Squash Casserole and Dressing

 With Thanksgiving right around the corner I will give two recipes we had every Thanksgiving, this was momma’s:

 Squash Casserole

Feeds 8-10

12 small yellow squash

Slice the squash in thin slices boil in chicken broth with some sliced onion. You can boil in water but flavor better with the broth.

When soft drain all but a little of the water/broth out of the pot. Put in grated onion, two hand full of grated sharp cheddar cheese . Add one pack of crushed Waverly Wafers or an uptown pack of crackers. Stir in two raw eggs.

Bake for about 1 hour in a 350 degree oven or until the top is brown.

Aunt Nell’s Dressing

Bake corn bread in a cast iron skillet.  I use the recipe on the side of the corn meal package.  Instead of using the milk I use a 14 oz can of creamed corn which makes the corn bread light and fluffy. If it is too dry add milk till batter will drip off the spoon.  Let the corn bread cool.

Remove the neck and giblets from the turkey and cover with water and boil about 15 minutes.

Aunt Nell always used three cans Swanson's Chicken broth.  Dice a the outside stalks of celery finely and dice a large onion. Saute the onion and celery in one can of the chicken broth

 Dry two slices of white bead (let the bread stay out and get good and stale or toast it) either works. Hard boil two eggs.

Crumble the corn bread in a large bowl.  Pour the celery onion mixture into the corn bread, Drain the neck and giblets and pour the broth into the mixture. Grate the toast and the hard boil eggs into the mixture. Stir and Stir till all mixed up.  Pour in another can of Swanson's broth. The mixture should be soupy, if it is too dry add the other can of broth. Bake 350 degree oven about 1 hour.  If the turkey is finished take the drippings and add them to the dressing for more yummy flavor.

To this day I can see the pot Aunt Nell used to boil the neck and giblets.  Beat up but worked.  Aunt Jennie could not abide the smell or taste of onion so she had a special knife that was used to cut the onion for this recipe. She would cover the knife in aluminum foil and then wrap it again so the foul odor would plague the kitchen.  Aunt Nell loved to cook and treasured her time in the kitchen.  Neither of the sisters married although Aunt Nell's was a deep tragedy with her beau dying during the depression. He was a haberdasher at the Tutwiler Hotel on 20th street, Porter Westbrook Aunt Jennie on the other hand chose to never marry but stayed with her career working for the Progressive Farmer Magazine in circulation.  She was named Miss Progressive Farmer the year I was born, 1954 and given a silver bowl for her accomplishment. She used say I'd be walking on easy street if I had married that man. She would drop them like a hot potato if they held her hand.  She is who my Jennie is named for.

Country Captain Yummy!

November 9, 2016

My first real blog log, sounds a bit like a rap song.  I have been going to the library with my handy dandy Lap Top given to me by my sweet new son-in-law because I do not have inter net at the house.  Too many trees and I am not cutting trees when I can go to the library and my phone for email.

Boy do I feel like an up town human.  I just figured out how to put a file on a flash disc.  You see you have to take it from the Documents Folder and then transfer.  Of course everybody knows that but not me.  It is sometimes difficult to go from point A to B in my shoes but here I go.

My vision of writing on my blog was to have the lap top in the carrier at the library exercise bike and type away but alas last Friday night all my camera equipment and purse and my lap top were stolen .  The thieves opened the back door of my car and took them while I, exhausted pumped gas.  Before finalizing and replacing my stuff the Hoover Detective has seen videos of the mongrels who stole my things so perhaps I will get my things back.  Keep fingers crossed.  Real life Law and Order.

Please forgive the appearance of the first log in but I could not figure out how to download my stories and newspaper article so I printed the story then scanned everything at the library and  transferred it to my flash disc. When my new best friend, the librarian teaching me how to blog, saw what I had done  had to take a picture with her phone and transfer it that way.  Look carefully at the newspaper story because Lemon Chicken is divine and so is Chop Suey.

The next recipe I will give you is Country Captain.  My father served with General Patton and rumor had it someone would bring him Country Captain in a metal pail.

Country Captain  This will serve 6

Cooked rice about two cups

4 chicken breast I prefer on the bone with skin but boneless works as well

Flour to dredge the chicken in a plastic bag about ¼ cup

Salt and pepper

Cast Iron Skillet is best to use

Wash the chicken and drop them into the bag after you salt and pepper them good

Use a vegetable oil because you want the skillet to get hot medium high 

Olive oil cannot hold the heat as well

While you are getting the skillet hot begin preparing your vegetables

One whole green pepper sliced in strips, one large onion diced and three large tomatoes fresh or  large diced canned tomatoes work fine

Note: I use a Cutco knife called a Trimmer and that is the only knife I use.  It is absolutely the best knife you will ever have and the only one.  I use a small cutting board so I can hold the board over the skillet and put the prepared vegetables in the skillet. You will have trash from the vegetables which should be left on a towel under the chopping board . When you are finished preparing the vegetables scoop the trash in the towel and toss it outside in what will become the compost pile  Find a close place to the front door.

Back to the recipe:  Hot skillet which I put about two T of curry powder in .I put the chicken breast skin side down.  Watch out don’t get burned.  I use the tip of the knife to turn them when they are brown on one side.  Take them out quickly they do not need to cook all the way through. Take the skillet off the heat. Put chicken in a nice casserole dish because this is what you will be serving them in. Put skillet back on heat  Using the oil from the chicken put in onions and peppers and tomatoes and let them cook till wilted about 7 minutes but eyeball them. Take the casserole over to the skillet and put the onions, peppers and tomatoes on top of the browned chicken breast.  Bake about 45 minutes at 350 the last 15 minutes Open the oven and throw on a handful of golden resins or plain whichever you’ve got in your pantry.  To this day I can hear momma say, “ Let the raisins plump”  Serve over rice  I usually cut the breast up since a whole chicken breast is a lot to eat. If you choose to serve the entire breast prepare six to serve six.