I got this recipe from a cousin's wife here in
Oklahoma. Leslie Dee was one of the first relatives I found thanks to the
internet once I got interested in genealogy. Her husband, Tom Dee, is a direct descendent
of the Tom Dee who first came to America from Ireland back in the early 1800s
to make a life for himself here, and that was before the potato famine in
Ireland forced so many out.
2 C. Unsweetened Applesauce
2 C. Splenda™
¾ C. Shortening
3 C. Flour
½ TSP. Salt
2 TSP. Baking Soda
1 TSP. Cinnamon
1 TSP. Ground Cloves
1 TSP. Ground Nutmeg
1 C. Chopped nuts
1 C. Raisins
Heat oven to 325 degrees. In sauce pan, mix applesauce, Splenda™, and
shortening. Bring to a boil. Sift flour, salt, soda, cinnamon, cloves and
nutmeg into large bowl. Add hot applesauce mixture all at once. Mix well. Stir
in nuts and raisins. Bake in greased tube pan 1 hour. Cool in pan before
removing.
If you are on a low fat diet, you can substitute canola oil for the shortening.
Also , I found the cloves overpowering, you may want to use just a ½ tsp.
instead of a full tsp.
I was tickled when I got this recipe from Leslie
Dee, too... it's *almost* exactly like the one my mom, Mable, used to make to
serve with beans or stew or just about anything else. Just goes to show you how
food really does run in families!
2 1/2 cups of thinly sliced unpeeled cucumbers
1/2 cup thinly sliced onion
1/3 cup Splenda™, granular sweetener
1/3 cup white vinegar
1/3 cup water
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
Layer cucumbers and onions in a non-metallic low sided medium bowl. In a small
bowl, combine Splenda™, vinegar, water, salt and black pepper. Pour mixture
over vegetables. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, stirring
occasionally. Gently stir again just before serving.
(Mable added garlic
sometimes, too... and sometimes, for a spicy version, she'd throw in some red
pepper flakes or a jalapeno. She left out the sweetener a lot, too - which made
for some VERY tart cucumbers!
This is another recipe I tried from FoodTV (Barefoot
Contessa, I believe...) It's WONDERFUL. Freezes very well (just leave the
biscuits off!). Tastes delicious. The roasting of the chicken - rather than
poaching it - gives the meat more flavor. To tell you the truth (yes, I confess), I used Pioneer Biscuit mix
for the biscuits the first time I fixed this, and for the frozen pan that I
cooked up a few weeks later, I just opened a can of store-bought bake and serve
biscuits and it was almost as good! Be sure to heat up the frozen pan 'til it's
bubbly before putting the biscuits on - or they'll never bake through. And
don't let the recipe scare you - it's easier than it looks!
3 whole (6 split) chicken breasts, bone in, skin on
3 tablespoons olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
5 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
2 chicken bouillon cubes
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
2 cups chopped yellow onions (2 onions)
3/4 cup flour
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 cups medium-diced carrots (4 carrots), blanched
for 2 minutes
1 10-ounce package frozen peas (2 cups)
1 1/2 cups frozen small whole onions
1/2 cup minced fresh parsley
For the biscuits:
2 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 pound (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, diced
3/4 cup half-and-half
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 egg mixed with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Place the chicken breasts on a sheet pan and rub
them with olive oil. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Roast for 35 to
40 minutes, or until cooked through. Set aside until cool enough to handle,
then remove the meat from the bones and discard the skin. Cut the chicken into
large dice. You will have 4 to 6 cups of cubed chicken.
In a small saucepan, heat the chicken stock and
dissolve the bouillon cubes in the stock. In a large pot or Dutch oven, melt
the butter and sauté the onions over medium-low heat for 10 to 15 minutes,
until translucent. Add the flour and cook over low heat, stirring constantly,
for 2 minutes. Add the hot chicken stock to the sauce. Simmer over low heat for
1 more minute, stirring, until thick. Add 2 teaspoons salt, 1/2 teaspoon
pepper, and the heavy cream. Add the cubed chicken, carrots, peas, onions, and
parsley. Mix well. Place the stew in a 10 x 13 x 2-inch oval or rectangular
baking dish. Place the baking dish on a sheet pan lined with parchment or wax
paper. Bake for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the biscuits. Combine the flour,
baking powder, salt, and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the
paddle attachment. Add the butter and mix on low speed until the butter is the
size of peas. Add the half-and-half and combine on low speed. Mix in the
parsley. Dump the dough out on a well-floured board and, with a rolling pin,
roll out to 3/8-inch thick. Cut out twelve circles with a 2 1/2-inch round
cutter.
Remove the stew from the oven and arrange the
biscuits on top of the filling. Brush them with egg wash, and return the dish
to the oven. Bake for another 20 to 30 minutes, until the biscuits are brown
and the stew is bubbly.
Note: To make in advance, refrigerate the chicken
stew and biscuits separately. Bake the stew for 25 minutes, then place the
biscuits on top, and bake for another 30 minutes, until done.