The Co-op Pantry

The Co-op Pantry
The Co-op Pantry

I love hearing from all of our Co-op Pantry readers, but I was actually able to visit with some of our out-of-state followers while on vacation this year. I was privileged to visit Barbourville, Kentucky, a small town nestled in the foothills of the ancient Appalachian Mountains. Tall mountains and beautiful scenery surround this lovely little town. Arts, crafts, music and culture are all around you. Family history is alive and most people can tell you their family tree for four or five generations without having to stop and think about it. You can still hear their Anglo-Scottish-German origins in their speech. Life moves at a slower pace here, farming and raising cattle are still very important parts of the culture and people are in touch with the land and its gentle rhythms. I hit very little rush-hour traffic and met very few speeding cars!

One of the most enjoyable parts of my vacation was being invited to eat with a family who are devoted readers of AFC Cooperative Farming News, Vernon and Frances Rowland and his sister, Margaret "Ann" Rowland Smith. Of course, the absolutely most wonderful part of my trip was collecting (sampling) the local recipes while I was there.

The Rowland family has lived in this part of Kentucky for nearly 150 years and has been in this country since the 1650s. They are renowned for their excellent cooking and I persuaded them to share some of their favorite recipes.

Ann, a retired school teacher (after 38 years) said, "I learned to cook from my mother, grandmother, Aunt Lucy and my wonderful Home Economics teacher, the late Mrs. Pauleen Foley; my girls learned from me and my mom while she was living and they still use many of my mother’s recipes."

One of Ann’s fondest, childhood memories was watching her grandmother pat out pones of cornbread mixed in an oblong bowl, hand-carved from a wooden log.

Ann and her late husband, Arthur, have two daughters, Lisa and Marsha. These days, Ann is busy being a devoted grandmother to her four grandchildren, seeing them at ball games, swimming and ballet lessons, or church. Ann attends Faith Baptist Church and has been a Sunday school teacher there for 25 years. Ann enjoys watching all cooking shows, particularly the local morning shows featuring a cooking segment and she is an avid reader of Southern Living’s cooking section.

Vernon’s memories of cooking were the same as big sister Ann’s. He only added that he attends East Barbourville Baptist Church. The cook at his house is his lovely wife, Frances, who gave us several of their favorite family recipes to enjoy as well.

Vernon and Ann were both raised on a busy farm and both still live a healthy farm life. Vernon enjoys the AFC Cooperative Faming News immensely and Kentucky is not so very different from Alabama when it comes to farming and raising cattle. They also have two children, a son, Barry, and a daughter, Jill, as well as three grandchildren.

A big thank you to Ann, Vernon and Frances for sharing your recipes with us this month.

Mary Delph is an associate editor with AFC Cooperative Farming News.

Margaret “Ann” Rowland Smith’s Recipes

A TOUCH OF HEAVEN

1 cup light (not white) corn syrup
1 cup dark brown sugar
1/3 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon (or more) vanilla
3 eggs, slightly beaten
1 heaping cup of pecan halves

In a mixer, combine first five ingredients. Add eggs. Add pecans into mixture. Pour into a pie shell. Bake at 350° for 40-45 minutes.

*Note from Ann: This recipe was handed down to me from my Aunt Lucy. She always said, “This is the best pecan pie I have ever eaten” and you will say it, too.

HOLIDAY CHEESE BALL

2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese
8½ ounce can crushed pineapple, drained
2½ Tablespoons bell pepper, finely chopped
¾ teaspoon salt
¼ cup onion, chopped
Pecans, chopped

Mix the first five ingredients. Form the mixture into a ball. Roll the cheese ball in pecans and serve with a variety of crackers.

HEARTY POTATO SOUP

6 medium potatoes, peeled and sliced
3 carrots, diced
6 celery stalks, diced
2 quarts water
1 large onion, chopped
6 Tablespoons
all-purpose flour
¾ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
1½ cups milk
Butter

In a large stock pot, cook the potatoes, carrots and celery in water until tender, about 20-25 minutes. Drain the vegetables, reserving the liquid. Set the vegetables aside. Using the same pot, sauté the onion in butter until it is soft. Gradually stir in flour, salt and pepper. Add milk, stirring constantly until thickened. Gently stir in cooked vegetables. Add one cup or more of reserved liquid, until soup reaches the desired consistency. This will make about 2½ quarts.

AUTUMN SWEET POTATO CASSEROLE

2 (29-ounce) cans of sweet potatoes, drained and mashed
1 cup light brown sugar
2 eggs, well beaten
½ stick margarine
¾ cup milk
½ scant teaspoon nutmeg
½ teaspoon cinnamon

Mix all ingredients thoroughly in a large mixing bowl. Place mixture in a 9” X 13” baking dish. Bake at 400° for 25 minutes. Remove from oven.

Topping:
½ cup light brown sugar
½ stick margarine
¾ cup pecans, finely chopped

Crumble ingredients together. Sprinkle evenly over casserole. Return to oven to crisp and brown topping, approximately 20 minutes. When the topping has melted, it will cover the pecans.

*Note from Mary: This is hands down the best sweet potato casserole recipe I have ever eaten!

