Southern Living’s All-Time Favorites has as their Editor’s Choice in chicken a terrific recipe titled Our Best Southern Fried Chicken. It looks great.
From Sally Benton who attended Apopka Memorial High School, graduated in 1968, married and moved to Melbourne, we have Vegetable Medley. This is delicious as I can attest. Sally says she just throws stuff in the pot and is guessing at the amounts, so use your best judgment.
Neoma Knox’s Broccoli and Cauliflower Salad is so tasty. Neoma is our General Manager Emeritus, whom we love, and we wish her all the best. This recipe can be found in New Vision Community Church’s Feeding the Flock.
We found another great recipe in Feeding the Flock for Spinach Salad from Allison Chase. Lots of good cooks in that “flock” of ladies.
From a collection of stories and recipes titled The Jones-Morris Family Treasury, we find real Norwegian style sour cream waffles. We thank our friend Susan for sharing this wonderful collection from her own Norwegian-based family.
For dessert, reader and dear friend Joyce Lampp shares her Sour Cream Pound Cake that cannot be beat! It is a great favorite whenever she brings one in to our office.
EDITOR’S CHOICE – OUR BEST
SOUTHERN FRIED CHICKEN
Recipe from Southern Living
All-Time Favorites
3 quarts water
1 tablespoon salt
Combine 3 quarts water and 1 tablespoon salt in a large bowl; add chicken. Cover and chill 8 hours.
1 (2- to 2-1/2 pound) broiler-fryer chicken, cut up
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups vegetable oil
1/4 cup bacon drippings
Combine 1 teaspoon salt and pepper; sprinkle half of mixture over chicken. Combine remaining salt and pepper mixture and flour in a large, zip-top plastic freezer bag. Place 2 pieces of chicken in bag; seal. Shake to coat. Remove chicken; repeat procedure with remaining chicken, 2 pieces at a time.
Combine vegetable oil and bacon drippings in a 12-inch cast-iron skillet or chicken fryer. Heat to 360 degrees. Add chicken, a few pieces at a time, skin side down. Cover and cook 6 minutes. Uncover and cook 9 minutes.
Turn chicken pieces; cover and cook 6 minutes. Uncover and cook 5 to 9 minutes, turning pieces during the last minutes for even browning, if necessary. Drain chicken on paper towels; keep chicken warm.
NOTE: The oil temperature will drop when you add or turn the chicken. For best results, keep the oil temperature between 300 and 325 degrees. You may substitute 2 cups buttermilk for the saltwater solution. Makes 4 servings.
SALLY THOMAS BENTON’S
VEGETABLE MEDLEY
Recipe from Reader of
The Apopka Chief
and The Planter newspapers
2 or 3 each zucchinis and yellow squash
2 fresh vine-ripe tomatoes, diced…
OR… 1 pint of grape tomatoes, whole…
OR… a can of diced tomatoes
3 slivered garlic cloves
Thinly sliced onion
Bell pepper
Broccoli
Cauliflower
2 teaspoons basil
1 teaspoon tarragon
1/3 to 1/2 cup lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon sugar (optional)
1/2 teaspoon salt (to taste)
Pam Spray (or other cooking spray)
Any other spices you prefer in addition to or as a replacement for the ones suggested here. For instance, some Mexican spices like cilantro, cumin, chili powder, etc., might be fantastic… OR… Italian spices… OR… Asian spices such as Oriental 5-spice, soy sauce, etc.
If you like, add whatever YOU enjoy: green beans, edamame, celery, baby raw spinach, mushrooms, and water chestnuts. Get wild with it!
Sliver the garlic, onion, and bell pepper. Spray them lightly with Pam Spray. Spray a frying pan lightly. Heat pan. Sauté. While they are sautéing, cut squash into small chunks. Squash will cook faster than more solid veggies, so if you’re adding broccoli or raw cauliflower, thin-slice them as well and toss in at the end of sautéing.
Turn down heat. Add a tablespoon or two of water to deglaze the bottom of pan and to steam the veggies. Add the herbs and any spices you might want. Add a little salt and sugar to taste, if desired. Add lemon juice. Cover with lid. When the steaming veggies are to your desired tenderness, throw in tomatoes. They don’t have to cook.
Preparation time is 30 to 45 minutes.
NEOMA KNOX’S
BROCCOLI AND
CAULIFLOWER SALAD,
Recipe from
New Vision Community Church’s
Feeding the Flock
1 bunch cauliflower
1 bunch broccoli
5 strips crisp bacon
1/2 cup medium size red onion
1/2 cup golden raisins
Dressing:
1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
Break and cut broccoli and cauliflower into bite-sized pieces. Broccoli stems may be used if peeled to soft center. (Hint: large pieces are easy to strip.) Break bacon into small pieces. Slice the onion into rings. Mix all the ingredients together.
Dressing: Combine mayonnaise, sugar and vinegar; pour over the salad and mix well. Refrigerate in air-tight container. Chill at least four hours; tip container to spread dressing evenly throughout.
ALLISON CHASE’S
SPECIAL SPINACH SALAD
Recipe from New Vision Community Church’s Feeding the Flock
1 bunch spinach, washed and torn
1 can bean sprouts, drained
1 can water chestnuts, sliced
3 or 4 hard-boiled eggs, sliced
6 to 8 slices bacon, cooked, drained and cut in pieces
1 cup light olive oil
3/4 cup sugar (less, if desired)
1/3 cup catsup
1/4 cup vinegar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 grated onion
Mix and serve.
SANDRA JOHANSEN’S
SOUR CREAM
WAFFLES (Norwegian Style)
Recipe from The Jones-Morris
Family Treasury
4 eggs – separated
1 cup sugar
1/4 pound butter, melted and cooled
1/2 pint sour cream
3 cups flour
Pinch of soda
3 teaspoons baking powder
Pinch of salt
3 cups milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon lemon or almond flavoring
Optional: Ground cardamom – 1/2 to 1 teaspoon (for the real Norske taste!)
Beat egg whites stiff – set aside. Beat yolks – add sugar gradually and beat until well mixed. Add cooled butter; sour cream – mix well. Combine dry ingredients – add to batter alternating with the milk. When all mixed in well, add flavoring, then fold in egg whites. Don’t mix too much here.
Bake in hot waffle iron. Cool by stacking them. (Stacking makes them softer.) Serve with just butter or jam, jelly, honey or even syrup; but best just with butter as the Norwegians eat them.
JOYCE LAMPP’S SOUR CREAM POUND CAKE
Recipe from Reader of The Apopka Chief and The Planter newspapers
1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine
3 cups sugar
6 eggs
1 8-ounce cup sour cream
3 cups plain flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla
Cream butter and sugar together. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating after each addition.
Sift flour, salt and soda together. Add 1 cup of the sifted flour mixture at a time to the creamed butter and sugar mixture, alternating with 1/3 of sour cream. Beat until well mixed. Then add vanilla, mixing in.
Spray tube pan with cooking spray. Cut and line the bottom of tube pan with waxed paper. Bake in a 350-degree oven for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Cool on cooling rack before removing from pan.
