Bake Until Golden: A Novel (The Potluck Catering Club)

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Bake Until Golden: A Novel (The Potluck Catering Club) Page 30

by Linda Evans Shepherd


  While rice is cooking, drain water from canned chicken. In separate bowl, combine chicken with soup. Add cooked rice to soup and chicken mixture then stir in approximately ½ cup of milk, to create the consistency you desire.

  Cook uncovered in ungreased casserole dish at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Top with fried onions and cheese and bake another 5 minutes. Sprinkle with paprika.

  Serves 4–6.

  Donna’s Cook’s Notes

  Though I don’t remember for sure, I know my mother served this dish to me as a child. It’s funny how important these recipes are to me now.

  Scalloped Asparagus Casserole

  1 medium can asparagus

  1 cup medium sharp cheddar cheese, grated

  2 cups white sauce (see recipe below)

  4 boiled eggs

  paprika

  Fill greased 2½-quart baking dish with alternate layers of asparagus, cheese, white sauce, and sliced eggs. Sprinkle with paprika. Bake in 400 degree oven for a half hour.

  Serves 4–6.

  White Sauce

  3 tablespoons butter

  ½ teaspoon salt

  3½ tablespoons flour

  1½ cups milk, scalded

  Combine butter, salt, and flour. Add milk slowly, stirring constantly. Cook over low heat until thick and smooth.

  Evangeline’s Cook’s Notes

  To scald milk, start by pouring milk into a heavy-bottomed pan. Place on low heat. Stir occasionally until milk is just hot with steam and little bubbles appear around the edges. Do not boil. Remove from the heat. This simple method “scalds” your milk.

  Chicken Tetrazzini

  1 (4½ pound) roasting chicken, cut up

  3 cups hot water

  4 teaspoons salt

  1 teaspoon onion salt

  ½ teaspoon celery salt

  ½ pound thin spaghetti noodles

  6 tablespoons butter

  ½ pound sliced mushrooms

  1 tablespoon lemon juice

  2 tablespoons flour

  ¼ teaspoon paprika

  ¼ teaspoon pepper

  1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

  1 cup heavy cream

  2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

  A day before, in a deep kettle, place chicken, water, 2 teaspoons salt, onion salt, and celery salt. Simmer chicken, covered, until tender. When cool enough to handle, remove meat from bones in big pieces. Refrigerate at once. Reserve 2½ cups broth. To the rest of the kettle, add:

  3 quarts water

  2 tablespoons salt

  When this boils, slowly add spaghetti noodles and cook 6 minutes. Drain and place noodles in a 9-by-13 baking dish. Meanwhile, in a skillet, heat 3 tablespoons butter, add mushrooms, and sprinkle them with lemon juice and ½ teaspoon salt. Sauté until soft but not brown; toss them and the butter with spaghetti noodles; refrigerate all, covered. In saucepan, melt 3 tablespoons butter, remove from heat, and stir in flour, paprika, remaining 1½ teaspoons salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Slowly stir in 2½ cups reserved broth. Cook sauce, stirring, until thickened; add cream, then pour over chicken; refrigerate. Next day, 1 hour before serving, preheat oven to 400 degrees. With fork, stir up chicken and sauce, then pour as much of sauce as possible over noodles while tossing. Place rest of chicken mixture over noodles, sprinkle all with Parmesan cheese and paprika. Bake 25 minutes.

  Serves 8.

  Lizzie’s Cook’s Notes

  Do not use angel hair pasta as it is too thin. Use thin spaghetti noodles.

  Southern Sweet Iced Tea

  3–4 cups cold or tepid water

  ¼ teaspoon baking soda (or a “pinch”)

  4 family-sized tea bags

  1 to 1 1/3 cups sugar

  Bring 3–4 cups of water to a boil in a pot on the stove. Add a pinch of baking soda to the water and then 4 family-sized tea bags. Remove from heat, add sugar, and cover. Allow to sit for at least 10–15 minutes. Pour into gallon pitcher. Then fill with cold water, stir, and refrigerate if there’s time. Otherwise, serve over ice in large tea glasses. Enjoy!

  Goldie’s Cook’s Notes

  The soda takes out the bitterness and darkens the tea but won’t change the taste a bit.

  Crabby Corn Chowder

  1 large onion, diced

  1 large potato, diced

  1 bay leaf

  ½ teaspoon dried marjoram

  1/8 teaspoon cayenne

  1 (15 ounce) canfat-free chicken broth

  1 (17 ounce) can cream-style corn

  1 (8 ounce) can corn, drained

  1½ cups milk

  ¼ teaspoon black pepper

  1 (7 ounce) jar roasted red peppers, drained and diced

  ½–1 pound crab or artificial crab meat from deli, chopped

  Spray cooking spray into a large saucepan then sauté onions well before sautéing the potato, bay leaf, marjoram, and cayenne. Stir in chicken broth, then heat on high till boiling. Reduce heat to medium low and cook 8–10 minutes or until potato is softened. Stir in both kinds of corn, milk, and black pepper. Turn burner to medium high and heat but do not boil. Add red peppers and crab. Heat until steaming hot for another 2–4 minutes.

