Sherrie Norris Lovin’ Spoonful Cooking Column: January Ending On An Interesting Note

By Sherrie Norris

January 2025 will go down in the history books, so I’ve been told.

Measurable snow along the Gulf coast all the way to the east coast, and snow cream being made and devoured in Savannah,  probably with as much or more gusto than here in the mountains. It was an interesting site to receive photos of extended family’s beach house with snow covering the palm trees in the yard. And that’s just the beginning.

It’s still a perfect time for soup and anything that resembles comfort foods. 

However, as I was searching for inspiration for this week’s column, I saw that January is also egg month. Yeah, I’m really going to encourage the use of those little golden nuggets right about now. Talk about historical achievements. I don’t recall the price of eggs ever being at its current level. Makes us appreciate every single yoke, broken or not. I’ll save the eggs for better days ahead. And I do hope there are many.

In the meantime, it’s also National Citrus Month, National Meat Month, with specific days for particular “celebrations,” such as January 31 being National Brussels Sprouts Day. 

So, with that said, I’m just going to throw a figurative dart into my seasonal recipe collection and see what a hodgepodge I can come up with for today. Happy eating!

Easy Chicken or Turkey Pot Pie

1 (10 oz.) can cream of chicken soup

1 ½ cups fresh or frozen mixed vegetables, thawed

1 ½ cups cubed, cooked chicken or turkey

¾ cup chicken broth

3 Tbsp. flour

2 pie shells

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Mix soup, vegetables, chicken and broth that has been mixed with flour.  The mixture should be somewhat thick.

Put mixture into the bottom pie shell. Cover with the top pie crust and crimp to seal. Slice a few vent holes in the top.

Bake for about 45 minutes or until golden. Cover pie edge with aluminum foil or a pie shield if it begins to brown too quickly.

 Beef And Macaroni Bake  

1 ½ lbs. ground beef

¼ cup chopped onion

3 cloves minced garlic

¼  tsp. salt (or to taste)

½  tsp. pepper

¼  cup chopped green pepper

1 (16 oz.) box macaroni, cooked

1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce 

1/8 tsp. dried oregano

½  tsp. dried basil (or 1 tsp. fresh, minced)

2 Tbsp. parsley,  plus extra for topping

¼  cup shredded American cheese

Preheat oven to 350°F. 

Brown beef, onion and garlic and green pepper, draining any excess fat.  

Add cooked macaroni, along with tomato sauce and seasonings.

Mix ingredients well and transfer to a large casserole or baking dish that has sprayed with a little Pam.

Bake at 350°F for about 20 minutes. Sprinkle top with cheese and extra parsley. Bake for another 10 minutes.

Note: Very lean ground beef may need a small amount of olive oil if too dry.

Baked Cheese Rounds

1 stick butter

2½ cups grated sharp cheddar cheese

1 cup flour

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. Tabasco sauce

About 2 pounds pecan halves

Blend butter, cheese, flour, salt and Tabasco sauce together.

Divide mixture into 2 balls. Work each ball into a long roll about 1 inch thick. Wrap in plastic and chill. Preheat over to 350 F. 

Slice chilled rolls into very thin rounds. Put whole pecan halves on top of each round, then place rounds on an ungreased baking sheet.

Bake for 10 to 13 minutes. Watch carefully, as the rounds burn easily on the bottom. Loosen the rounds after you take them out of the over. Transfer to a rack and let them cool.

Makes 100 rounds perfect for  soups, salads or as a snack.

Salmon Spinach Salad with Dill

4 oz. cooked wild Alaskan salmon or tuna; grilled or canned 

1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard

½ Tbsp. diced onion

1 tsp. diced dill

4 oz. fresh baby spinach

Gently mix together the salmon, mustard, onion and dill; chill.

Dressing 

1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar 

 ½ Tbsp. olive oil

Mix together. Sprinkle dressing over the spinach. Scoop the salmon mix over the spinach.

Grind fresh pepper and enjoy!

Easy Broccoli Casserole

2 boxes frozen broccoli, chopped

8 oz. Velveeta cheese 

1 ½ sticks butter or margarine

28 Ritz crackers

Cook broccoli as directed on box.  Drain and set aside. Crush crackers and set aside. In saucepan, melt 1 stick margarine and Velveeta cheese. Add cheese sauce to cooked broccoli. Put half of the cheese and broccoli in a greased casserole dish. Add ½  of the cracker crumbs. Put in remaining broccoli-cheese mixture and top with the remaining crackers. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

(May be prepared the day before and refrigerated.)

Strawberry Yogurt Cake

1 pkg. yellow or white cake mix with pudding

1( 8-oz.) container frozen whipped topping, thawed

2 cartons (6 oz. each) strawberry yogurt

Bake cake in a lightly greased 9×13-inch pan as directed on package. Cool completely. Mix whipped topping and yogurt; spread over cake. Refrigerate until serving time. Garnish with strawberries if desired. Keep refrigerated. 

Dump Cake

1 (20-oz.) can crushed pineapple

1 (20 oz.) can cherry pie filling

1 yellow cake mix

¾ cup melted butter or margarine

1 cup pecans, chopped

Dump pineapple and pie filling into 9 x 13″ pan.  Sprinkle cake mix evenly over this. Spread pecans on top. Pour butter over pecans. Bake at 350 for 1 hour. Serve in pan.