The Secret's in the Sauce (37 page)

Beat 3 egg whites until stiff but not dry. Gradually add remaining ¼ cup sugar until mixture forms stiff peaks on top. Top pudding with meringue.

Bake in preheated 425-degree oven until browned, about 5 minutes. Serve warm, then refrigerate leftovers (if there are any!).

Goldie’s Cook’s Notes

Some people have told me they’re not sure what they will miss more, Daddy or his banana pudding. I know what I’ll miss: having banana pudding and a hot cup of coffee with Daddy on Sunday afternoons after church, our big family meal, and a nap. Daddy’s favorite pudding following that nap was as sure as he was.

Mystery Mocha Cake

1½ cups sugar

2 cups sifted all-purpose flour

4 teaspoons baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

2 squares (2 ounces) unsweetened chocolate

4 tablespoons butter

1 cup milk

2 teaspoons vanilla

½ cup brown sugar

½ cup sugar

4 tablespoons cocoa

1 cup cold double strength coffee

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix and sift first four ingredients. Using a double boiler, melt chocolate and butter together over hot water; add to first mixture, blend well. Combine milk and vanilla; add and mix well. Pour into greased Bundt pan. Combine brown sugar, ½ cup sugar, and cocoa. Sprinkle over batter. Pour coffee over top. Bake for 40 minutes. Serve warm or cold.

Lizzie’s Cook’s Notes

When the pan is turned upside down to place the cake on a cake plate, you’ll understand the mystery to the cake. You’ll have both cake and icing, all at once!

Wade’s Mean Bean Chili

1½ pounds ground beef

2 teaspoons vegetable oil

1 small onion, chopped

½ teaspoon minced garlic

2 (16 ounce) cans red kidney beans

1 (16 ounce) can Great Northern beans

1 (15 ounce) can tomatoes

1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce

2 tablespoons chili sauce or catsup

1 tablespoon oregano

1 tablespoon chili powder

¼ cup picante sauce

1 teaspoon salt

Brown ground beef with vegetable oil, onions, and garlic; drain the grease. Rinse beans. Add meat, beans, and remaining ingredients to slow cooker. Cover and stir occasionally. Put on low heat in the morning and serve for your evening meal.

Donna’s Cook’s Notes

Wade makes this all the time. The only thing it’s missing is a little bit of Beano. Otherwise, it would be perfect. Oh, and I like to eat it with Fritos.

Sally’s Meatloaf Sandwich

thick slices of leftover meatloaf

coleslaw (should not be too runny, so drain it well)

tomato slices

Swiss cheese slices

bread slices

Warm meatloaf in 350-degree oven. Place cheese over meat and allow to melt just a bit. Take out of oven and place on wheat, white, or rye bread. (Toast bread if desired.) Top with tomato and coleslaw, and a final piece of bread. Slice sandwich in two and serve with potato salad, curly fries, or onion rings.

Evangeline’s Cook’s Notes

This has always been a favorite dish of mine at Higher Grounds Café. Not just there, but at home too. Meatloaf sandwich is a great way to eat leftover meatloaf. You can serve it cold, of course, but it’s so much better served warm.

Cheese Sticks

1 cup flour

1½ teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

¹
/
₈
teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

4 tablespoons butter or margarine

½ cup shredded cheddar cheese

3 tablespoons sour cream

Combine dry ingredients into mixing bowl. Blend in butter and cheese. Slowly add sour cream. Shape the dough into a ball and chill 2 hours. (You can freeze for later too.)

On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into 1/8-inch-thick strands. Cut strands into strips 1/4-inch wide and 3 inches long. Give the strip a twist (for decorative purposes) then bake at 425 degrees for 8 minutes.

Lisa Leann’s Cook’s Notes

I broke down the recipe so you could make a smaller batch than what I made for the shower. I love this recipe because it’s simple, easy, and tasty. I always have a fresh batch of dough in the freezer. Then, give me a day’s notice, and I’ll have hot cheese sticks—just for our little gettogether.

Tuna Fish Pie

3 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons chopped onion

1 cup chopped bell pepper

3 tablespoons flour

1
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cups milk

½ teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 10-ounce can tuna, drained

C
HEESE
R
OLLS

1½ cups flour

3 teaspoons baking powder

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teaspoon salt

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teaspoon pepper

2 tablespoons shortening

½ cup milk

¾ cup cheddar cheese, shredded

2-ounce jar pimiento, chopped/drained

Melt butter in a medium saucepan. Add onion and pepper. Cook over low heat until soft. Add flour. Stir until well blended. Add milk slowly, stirring constantly until thick and smooth. Add salt, lemon juice, and tuna. Pour into buttered 7-by-11 baking dish.

Cover with cheese rolls and bake in preheated 400 degree oven for 12 to 15 minutes or until brown.

Cheese rolls: Sift flour, baking powder, salt, and pepper into a mixing bowl. Add shortening and mix with a fork. Add milk to make soft dough.

Toss lightly on floured board until smooth. Roll out into a rectangle 8 by 12 inches. Sprinkle with cheese and pimiento and roll as jelly roll. Slice 1 inch thick and lay on tuna mixture with ring side up.

Evangeline’s Cook’s Notes

Can you believe this? Me, Evangeline Vesey, cooking to such an extent? It looks difficult, but trust me, it’s not. If I can do it, you can too!