  Serves 6–8.

  Lisa Leann’s Cook’s Notes

  This chowder is a warm and tasty bowl of comfort if I ever saw one. Some days need more comfort than others.

  Quick Potluck Pizza

  1½ pounds ground beef

  ½ cup onions, chopped

  1 (15 ounce) can pizza sauce

  2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese

  2 (12 ounce) cans refrigerated biscuits

  1 (3.5 ounce) package pepperoni, sliced thin

  ½ cup green pepper (optional)

  ½ cup black olives (optional)

  ½ cup mushroom slices or 8-ounce jar of sliced mushrooms (optional)

  1½ cups shredded sharp or cheddar cheese

  On stove top, sauté ground beef and onions, drain grease. Stir in pizza sauce and parmesan cheese and simmer while you make the crust.

  Pop open cans of refrigerated biscuits and place the biscuits in a 9-by-13 pan before pressing dough together and up sides of pan to form the crust. Pour in sauce mixture and top with pepperoni, green peppers, black olives, mushrooms, and cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 25–30 minutes or until crust is done and cheese is melted.

  Serves 4–8.

  Vonnie’s Cook’s Notes

  Don’t tell Fred or Lisa Leann how easy this dish is to prepare.

  Easy Crock-pot Pumpkin Soup

  1 medium pumpkin

  4–5 sweet potatoes

  ½ large onion, diced

  2 chicken bouillon cubes

  1 cup water

  2 tablespoons brown sugar

  1 tablespoon Italian seasoning (like McCormick or Tone’s)

  1 teaspoon garlic powder or 2 large garlic cloves, crushed

  cheese

  sour cream

  Wash and chop pumpkin. Remove seeds but not skin, as skin will soften during cooking. Chop potatoes and onion and place into crock-pot along with the pumpkin, chicken bouillon, water, sugar, seasoning, and garlic. Turn crock-pot to high and cook for about 5 hours or until potatoes are soft.

  Blend soup in blender or with hand blender until smooth then top each serving with a pinch of cheese and a dollop of sour cream.

  Serves 6–8.

  Donna’s Cook’s Notes

  I like to make this soup now in the fall and remember my mother. It freezes well too.

  Raisin Sauce for Ham

  2 tablespoons brown sugar

  ½ teaspoon grated orange rind

  1 teaspoon dry mustard

  1½ tablespoons cornstarch

  1 cup orange juice

  1/3 cup seedless raisins

  1 tablespoon ham drippings or butter

  ½ cup ginger ale

  In a small saucepan, combine brown sugar, orange rind, mustard, and cornstarch. Stir in orange juice. Bring to a boil, lower heat, and continue to simmer until mixture thicke
ns (5–10 minutes). Add raisins and butter or drippings from ham; cook another 3–4 minutes. Stir in ginger ale.

  Spoon over rolled slices of baked or pan-fried ham.

  Goldie’s Cook’s Notes

  Makes about 1½ cups sauce. When we have a lot of folks for dinner and the ham is large, I double this recipe.

  Black Bottom Pie

  1½ cups fine gingersnaps crumbs

  1/3 cup melted butter

  2 cups milk

  1 envelope unflavored gelatin

  ¼ cup cold water

  4 medium eggs, separated

  1 cup granulated sugar

  ¼ teaspoon salt

  4 teaspoons cornstarch

  2 squares unsweetened chocolate

  2 teaspoons vanilla

  1 cup heavy cream

  2 tablespoons confectioner’s sugar

  Mix crumbs and butter; pat evenly in deep 9-inch pie pan. Bake 10 minutes at 350 degrees. Scald milk and add gelatin soaked in cold water. Beat egg yolks with ½ cup sugar, salt, and cornstarch. Add milk slowly, beating constantly. Cook over boiling water in a double boiler, stirring occasionally until custard coats spoon. Remove from heat.

  To 1 cup of custard, add 1½ squares chocolate that has been melted. Add 1 teaspoon vanilla. Beat with rotary beater, cool to room temperature. Pour chocolate mixture into baked pie shell. Chill until firm. Beat egg whites until stiff; gradually beat in remaining ½ cup of sugar. Fold into remaining cool custard with remaining 1 teaspoon of vanilla. Pour custard over chocolate mixture in pie shell. Chill until firm. Whip cream until stiff; fold in confectioner’s sugar. Spread over pie and sprinkle with remaining ½ square of chocolate which has been finely grated. Chill before serving.

  Lizzie’s Cook’s Notes

  You can delete the heavy cream and confectioner’s sugar and replace with a prepared whipped topping, including “lite” brands.

  Chocolate Coconut Pie

  1 teaspoon flour

  1 frozen pie shell, defrosted

  2 squares semisweet chocolate

  ½ cup butter

  1 cup sugar

  ¼ cup light corn syrup

  1/8 teaspoon salt

  3 eggs

  ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

  1/3 cup flaked sweetened coconut

  Sprinkle flour over surface of defrosted pie shell.

