Trouble's Brewing (28 page)
Clay reached out and shook David’s hand. He looked from David to Vonnie then back to David. “It’s a real pleasure to finally get a chance to know who you are.”
David slapped him on the back. “Well, come in, Whitefield, the party’s just starting.”
David was more correct than he knew. Judging from the Potluck prayer requests, Donna’s varied love interests and pending lawsuit, not to mention Goldie’s troubled marriage and Evie’s impending wedding, and … well, I could just go on and on. But all that to say, truer words were never spoken.
Easy Meatballs in a Crock-Pot
½ pound hamburger
½ cup rice
½ cup finely chopped onions
½ cup finely chopped green peppers
1 egg
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
1 10-ounce can of tomato soup
Knead together all ingredients except tomato soup. Shape hamburger mixture into roughly 20–24 meatballs about 1½ inches around. Place meatballs in Crock-Pot and pour soup and canned tomatoes with juice over them. Cover Crock-Pot and cook meatballs on low for 7–8 hours, or on high for 4 hours.
Serves 6–8.
Donna’s Cook’s Notes
I can throw this dish together before my shift and come home to a nice hot meal. I freeze my leftovers for meatball sandwiches. I just plop the frozen meatballs and a few spoonfuls of canned spaghetti sauce on my open sandwich, top with cheese, and place the whole spread in the microwave. It’s the perfect quick fix to end a night shift.
Grilled Hamburgers
1 pound hamburger (go for the Angus beef if you can …)
1 pound ground sausage
1½ cups mushrooms, finely chopped
½ cup onions, finely chopped
¼ cup barbecue sauce
¼ cup ketchup/mustard mixture
salt and pepper
Mix well, then form into patties. Grill to your preference.
Lizzie’s Cook’s Notes
I learned the secret of really good hamburgers years ago when Samuel and I lived in a little neighborhood of couples just like us: newly married and just making ends meet. Typically on Saturday evenings, when the weather was warm, we’d have block party cookouts. That’s where I learned the secret (double secret—the Angus and the sausage) of the best grilled burgers!
Upside-Down Hamburger Casserole
2½ cups macaroni
½ cup diced onions
3 tablespoons margarine
1 pound ground beef
1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
1 teaspoon salt
dash of pepper
3 ounces of grated cheese (a heaping ¾ cup)
3 eggs (beaten)
¾ cup milk
Cook macaroni and drain, set aside. In sauce pan, sauté onions in margarine then add ground beef. When hamburger is well browned, stir in tomato sauce, salt, and pepper. Simmer for several minutes then spread in greased 2-quart casserole. Next, mix cheese and macaroni together before spreading over top of casserole. Pack firmly.
In separate bowl, mix eggs and milk then pour over dish. Bake at 350 degrees for an hour and a half or until golden brown. Let cool for 15 minutes before serving.
Serves 6–8.
Vonnie’s Cook’s Notes
Fred loves this simple recipe. It’s very filling and goes great with my apple pie. Though, these days we both have to dish up smaller servings, that is, unless we want to head down to Wal-Mart for a new, expanded wardrobe, if you know what I mean.
Chicken and Poppy Seed Casserole
2 small chickens
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 8-ounce carton sour cream
½ can water
1 stack of Ritz crackers
1 teaspoon poppy seeds
1 stick melted margarine
Boil chicken until tender (about a half hour). Tear the meat from the bones, place in mixing bowl. Add soup, sour cream, and water. Crush crackers and mix with poppy seeds. Spread over chicken mixture. Melt margarine and pour over. Bake 350 degrees for 30–45 minutes. Will look bubbly when done.
Goldie’s Cook’s Notes
This recipe was one my mother-in-law gave me when I was a young bride and was, as yet, unskilled in the kitchen. The beauty of this dish is that even though it is very easy to prepare, it is absolutely delicious and remains a favorite of my family (and the Potluckers) to this day!
Chocolate Meringue Kisses
3 large egg whites (room temperature)
¼ tablespoon cream of tartar
pinch of salt
12 tablespoons sugar
½ cup cocoa
2 tablespoons vanilla
1 cup chopped walnuts or Rice Krispies cereal
Stir egg whites with cream of tartar and set. Beat till soft peaks form. Gradually add sugar and salt, sprinkling about 2 tablespoons at a time. Beat till firm peaks form.
Fold in cocoa and vanilla, then nuts or cereal. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto baking sheet lined with brown paper. Bake at 275 degrees, about 45 minutes until set and dried. Store in airtight can.
Yields 35–40 cookies.
Lisa Leann’s Cook’s Notes
This recipe was handed down by my grandmother. However, the Rice Krispies is my contribution to this wonderful recipe. This is a great one to serve for the holidays, or even at a wedding reception. In fact, I made them for Mandy’s wedding, just two years ago. It’s hard to believe she’s about to make me a grandmother.
Mama’s German Chocolate Cake
1 4-ounce package Baker’s German’s Sweet Chocolate
½ cup water
2 cups plain flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar
4 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup buttermilk
4 egg whites
With a double boiler, melt the water and chocolate. Mix flour, baking soda, and salt. Set mixture aside.
Beat butter and sugar in large bowl on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add egg yolks, one at a time, beating well. Stir in chocolate mixture and vanilla. Add flour mixture alternately with buttermilk, beating after each addition until smooth.
In another large bowl, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form and then gently stir them into batter. At this point, you can make 3 regular-size layers or you can pour smaller amounts into 4 pans for a taller cake.
