Local cooks recognized by inclusion in cookbooks

By LISA LOSASSO

VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT

For many years area organizations, businesses, churches and clubs have been publishing their own cookbooks showcasing area cooks and local and regional foods.

This winter, the Wal-Mart Family Cookbook included recipes from two area women.

Bonnie Lipely of Leetonia has worked at the Salem Wal-Mart as a greeter, for the past four and a half years. Cooking is her passion. She has been entering recipe contests, quite successfully, for the past 30 years.

“I love to enter contests,” she said. “It gives you something to work toward.”

In addition to entering contests, Lipely enjoys cooking for her family and bringing food to work for socials, to share with her friends and co-workers. She also enjoyed teaching her now-grown children to cook, two of which have followed in her footsteps in successfully entering recipes for area cookbooks.

Her most recent entry, for the Wal-Mart Family cookbook was her Chicken Cheese Dip, which is often requested for functions at work. “You can use it all kinds of ways,” she said.

Where the recipe calls for hot sauce, Lipely said she uses Texas Pete Sauce because it is available at Wal-Mart. “It adds a tang that makes it enticing,” she said.

Lipely prefers to serve her dip with Frito scoops or sliced baguette. But, she explained, it is also good with Canapé bread and crackers.

The “Wal-Mart Family Cookbook” has been publishing a new cookbook every year for the past seven years. When the contest was announced this year, her co-manager, Wendy Jo and assistant manager Kristen, both encouraged her to enter. “It took me a week or two to decide whether or not to enter,” she said.

“I like to bake and cook all kinds of things,” she said. She and her husband especially enjoy Chinese food.

Many of Lipely’s recipes are inspired by cookbooks, friends and recipes she finds on the Internet. She also subscribes to several cooking magazines. Her latest recipes are Athenian Cheese Dip and Spinach Salad. “My husband is my guinea pig,” she joked.

Because her husband is very health conscious, Lipely purchases whole hams, roasts, chickens and turkeys for roasting and slicing. Instead of buying lunch meat, she slices the fresh meats and freezes them in small servings to be pulled out and thawed whenever they’re needed for sandwiches.

JoAnn Lucas of Hanoverton has been a customer service manager at the Alliance Wal-Mart for the past five and a half years.

Her recipe for Pistachio Pudding Dessert is the second recipe she has had published in the Wal-Mart Family Cookbook. Her first published recipe was in 2004 for Baked Cheesy Bacon Hash browns. In 2007 a friend encouraged her to enter the contest once more. The Pistachio Pudding Dessert recipe was the only recipe she entered, so she was very pleased when she was notified that it had been accepted.

Lucas enjoys baking for her family as well as bringing baked goods to work to share.

“I learned to bake from my grandma,” she said. “I love desserts. ... I’m a chocoholic.”

Although her job keeps her quite busy, Lucas explained that she makes time to bake on her days off. “I enjoy baking for other people at work and for family functions,” she said.

According to Sara Sevic, Wal-Mart associate for the “Wal-Mart Family Cookbook,” there are 5 regional editions of the cookbook. Each book contains 70 recipes by winning Wal-Mart associates and 10 recipes from brand Sponsors; Crisco, egg beaters, Hunt’s, Jell-O, Kraft, McCormick, Ore-Ida, Carolina Enriched Rice, Mahatma, Minute Rice, River Boat, Success Rice and Water Maid.

For more local and regional recipes, favorites include Angels and Friends: Easter Seals, Relay for Life: Trumbull County Children Services, Flavors from the Seventh Ward: Blockwatches and Citizen’s Coalition, The Dining Car: Shenango Street Station, Double Your Cooking Pleasure: Youngstown Mothers of Twins, Cook With Us: Hubbard Conservation Club, Inc., The Youngstown Playhouse Celebrity Cookbook, and Recipes to Remember: Personal Favorites Sponsored by Local 717 Women’s Committee.

CHICKEN CHEESE DIP

Crisco Original No-Stick Cooking Spray

1 bottle (16-ounce) ranch salad dressing

2 packages (8-ounce) Philadelphia Cream Cheese

11⁄2 cups bottled buffalo wing sauce

3 cups Kraft Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

5 cups chopped or shredded, cooked chicken breast

Corn chips or sliced baguette

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 3-quart rectangular baking dish with no-stick cooking spray; set aside.

In large saucepan heat dressing, cream cheese, buffalo wing sauce and 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese over low heat until cheese is melted and smooth, stirring frequently. Stir in chicken; heat through. Spoon into prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese.

Bake, uncovered for 20 minutes or until heated through and cheese melts. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Serve warm with chips or sliced baguette.

Serves 20.

Recipe courtesy of Bonnie Lipely, published in the “Wal-Mart Family Cookbook, 2007.”