RICH COCOA FUDGE

3 cups granulated sugar
2/3 cup Hershey’s cocoa
1/8 teaspoon salt
1½ cups milk
¼ cup (half a stick) butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Line an 8-9” square pan with foil, extending the foil over the edges of the pan. Butter the foil. In a heavy 4-quart saucepan, combine sugar, cocoa and salt. Stir in milk. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture comes to a full rolling boil. Boil, without stirring, until mixture reaches 234° on a candy thermometer or until the syrup when dropped into very cold water forms a soft ball which flattens when removed from the water. (The bulb of the candy thermometer should not rest of the bottom of the saucepan.) Remove the saucepan from the heat. Add butter and vanilla. Do not stir. Cool at room temperature to 110°, lukewarm. Beat with a wooden spoon until the fudge thickens and just begins to lose some of its gloss. Quickly spread into the prepared pan; cool completely. Cut into squares and store in a tightly-covered container at room temperature.

*Note from Mary: This is the old recipe from Hershey’s our mothers, grandmothers and great-grandmothers made. It used to be on the label of the tins (yes, I am that old). This is a simple recipe, but to get it just right, you should have some candy-making experience. If you are new to candy making, you may want to add about a tablespoon of corn syrup so the sugar doesn’t over crystalize. Do not try to make fudge on a rainy or humid day, it just will not turn out right.

MEATLOAF

1 pound ground beef, preferably ground chuck
1 egg
2/3 cup bread crumbs
½ cup ketchup
½ teaspoon Accent
¼ cup lukewarm water
½ package Lipton’s Onion Soup Mix
1 (4-ounce) can tomato sauce
2 strips bacon

Glaze:
¼ cup ketchup
½ teaspoon mustard
2 teaspoons brown sugar

Add all meatloaf ingredients except bacon and tomato sauce together in a bowl. Mix thoroughly. Place into a shallow 9” X 13” baking pan and shape into an oval loaf. Place the bacon on top. Pour tomato sauce over meatloaf. Bake at 375° uncovered for about 40 minutes. Mix all the glaze ingredients and pour over the meatloaf. Return to the oven and bake about 20 more minutes.

Vernon and Frances Rowland's Recipes

MEATLOAF-STUFFED PEPPER

6 medium-sized green bell peppers
1 (28-ounce) jar spaghetti sauce, divided
2 cups cooked meatloaf, cubed
1 cup cooked rice
¼ cup onion, diced
¼ cup green bell pepper, diced
½ cup sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded

Cut the tops off the green peppers and remove the seeds. Spread 1 cup of spaghetti sauce in the bottom of an 11” X 7” baking dish. Place the peppers, cut side up, in the sauce. Stir together the remaining spaghetti sauce, meatloaf and next 3 ingredients in a medium sauce pan. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, 5 to 10 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Spoon the cooked mixture evenly into peppers. Bake uncovered at 375° for 25 minutes. Sprinkle evenly with cheese.

CORNBREAD SALAD

1 recipe (your choice) of cornbread, crumbled
½ pound bacon, fried crisp and broken up
2 medium green bell peppers, diced
2 medium onion, diced
4 medium tomatoes, diced
Salt and pepper, to taste
½ cup diced sweet pickles
1 cup mayonnaise
½ cup sweet pickle juice
1 Tablespoon sugar

Layer cornbread, bacon, bell peppers, onions and tomatoes in a large bowl. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Add sweet pickles. Combine mayonnaise, pickle juice and sugar in a small bowl and bled well. Drizzle the mixture over the salad and toss lightly just before serving.

Note from Mary: This is absolutely delicious!

STRAWBERRY SALAD

1 can strawberry pie filling
1 can condensed milk
1 (20-ounce) can crushed pineapple, well drained
1 (9-ounce) bowl whipped topping
1 cup mini marshmallows
1 cup coconut
1 cup pecans, broken
Salt and pepper

Mix all ingredients and serve.

WILTED LETTUCE

½ pound bacon
2 quarts leaf lettuce, washed
and torn in pieces
2 cups green onions, diced
Salt and pepper, to taste

Fry bacon until crisp. Drain, cool and crumble. Reserve bacon grease. Just before you are ready to eat, heat the bacon fat until it is very hot and pour it over the lettuce and onion. Add bacon, salt and pepper. Toss and serve.

PINTO BEAN CHILI

1 pound dry pinto beans
7 cups water
1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
3 cups onion, diced and divided
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 Tablespoons chili powder
1½ Tablespoons salt
2 teaspoons ground cumin
3 cups green bell peppers, diced
3 cups tomatoes, diced
1 pound ground beef, browned and drained

Inspect dried beans carefully, removing any defective beans. Wash beans in cold water, rinsing until water is clear. Soak beans overnight in water. Pour the beans and water into a 6-quart pot. Stir in tomato paste and add 2 cups onions, garlic, chili powder, salt and cumin. Stir until mixed. Simmer, covered, on low heat for 3 hours, adding water as need to keep the beans covered. Stir in peppers, tomatoes and remaining onions. Simmer another 10 minutes. Add ground beef.

SORGHUM GINGERBREAD

1¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ginger
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
½ cup pure sweet sorghum
½ cup butter, at room temperature
¼ cup brown sugar
1 egg
½ cup milk

In a mixing bowl, combine first five ingredients. Set aside. In another bowl, cream sorghum, butter, brown sugar and egg. Add dry mixture to the sorghum mixture alternately with the milk. Pour into a greased and floured 8” X 8” pan. Bake at 350° for 40 minutes. Serve with applesauce if desired.

Readers: I’m looking for family cornbread recipes to feature in a future column. If it has unique or unusual ingredients, so much the better. Share the story of where your recipe originated or any humorous cornbread stories from your family. Let’s get those recipes in!

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