By Karin Glendenning
Community News Writer
Martha Kesler and her husband decided to live in Chattanooga when he retired from the Air Force because his brother, David and his family live here. They live on a quiet street in Stuart Heights and love their community.
While they were in the military, they lived in Florida, Hawaii and North Carolina, but she said that her cooking style is really a conglomeration mixed with the country cooking that comes from her mother, who grew up on a farm.
“Living in Hawaii did influence my cooking for a time. I learned from a neighbor how to cook Chinese food, but I don’t cook that much anymore,” she said. She said she also experimented more during her years in Hawaii because she wasn’t working outside the home.
During the school year, Mrs. Kesler teaches Bible history at Signal Mountain Middle School. Her husband works for the Southeast Tennessee Development District.
Mrs. Kesler said she used to fry foods but now cooks healthier. The couple, who has one grown daughter and an 8-month-old grandson, likes to cook on their new grill that they plan to use year round.
She said one of her favorite recipes to serve is Snow on the Mountain, a creamed chicken over rice with many optional toppings. “It’s an all-purpose meal and fun to serve to groups,” she said, and a favorite of her son-in-law, John Millard, and her daughter, Allison.
The Keslers entertained frequently while they were in the military and continue to host dinner parties at their home here. A meal she especially likes to prepare includes shisk kabobs, made with beef tenderloin; baked potatoes; and a green salad. For dessert, she likes to prepare a cheesecake, which she said is very popular with her guests.
Another often requested recipe of hers is Macadamia Nut French Toast, which she makes for Christmas brunch. It’s especially easy since the preparation can be done the day before.
Mrs. Kesler said she gets most of her best recipes from family members and friends. The ones she shares with readers today are all “tried and well tested,” she said.
SNOW ON THE MOUNTAIN
Brown Rice
Creamed Chicken:
1/4 cup chopped onion
2 tablespoons green pepper
2 tablespoons butter
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/3 to 1/2 cup milk
1 cup cooked cubed chicken
2 tablespoons diced pimento
Mushrooms
Toppings:
Sliced tomatoes
Sliced green onions
Chow Mein noodles
Chopped celery
Sunflower seeds
Sliced stuffed olives
Shredded cheese
Pineapple tidbits
Toasted blanched almonds
Shredded coconut
Brown rice
Cook 1/4 cup onion and green pepper in butter until tender. Add cream of chicken soup and milk. Heat slowly and add chicken, pimento and mushrooms. Serve over brown rice and place for each person to choose from separate bowls of topping ingredients.
GREEN BEANS AND BACON BUNDLES
(Mrs. Kesler said these are a great company recipe and may be prepared ahead.)
Whole green beans, canned or frozen and cooked
Bacon slices, cut in half
1 stick butter
1/2 to 1 cup brown sugar
Gather 10 to 12 beans into a bundle and wrap in 1/2 a slice of bacon. Place bundles in shallow baking dish. Melt butter and add brown sugar. Pour over bean bundles. Bake at 350 for 30 to 40 minutes. These may be held in the refrigerator before baking or after baking partially. If you want the bacon crisper, you can broil the bundles during the last 5 minutes of cooking.
SKID ROAD STROGANOFF
8 ounces noodles, cooked with beef bouillon cubes
1 pound ground beef
1/3 cup chopped onion
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons oil
2 teaspoons salt
2 3-ounce cans mushrooms, undrained
1 cup sour cream
Brown garlic, onion and beef in oil. Add flour, salt, paprika and mushrooms. Stir and let cook 5 minutes. Add soup and simmer 10 minutes. Stir in sour cream. Let heat through. Serve meat sauce over cooked noodles.
GREEN CHILI SOUR CREAM ENCHILADAS
Meat Mixture:
1 pound ground beef
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon oregano
1 tablespoon flour
1 small can chopped green chilies
1 small can green chili salsa
1 dozen flour tortillas, warmed slightly
Grated Cheese
2 cups sour cream
1 can cream of chicken soup
Brown ground beef and add seasonings and flour. Place meat mixture on tortilla and sprinkle with grated cheese. Fold tortilla over and roll. Place in buttered casserole dish, folded side down. Top with sour cream mixed with cream of chicken soup. Bake at 350 for 20 to 30 minutes.