CHICKEN CIDER STEW

2 cups apple cider or juice

3 tablespoon ketchup

2 slices bacon, cut up

11⁄2 teaspoon salt

1⁄4 teaspoon dried savory, crushed

1⁄4 teaspoon dried basil, crushed

1⁄8 teaspoon pepper

1 (2- to 21⁄2-pound) broiler-fryer chicken cut up and de-boned

4 carrots, thinly sliced

2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and quartered

2 medium onions, finely chopped (1 cup)

1 stalk celery, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 apple, peeled, cored, and chopped (1 cup)

3 tablespoon all-purpose flour

In large kettle, or dutch oven, stir together first seven ingredients. Add chicken. Bring to boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 45 minutes. Stir in carrots, sweet potatoes, onions, celery, and apple. Cover and simmer about 30 min. or until meat and vegetables are tender.

Blend the flour and 1⁄4 cup cold water; stir into hot stew. Cook and stir until mixture is thickened and bubbly.

Crockery cooking directions: Use ingredients as listed above. Place carrots, sweet potatoes, onions, celery, and apple in electric slow crockery cooker. Add chicken. Combine 11⁄2 cups apple cider, ketchup, bacon, salt, savory, basil, and pepper. Pour over meat and vegetables.

Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 10-12 hours. Turn cooker to high-heat setting. Blend the flour with the remaining 1⁄2 cup cider; stir into hot stew. Cover and cook 15 minutes or until thickened and bubbly.

Yield: 4 servings

Recipe courtesy of Bonnie Lipely.

LAYERED ATHENIAN CHEESE SPREAD

2 packages (8-ounce) cream cheese, softened

2 packages (4-ounce) crumbled feta cheese

3 cloves garlic, pressed

1 package (10-ounce) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained

1 jar (7-ounce) sweet roasted red peppers, drained and patted dry

1⁄3 cup whole natural almonds, chopped

Combine cream cheese and feta cheese in a bowl. Press garlic over cheese mixture using garlic press; mix well. Stir in spinach.

Chop red peppers using food chopper. Line bowl with plastic wrap; divide cheese mixture in half, press half of the cheese mixture into a 6-quart bowl (plastic or glass, not metal); top with red peppers. Spread remaining cheese mixture over red peppers. Cover; refrigerate several hours to allow flavors to blend.

To serve, invert onto serving plate. Remove plastic wrap. Chop almonds with food chopper; press onto top of molded cheese. Serve with toasted Canapé French bread or assorted crackers.

Yield: 20 servings.

PISTACHIO PUDDING DESSERT

Cooking spray

1 cup all-purpose flour

1⁄2 cup butter, melted

3⁄4 cup finely chopped nuts

1 package (8-ounce) cream cheese, softened

1 cup powdered sugar

1 container (8-ounce) frozen whipped dessert topping, thawed

3 packages (4-serving size each) pistachio flavor instant pudding & pie filling

31⁄2 cups milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 3-quart rectangular baking dish with no-stick cooking spray.

In small bowl stir together flour, butter and 1⁄2 cup of the nuts. Press evenly into bottom of prepared dish. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool completely on wire rack.

In medium bowl combine cream cheese and powdered sugar until smooth. Fold in 1 cup of the dessert topping. Spread evenly over cooled crust.

In medium bowl whisk together pudding mixes and milk until smooth. Immediately pour and spread over cream cheese layer. Spread with remaining whipped dessert topping and remaining nuts. Cover, chill for 2 hours or overnight.

Serves 15.

Recipe courtesy of JoAnn Lucas, published in the “Wal-Mart Family Cookbook, 2007.”

DEEP DISH TURKEY PIE

1 cup sliced celery

1⁄4 cup milk

2 tablespoons butter/margarine

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons cold water

1 1⁄2 cups cooked carrots (in one inch pieces)

Generous dash of onion powder

103⁄4 ounces condensed cream of chicken soup

1⁄8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1⁄2 cup biscuit mix

1 cup cubed, cooked turkey

In saucepan, cook celery with onion powder in butter until tender. Stir in remaining ingredients except biscuit mix and water. Bring to boil, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, to make pastry: Combine pastry mix and water. Roll pastry to fit top of 1 quart casserole. Pour hot turkey mixture into casserole. Top with pastry. Trim edges. Make several slits. Bake at 450-degrees for about 15 minutes.

Makes 4 servings.

Recipe courtesy of Gary Fiest, published in the “Relay for Life; A team event to fight cancer by the American Cancer Society and Trumbull County Children Services,” 2002.

MISSISSIPPI QUICK CRACKLING CORNBREAD

1 1⁄4 cups flour

1⁄2 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

1 cup cornmeal

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 tablespoon bacon grease, cooking oil, or olive oil

1 1⁄2 cup buttermilk

1 teaspoon sugar

1 small bag of pork skins or crackling pork skins

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all ingredients, adding milk last. Add milk while stirring to mix all ingredients well. Pour into 12-inch greased pan. Bake 20-25 minutes until golden brown or insert wooden toothpick. Bread is done when pick comes out clean. Makes 8-9 servings.

Recipe courtesy of Helen Rucker, published in Recipes to Remember: Personal Favorites Sponsored by Local 717 Women’s Committee, 2001.