Happy 4th to all of you!
I was in Eastside Presbyterian Church most of my life and that means that I have been to more Wednesday night suppers, homecomings, Presbyterian women’s meetings, and many other “eating affairs” than most food connoisseurs. At these gatherings, recipes are exchanged and cooking tips are discussed. My heart is so full when I think of all the wonderful seasoned cooks that I was blessed to know and love at Eastside. There was not a question that I asked that these Southern ladies could not answer. Just to name a few: Pansy Cochran, Vera Cooper, Ada Lee Bishop, Pearl Richards, Dot Holman, Lou Lee, Louise Stallings, and of course, my mother, Virginia McCleskey. Now you can understand why I have always loved to cook. I can not fail to mention my wonderful family of fabulous cooks.
Glorified Cheesy Squash Dressing
6 squash, sliced, salted and cooked
2 cups extra-sharp cheese, grated
1 can cream of chicken soup
2 eggs, beaten
1 package cornbread stuffing mix
1 can water chestnuts, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped and saute’ in 1 tablespoon of butter
Mix all of the ingredients except about 1/2 cup of the stuffing mix. Spray with Pam, the bottom of a 9×13 inch baking pan. Pour your mixture in your pan and sprinkle the top with the 1/2 cup of stuffing mix. Melt about 3 tablespoons of butter and sprinkle on top of stuffing mix. I also sprinkled with dried parsley on top. Bake at 325 degrees for about 30 minutes.
Andy’s Note: I hope all of you will enjoy this recipe. Yesterday, I combined a lot of my favorite ingredients to create this dish. My husband does not like squash but I talked him into trying this with his dinner. He loved it! Along with Mary and Dale’s approval, I had to share with you also!
Frozen Lemon Delight
1/2 gallon vanilla ice cream (hard to find 1/2 gallon now)(use closest to it)
6 ounces frozen lemonade, thawed
graham cracker crumbs
Let your ice cream soften. I use a 2 quart Pyrex dish. Spray your dish with Pam and sprinkle with graham cracker crumbs. Combine your ice cream and lemonade together. Add your lemonade gradually because of probably not using 1/2 gallon of ice cream. It is also hard to find 6 ounces of frozen lemonade. I usually have to buy the 12 ounces and use 1/2 of it. Use the rest for a cold pitcher of lemonade. After you have spooned your mixture in your dish, sprinkle the top with graham cracker crumbs. Freeze immediately!!!!
Andy’s Note: I can not begin to tell you how long this recipe has been in my family. We started making this years ago when you could buy “ice milk”. When I had this in the freezer, I always had a good dessert. It is so refreshing in the summer.
When I look back on my life, I want to thank all of my friends and family that were such a wonderful influence on my life and my passion for cooking. I read cookbooks like most people read novels. Some of my ideas have come from the thousands of cookbooks that I have read and continue to read. I feel as though I have a “God given” talent by always wanting to feed everyone.
Happy Cooking and Happy 4th to all my cooking buddies! Stay Safe!
Andy Bedwell