By Elizabeth Butler
April 25, 2008 12:11 pm
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Congratulations to Claire Spriggs of Valdosta and Jim Jammes of Ray City who were the first entries in the 40th Anniversary Valdosta Daily Times Cookbook Contest.
Other entries have come from Teresa Davis of Homerville; Glenda Bennett of Lake Park; Penny Ray of Nashville; Magan Smith of Ray City; Emily Crews of Stockton; Barbara Barker, Debbie Broomberg, Denise Charles, Debbi Hart, Ellen Squires McCarthy, Deanna W. Smith and Marie S. Wood of Valdosta.
Only four days are left to enter recipes in our 40th Anniversary Contest. Deadline is May 1.
To enter, simply e-mail your recipes to vdt.recipes@gaflnews.com. Adults 16 and above may enter as many as nine recipes while those 15 and under may enter one recipe in the children’s category. The adult categories are Appetizers, Salads, Breads, Vegetables, Meats, Desserts, Cookies and Candies (one category), diet foods, and 40th anniversary cake decorating.
Be sure to include your daytime phone number as well as your mailing address so we can inform you if you have been selected as one of the 50 contestants to bring your already prepared dishes to the Taste-off June 7 at Valdosta Technical College.
Although those participating in the 40th Anniversary cake-decorating category will bring their already baked cakes (and no pre-made decorations), the decorating will be done during the two hours of judging the other nine categories. The winner will receive a scholarship to the Valdosta Technical College Cooking School for one quarter.
The nine other categories will be judged for Creative Design Winner and Runner-up and presented with prizes from Belk and Valdosta Greenhouses.
Grand Prize will be awarded $300, the Grand Prize Runner-up $200, the remaining seven first places $50 and 10 second places $25. Centerpieces will be given to the third places.
A total of $1,200 in cash prizes will be given in the contest.
The award-winning cookbook will be a part of the July issue of ValdostaScene magazine.
If you were a participant in any of our 40 Taste-offs and would like to share your memories, e-mail me at elizabeth.butler@gaflnews.com or call me at 244-3400, Ext. 256.
Come by our office at 201 N. Troup St. and look through the pages of cookbooks dating back to 1969.
Elizabeth Butler is the Lifestyles editor of The Valdosta Daily Times.
Do you remember when?
By Elizabeth Butler
The Valdosta Daily Times
Let’s take another walk down memory lane through the yellowed, tattered pages of The Valdosta Daily Times Cookbooks during the past four decades.
1979: The Grand Prize Winner was Becky Gregg with Beef or Pork Roast. It was a dish all three judges raved over from first bite, according to a story by VDT Features editor Marcia McRae. They commented on its tenderness and delicious sauce which doesn’t thicken as time passes. Her family was surprised she had won: her older brothers and sisters teased her about not learning to cook until after she married.
1980: Mary Stewart of Dixie won the Grand Prize in the 12th Annual Taste-off with her Butternut Squash Casserole. The recipe was sent to her by one of her former home economics students, the former Margaret Strickland of Tallahassee, Fla. The topping was dreamed up by Mrs. Hatcher. This is what I wrote about the recipe in the 1980 VDT Cookbook: “Don’t pass up trying this dish if squash has never suited your tastebuds. The casserole tastes nothing like squash. It won in the Vegetables category, but it could have easily been entered in Desserts because it is mouthwatering sweet and tastes like a custard.”
1981: Three-times Grand Prize Winner Kay Jennett of Valdosta won in 1981 with her Iceburg Lasagna Salad — and she hates salads. She got the recipe from an Atlanta newspaper several years ago, tucked it in her looseleaf cookbook and forgot about it until thumbing through the book the previous spring when she rediscovered it, she said in a story in the 1981 VDT Cookbook. Kay said it is a good luncheon salad and goes well with foods such as asparagus rolled in ham.
1983: Debra Hennings won the top prize with her Hot Pineapple Salad in the 15th Annual VDT Cookbook Contest. The VDT contest was the first cooking contest she had ever entered, and she entered only one recipe. She said the salad is “extremely easy and very tasty. It’s great with ham and even a good dessert.” There was another big winner that year: Stephanie Rentz received a collection of Georgia recipe books for winning the Georgia Products category, created to honor Georgia’s 250th birthday. The judges thought her Riverfront Gumbo offered the best use of a Georgia product among the wide variety of dishes in the category. It’s an original recipe she created 20 years ago, she said in a story in the 1983 VDT Cookbook. Since she’s from Savannah, it was natural to tag it “Riverfront.” It was the first time she had ever entered the VDT contest.
1984: Shirley Carpenter was the winner of the $100 Grand Prize with her Cranberry Crumb Pie. Her son, Richie, who was 11 at the time, was at the Taste-off to share in her moment of glory. Shirley partially owed her victory to her sister, Patti Smith of Richland: She trade recipes with her sister and said the winning entry was one of her sister’s. Judges found the dish to be a delicious, most unusual cheesecake. Although the recipe calls for cranberries, any fruit, such as cherries or strawberries, may be used to top it off.
