Seconds All Around
One of the first newspaper cookbooks published by the
Herald-Leader was in June 1977. More than 1,400 recipes
were received from readers. Prizes were awarded for the
top two recipes and the tastiest dishes in five categories:
meat, vegetable, casserole, salad and dessert.
We’re republishing the top recipes in our first
online “Second Serving.” We’ve updated
them just a bit. Each week, we’ll offer another
serving of some of the best recipes from past cookbooks
and food pages.
In the 1977 What’s Cooking in the Bluegrass, the
grand prize recipe was for elegant chicken breasts from
Susan Alcorn.
Elegant chicken breasts
4 thin slices boiled ham
4 thin slices Swiss cheese
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 can (101⁄2 ounces) cream of mushroom soup
1 cup sour cream
1⁄4 cup dry sherry
1⁄2 pound small mushrooms
Paprika
Place ham slice and cheese slice on each chicken breast.
Roll up and secure with toothpicks. Place in individual
or one large casserole dish.
Combine soup, sour cream and sherry. Slice mushrooms
and place on top of chicken. Cover with soup mixture.
Dust with paprika. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour and
10 minutes. Makes 4 servings.
Nell Main’s Kentucky apple cake took second place.
Kentucky apple cake
2 eggs
1 cup oil
2 cups sugar
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon soda
1⁄2 teaspoon salt
1 can apple slices (not pie filling)
Frosting:
2 packages (3 ounces each) cream cheese, room temperature
3 tablespoons melted butter
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
Beat eggs, oil and sugar until foamy. Sift together flour,
cinnamon, soda and salt. Combine with egg mixture. Add
apple slices. Pour mixture into a 9- by 13-inch pan and
bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes to 1 hour, or
until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
While cake is baking, make frosting by combining cream
cheese, butter, sugar and vanilla. Pour over warm cake.
The best meat dish was oriental chicken submitted by
Mildred Wade.
Oriental chicken
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 tablespoons butter
1 can (101⁄2 ounces) golden mushroom soup
1⁄2 cup water
1 beef bouillon cube
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1⁄2 teaspoon curry powder
1 can (8 ounces) bamboo shoots, drained
1⁄2 cup sliced celery
1⁄2 cup sliced onion
1 can (3 ounces) sliced mushrooms, drained
1 small green pepper, cut in strips
3 tablespoons dry white wine
1 can (3 ounces) chow mein noodles
Cut chicken into 11⁄2-inch
pieces. In a medium skillet, brown chicken in butter
until golden brown. Stir in soup, water, bouillon cube,
soy sauce, Worcestershire and curry powder.
Cover and simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add
bamboo shoots, celery, onion and mushrooms. Cover and
simmer 10 minutes or until tender crisp. Stir in green
pepper and wine; cover and simmer 2 or 3 minutes longer.
Serve over chow mein noodles. Makes 4 to 6 servings.
The best vegetable dish was submitted by Mary Neely.
Grandma’s eggplant with cheese
1 medium eggplant
11⁄2 cups canned tomatoes or 2 to 3 fresh tomatoes,
chopped
2 tablespoons melted butter
1 small onion, chopped
1 egg, beaten
1 cup dry bread crumbs, plus extra for topping
1⁄2 pound Cheddar cheese slices
Peel eggplant and cut into 1-inch cubes. Cook in salted,
boiling water 8 to 10 minutes. Drain. Add tomatoes, butter,
onion, egg and bread crumbs. Mix and pour into a greased
baking dish. Cover with cheese slices. Top with bread
crumbs. Bake in a 350-degree oven for 30 minutes.
Mrs. Jack Little won the best casserole recipe with
Kentucky Derby breakfast.
Kentucky Derby breakfast
1⁄2 cup chopped onion
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
11⁄4 cups milk
1 cup shredded sharp cheese
6 hard-cooked eggs, sliced
Crushed potato chips
11⁄4 cups crumbled cooked bacon, 10-12 slices
Cook onion in butter, but do not
brown. Blend in flour. Add milk and cook, stirring constantly,
until thickened. Add cheese and stir until melted. Place
layer of egg slices in a 10- by 6- by 11⁄2-inch
baking dish. Cover with half of cheese sauce, potato
chips and bacon. Repeat layers. Bake at 350 degrees for
30 minutes.
A watermelon salad from Noma Creed was a winner.
Watermelon salad
1 package (6 ounces) raspberry gelatin
2 cups boiling water
1 cup miniature marshmallows
1 cup crushed pineapple, drained
1 cup diced cantaloupe
1 cup seedless white grapes
11⁄2 cups cubed watermelon
Dissolve gelatin in boiling water. Add marshmallows,
stirring until dissolved. Chill until slightly thickened.
Fold in remaining ingredients. Spoon into an 8-cup mold
and chill until firm. Makes 6 to 8 servings.
Brandied peach cake, created by Phillip H. Harris, was
the best dessert.
Brandied peach cake
1 cup chopped dried peaches
1 cup peach brandy
1 teaspoon soda
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 eggs, separated
1 teaspoon salt
11⁄2 cups sugar
1 cup salad oil
1 cup chopped pecans
Sauce:
1 cup sugar
1⁄2 cup buttermilk
1⁄2 teaspoon vanilla
1⁄2 teaspoon soda
1⁄2 cup butter
1⁄2 tablespoon white corn syrup
2 tablespoons peach brandy
Soak peaches in brandy in a closed container overnight.
Dissolve soda in buttermilk and add vanilla. Sift flour,
spices and baking powder together. Beat egg yolks, and
mix with salt, sugar and oil. Add buttermilk mixture
and flour mixture alternately to egg yolk mixture. Add
nuts and brandied peaches, then beat egg whites and fold
in. Pour into a 9- by 13-inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees
for 45 minutes.
For the sauce, combine all ingredients and bring to a
boil. Pour over cake while both are hot.
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