Friday/Weekend Recipes

Friday's recipes are ready for your weekend enjoyment. Enjoy!

CHERRY DUMPLIN' CAKE

From an old emailing list. Not sure who sent it to the list, but it's yummy. Serves 6.

21 oz can cherry pie filling

14 oz can sweetened condensed milk

1 tsp almond extract

1/2 cup + 2 tbs butter

2 1/2 cups biscuit baking mix

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup chopped nuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In bowl, combine pie filling, milk and almond extract. In 2nd bowl, cut 1/2 cup butter into 2 cups biscuit mix until crumbly. Stir in cherry mixture. Spread into greased 13X9 inch baking pan.

In small bowl, combine remaining biscuit mix and brown sugar, cut in remaining butter until crumbly. Stir in nuts. Sprinkle over cherry mixture. Bake 70 min. or until golden brown. Serve warm with ice cream (optional).

FRIED GREEN TOMATOES

From another long-forgotten emailing list.

Ingredients

3 medium, firm green tomatoes

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup milk

2 beaten eggs

2/3 cup fine dry bread crumbs or cornmeal

1/4 cup olive oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Preparation

1 Cut unpeeled tomatoes into 1/2 inch slices. Sprinkle slices with salt and pepper. Let tomato slices stand for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, place flour, milk, eggs, and bread crumbs in separate shallow dishes.

Heat 2 Tbsp of olive oil in a skillet on medium heat. Dip tomato slices in milk, then flour, then eggs, then bread crumbs. In the skillet, fry half of the coated tomato slices at a time, for 4-6 minutes on each side or until brown. As you cook the rest of the tomatoes, add olive oil as needed. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

OLD-FASHIONED MACARONI SALAD

This recipe is from Patrick and Gina Neely of the Food Network's Down Home with the Neelys. You can view the recipe online here. Total Time: 2 hr 35 min; Prep: 15 min; Inactive: 2 hr; Cook: 20 min; Yield:4 to 6 servings; Level: Easy

Ingredients

4 eggs

1 pound large elbow macaroni

4 ounces ham steak, finely chopped

2 stalks chopped celery, including leaves

1 large shallot, chopped

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Dressing:

2/3 cup mayonnaise

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1 (4-ounce) jar chopped pimentos, drained

3 tablespoons sweet pickled relish

Kosher salt and pepper

Directions

To make the hard-boiled eggs: Add the eggs to a medium-sized saucepan. Cover with cold water and bring up to a boil over medium heat. Cover with a lid and turn off the heat. Let the eggs sit in the hot water for 14 minutes. Drain and cool under cold running water. Peel the eggs and chop. Reserve.

While the eggs are cooking, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat and add the macaroni. Cook until al dente. Drain and rinse with cold water.

In a large serving bowl, combine the eggs, ham steak, celery, shallots and lemon juice Add the macaroni and stir to combine.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, mustard, pickled relish, and salt and pepper, to taste. Add the dressing to the macaroni and toss to coat. Season with more salt and pepper, if needed. Cover and chill for 2 hours for the flavors to meld.

BENECOL MACARONI AND CHEESE

For several years, there was a magazine dedicated to walking, titled Walking Magazine.It had many good articles, tips and recipes for those of us who feel a little more comfortable race-walking, rather than running. Unfortunately, the magazine folded several years ago. This recipe was in it during its final year. Serves 4.

1/2 lb. small shell style macaroni

4 Tbs. Benecol

3 Tbs. all purpose flour

3 Tbs. finely chopped onion

1 1/2 C 2% milk, warmed

few drops Tabasco Sauce

1-pint nonfat cottage (or ricotta) cheese

1 tsp. salt

1/2 C flavored bread crumbs

1 Tbs. olive oil

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 9-by-9 inch pan liberally with nonstick cooking spray. Cook shells according to package directions, strain, and rinse with cold water. Set aside.

To prepare sauce, melt Benecol in 2-quart saucepan over medium heat. Quickly whisk in flour, add onions, and cook for 1 minute. Slowly pour milk into flour mixture, whisking constantly to avoid lumps. Add Tabasco Sauce and cook an additional minute. Whisk in cheese and salt, and blend in shells; transfer mixture to prepared pan.

In small bowl, mix oil and bread crumbs together; spoon over top of macaroni and cheese. Bake for 20 minutes.

Per Serving: 510 calories; 27.2% calories from fat; 3G saturated fat; 65G carbohydrates; 12MG cholesterol; 612MG sodium; 2G fiber

MAPLE ACORN SQUASH

This comes from Essential Eating, A Cookbook, by Janie Quinn, via Publix's December 2005 GreenWise publication. 10 minutes prep time; serves 4

1 acorn squash

4 Tbsp maple syrup or brown sugar, or to taste

2 tsp butter

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Wash and cut squash in half crosswise. Remove seeds. If needed, slice a tiny piece off at the bottom of each half to prevent squash from rolling when placed on a flat surface. Fill a small baking pan with 1/4 inch water. Place halves in pan, cut side down. Bake 25 to 35 minutes, or until tender when pierced with tip of a sharp knife. Remove pan from oven and turn squash over. Place 2 Tbsp syrup or sugar and 1 tsp of butter in each squash half. All butter to melt. Serve.

Per serving: 225 calories; 2 g Protein; 49 g carbohydrates; 3 g fiber; 4 g total fat (2 g sat, 1 g mono); 11 mg sodium; vitamins B1 (thiamin) B6, Manganese, A, B3 (niacin), C, Pantothenic acid, calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc

SWEET POTATO, CARAMELIZED ONION, AND APPLE CIDER SOUP

From Soup for Every Body, by Joanna Pruess with Lauren Braun via Publix Supermarket's GreenWise publication, 12/2005. 1 1/2 hours prep time (includes baking time); Serves 4-6

1 1/2 lb sweet potatoes (or yams)

2 Tbsp unsalted butter or olive oil

2 large onions, peeled and thinly sliced

2 C fresh apple cider

1 Tbsp unsulphured molasses plus 3 Tbsp water

2 C chicken or vegetable stock

salt and white pepper

2 Tbsp finely chopped walnuts, lightly toasted

1 Tbsp finely shredded fresh sage leaves

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bake sweet potatoes until tender, about 1 hour. Set aside to cool, then peel. While potatoes are baking, heat butter or oil in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in onions and adjust head to medium. Sauté until golden brown and very tender, about 20-25 minutes, stirring often.

Transfer onions, sweet potatoes, and apple cider to food processor. Puree until smooth.

Return puree to pan and stir in molasses and water. Add stock to the puree and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 3-4 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Ladle soup into heated bowls. Sprinkle a small amount of chopped walnuts and shredded sage leaves in center of each bowl and serve.

Per serving: 326 calories; 4 g protein; 59 g carbohydrates; 7 g fiber; 9 g total fat (4 g sta., 2 g mono, 2 g poly); 346 mg sodium; Vitamin A, B6, Manganese, B1 (thiamin), B2 (riboflavin), C, E, Pantothenic acid, Copper, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium