The Potluck Club (40 page)

When the bread machine has finished preparing the dough, place dough onto lightly floured surface. With rolling pin, shape dough into a rectangle, then spread with softened butter and sprinkle with cinnamon and brown sugar. Roll rectangle into a “log” then pinch edges to seal. Cut log into 12 rolls and place in pan of caramel. Allow dough to rise (about 45 minutes) until doubled in size.

Bake approximately 20 minutes, until golden brown. For high altitude baking, add 1 tablespoon of flour to the dough.

Vonnie’s Cook’s Notes
Use Lisa Leann’s secret weapon carefully. She tells me it’s a powerful persuader.

Chicken Marsala

4 boneless chicken breasts

½ cup flour

2 tablespoons butter (not margarine)

2 cups thinly sliced mushrooms

3 tablespoons chopped green onions

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup of marsala wine

½ cup chicken broth (canned works well)

salt and pepper to taste

Melt butter in skillet and sauté green onions and mushrooms. Remove mushrooms and onions from pan and set aside. Next, use mallet to pound chicken until thin. Dredge chicken in flour, then sauté in olive oil until thoroughly cooked. In saucepan, add wine, chicken broth, mushrooms, green onions, salt and pepper, and heat until bubbly, about 3 minutes. Pour sauce over chicken and serve.

Donna’s Cook’s Notes
This turned out to be a tasty recipe, and I loved using the mallet. I’ll have to remember to cook this whenever I feel especially frustrated—pounding chicken is a great stress reliever.

Breakfast Casserole

6 eggs

2 cups milk

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon dry mustard

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 pound mild sausage

4 slices of white bread (cubed)

Beat eggs, add milk, salt, and mustard. Gently stir in shredded cheddar cheese, sausage that has been browned and drained, and cubed white bread. Place in a buttered 9-by-13 casserole dish. Refrigerate overnight. Place in a cold oven set at 350 degrees and bake 45 minutes. Serve and watch it disappear!

Goldie’s Cook’s Notes
According to the women’s magazine I got from Lizzie, this recipe is the favorite Christmas morning recipe of a famous Christian radio talk show hostess. I tried it once, and I have to admit it’s both easy and delicious!

Daffodil Cake

1 can (1 pound and 4 ounces) crushed pineapple

2 eggs

1 teaspoon rum extract

1 lemon cake mix

1 package creamy vanilla frosting mix

¼ cup butter

½ cup coconut

Drain pineapple, reserving the syrup. Combine syrup, eggs, and ½ teaspoon rum extract in large mixing bowl. Add cake mix. Beat 4 minutes, then fold in drained pineapple. Spoon into 2 greased 9-inch round cake pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 40–45 minutes. Cool 10 minutes, then turn cake out of pan. Cool another half hour. Prepare frosting mix by adding butter and ½ teaspoon rum extract. Spread . of frosting between the layers, then sprinkle with ¼ cup coconut. Frost cake with remaining frosting and sprinkle with remaining coconut.

Follow instructions on cake box for high altitude directions.

Lisa Leann’s Cook’s Notes
I’d forgotten about this recipe, and really, I think it’s one of the reasons Henry fell in love with me.

Sweet and Sour Chicken

6 tablespoons olive oil

6 tablespoons soy sauce

6 tablespoons honey

3 tablespoons white vinegar

1 ½ teaspoons dried thyme

1 ½ teaspoons paprika

½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

½ teaspoon ground allspice

1 teaspoon pepper

4 skinless boneless chicken breasts

2 cups hot cooked white rice

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine oil, soy sauce, honey, vinegar, thyme, paprika, cayenne pepper, allspice, and pepper in a shallow baking dish; mix well. Pierce both sides of each chicken breast with a fork. Place in baking dish; turn chicken several times using tongs.

Bake chicken, basting several times with sauce, for 30 minutes. Spoon rice onto a serving platter.

Arrange chicken over rice. Drizzle a small amount of sauce over chicken. Serve remaining sauce on the side.

Evangeline’s Cook’s Notes
Well, if you’re a glutton for punishment and the local Chinese restaurant just doesn’t “do it” for you, here’s the way to do it at home. It takes longer, but I’ll have to admit it does taste better.

