By Karin Glendenning
Community News Writer
Soddy-Daisy resident Bobbie Alexander said she has been cooking all her life. “Growing up in a family with six children, we all had to help,” she said.
Today Mrs. Alexander and her husband, Archie, are both retired and live on a large plot of land with their three daughters residing in homes on either side of them. The Alexanders have eight grandchildren and four great-grandchildren and enjoy get-togethers with their large family.
“We don’t have them all for meals as often as we used to,” she said. But the Alexanders do host holiday gatherings where they feed as many as 20 people. On the upcoming 4th of July holiday, they will have not only their own children and their families, but also the in-laws of their daughters, swelling their group to about 40 people.
“We’ll have hamburgers, hot dogs, slaw, baked beans, potato salad and lots of desserts,” said Mrs. Alexander about their old-fashioned picnic plans.
Mrs. Alexander is well known in her community for her cooking. She and her husband attend Union Fork Baptist Church, and she said she regularly prepares food to serve at church covered dish events.
Her church’s cookbook, “A Little Taste of Heaven,” is full of recipes that bear her name. She said the cookbook, an attractive volume packed with hints as well as a variety of scrumptious-sounding recipes, is available at the church. For more information, call the church office at 332-4883.
Her most requested recipe is her Chicken ‘n Dressing, a recipe she said she got from her mother-in-law. In 2000 Mrs. Alexander entered the recipe in the Times Free Press Christmas cooking contest and won first place in the main dish category.
The Alexanders like to camp, spending weekends at Dell Hollow, Chester Frost, Crossville and Fall Creek Falls. Mr. Alexander likes to ride four-wheelers and fish, and Mrs. Alexander said her hobbies include sewing.
The recipes she shares with readers today are ones she serves her family. All of them (and many more) can be found in “A Little Taste of Heaven.”
BOBBIE’S CHICKEN ‘N DRESSING
1 whole chicken
2 chicken flavored bouillon cubes
Corn bread, cooked
2 eggs, beaten
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 to 1 package Brownberry or Pepperidge Farm onion and sage flavored stuffing
1 can cream of celery soup
1 small can Pet milk
Sage, salt and pepper, to taste
Boil whole chicken until tender. Remove chicken from broth. Take chicken from bones and pull into bite size pieces. Stir 2 chicken bouillon cubes into broth until dissolved.
Bake pan of cornbread ahead of time and crumble into small crumbs. Add cream of chicken and cream of celery soups, onion, Pet milk, eggs and prepared stuffing. Add sage, salt and pepper to taste. Add chicken broth and mix. Add chicken. Mix well. Be sure to add enough broth so dressing will not be dry. Bake in 400 oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Makes 12 to 15 servings.
MEXICAN CORNBREAD
(When you have pinto beans, you have to have Mexican Cornbread,” said Mrs. Alexander.)
1 cup creamed or whole kernel corn
3 tablespoons self-rising flour
2/3 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups self-rising cornmeal
2 tablespoons bell pepper, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
1 cup sour cream
2 to 3 pods jalapeno peppers, chopped
1 cup grated cheese
Mix all ingredients except cheese. Pour 1/2 of mixture into greased pan. Sprinkle 1/2 cup of cheese on top, then add the other 1/2 of batter and sprinkle with the remainder of the cheese. Bake at 350 about 40 minutes.
MAPLE BAKED BANS
3/4 pound ground beef
16 ounce-can baked beans in tomato sauce
1/2 cup catsup
15-ounce can great northern beans, undrained
1 medium onion, chopped
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon pepper
4 slices, bacon, cooked and drained
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon molasses
Cook ground beef until browned, stirring to crumble. Drain. Combine ground beef and next 10 ingredients. Spoon mixture into a lightly greased 2-quart baking dish. Bake uncovered at 350 for 55 minutes. Top with bacon.
BOBBIE’S GRAPE SALAD
(Mrs. Alexander said this recipe is especially good in summer and she likes it because it can be prepared ahead.)