Now for the frosting …
FROSTING
1 can (12 ounce) evaporated milk
1½ cups sugar
¾ cup margarine
4 slightly beaten egg yolks
1½ teaspoons vanilla
1 package coconut (14 ounces)
1½ cups pecans
Mix everything except coconut and pecans in a large saucepan and cook over medium heat until thick and golden brown. Add The Potluck Club Recipes coconut and pecans and cool to room temperature and spreading consistency. I always make my layers thin and double the icing (yumyum). Be sure to stick toothpicks in to secure the layers, because if you don’t, they’ll slide to one side. (You don’t want to know how I found this to be true …)
Evangeline’s Cook’s Notes
My mother made the best German chocolate cake. When I was in college I wrote her a letter asking for the recipe… . I missed her and her cake and actually thought if I did a little baking, I wouldn’t be quite so homesick. It’s the one thing over the years I’ve cooked (or baked) without complaining about being in the kitchen. I can still remember Mama’s words, written in the return letter, which went like this:
My dearest daughter,
This recipe that I’ve used for years is fairly common, but I’ve made
a few variations.
I love you!
Mama The Potluck Club Recipes
Reuben Sandwiches
½ cup mayo
¼ tablespoon chili sauce
4 pieces of rye bread (if you want to make two sandwiches)
½ pound of sliced Swiss cheese
½ pound of sliced cooked corned beef
¼ can (about 4 ounces) sauerkraut, drained (freeze the rest in a plastic bag for later)
Mix mayo and chili sauce, then spread onto four slices of bread. Then, layer Swiss cheese, corned beef, and sauerkraut on two slices of the bread. Top layers with the two remaining slices. Heat for 1 to 2 minutes in microwave to melt cheese.
Makes two sandwiches.
Donna’s Cook’s Notes
I may not be much of a cook, but nevertheless my specialty is probably gourmet sandwiches. It’s probably because the Higher Grounds Café closes at 9:00 p.m., and often my shift doesn’t end till 3:00 or later. The only place open for a very late supper is the brown paper bag that I keep in the front seat of my cab. So, I have the Gold Rush Deli slice the Swiss cheese and corned beef for me, and the result is one of my favorite midnight meals. I prefer the sandwich warm, but it’s also good cold with a thermos of hot coffee.
Apple’s Restaurant Eggplant Parmesan
1 small eggplant
1 large egg (beaten)
¼ cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons cooking oil
cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup spaghetti sauce
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Peel eggplant and cut into ½-inch slices (going crosswise). Dip eggplant into egg, then into flour, making sure to cover both sides well. Pour cooking oil in a large skillet and let it get nice and hot, then cook half of the eggplant in the skillet at a time for about 5 minutes (maybe a little less, it just depends) until golden. If necessary, flip the eggplant. Let drain on paper towels.
Place eggplant slices, single layer, in a 12-by-7½-by-2-inch baking dish. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, top with sauce and mozzarella. Bake at 400 for 10–12 minutes or till hot.
Evangeline’s Cook’s Notes
Seeing as I have known David and Mica Apple since they were children (and obviously before they were married), I have managed to snag their recipe for serving to the Potluck Club. Their closely guarded secret, they told me, is that they use “off the shelf “ spaghetti sauce, such as Ragu, Prego, etc. Now, that’s my kind of cooking …
Stuffed Peppers
2 large green peppers
¼ teaspoon salt (for sprinkling)
¾ pound ground beef ? cup chopped onion
1 7½-ounce can of cut-up tomatoes (undrained)
cup long grain rice (uncooked)
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
½ teaspoon dried oregano, crushed
½ cup water
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
½ cup shredded American cheese
Cut peppers in half, removing stem ends, seeds, and membranes. Put peppers in boiling water for three minutes, remove, and then sprinkle insides with salt. Place upside down on paper towels to drain.
In a skillet, cook meat and onion until browned and tender. Drain fat, stir in tomatoes, rice, Worcestershire, oregano, water, salt, and pepper. Bring to boil, reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 15–18 minutes or until rice is tender. Stir in ¼ cup of cheese. Fill peppers with meat mixture. Place in baking dish with any remaining meat mixture.
Bake at 375 for fifteen minutes. Remove and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Let stand for 2 minutes before serving.
Goldie’s Cook’s Notes
My mother-in-law was a great cook, and with a houseful of boys, it was imperative that she be able to cook food that was both filling and quick to prepare. Stuffed peppers was one of the first recipes she handed down to me. It remains a favorite in our family … busted as it is.
Chocolate-Topped Prayer Bars
FIRST LAYER
½ cup butter
4 tablespoons cocoa
1 slightly beaten egg
2 teaspoons vanilla
½ cup powdered sugar
½ cup coconut
½ cup chopped nuts
2 cups crushed graham crackers
SECOND LAYER
¼ cup butter or margarine
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons cream
2 teaspoons dry vanilla pudding mix
2 cups sifted powdered sugar
1 large milk chocolate bar
First layer: melt shortening over low heat in large saucepan. Stir in cocoa. When blended, add vanilla and beaten egg. Mix well. Add powdered sugar, coconut, chopped nuts, and crushed graham crackers. Crush mixture into 9-by-13 pan.
Second layer: in saucepan, melt butter. With heat on medium, add vanilla, cream, and pudding mix. Cook for one minute. Add powdered sugar and stir. Spread over bottom layer. Melt chocolate bar over hot water (double boiler) or low heat and spread on top.
Vonnie’s Cook’s Notes
My mother used to make these for Fred because he was her prayerscome-true for me. I’ve always served these when prayer was the only answer to a difficult problem.
Breakfast Enchiladas
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
¼ pound chopped ham
cup sliced green onions