Apple-Rhubarb Custard Pie

2 eggs, beaten

²
/3 tablespoon milk

2 cups sugar

¼ cup flour

¾ teaspoon nutmeg

2 cups coarsely chopped rhubarb

2 small pared apples

pastry for 1 9-inch, 2-crust pie

1 tablespoon butter

Beat eggs and milk, then stir in sugar, flour, nutmeg, apples, and rhubarb. Pour into pie dough in pie pan. Dot with butter. Cover pie with top crust. Pinch edges with fork. Bake at 400 degrees for 60 minutes or until brown.

Donna’s Cook’s Notes
Some of my favorite things about autumn are the fresh apples and rhubarb. Of course, this pie is even better when Vonnie makes it and offers me a warm slice.

Quick Chili in a Skillet

1 medium chopped onion

1 ½ pounds hamburger meat

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 1-pound can tomatoes

1 8-ounce can seasoned tomato sauce

1 cup catsup

1 1-pound can ranch beans

1 ½ tablespoons chili powder

1 ½ teaspoons salt

1 bay leaf

dash of ground red pepper

In a hot skillet, sauté onion in oil with hamburger meat. Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, catsup, beans, chili powder, salt, bay leaf, and red pepper. Stir and simmer, covered for 1 hour or more. If necessary, add water.

Serves 6–8.

Vonnie’s Cook’s Notes
I know this chili takes a while to simmer, but I can get it off to a pretty quick start when I need to.

Vonnie’s Beef Stew

2 pounds lean sirloin tip

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

4 medium carrots, sliced

2 medium potatoes, cut into pieces

2 medium celery stalks, sliced

2 cups small mushrooms

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon ground mustard

1 cup water

1 cup dry red wine

1 16-ounce can no-salt-added stewed tomatoes

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Cut meat into cubes (first, trim the fat away). Heat olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat until hot. Add beef and quickly brown on all sides. Add remaining ingredients except flour. You’ll want to add salt and pepper to taste and then reduce heat to simmer. Simmer for an hour or until beef is cooked and vegetables are tender.

Combine a cup of the stew broth with flour in a small bowl. Mix with fork or whisk and add to stew. Continue heating another 10–15 minutes or until thickened.

Serves 8.

Evangeline’s Cook’s Notes
Vonnie usually makes a large batch of her stew and then freezes it for quick meals in several small microwavable containers. Pop them in the microwave and, voila, there’s a meal you don’t have to fuss over.

Homemade Pancakes

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

1 beaten egg

1 cup milk

2 tablespoons cooking oil

Stir together first four ingredients. In a separate bowl, combine last 3 ingredients. Add to flour mixture and stir until well blended but still a bit lumpy. Pour batter onto hot griddle in quarter-cup servings. Turn pancakes over until golden brown on both sides.

Buttermilk: prepare as above, this time reducing the baking powder to 1 teaspoon. Add ½ teaspoon baking soda to first set of ingredients. Substitute buttermilk for milk. You can also add a little extra buttermilk to thin the batter.

Buckwheat: prepare as above, this time substituting ½ cup whole wheat flour and ½ cup buckwheat flour for the all-purpose flour. You can also use brown sugar rather than white sugar.

Nutty orange: prepare as above, but this time add ½ teaspoon each of baking soda and ground cinnamon to the first set of ingredients. Instead of milk, use orange juice. Fold in ½ cup nuts into the batter before pouring onto griddle.

Goldie’s Cook’s Notes
If there’s one thing Summit View is known for, it’s the Pancake House. Not only do they have the yummiest, fluffiest pancakes that folks around here eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, but the pancakes also come in four varieties: buttermilk, buckwheat, nutty orange, and, of course, plain. I begged the owner of the Pancake House for the recipe . . .

Egg Salad Sandwich

6 hard-boiled eggs, finely chopped

6 tablespoons minced celery

3 tablespoons sweet pickle relish

2 tablespoons freeze-dried parsley

½ teaspoon dry mustard

salt and pepper to taste

¼ cup mayonnaise

2 tablespoons bacon bits

Mix chopped eggs, celery, pickle relish, parsley, dry mustard, salt, and pepper in bowl. Stir in mayonnaise and bacon bits. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Spread mixture on slice of bread. Top with slice of bread.

Makes 2 cups, enough for 6 sandwiches.