1 cup sugar
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
8 ounces sour cream
1 tablespoon vanilla
2 pounds white seedless grapes
2 pounds red seedless grapes
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup pecans
Mix sugar, cream cheese and sour cream until smooth. Add vanilla extract. Mix until smooth. Add grapes and gently stir until grapes are coated. Put in serving bowl and sprinkle with brown sugar and pecans. Cover and refrigerate for several hours.
CHICKEN SALAD
6 boiled chicken breasts, chopped
1 pound seedless grapes, 1/2 white and 1/2 purple
3/4 cup pecans, chopped
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon Accent
3 stalks celery, diced
1 small onion, diced
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup mayonnaise
Boil chicken and chop. Slice grapes in 1/2 or in 1/4 if large. Mix all ingredients together and refrigerate. Serve on bread or with rolls or good crackers.
INSTANT MIRACLE ROLLS
3 packages dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water
5 cups self-rising flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon soda
1 cup shortening
2 cups lukewarm buttermilk
Dissolve yeast in warm water and set aside. Mix flour, sugar, soda and cut in shortening. Add buttermilk and yeast mixture. Mix well.
Place dough in airtight container in refrigerator overnight. Roll dough out and cut into 1-inch thick biscuits with biscuit cutter. Let rise until doubled in size. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes or until brown. Brush with melted butter while hot. For wheat rolls, use 3 cups self-rising flour and 2 cups whole wheat flour.
COCONUT CAKE
(Mrs. Alexander said this cake “gets better when it sits in the refrigerator a few days” and is very moist.)
1 yellow cake mix
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups Cool Whip, thawed
16 ounces sour cream
12 ounces frozen coconut, thawed
Using two 9-inch cake pans bake cake as directed on package. Cool and split each layer.
Combine sugar, sour cream and coconut. Chill for several hours. Remove from refrigerator and reserve 1 cup of mixture. Spread the remainder between layers of cake. Combine the reserved sour cream mixture with Cool Whip and mix until smooth. Use to frost top and sides of cake. Place cake in airtight container and refrigerate for 3 days before serving.
MILK CHOCOLATE BAR CAKE
(Mrs. Alexander said you can also use a devil’s food cake mix for this recipe.)
18 1/4 ounce package Swiss chocolate cake mix
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
12 ounces frozen Cool Whip, thawed
10 1 1/2-ounce milk chocolate candy bars with almonds, divided
Prepare cake mix according to package directions and pour into 3 greased and floured 8-inch round cake pans or two 9-inch pans. Bake at 325 for 25 to 30 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans for 10 minutes and remove from pans and cool completely on wire racks.
Beat cream cheese, powdered sugar and granulated sugar at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Chop 8 candy bars finely. Fold cream cheese mixture and chopped candy into Cool Whip. Spread icing between layers and on top and sides of cake. Chop remaining 2 candy bars. Sprinkle 1/2 of chopped candy bars over cake. Press remaining chopped candy along bottom edge of cake.
STRAWBERRY PIES
2 deep dish pie shells
2 quarts strawberries
6 tablespoons cornstarch
2 cups boiling water
3 ounce package strawberry Jello
2 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
Bake 2 deep dish pie shells until lightly browned. Cool. Wash and clean strawberries. Drain until dry. Put strawberries in cooked, cooled pie shells. Mix sugar, salt and cornstarch. Add to boiling water and boil rapidly until mixture becomes clear. Stir in Jello. Pour over berries in pie crusts. Makes 2 pies.
MACAROON PIE
3 egg whites, stiffly beaten
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
18 dates, cut up (3/4 cup)
12 soda crackers, finely chopped (1/2 cup)
1/2 cup pecans, chopped
Beat egg whites; add sugar gradually and beat until stiff. Add vanilla and almond flavorings, dates, nuts and crackers, folding in. Spread mixture onto a buttered 9-inch pie pan. Bake at 325 for 40 minutes. Cool and serve with whipped cream.
E-mail Karin Glendenning at kglendenning@tfpcommunitynews.com
