Recipes that appear in Idea Alley have not been tested by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
This easy chicken recipe from my friend Georgia includes one of my favorite Arkansas products — Cavender's Greek Seasoning.
Parmesan Chicken
- 4 tablespoons butter
- ¾ cup grated parmesan cheese (Georgia uses Kraft canned for this recipe)
- 1 tablespoon Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs
- ¼ teaspoon Cavender's Greek Seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon lemon pepper
- 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (see tip)
Heat oven to 325 degrees. Coat a baking dish with nonstick spray.
Melt the butter.
Combine the parmesan cheese, breadcrumbs, Cavender's and lemon pepper in a shallow dish.
Dip chicken breasts in butter, then into parmesan mixture. Place in Pyrex dish with each piece of chicken touching the other. Bake for 25 minutes or until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 160 degrees.
Tip: "To make chicken breasts tender, take a few smacks at them with your meat mallet. That breaks down the tissue fibers and makes them really tender," Georgia suggests.
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"I thought I'd share some of my old favorites (I know because they were all hand-written) from some of my favorite people," Charlotte Shoptaw writes.
From Shoptaw's sister Darlene:
St. Paul's Rice
- 1 pound hot sausage (Jimmy Dean's recommended)
- 4 ½ cups boiling water
- ½ cup rice
- 1 package Lipton Chicken & Noodle Soup (use both envelopes)
- 1 large green pepper, chopped
- 1 onion chopped (Shoptaw uses red if available)
- 1 cup chopped celery
- 1 (6-ounce) package sliced or slivered almonds
- Paprika, to taste
- Dried parsley, to taste
Heat oven to 350 degrees.
In a skillet, brown sausage. Drain.
In a saucepan, combine the boiling water, rice and both envelopes of soup mix. Boil for 7 minutes. Remove from heat. Combine the rice with the sausage, green pepper, onion and celery. Transfer mixture to a large casserole and top with almonds, paprika and parsley. Bake, uncovered, for 1 hour.
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"From my sister Linda, a cookie recipe we have always called Chocolate Oatmeal but my sweet daughter-in-law Brandi insists that they are 'No-Bake' cookies," writes Shoptaw.
"There are lots of versions of this recipe around, but these truly are the best!"
Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa
- 2 cups sugar
- ½ cup (1 stick) butter
- ½ cup milk
- ½ cup creamy peanut butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 ½ cups quick cooking oats
In a heavy saucepan, combine the cocoa, sugar, butter and milk. Bring mixture to a rolling boil. Cook for exactly 1 minute more. (The only way to mess this recipe up is to over-cook it.) Stir in the peanut butter and vanilla.
Put the oats in a large bowl, pour the hot mixture over, stir well, and then drop by spoonfuls onto parchment paper. Let cool, enjoy.
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Shoptaw's final recipe is from her "dear sister-in-law Jan."
Sno-Ball Cake
- 2 envelopes unflavored gelatin
- 1 cup hot water
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 large can crushed pineapple
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 prepared angel food cake
- 2 medium-size cartons Cool-Whip
- 1 can Angel Flake Coconut
In a bowl, dissolve gelatin in hot water, add lemon juice, pineapple and sugar. Mix well. Place in refrigerator and let partially congeal.
Divide cake into 3 parts. Tear into pieces.
Add one container of Cool Whip to the congealed mixture.
Line a mixing bowl with wax paper.
Add a small amount of the congealed mixture (about ½ cup) to bottom of the bowl. Add a third of the cake, pressing down a bit. Repeat layers using ½ of the congealed mixture, topped with cake.
Cover and refrigerate overnight.
Turn cake out on a cake plate, remove wax paper. Use remaining Cool-Whip to frost and then sprinkle with coconut.
Email recipe contributions, requests and culinary questions to: kbrant@adgnewsroom.com