CONGEALED AVOCADO-COTTAGE CHEESE SALAD

From Miss Mary’s Kitchen…

This recipe also has a lot of sentimental value since it is another of Liz Bentley's favorites, and also a favorite at the Church Suppers. It is great on a hot mid-summer night!

Liz's Congealed Avocado - Cottage Cheese Salad
Serves 6 - 8

2 packages lime jello
2 cups boiling water
2 ripe avocados coarsely chopped
1 cup small-curd cottage cheese
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Mix jello and hot water in a bowl and set aside to cool.
Combine all other ingredients together in a mixing bowl and stir until well mixed.
After jello has cooled and started to congeal, mix in other ingredients and place in the refrigerator to cool for at least 4 hours.

Serve over lettuce.

Malfartes

From Miss Mary’s Kitchen…

For most of my years I have enjoyed cooking, and collecting and reading cookbooks has become a favorite pastime. I enjoy the smiles and compliments a good home cooked meal draws, whether it be Southern Fried Chicken or Chateaubriand.

My husband Norm’s mother was a great cook, and left us with a treasure trove of wonderful recipes including the one below. She got this from an Italian lady in Napa , California around 1950. In a visit to Napa several years ago, we found this dish on the menu at that same restaurant, and it rekindled memories of a childhood favorite of Norm's. It is a delicious recipe for making leftovers into a fabulous meal, and is sure to bring smiles to the faces of those who are privileged to enjoy it from your kitchen!

MALFARTES
Serves 2 - 4

1-15 oz. can spinach (well drained)
1/3 bunch parsley, stems removed
1 - 2 cloves garlic, halved
1 medium onion, quartered
leftover meat - 2 or 3 pieces of chicken is best
1/4 t. oregano
3 - 4 slices stale bread
1 egg, beaten
salt to taste
flour
marinara sauce

Put everything except egg, salt, flour and marinara sauce through a meat grinder, or medium chop in a food processor into a mixing bowl. Once ground together, add egg and salt to taste, mix well. Use a rounded teaspoon of the mixture to form into a sausage shape. Roll the little sausages in flour to coat, place on a plate. Drop the sausages into a deep pot of salted boiling water. When the Malfartes rise to the top, they are done. Remove and serve with a marinara sauce and sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top. These also serve as a substitute for meat balls and can be prepared and served with spaghetti.

Chicken Divine

From Miss Mary's Kitchen

           Chicken Divine

This recipe has a lot of sentimental value to both Norm and I. When we were cleaning up his uncle's house a few years ago, we came across an old recipe file box. In that box were most of the recipes that Norm's aunt and mother had gathered and shared over many years of cooking together. He had thought this treasure trove to be lost, so you can imagine the excitement when they were found!

Norm's mother was the secretary of their church. In the South, you will know that part of the church activites often include a "covered dish" event. Whether a circle meeting, christening or just a gathering of the members, Liz Bentley was always a cheerful participant. This dish was often requested, and the original name was altered as a result of the praises she received when brought to the occasion. I am sure you will recognize this as a version of Chicken Divan, but around their house it was always called . . .

CHICKEN DIVINE!
Serves 6 - 8

2-10 oz. pkg. frozen broccoli florets (or 1 large bunch fresh)
2 c. cooked chicken (3-4 breasts), chunked
2 cans cream of chicken soup (or cream of celery, or 1 each)
1 c. mayonnaise
1 T. fresh lemon juice
1/2 t. curry powder
1/2 c. soft bread crumbs
1 T. butter, melted
1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese
Cooked rice

Cook broccoli until almost done. Drain and arrange in a 9 x 13 baking dish. Place chicken chunks on top. In a mixing bowl, combine soup, mayonnaise, lemon juice and curry powder. Pour this mixture over the broccoli and chicken. Sprinkle the casserole with cheese. Mix bread crumbs and butter, spread over all.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 25-30 minutes until bubbly and browned.
Serve over rice.

NOTE: this recipe freezes well. Line the baking dish with heavy duty aluminum foil so you can remove the contents once frozen. Prepare it up to the final topping of bread crumbs and butter, and freeze. Allow to thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then return to the baking dish and top. Add 10-15 minutes to the cooking time to allow the ingredients to thoroughly heat through.

Spoonbread

From Miss Mary’s Kitchen…
Spoonbread



When someone mentions the words 'comfort food', what comes to mind for you? Is it that special dish, lovingly prepared by your mother or grandmother? Maybe it's what many of us have come to associate with the phrase - foods like mashed potatoes, meatloaf, macaroni and cheese or fried chicken. Regardless of your preference, comfort foods are special, no matter how they came to be that "something" you yearn for.

A good friend of Mother's (and my godmother), "Aunt" Ethyl, was one who always shared her recipes, and her love for cooking was evident in each one. This recipe was one that she particularly liked to serve with fried quail. Her husband and Daddy frequently hunted together, and it became the responsibility of Mother and Aunt Ethyl to prepare this "special" meal on those occasions. There were often other close friends invited to join us (depending on the men's accuracy of shot), so it was usually a dinner table ringing with much laughter and the feeling of warmth that comes from close friendship.

Thus is the story of my association of 'comfort food' with Spoonbread. Every time I prepare it, I can hear the stories told around that table and recall how special a time that was.

This dish probably fits best in a bread category, but can easily serve as a side dish instead of a vegetable. It is important to note that, as was the case with those memorable fried quail dinners, this is to be served hot, and with lots of butter!

SPOONBREAD
Serves 4

2 c. boiling water
1 c. yellow cornmeal
3 T. butter
1 t. salt
3 beaten eggs
1 c. milk

Bring water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Slowly add cornmeal to water. Use a whisk to remove any lumps, stirring until thick and creamy. Add butter and salt, remove from heat and cool the mixture to lukewarm. Once cooled, add eggs and milk. Pour the mixture into a greased 8" square pan. Bake at 375 degrees for 30-35 minutes until golden brown. Spoon out while hot, and serve with butter.

Mary Bentley






"Good Food...Good for the Soul"





From Miss Mary's Kitchen Recipes available at her blogsite - http://frommissmaryskitchen.blogspot.com/


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