Requested taco salad 'looks awful, tastes delicious'

Friday, January 1, 1904

It's a good morning every Wednesday, thanks to all of you. January's requests came from varied sources, and they run the gamut.

  • Mary Ellen Swanson of Rainsville, Ala., and her husband remember "eating a German mushroom broth at a restaurant in Germany while stationed there with the Army in the '70s."
  • Beth Jones of Fairfield Glade, Tenn., saw but failed to save a recipe for a baked steak. "I believe the cut of meat was a 2- to 3-inch sirloin," she said.
  • Kay Foodie in Apison "would love it if someone has the original recipe for the coleslaw dressing at Smokey Bones in Chattanooga. I've tried the copycat recipes I've found online, but they're just not the same."
  • And finally, L.M. heard about a ground turkey chili and would love to have an easy version of that dish.

Read on for answers to earlier requests.

Nancy Rokicki of Harrison read about the need for a crustless quiche and hurried to send hers. "It is not only crustless but very easy and freezes well," she said. "We freeze leftovers in squares for lunches at work. Warms nicely in the microwave. However, it isn't for those watching fat. The five-minute designation refers to preparation time, not cooking time."

Five-Minute Quiche

6 eggs

8 ounces cottage cheese

12 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese

12 ounces shredded Cheddar cheese

1/4 cup diced crisp bacon

10-ounce package frozen chopped broccoli, thawed, or spinach drained very well

1/2 cup sautéed mushrooms

Optional: Sautéed onions or other favorite vegetable

In a blender, mix eggs and cottage cheese. Blend for 10 seconds, then pour into a large bowl. Add mozzarella, Cheddar, bacon and desired vegetables. Mix well, and pour into a greased 9- by 13-inch pan. Bake in a preheated 375 F oven for 45 minutes or until golden on top.

Ann Powell wanted a lemonade pie to prepare with her culinarily savvy granddaughter, and Kathy Broome sent an easy version credited to Amileen Brooks of Ringgold, Ga.

Lemonade Pie

2 regular graham cracker pie shells

6-ounce carton of frozen lemonade

1 can Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk

12 ounces Cool Whip

Food coloring (1 or 2 drops)

Mix together lemonade and Eagle Brand on low speed of an electric mixer. Add Cool Whip, and mix well; add food coloring if desired, and mix well. Pour into graham cracker crusts, and refrigerate until cooled.

Pat Utley gets finder's credit for the Helen Exum cookbook version of taco salad; it came originally from Mrs. Charles Keith, a Texan. And those Texans do know the secret of taco salad.

Taco Salad

1 pound ground beef, browned and drained

1 (1-pound) can pinto beans, drained

Salt, to taste

Tabasco sauce, to taste

2 or 3 green onions, chopped

4 tomatoes, cut up

1 head lettuce, chopped

4 ounces grated cheese

French dressing

1 medium bag tortilla chips, plain, broken up

1 can (any size) ripe olives

To browned ground beef, add pinto beans, salt and Tabasco sauce, and simmer for 10 minutes. In a separate bowl, toss together onions, tomatoes, lettuce and cheese. Add French dressing. Just before serving, add ground beef. Top with chips and ripe olives.

This takes a very large bowl; it looks awful and tastes delicious. Serve with hot French bread and dessert.

Here's Mildred Dennis' version of chocolate pecan pie, straight from Chickamauga, Ga. I am delighted at the geographic breadth of Fare Exchange readership -- and writership, so to speak.

Chocolate Pecan Pie

3 eggs, slightly beaten

1 cup dark Karo syrup

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup sugar

4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate

1/2 stick margarine or butter

1 cup pecans, chopped

1 frozen pie shell

In a bowl, mix together beaten eggs, Karo syrup, salt, vanilla and sugar. In a saucepan, melt chocolate and butter; add to egg mixture. Add pecans last. Pour into pie shell.

Bake in a preheated 400 F oven for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 F and bake for 30 to 35 minutes. Filling should appear slightly less set in center than outer edge. Pie freezes well.

This morning I shared a $1.49 pastry-and-coffee breakfast at Greenlife with four esteemed colleagues. We all affirmed we were really going for the coffee, as January self-discipline precluded the pastry. I opted for a healthful muffin as a compromise, and you know what we talked about? Food. Well, food, but also the people we love and the work we do. These are a fine combination, and it's good to break bread -- or no bread -- with such friends.

Let us know what you and your friends are eating and talking about, won't you?

To Reach Us

Fare Exchange is a longtime meeting place for people who love to cook and love to eat. We welcome both your recipes and your requests. Be sure to include precise instructions for every recipe you send.

  • Mailing address: Jane Henegar, 913 Mount Olive Road, Lookout Mountain, GA 30750.
  • E-mail: janehenegar@gmail.com.
  • Fax: 423-668-5092.