By Andy Bedwell
When I mentioned to family and friends that I was working my way through hundreds of recipes for my cookbook and what fun I was having, someone would proudly chime in with a comment about their momma’s or aunt’s famous recipes. Some of my recipes may seem dated by today’s measure. But for the most part, my recipes have stood the test of time.
Chicken Fruit Salad
2 cups chopped chicken breast
1 cup chopped celery
1 11-ounce can mandarin oranges
1 cup seedless grapes, halved
½ cup chopped pecans
¼ cup mayonnaise
¼ cup sour cream
1 ½ teaspoons dry Italian salad dressing mix
Mix all ingredients together and refrigerate. Make ahead for seasonings to flavor.
Andy’s Note: Sometimes I add a medium can of pineapple tidbits to give it a tropical flavor. This also makes a beautiful salad with all of the special fruits.
Beef Chow Mein
Soy sauce
1 ½ pounds sirloin cubes
1 cup flour
¼ cup flour (set aside)
Salt and pepper to taste
¾ cup oil
2 cans LaChoy noodles
1 can LaChoy Chinese vegetables
1 can LaChoy bamboo shoots
1 can LaChoy bean sprouts
2 cans LaChoy chopped water chestnuts
1 cup water
Toss sirloin cubes in flour. Heat oil and brown sirloin cubes. Add meat to liquid only from the following canned vegetables: water chestnuts, bamboo shoots and bean sprouts. Stir well and cook for one hour on low heat. Add small amount of water to one-fourth cup of flour to make paste. Add slowly and stir in to make a gravy type sauce. After meat and sauce cooks on low for 30 minutes, add vegetables, water chestnuts, bamboo shoots and bean sprouts to meat mixture. Heat well. Serve over toasted noodles. Add soy sauce to each serving.
Andy’s Note: If you love Chow Mein, you will enjoy this recipe. I hope it will become a favorite at your house.
Sour Cream Apple Pie
1 cup sour cream
2 ½ tablespoons flour
¾ cup sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
3 cups diced, tart apples
½ cup brown sugar
1/3 cup flour
¼ cup margarine
1 unbaked deep-dish crust
Blend together sour cream, two and one-half tablespoons flour, sugar, salt, vanilla and egg. Stir in apples and flour mixture into pie shell. Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes. Combine brown sugar, one-third cup flour and margarine. Sprinkle over the pie and return it to the oven to bake about 20 minutes more. Serve warm or cold.
Andy’s Note: My favorite pie is lemon icebox and my second favorite is apple. I love this apple pie recipe. Granny Smith apples are what I use, and the temperature needs to be checked often. My oven is too hot to bake a pie on 400 degrees and I bake mine on 350 degrees.
Happy cooking!
“Southern Cooking with Andy Bedwell” can be purchased at Alabama Gift Company in downtown Gadsden and The Messenger on Rainbow Drive.