beautiful blue. Makes 8 to 10 servings.