Donna’s Cook’s Notes
This is a simple recipe that I can make in advance. Of course, I get tired of the same sandwich, day after day, so I like to mix it up with a good ol’ ham sandwich now and then.

Cheese Enchiladas with Chili Sauce

CHILI SAUCE:

1 ½ pounds lean ground beef

½ cup chopped onion

2 teaspoons garlic powder

1 ½ teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon pepper

8 cups beef broth or bouillon

2 cans whole peeled tomatoes

3 tablespoons chili powder

1 tablespoon plus 1 ½ teaspoons paprika

1 tablespoon ground cumin

. cup cornstarch

. cup water

In a large saucepan, brown ground beef with onion, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Drain. Add broth, tomatoes, chili powder, paprika, and cumin. Mix well, breaking up tomatoes with large spoon. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for an hour.

In a small bowl, mix cornstarch and water until cornstarch is completely dissolved. Gradually add to chili sauce, stirring constantly. Continue cooking 5 minutes.

ENCHILADAS:

16 flour tortillas (6 inch)

vegetable oil

6 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1 cup chopped onion

1 cup shredded American cheese

Turn oven to 350 degrees. Heat about ½-inch oil in a small skillet, until hot but not smoking. Quickly fry each tortilla in oil to soften, about 2 seconds on each side. Drain on paper towels.

In a large bowl, combine cheddar cheese and onion. Mix well. Spoon ½ cup cheese mixture down center of each tortilla. Roll up and place seam side down in 2 11-by-7-inch baking dishes. Top with chili sauce. Cover with foil.

Bake 10 minutes or until hot.

Remove foil, sprinkle with American cheese, and continue baking 2 minutes or until cheese melts.

Evangeline’s Cook’s Notes
I could eat these three meals a day. And I have. Seriously . . . I have!

Cheddar Cheese Pie

½ cup chopped onion

2 tablespoons butter

1 baked 9-inch pie crust

1 cup grated cheddar cheese

1 cup scalded milk

3 eggs, slightly beaten

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

¹
/8 teaspoon thyme

¹
/8 slices fried bacon

First, sauté onion in butter, then combine in large bowl with cheese, milk, eggs, salt, pepper, thyme, and crumbled bacon. Pour mixture into baked crust. Bake at 350 degrees for 20–25 minutes. When done, knife inserted into the center of pie will come out clean.

Baking time will take longer at higher altitudes.

Donna’s Cook’s Notes
There’s something about this cheese pie that is very satisfying. Sometimes it’s all I can do to stop at one slice. I should probably start making it at home, but then, why go to the effort when I can get it at Sal’s?

Molasses Cookies

¾ cup shortening

1 cup sugar

¼ cup molasses

1 egg

2 teaspoons soda

2 cups sifted flour

½ teaspoon cloves

¼ teaspoon ginger

1 teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon salt

Melt shortening, then cool. Add sugar, molasses, and egg and beat well. Sift together flour, soda, and spices, then stir into mixture. Mix well and chill for 3 hours. Roll dough into 1-inch balls. Roll in sugar and place on greased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 for 8–10 minutes.

Yields 4–5 dozen 2-inch cookies.

Vonnie’s Cook’s Notes
This recipe has been in my family for more than a hundred years. My grandmother made it for my mother, my mother made it for me, and I’d always thought I’d make it for my own children. Now, who knows? Maybe my dream will come true.

Yellow Crookneck Squash Soup

1 ½ pounds of yellow crookneck squash

1 onion

1 stick margarine

2 chicken bouillon cubes

2–3 cups half-and-half

dash of salt and pepper

curry powder

Slice squash and onions. Sauté in 1 stick margarine until very tender. Place in a food processor, add bouillon cubes, and blend till smooth. Pour into saucepan and stir in half-and-half until desired consistency. Season with salt, pepper, and dash of curry to taste. This may be served hot or cold.

Lizzie’s Cook’s Notes
Years ago I was invited to a special luncheon with my sweet Aunt Janice. She made tuna salad and this squash soup, which she served with fresh fruit on the side. This is an excellent yet simple recipe . . . a favorite in cold weather or hot!

Dilly Tuna Salad

1 can (20 oz.) pineapple chunks in juice

1 can (7 oz.) tuna fish

crisp lettuce

1 cup cucumbers, sliced

¹
/3 cup mayo

½ teaspoon seasoned salt