Louisiana Red Beans and Rice

1 cup red beans, washed and drained

3 cups water

bacon drippings, ham, or seasoning meat of choice

1 medium onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, chopped

1 rib celery, chopped

2 tablespoons parsley, chopped

1 large bay leaf, crushed

2 tablespoons sugar (optional)

Cook beans in water. Season with salt and bacon drippings, ham, or seasoning meat of choice. Cook on low to medium heat for 1½ to 2 hours, then add onion, garlic, celery, parsley, and bay leaf. Continue to cook over low heat for another 30 minutes to 1 hour. If beans become too dry, add heated water. If you really want to make this recipe zing, add 2 tablespoons sugar. Serve on rice.

Serves 4.

Lizzie’s Cook’s Notes

According to my daughter-in-law, leaving behind the delectable Cajun cuisine is one of the toughest things about moving from Louisiana. A sample of some of her favorite recipes have left me with no doubt on this!

Marinated Steaks

4 beef round (sirloin) tip side steaks, cut 1-inch thick (about 8ounces each)

½ teaspoon salt

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teaspoon ground black pepper

M
ARINADE

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cup prepared balsamic vinaigrette

2 tablespoons Dijon-style mustard

In small mixing bowl, combine marinade ingredients. Place steaks and marinade into a plastic bag and shake bag to coat meat. Seal bag and refrigerate steaks for 15 minutes to 2 hours.

Remove steaks from bag and place on grill for 12 to 14 minutes for medium-rare doneness, turning once. (I usually cook 7 minutes per side.) Season steaks with salt and pepper.

Serves 4.

Donna’s Cook’s Notes

I tried this later at home (cutting recipe to serve one), and it was great. Glad the restaurant chef shared his secret marinade sauce with me. Now it’s our secret.

Bok Choy Spring Rolls

20 large spring roll wrappers (see freezer section in grocery store)

1 bunch cilantro

2 large carrots, peeled and grated

3–4 heads baby bok choy, cut lengthwise into 1/4 inch strips

20 snow peas, cut lengthwise into matchstick-size strips

1 pound ground lean pork

1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

2 tablespoons peeled minced fresh ginger

½ teaspoon salt

vegetable oil for brushing

T
O
M
AKE
F
ILLING

Chop cilantro, grate carrots, and slice bok choy and snow peas; set aside in bowl. In skillet, fry the meat in sesame oil with minced ginger and salt. Drain off excess fat. Spoon meat mixture into additional bowl and set aside. Use skillet to sauté cilantro, carrots, bok choy, and snow peas in two tablespoons of water. Cook until vegetables are just limp. Drain excess water (if necessary) then combine mixture with meat mixture. Stir.

H
OW TO
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TUFF
S
PRING
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OLLS
W
ITH
F
ILLING

Brush each spring roll wrapper with oil; turn wrapper so they are positioned like diamonds (not squares). Spoon portion of filling into center of wrapper, creating a line of filling across the wrapper.

Fold side corners inward, then roll up to make a neat tube.Repeat till all rolls are stuffed. Place spring rolls on lightly greased cookie tray or cake pan. Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes, until golden brown.

Serve with plum or other store-bought sauce.

Yield: 20.

Lisa Leann’s Cook’s Notes

I prefer baking spring rolls over frying them because they are not only easier to prepare, they are healthier to eat. We had to make ten batches of these for the Prattle shower. They disappeared fast.

Strawberry Punch

10 ounces frozen cut strawberries

6 ounces lemonade

1 pint lemon-lime sherbet

1 quart ginger ale

Approximately 2 hours before preparation, place frozen strawberries in refrigerator to thaw. Prepare lemonade according to favorite recipe (whether fresh, frozen, or dry) and place in refrigerator to chill. Just before serving, combine berries, ginger ale, and lemonade, add sherbet, and gently stir until sherbet is dissolved. Use ice ring in punch bowl to keep punch cold.

Evangeline’s Cook’s Notes

Prepare enough for one punch bowl, and you’ll be sorry. I’ve yet to serve this when I didn’t need at least two bowls. For the shower, even though alcohol was served at the bar, we poured more of this than the bartenders could have dreamed possible.

For more information about the women of the Potluck Catering Club, go to
www.PotluckClub.com
.

Linda Evans Shepherd
is an author, international speaker, media personality, leader of Advanced Writers and Speakers Association, president of Right to the Heart Ministries, founder of Stepping into Destiny Conferences, and publisher of Right to the Heart of Women Ezine. (See
www.VisitLinda.com
.)

In addition to the Potluck Club series and now the Potluck Catering Club series, Linda has authored and coauthored over twenty books including Share Jesus Without Fear, published in over fifty languages, and the upcoming Be Your Own Prayer Project from Baker Publishing Group.

Linda been married to husband Paul for almost thirty years, and they have two children.

Award-winning author and speaker
Eva Marie Everson
is a Southern gal who’s not that crazy about being in the kitchen unless it’s to eat! She has been married to a wonderful man, Dennis, for three decades and is a mother and grandmother to the most amazing children in
the world.

Eva’s writing career and ministry began in 1999 when a friend asked her what she’d want to do for the Lord, if she could do anything at all.
“Write and speak,” she said. And so it began.

Since that time, she has written, co-written, contributed to, and edited and compiled a number of works, including the recently released
Reflections of Israel
(which includes her photography among the spectacular photographic works),
Sex, Lies, and the Media and Sex, Lies, and High School
(co-written with her amazing daughter Jessica), and Oasis: A Spa for Body and Soul, in which she gets to talk about two of
her favorite subjects: the Word of God and pampering.

Eva Marie is both a graduate of Andersonville Theological Seminary and a returning student. She is a mentor with the Jerry B. Jenkins Christian Writers Guild. Eva Marie speaks nationally and internationally about her passion: drawing believers to the heartbeat of God. In 2002 she was named AWSA’s first Member of the Year. Also that year she was one of six journalists chosen to visit Israel for a special ten-day press tour. She was forever changed.