MACADAMIA NUT FRENCH TOAST
(Mrs. Kesler said this recipe is a favorite of her family.)
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2/3 cup orange juice
1/3 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 16-ounce loaf Italian bread, cut into 1-inch slices
2/3 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup macadamia nuts, chopped
Garnishes: powdered sugar, ground nutmeg
Combine eggs, sugar, nutmeg, orange juice, milk and vanilla, stirring well. Pour half of egg mixture into a lightly greased 13- by 9- by 2-inch baking dish. Fit bread slices on top of egg mixture and pour rest of egg mixture over them. Cover and refrigerate 8 hours or overnight, turning bread once. Pour butter in a 15- by 10- by 1-inch jellyroll pan. Place bread slices in a single layer in pan. (Don’t use foil to line pan.) Bake at 400 for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with nuts and bake an additional 10 minutes. Garnish and serve immediately with maple syrup.
CHILI-CHICKEN STEW
6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup chopped onion
1 bell pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 cans stewed tomatoes
1 can pinto beans, drained
3/4 cups picante sauce
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
Optional toppings: shredded cheese, green onions, diced avocado, sour cream
Cut chicken into 1-inch pieces. Cook chicken, onion, green pepper and garlic in a Dutch oven until chicken loses its pink color. Add remaining ingredients. Simmer 20 minutes. Ladle into bowls. Pass optional toppings.
HOT FUDGE SAUCE
(Mrs. Kesler said for a less intense chocolate flavor, use only 1 square chocolate.)
1/4 cup butter
2 1-ounce squares unsweetened chocolate
1/2 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup evaporated milk
In saucepan, melt butter and chocolate. Gradually add sugar and salt. Stir in milk and cook until smooth, stirring constantly.
SHRIMP SUPREME
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of celery soup
1 pound shrimp, cooked
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped bell pepper
1 can Rotel tomatoes
8 tablespoons butter, melted
Salt, pepper and hot sauce to taste
Cooked rice (1 cup uncooked, prepared ahead)
Mix soups together. Add remaining ingredients and stir well. Pour into a shallow greased baking dish and bake uncovered at 350 for 25 o 30 minutes.
CHEESECAKE
(Mrs. Kesler said chilling this cheesecake overnight is very important.)
Crust:
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup melted butter
Filling:
3 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 eggs, room temperature
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
Topping:
16 ounces sour cream
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
For crust, combine cracker crumbs, sugar and butter and mix well. Press firmly over bottom and 2 1/2 inches up the sides of a heavily buttered 10-inch spring form pan. Chill. Combine cream cheese, sugar and salt. Beat until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. Beat in vanilla and pour into crust. Bake at 350 for 50 minutes. (Place pan on foil with turned-up edges to catch any leaks.) Remove from oven for 15 minutes. Reset oven for 450.
For topping, mix all topping ingredients and spread on top of cake. Return to oven and bake for 10 minutes. Cool on wire rack. Wrap well in foil and chill overnight.
CHICKEN GUMBO
(Mrs. Kesler said she often substitutes shrimp for the chicken in this recipe.)
3/4 cup oil
2/3 cup flour
1 large chicken, cooked and boned
1 package smoked sausage, sliced, cooked slightly and drained on paper towels
2 onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 large can whole tomatoes, mashed or broken with a fork
Toni’s Creole seasoning
Tabasco, to taste (about 5 dashes)
1/2 cup green onions, sliced
1/2 cup parsley, minced
File, to taste
Make a roux from oil and flour by mixing it in a heavy Dutch oven or deep pan and cooking over medium high heat, stirring constantly, until it turns chocolate brown. Do not burn. This takes about 20 minutes. Remove roux from heat and immediately add onion, garlic, celery and bell pepper. Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until all vegetables are wilted. Add tomatoes and cook for a few minutes. Add sufficient liquid, water or broth, (3 to 4 quarts). (Mrs. Kesler said she doesn’t add this much because she likes a thick gumbo.)
Add chicken and sausage and enough Toni’s Creole seasoning to make the liquid salty. Add Tabasco to taste. Simmer for an hour or so. Ten minutes before serving add green onions, parsley and file.
E-mail Karin Glendenning at kglendenning@tfpcommunitynews.com