1979 Grand Prize Winner
By Becky Gregg, Valdosta
Beef or Pork Roast
1 pork or beef roast (any size)
1 package Lipton Dry Onion Soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon celery seed
1 teaspoon basil
1 teaspoon parsley flakes
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion flakes
salt and pepper to taste
Salt and pepper and brown roast evenly on all sides. Transfer to Corning Ware or heavy Dutch oven. Sprinkle dry onion soup over roast. Add can of cream of mushroom soup. Add enough water to almost cover roast. Add seasonings. Cover tightly and bake at 325 degrees for two-three hours. (If you work this may be put on at 180-200 degrees and cooked all day.) Just before serving, remove 1-2 cups of liquid, and place in blender. Add flour to make thick and stir this mixture when well-blended back into liquid in roast. Return to oven 10-15 minutes. You will have a smooth no-fail gravy.
1980 Grand Prize Winner
By Mary Hatcher of Dixie
Butternut Squash Casserole
2 cups cooked squash, pureed
3 eggs
3/4 stick oleo, melted
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon coconut flavoring
Peel and slice squash, removing seed. Cool until tender with 1/2 cup water. Drain. Puree in electric mixer or blender. Must be very smooth. Combine all ingredients and mix well. Put into buttered casserole. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes until mixture is set. Last 10 minutes of baking time, sprinkle topping over all, and bake till golden and crispy.
Topping:
3 cups crushed cornflakes
1/2 cup brown sugar, light
1/2 cup pecans, broken
2/3 stick oleo, melted
Combine all four ingredients and put on squash.
1981 Grand Prize Winner
By Kay Jennett of Valdosta
Iceberg Lasagna Salad
1 head iceberg lettuce, shredded and chilled (4 cups)
3 cups cooked macaroni, drained and cooled
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1 1/2 cups small curd cottage cheese
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup chopped green onion
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon basil, crushed
1 1/2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin
1 Tablespoon cold water
2 Tablespoons cider vinegar
Tomato-Herb Dressing
Mix macaroni, cottage cheese, Parmesan cheese, green onion, salt and basil. Soften gelatin in cold water. Set over boiling water and heat until dissolved. Stir in vinegar; then combine with mayonnaise. Add to macaroni cheese mixture into an oiled 6x10x1 3/4 inch baking dish (1 1/2 quarts); spread evenly. Place shredded lettuce over macaroni mixture in even layer, and pat down. Spoon remaining macaroni over lettuce, and spread level. Chill several hours till set. Cut into squares to serve. Top individual servings with Tomato-Herb Dressing. 6 servings
Tomato-Herb Dressing:
Combine 1/2 cup oil, 1/4 cup vinegar, 2 Tablespoons tomato paste, 3/4 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon basil, 1/4 teaspoon oregano, 1/8 teaspoon pepper, and a dash of garlic powder or fresh garlic. Mix well. Makes 3/4 cup.
1983 Grand Prize Winner
By Debra Hennings
Hot Pineapple Salad
1 large can chunk pineapple (reserve juice)
1/2 pound cream cheese
1 dozen large marshmallows
1 cup grated sharp cheese
1 egg
1/2 cup sugar
2 Tablespoons flour
Put pineapple juice in top of a double boiler. Beat in 1 egg, 1/2 cup sugar and 2 Tablespoons flour. Cook until thickened. Layer the pineapple, cream cheese, marshmallows, and pour cooked mixture over it. Top with the grated cheese. Cook 10 minutes in a 450-degree oven until bubbly. Serve hot.
1983 Georgia Products Winner
By Stephanie Rentz
Stephanie’s Riverfront Gumbo
2 quarts tomatoes
1 pound okra, sliced
2 cups ham, diced
3 cups shrimp, raw
2 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
3 dashes Tabasco (or to taste)
1/2 teaspoon coriander
1/2 to 1 pound crab, optional
2 teaspoons allspice
2 bay leaves
2 Tablespoons cilantro (if available)
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic salt
1 teaspoon cumin
3 onions, chopped
2 bell peppers, chopped
1/4 cup butter
Sauté okra in butter. Add all other ingredients. Simmer over low heat 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Can be used as soup or over white rice.
1984 Grand Prize Winner
Shirley Carpenter
Cranberry Crumb Pie
1 (9-inch) unbaked pie shell
1 (8-ounce) cream cheese, softened
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated milk)
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 Tablespoons cornstarch
1 (16-ounce) can whole cranberry sauce
1/4 cup cold margarine
1/3 cup unsifted flour
3/4 cup chopped walnuts
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Bake shell eight minutes. Remove and reduce temperature to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese until fluffy. Gradually beat in condensed milk until smooth.
Stir in lemon juice. Pour in pie shell. In small bowl, combine 2 Tablespoons sugar and cornstarch; mix well. Stir in cranberry sauce. Spoon evenly over cream cheese mixture.
In medium bowl, cut in margarine into flour and remaining sugar until crumbly. Stir in nuts. Sprinkle over cranberry mixture. Bake 45 to 50 minutes or until bubbly and golden. Cool; serve at room temperature. Refrigerate leftovers.
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