Cook's Corner celebrates 15 years

12/10/14 Cook’s Corner

Betty Kaiser

I was mulling over longevity last week (I know, that sounds weird) when I realized that Cook’s Corner is celebrating a milestone anniversary this month. If my math serves me correctly, I started working for the Sentinel in July of 1996 and I began working in the newsroom in Dec. of 1999. That was 15 short years ago.

Cook’s Corner was the new kid on the block when I moved into the newsroom. I had already been writing the Chatterbox and was looking forward to publishing recipes from the public. In fact, my first tagline read, “To submit a recipe, cook’s name or cook book, contact Betty Kaiser at the Sentinel, 942-3325.” 

I wish I could tell you that my phone rang off the hook but it didn’t. It seemed that very few readers really wanted to share their recipes. One woman bluntly told me “I won’t have anything special to take to potlucks if I share my taco salad recipe with you.” Interesting. I hadn’t thought about that possibility!

To celebrate Cook’s second year, I suggested to the Sentinel staff that it would be fun to publish our own in-house favorite holiday recipes. Most of my fellow employees didn’t think it sounded like fun at all. Some claimed that whenever they cooked the smoke alarm went off. Others said they only cooked if it involved a microwave. A few had a recipe on my desk the next day.

Today, in honor of Cook’s Corner’s 15^th anniversary, we’re going to take a look at some of those recipes from Dec. 19, 2001.

We’ll start off with a clam dip appetizer from Matt Treder our blond, gangly, sports guy of that era. He and his wife Eiko added sour cream and Tabasco sauce to his “Grammy’s” holiday recipe. I would love to see pictures of his adorable little girls who are now teenagers! By the way, there are no serving sizes on any of these recipes so just enjoy

CLAM DIP

(Matt Treder)

Mix all ingredients together and serve with chips or veggies:

1 clove garlic, minced

1 8 ounce package cream cheese

1/4 cup sour cream

2 teaspoons lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 7-ounce can minced clams, drained, broth reserved

1/4 cup clam broth (from the clams)

*Betty sez to add more lemon juice if needed and garnish with chopped parsley. Yummy!

Editor Finn John’s wife offered a healthy vegetable side dish that she got from her mother-in-law. She said that it is easy to prepare with a hearty flavor and she usually doubles the amount of garlic. Yikes!

ROASTED VEGGIES

(Natalie John)

6 cups beets, peeled, diced

4-5 cups butternut squash, peeled and cubed

3 cups turnips, peeled and cubed

2 cups carrots, sliced (thick)

1 cup red potato, peeled and cubed

8 garlic cloves

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Preheat oven to 450° F.

Place vegetables in 13X9 baking dish, coated with cooking spray. Drizzle with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake 1-1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.

*Betty sez: I needed to add additional oil and seasonings.

Robin Reiser has returned to the Sentinel after another career. Her mother Betty Watkins worked for Grove Escrow 31 years. Every year at Christmas, until her passing, she would share plates of homemade goodies with friends and neighbors. This recipe is 60+ years old!

CARAMELS

(Betty Watkins)

2 cups sugar

2 cups light corn syrup

2 cups canned milk

1 cube butter

2 teaspoons rum, brandy or vanilla flavoring.

Boil sugar and syrup and slowly add milk. Add butter. Cook until hard ball stage. Add flavoring. Pour into buttered 9 X 13 pan and let cool. After caramel is cool, lay sheet of candy on waxed paper. Cut into bite size pieces and wrap in wax paper. Delicious!

Longtime advertising manager, Brad Chambers (now living in Hawaii), shared one of his dad’s fudge recipes. Mel Chambers offered a smorgasbord of fudge choices ranging from divinity to light or dark chocolate with or without nuts. He would take orders from family members for Christmas. This year I’m finally going to make his peanut butter variety.

MEL’S PEANUT BUTTER FUDGE

2 cubes Blue Bonnet margarine

1 can evaporated milk

4 1/2 cups sugar

12 ounce package miniature marshmallows

28 ounce jar chunky peanut butter

1 tablespoon vanilla

In heavy pan, melt margarine over low heat. Add milk and sugar. Bring to rolling boil. Boil 6-7 min., stirring often. Remove from heat and add marshmallow and vanilla. Mix well. Add peanut butter and mix until smooth. Pour into greased 9X13 pan. Let set 24 hours before cutting into squares.

Mona DeSando was not a Sentinel employee but her daughter Brandalee, briefly worked with us. It was a thrill every year during the holiday season when Mona gifted us with her wonderful rum cake. We always ate every morsel!

RUM CAKE

(Mona DeSando)

1 box yellow cake mix (with pudding)

1 small box instant vanilla pudding

1/4 cup oil

1/2 cup water

4 eggs

1/2 cup dark rum (or substitute appropriate amount of rum flavoring)

Preheat oven to 350° F.

Grease and flour the bottom of an angel food cake pan. Line bottom of pan with chopped walnuts or pecans. Mix all ingredients together well and pour into greased and floured pan. Bake for one hour. Invert on plate and poke holes in top of cake with toothpick.

GLAZE:

Melt 1/4 cup butter in saucepan.

Add 1/4 cup water and 1 cup sugar

Boil 5 minutes, stirring constantly.

Remove from stove before adding rum. Glaze will be thin. Drizzle over cake and allow to set.

Keep it simple and keep it seasonal! Betty Kaiser’s Cook’s Corner is dedicated to sharing a variety of recipes that are delicious, family oriented and easy to prepare. Contact her at 942-1317 or email bchatty@bettykaiser.com