Cella's News June 2012

"providing you with recipes to help make you the best cook in the neighborhood"

Cella's News

June 2011

The Role Foods Play in Our Lives

Food plays a major role in many of the favorite Bible stories that we know and love. What foods brought the shepherd boy David to the frontlines where he slew the giant Goliath in the name of the Lord (I Sam 17)? What fruit was forbidden for Adam and Eve to eat in the Garden of Eden (Gen. 2)? What meal was eaten in haste, with no food to be left over, with the people dressed for a long journey (Exodus 12)? What was the name of the woman who with great insight prepared great amounts of food for David and his 400 men that resulted in her husband's and the household's young men's lives being saved (I Sam. 25)? What kinds of food was the prophet Elijah fed by a raven by the brook Cherith (I Kings 17)? What food was in the little lad's lunch that Jesus used to feed the 5,000 men, plus women and children (Matt. 14)? To whom did the cast-off lepers tell about the foods and drink left behind by the fleeing Syrian army (II Kings 7)? At what feast did the wicked Haman learn that he was to be hanged on the gallows that he made for Mordecai (Esther 7)? It's fun to look at the stories in the Bible from the role that food plays.

This month I have my brother's famous "Atta-Boy" Pizza. We made it together and I got him to agree to share it with you. Enjoy! My friend Bonnie went down south on vacation and brought back the ziti recipe. I searched the Internet to find the Orange Cream recipe after someone told me about a similar dessert they had with raspberry Jello® in it that had the consistency of mousse. The yellow rice and peas recipe was a favorite dish at a recent luncheon at work.

Jerry's "Atta-Boy" Pizza
(Jerry Richards)

Dough
2 (6.5-oz.) packets of dry Pizza Crust Mix
1 teaspoon Safflower oil or Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/4 cup wheat germ
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Juice from drained black olives and drained mushrooms to equal 1 cup of liquid, heated until warm (do not boil)

Toppings
pint jar of Ragu Pizza Sauce, or your favorite Pizza Sauce
1 pound fully cooked and drained Jimmy Dean Sausage® (mild or hot)
6-oz. can black olives, drained (reserve juice), finely chopped
1/3 cup finely diced onions
4-oz. can mushrooms, drained (reserve juice), finely chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, finely chopped
2 to 4 cups of finely shredded blended cheese (4 different kinds)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place oven rack in center of oven. Grease a 14-inch pizza pan or 15x10x2-inch pan. Place Pizza Crust Mix in a large bowl along with the oil, wheat germ, and garlic powder. Pour in heated black olive and mushroom juice and stir with a fork to combine. Apply Crisco to clean hands and work dough until all flour is incorporated and dough is smooth. Form dough into a ball and place in bowl. Coat top of dough with a little oil, cover and place in a warm area while preparing other ingredients. Use hands to spread dough in greased pan, including sides of pan. Top with Pizza Sauce, sausage, olives, onions, mushrooms, bell pepper, and cheese. Bake in 425 degree oven 15 to 20 minutes, or until bottom is browned.

Orange Cream

Note: Experiment with different fruits, Jello®, and sherbet that you think would go good together.

11-oz. can mandarin oranges, drained (reserve juice)
6-oz. package orange Jello®
2 cups orange sherbet
8-oz. Cool Whip®
Boiling Water

Drain oranges, reserving juice. Add water to reserved juice to make 2 cups water. Boil juice and water. Dissolve Jello® in juice/water mixture. Add drained oranges to Jello.® Stir in orange sherbet until dissolved. Fold in Cool Whip®, refrigerate until set.

Goya® Spanish-Style Yellow Rice with Peas and Salsa
(Arroz Amarillo)

14-oz. box Goya® Yellow Rice, prepared according to box
small package frozen green peas
24-oz. jar Pace Brand, medium salsa

Combine all ingredients together. Bake until heated through in microwave or moderate oven.

Baked Ziti Dish
(Linda Durbala)

1 pound box ziti
2 (14.5-oz.) cans Italian-style tomatoes, diced
1/2 pound bulk sausage
1/2 pound ground chuck
6 to 8-oz. bag fresh spinach (baby, or chopped)
1 pound Ricotta cheese
1 cup Parmesan cheese
4-oz. jar sweet basil pesto
1 cup small curd cottage cheese

Cook ziti macaroni according to package directions. Drain and place in a large bowl. Mix in tomatoes. In a frying pan, cook sausage and ground chuck until no pink remains. Drain off grease and mix with the ziti and tomatoes and place in a large ungreased baking dish. Place uncooked spinach on top of tomato/meat mixture. In a medium-size bowl, combine the Ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, basil pesto, and cottage cheese. Spread on top of spinach. Cover and bake in 350-degree oven for 40 minutes, or until bubbly.

Send your favorite family recipes to Marcella Stockin, 5200 Riceville Road, West Valley, New York 14171 or e-mail me at marcellastockin@yahoo.com. I'd love to hear from you. Providing you with recipes to help make you the best cook in the neighborhood. Visit my website at cellascookbook.com for more recipes and archived newsletters.