IDEA ALLEY

Macaroni, lasagna recipes ‘life-savers’

Recipes that appear in Idea Alley have not been tested by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

For those restricting their sugar consumption, Sharon Ashworth notes Stevia in the Raw is a good substitute (adjust the amount to taste) for real sugar in recipes like the chocolate gravy that ran a few weeks ago.

Pam Redfern shares the following recipes from Life-Saver Cookbook, Favorite Recipes of Home-Ec Teachers (1976).

Fiesta Macaroni

1 pound ground beef

1 package taco seasoning

1 (No. 303) can tomato sauce with herbs (about 2 cups)

1 can whole kernel corn, drained (size not given)

¼ cup chopped onion

¼ cup chopped green pepper

2 cups elbow macaroni

Saute beef in a deep skillet until brown. Add seasoning mix, tomato sauce, corn, onion and green pepper; mix well. Cook until onion is tender. Add macaroni and 2 ½ to 3 cups water. Cover.

Simmer, stirring occasionally, until macaroni is tender.

Easy Lasagna

1 to 2 pounds ground beef

1 medium onion, chopped

1 small can tomato paste

1 large can tomato sauce

1 sauce can water

1 package spaghetti seasoning mix

1 (16-ounce) carton cottage cheese

2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese

1 package lasagna noodles Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Saute beef and onion in a skillet until ground beef is brown. Add tomato paste, tomato sauce, water and spaghetti mix; mix well.

Combine cottage cheese and cream cheese.

Prepare noodles according to package directions; drain.

Layer 1/3 of the noodles in the bottom of a large baking dish.

Add 1/3 of the beef mixture. Top with 1/3 of the cheese mixture.

Repeat layers twice, ending with noodles and cheese.

Bake 20 minutes or until bubbly. Can be frozen and baked later.

Joye Gartside’s request for a recipe for Steak Kimberly, a dish served at the much loved, long-closed Coy’s Place in Fayetteville brought back memories for many Kats.

Mike Kaylor, Coy’s brother, tells us the secret to Steak Kimberly is to use green hickory.

“Steak Kimberly was a dish offered from the first day he opened for business in October 1981 at the old Bill and Lil’s Steakhouse across from the [then] Holiday Inn of Fayetteville.

It was named after his daughter, Kimberly.

“The recipe is amazingly simple. Take a chunk (12 ounces to 16 ounces per person) of beef tenderloin, peel off any fascia membrane, season with jazzed up Cavender’s Greek Seasoning (a bit of garlic added), and place in smoker fueled by 100 percent green hickory.

“The dish is finished by mostly covering with a Bearnaise sauce,” Kaylor writes.

Janet Hale Morgan, an employee of the restaurant for seven years, notes the dish also included sauteed mushrooms.

Judy Whitis sends this recipe in response to Tom Cain’s request for lemon pie like they serve at Izzy’s in Little Rock.

“He will love it, I guarantee!” Whitis writes.

We haven’t tried this recipe, nor have we had the lemon pie at Izzy’s, so we can’t back up Whitis’ guarantee, but the recipe sounds delicious.

Whitis notes the pie is especially good made with Meyer lemons.

Ella’s Lemon Icebox Pie

8 ounces cream cheese, softened (Whitis uses Neufchatel)

1 small can sweetened condensed milk, can use low-fat

1/3 cup fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

Zest of 1 lemon

¼ teaspoon pure lemon extract

1 (9-inch) graham cracker crust (see note)

Whip all ingredients together and pour into prepared graham cracker crust. Chill and serve.

Note: Whitis sprinkles about ¼ cup chopped pecans on the crust and bakes at 375 degrees for 5 minutes. Cool completely before adding the pie filling.

REQUEST

Chicken soup like that served at Basil’s in Rogers for Hannah Phillips.

Send recipe requests, contributions and culinary questions to Kelly Brant, Idea Alley, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, P.O. Box 2221, Little Rock, Ark. 72203; email: kbrant@arkansasonline.com Please include a daytime phone number.

Food, Pages 38 on 03/12/2014

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