Tidewater Kitchen - May 2011

 

Room Service for Mom
by
Pamela Meredith-Doyle

 

Skip the restaurant on Mother’s Day and reward her tireless efforts with a meal prepared with love. Find mom a comfortable chair and let her know the kitchen is off limits.
Your Mother’s Day menu consists of Dreamy Strawberry Salad, Chicken Casserole, Baby Peas, Mashed Sweet Potatoes and Strawberry Pie or Strawberry Shortcake.
Begin preparations for the meal a day before by making the strawberry shortcake. Don’t add the berries until you are ready to serve it. While the cake is baking, mix together the ingredients for the congealed salad and cool in the refrigerator. Next, start the chicken casserole and put that in the refrigerator until you are ready to bake it on Mother’s Day.
Whipping the sweet potatoes is the next step. Then refrigerate them.
If you decide to make the strawberry pie, that should be made on the morning of Mother’s Day.
The baby peas can be cooked at the last minute.
As you can see, all dishes that need to be baked are baked at the same temperature and require the same amount of time.
Add the final ingredient, LOVE, and just remember – mother’s don’t expect perfection.

DREAMY STRAWBERRY SALAD
Serves 6
1 3-oz. pkg. strawberry Jell-O
2 cups boiling water
1 3-oz. pkg. cream cheese - room temp.
1/2 cup celery, finely diced
1/2 cup chopped pecans
Lettuce leaves

Combine the Jell-O and the boiling water. Let cool and partially congeal. Whip in the cream cheese. Combine all ingredients and turn into an 8-inch square dish. Put in the refrigerator for 2 hours. Cut into squares and serve on the lettuce leaves.

CHICKEN CASSEROLE with WILD RICE
Serves 6-8
3 chicken breasts, cooked and cubed
1 6-oz. pkg. Uncle Ben’s Long Grain and Wild Rice - cook according to pkg. directions
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1 cup Swiss cheese, shredded
1 can mushroom soup
1 onion, finely minced
1/2 cup green pepper, finely mined
1/2 cup red pepper, finely minced
1/2 cup celery, finely minced

Cook the long grain and wild rice according to package directions.
Mix all ingredients together in a large mixing bowl. Put all in a lightly greased 9” x 13” baking dish. Cover with foil and refrigerate. Bake at 375° for 30 minutes.  
Optional – add water chestnuts.

BABY PEAS
Serves 4-6
Kids love to shell fresh green peas for this dish, but if you cannot get perfect peas that are really fresh, I believe you will do better with the frozen kind.  If you buy a good brand it is hard to tell the difference.

1 10-oz. pkg. frozen baby peas (if you can’t find fresh ones)
1 T. butter
Pinch sugar
Pinch salt

Cook the peas as directed on the package.  Meanwhile, melt the butter in a saucepan.  Add cooked peas, sugar and salt and simmer for another minute.  Place in a preheated serving dish.   

MASHED SWEET POTATOES
1 32-oz. can sweet potatoes, drained
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 stick butter
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. ginger
1/2 t. ground nutmeg
1/2 cup milk

Mash sweet potatoes with butter.  Add remaining ingredients and beat with mixer until fluffy.  Pour into buttered 1-quart casserole.  Bake at 375° for 30 minutes.  

STRAWBERRY OR PEACH JELL-O PIE
This is not too sweet and very good. Great way to use fresh fruit. Make this Mother’s Day morning.  
Makes 2 pies. Bake 2 crusts in an 8 or 9-inch pie pan according to instructions on the package.

In saucepan, mix:
1 small package strawberry or peach Jell-O
3/4 cup sugar
2 T. cornstarch
1-1/2 cups water

Cook until clear and then cool.
Fold in 2 cups of strawberries or peaches (if you like more, by all means add them) and pour half of the mixture and fruit into each baked pie shell and refrigerate.
Garnish with whipped cream.

STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE
Serves 6
When my grandmother spotted the first strawberries of the season, she knew it was time to make her favorite dessert.  She sweetened the plump berries and then sandwiched them between pieces of shortcake.  More berries and whipped cream make it taste as luscious as it looks.  

4 cups strawberries, hulled and sliced
1/4 cup sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 t. baking powder
2 T. butter
1 egg, beaten
1 cup milk
2 cups sweetened whipped cream
6 additional strawberries (optional)

Combine sliced strawberries and ¼ cup sugar; chill.
Combine flour, sugar, baking powder; cut in butter with a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse meal.  Combine milk and egg, stirring well; add to flour mixture, stirring just until moistened.  Spread mixture in a lightly greased and floured 8-inch square baking pan.  Bake 350° for 30 minutes.  
Cut shortcake into 6 pieces; slice each piece crosswise in half.  Place bottom half of shortcake, cut side up, on an individual serving plate;  top with a dollop of whipped cream and 2½ tablespoons of strawberry mixture.  Add a second layer of shortcake, cut side down; top with a dollop of whipped cream and 2½ tablespoons of strawberry mixture.  Garnish with an additional dollop of whipped cream.  Add a strawberry, if desired.  Repeat for each of the remaining five shortcake squares.  
Tip:  Berries should be sorted to remove imperfect fruit before refrigerating; then wash and hull just before serving.