The food was in the air as five non-cooks brought their sandwiches to the picnic tables at the Blue Goose Hollow Trailhead in downtown. (If you haven’t been, it’s an ideal spring destination.)
Odell Waddell made a fare exchange request at the end of this conversation. Noticing the long days of eating in quarantine at home, he was grateful for his wife, who prepared countless meals with cheers and serenity. Now it was his turn.
“What are some simple meals I could cook to do my part? I don’t want to scare you with something too complicated or messy, but I’d love to help.”
A companion spoke up. “This week we wanted to make homemade crackers in our house and thought almond flour crackers were healthy and easy. The recipe we found was too much trouble, too little satisfaction. What better choice or should we give up and go to store go bought? “
CHEW-CHEWS
Upon request, identical recipes for Chattanooga Chew-Chews came in from two sources. Diane Marrs found hers online and found them reasonably tough. Mary Ann McInturff turned to the pages of her cookbook, Dinner on the Diner, published in 1983 by the Junior League of Chattanooga.
Chattanooga Chew-Chews
Crust:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup of brown sugar, tightly wrapped
1/2 cup butter (no substitute), softened
1 cup chopped pecans
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix the flour, brown sugar and butter. Press into an ungreased 9 by 13 inch pan. Scatter pecans evenly over the unbaked crust.
Caramel topping:
1 cup butter (no substitute)
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 pack of semi-sweet chocolate chips
For the caramel topping, melt the butter and brown sugar in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Pour the caramel mixture over the crust and pecans. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the entire surface is bubbly. Take out of the oven and sprinkle the chocolate chips over the hot surface. Gently toss melted chocolate chips with a spatula to create a marble effect. Let cool for at least 5 hours. Cut into squares.
Yield: 32 squares.
I can fry
Betsy B. Alderman is a longtime veteran of national cooking competitions who has also provided catering and entertainment during her career as a college journalism professor. She was happy to share this response to a request.
Coffee marinated chuck roast
1/2 cup of strong black coffee
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon of white vinegar
1 large onion, chopped
3 to 5 pound chuck roasts
Combine the ingredients for the marinade (coffee, soy sauce, Worcestershire, white vinegar and chopped onions) in a large glass container with a lid. Place the roast fodder in the marinade and turn to cover all sides of the meat. Place the lid on the container, cool it, and let it marinate for 6 to 8 hours, turning it occasionally.
Take the roast out and cook on low (300 degrees) for 4 to 5 hours or until the meat falls apart.
HIDDEN RISKS
DJS has commended your published healthy eating ideas and has proven from your own life that pesticides on products can cause problems. “I enjoyed the whole article on which foods are best to buy organically grown or not. I learned about strawberries the hard way a few years ago. My husband called an ambulance thinking I was having a heart attack You believe? The doctors and a doctor infectious disease specialist found it was a toxic reaction to eating a bowl of strawberries overly saturated with pesticides. I’ve always loved strawberries, but haven’t eaten a strawberry since, neither biologically or otherwise. “
AVOCADO DRESSING
Valerie Bowers shared an avocado dressing that, according to the title, is robust green. You will find basil, chives, cilantro, parsley, tarragon, spring onion, and avocado all add to this green. She began, “This recipe is from Gwyneth Paltrow’s cookbook called It’s All Good. It’s vegan and I had no problem with the avocado turning brown. I sent it verbatim from the cookbook, but you can use the herbs Adjust to taste and use mayo instead of vegenaise if you aren’t concerned about whether your recipe is vegan. Still, vegenaise is a nice change from regular mayonnaise in salad dressings and avocado toast. There are two versions of the basic recipe: one contains Soy and one is soy-free. “
Vegenaise is a vegan, egg-free mayonnaise substitute that is widely available locally and comes in a variety of flavors.
Green goddess dressing
10 large basil leaves
3 tablespoons of chopped chives
2 tablespoons coriander (leaves of approx. 5 branches)
1/4 cup Italian parsley (leaves from about 5 sprigs)
Leaves from 1 sprig of tarragon
2 spring onions, only white and light green parts, roughly chopped
1/2 ripe avocado
1/4 cup vegenaise
2 tablespoons of raw honey or xylitol
2 tablespoons of white wine vinegar
Juice of 1 lemon (about 1/4 cup)
3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup of water
1/2 teaspoon of coarse sea salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Combine all the ingredients in a powerful blender and flash until completely pureed.
Store in a jar in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Serve at room temperature.
BREAKFAST COOKING
E., of Henagar, Alabama, sent some recipes from home, including one from an article by Times Free Press food columnist Anne Braly in a local magazine.
Ham and egg casserole
2 medium-sized boiled potatoes, peeled and sliced
4 large hard-boiled eggs, chopped
1 cup diced fully cooked ham
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 large egg
1 1/2 cups of sour cream
1/4 cup dry breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon butter, melted
In a large bowl, combine the potatoes, eggs, ham, salt and pepper. Combine the raw egg and the sour cream. Add to the potato mixture and gently toss to coat. Transfer to a greased 11 by 7 inch baking dish.
Throw bread crumbs and butter. Sprinkle over the casserole. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until it bubbles and is cooked through.
ONLY ONE BLOW
Anne Hendrix ran the tests on the rest of us to “find a good substitute for sugar for baked goods and other recipes. I’ve found the Lakanto brand for monk fruit sweeteners or the Swerve brand for erythritol make good substitutes.”
Thank you for coming, good company.
REQUESTS
* Simple meals for novice cooks
* Homemade crackers
REACH US
Fare Exchange is a long-standing meeting place for people who like to cook and like to eat. We look forward to both your recipes and your wishes. Make sure to include precise instructions for each recipe you send.
Postal address: Jane Henegar, 913 Mount Olive Road, Lookout Mountain, GA 30750
Email: chattfare@gmail.com
Jane Heenegar