  Melt chocolate and butter in a medium saucepan on low heat. Remove pan from heat and add sugar, corn syrup, and salt. Stir mixture well. After mixture has cooled slightly, add eggs, vanilla, and coconut and stir well. Pour mixture into pie shell and bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes or until filling has set. Be careful not to overbake.

  Serves up to 8.

  Vonnie’s Cook’s Notes

  When the going gets difficult I rely on a couple of things: prayer and my mother’s chocolate coconut pie recipe. It makes for a powerful combination to brighten my world.

  Golden Carrot and Pineapple Salad

  1 (3 ounce) package orange gelatin (Jell-O)

  1 (8 ounce) can crushed pineapple (do not drain)

  ½ cup water

  ½ cup celery, diced

  1/3 cup nuts, chopped

  ½ cup carrots, shredded

  1 cup miniature marshmallows

  ½ cup golden raisins

  ½ cup whipped topping, thawed

  ½ cup light mayonnaise

  In large bowl, add gelatin mix. In separate saucepan, heat pineapple with juice and water until boiling. Pour boiling pineapple mixture over gelatin in bowl and stir until gelatin is dissolved. Chill until very thick but not set. Mix in celery, nuts, carrots, marshmallows, raisins, whipped topping, and mayo. Pour mixture into 9-by-13 inch pan. Chill until firm.

  Donna’s Cook’s Notes

  Lisa Leann says you can also pour this into a large Jell-O mold (that holds 4 cups). But as we’re cooking for a crowd, we made three triple batches and let it set in the refrigerator overnight so we could cut and serve it on a lettuce leaf. It made a colorful side dish for our Founders Day dinner.

  Apple and Cheese Crisp

  21 large (or 42 medium) apples, cored, peeled, and sliced

  2 cups water

  ¼ cup lemon juice, plus 2 tablespoons

  8 cups all-purpose flour

  8 cups sugar

  2 tablespoons cinnamon

  1 tablespoon salt

  4 cups butter or margarine

  8 cups shredded cheddar cheese

  vanilla ice cream (optional)

  4 greased 9-by-13 baking pans

  Spread apples into 4 pans. In large bowl, combine water and lemon juice and sprinkle over apples. In mixing bowl with mixer, combine flour, sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Add small amounts of butter at a time until crumbly. Turn mixer off and stir in cheese. Spread flour and cheese mixture over apples. Bake at 350 for 30–35 minutes, or until apples are tender and topping is crisp. Serve with ice cream.

  Serves 100.

  Lisa Leann’s Cook’s Notes

  We had to make five batches of this dessert to feed the crowd at the Founders Day concert. But it went over very well, especially when we topped each serving with a scoop of premium vanilla ice cream.

  Stuffed Chicken Breasts for a Crowd

  7½ pounds butter

  60 chopped onions

  23 pounds frozen spinach, thawed and drained

  60 pounds ricotta cheese

  60 eggs, slightly beaten

  15 cups chopped fresh parsley or 5 cups of dried parsley

  2 cups dried oregano

  2/3 cup nutmeg

  salt and pepper, to taste

  500 halves of chicken breasts, skin on, boned

  Melt butter and sauté onions until caramelized. In large industrial bowls, evenly divide ingredients and stir onions and butter into spinach, cheese, eggs, parsley, oregano, and nutmeg. Season with salt and pepper.

  On butcher board, place each breast half skin-side-up and trim excess fat. Loosen skin from one side, making a pocket. Stuff approximately 1/3 cup of mix under skin. Tuck skin and meat under breast, forming a rounded dome. Put chicken breast on greased baking dish to either bake or freeze.

  Preheat ovens to 350 degrees. Bake thawed breasts for 30–35 minutes until golden brown.

  Serves 250–500, depending on portion.

  Donna’s Cook’s Notes

  Lisa Leann says this is the perfect chicken for serving large crowds. Maybe someday, I’ll figure out how to cut the recipe down so I can make a couple just for me and you-know-who, now that we’ve set our wedding date. I mean, we’ve waited long enough, don’t you think?

  Acknowledgments

  In the course of a novel, there are many to thank and acknowledge. In the course of six, there are many, many.

  Always and forever, thank you to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Without you, there would be no us.

  Thank you to the Revell editors who have shaped our work and made it sizzle: Jeanette Thomason (who was the first to see merit in the idea), Dr. Vicki Crumpton, and Kristin Kornoelje. And, of course, to Dwight Baker, president of Baker Publishing Group, who believed in “the potluck girls.” Without your support, this project would only be half-baked.

  Thank you to our friends and family members who took the time to read our work as we wrote, and to the awesome girls of AWSA (Advanced Writers and Speakers Association) who prayed for us. You are the bouquet garni!

  We’d also like to give a special thank-you to Sarah Cruz, who guided us through New York City while we researched A Taste of Fame. You are the cherry on the jubilee!

  To our husbands and families . . . you know how much we knead you! How much we love you! Thank you for the sacrifices you made while we wrote.

  Linda sends a special thanks to her wonderful agent, Janet Grant, as well as her friend Deborah Dunn, author of Stupid About Men. Deborah, thanks for helping me sort out a certain character’s romantic dilemmas with your expert insights.

 

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