Family Favorites

In the 1981 edition of What’s Cooking in the Blue Grass, readers were asked to submit original recipes or old family favorites.
Dianne Lentz of Nicholasville, who has won many cooking competitions, was the grand prize winner in 1981 with her Chinatown chicken salad. Crispy cheese wafers, hot Chinese chicken salad, strawberry delight, Chinese-style beef broccoli, asparagus gelatin salad, and broccoli with stuffing were first place winners. Here are the recipes.

Chinatown chicken salad

2 tablespoons cooking oil
1 teaspoon sesame oil
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in 1⁄2-inch strips
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1⁄4 cup salad oil
2 tablespoons wine vinegar
1⁄4 cup chili sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
5 cups fresh spinach, torn in pieces
6 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 package frozen pea pods, thawed and drained (optional)
1 cup Chinese cabbage, thinly sliced
1 red onion, sliced and separated into rings
2 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and quartered
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
Heat cooking oil and sesame oil in skillet or wok. Add chicken strips and cook until browned. Remove chicken and place in a bowl. Combine soy sauce, salad oil, vinegar, chili sauce and sugar, stirring to mix. Pour mixture over chicken; cover and refrigerate to chill.
When ready to serve, place spinach, mushrooms, pea pods, cabbage, and onion in salad bowl. Toss gently. Place egg quarters around edge of salad. Top with chicken strips and dressing. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.

This recipe was the winning appetizer recipe submitted by Barbara Vonderheide of Lexington.

Crispy cheese wafers

8 ounces grated sharp Cheddar cheese
8 ounces softened margarine
2 cups sifted flour (scant)
1⁄2 teaspoon garlic salt
1⁄8 teaspoon red pepper
2 cups crispy rice cereal
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix cheese and margarine. Add flour, garlic salt and red pepper. Roll mixture into small balls, using a teaspoon to measure. Flatten with finger. Bake on ungreased cookie sheet for 10 minutes.

The casserole category winner was Geneva Ferguson of Paris who made this dish whenever she had leftover chicken or turkey.

Hot Chinese chicken salad

2 cups diced chicken or turkey
1 cup cooked rice
1 cup diced celery
1 can cream of chicken soup, undiluted
1 can water chestnuts, sliced
1⁄2 cup cashews
1⁄2 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 medium onion, cut up
1 cup Chinese noodles
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all ingredients, except Chinese noodles, in a large bowl and mix well. Pour into a casserole dish. Top with Chinese noodles. Bake for 30 minutes. Makes 6 servings.

Mrs. Russell Stephens of Cynthiana was the winner of the salad category.

Asparagus gelatin salad

1 large box lime gelatin
1 1⁄2 cups boiling water
2 tablespoons vinegar
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped cucumber, seeds removed
1⁄2 cup finely chopped onion
2 cups thick mayonnaise
Dissolve gelatin in boiling water and add vinegar. When cool, add mushroom soup, celery, cucumber, onion, and mayonnaise. Pour into a large mold and refrigerate overnight. Makes 8 to 10 servings.

Jo Ann Martin of Lexington said her son, who was 12 in 1981, was “crazy” about this broccoli dish.

Broccoli with stuffing

2 packages frozen broccoli
2 eggs, beaten
1 onion, chopped fine
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1⁄2 cup mayonnaise
1 cup grated Cheddar cheese
1 package herbed stuffing mix
1⁄4 cup melted margarine
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook broccoli. Combine eggs, onion, soup and mayonnaise. Place layer of broccoli in a 2-quart casserole dish. Add layer of cheese. Pour small amount of soup mixture on top of cheese. Repeat layers until all are used. Top with the dry stuffing mix. Sprinkle margarine on top. Bake for 30 minutes.

Sally Chenault of Frankfort created this recipe after receiving a wok as a Christmas gift.

Chinese-style beef broccoli

1 1⁄2 cups lean round steak, cut into narrow strips
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1⁄2 teaspoon garlic powder
1⁄4 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons safflower oil
2 cups fresh broccoli florets
1 cup fresh button mushrooms
1⁄4 cup soy sauce
1⁄4 cup water
1 tablespoon cornstarch
Toss steak strips with 2 tablespoons soy sauce, garlic powder, and pepper.
Heat oil in wok or electric skillet. Add meat to hot wok and cook quickly until well browned. Remove meat from skillet. Add broccoli and mushrooms to skillet along with 1⁄4 cup soy sauce. Cook quickly and toss lightly on high heat about 5 minutes.
Add meat back to skillet. Mix cornstarch with water to make a thin paste and add to wok. Stir and cook quickly until a fairly thick sauce or glaze forms. Serve at once over hot rice. Makes 6 servings.

Janice Herrington of Lexington turned a salad recipe into a dessert by substituting whipped cream for sour cream and sweetening it up with ladyfingers.

Strawberry delight

1 package ladyfingers, split
1 large package strawberry gelatin
2 cups boiling water
2 10-ounce packages frozen strawberries
1 (15 3⁄4 ounces) crushed pineapple
3 bananas, mashed
1 cup whipping cream, whipped
Line bottom and sides of 2-quart springform pan with ladyfingers. Dissolve gelatin in boiling water. Cool slightly. Add frozen strawberries and stir occasionally until thawed. Add pineapple and bananas. When gelatin is slightly thickened, add whipped cream and pour into pan. Chill until firm.