Sharing Stories

Hutcheson Family Elba Barbeque

1 5-pound hen
1 tablespoons salt
5 pounds pork
1 tablespoon salt
2 cups rice
3-4 eggs, hard-boiled

Boil hen in salted water until tender. Save broth. Boil fresh port loin in salted water until tender. Save broth. Chop cooked hen and pork with a meat cleaver until finely chopped. Let 2 cups chicken broth and 2 cups pork broth come to a boil. Add rice and cook slowly on low heat for about 40 minutes.  More broth may be added if rice is dry. Chop boiled eggs, cooked giblet and meat from neck and toss with cooked rice.

Sauce
½ cup margarine
1 cup white vinegar
½ tablespoon red pepper
1 teaspoon sugar
½ teaspoon salt

Melt margarine and add vinegar and other seasonings. Simmer for 10 minutes. Add broth and hot sauce to meat and stir together. Serve over rice. Save extra sauce to ad if desired. Serves 12-15.
This recipe tastes better if made the day before and reheated over boiling water. Slaw and dill pickles are good with this dish.

From Donna Shenesky: Growing up, my sister and I were always allowed to "pick" our dinner on our birthday. Sometimes mine fell on Thanksgiving so I lost out. But other years I always picked stuffed pork chops and mashed potatoes. My Mom, the kindest woman God ever put on this earth, was a great cook and Irish as "Patty's pigs" so she was always happy that I too had a great love for potatoes. She always made me a spice cake with butterscotch icing.

At Christmas I remember her baking some sort of fruit cake (that was actually good) that involved baking them in the cans that nuts used to come in. The lids were cut off and the ingredients poured into the cans. She used to wrap them in waxed paper and freeze them and handed them out to all our family and friends. She also made the best fudge. The recipe came from the back of a jar of marshmallow cream.

My Uncle Mac, her brother, loved her lemon meringue pie. He didn't come to visit us often, but when he did, there was always a pie setting on the kitchen counter waiting for him. Most of my recipes are in Columbus...but these are my fondest memories.

From Robbie Williams: I will always remember on Christmas morning, going to my Uncle's house and the making of homemade eggnog. However, it was always very potent and you couldn't drink much, but I will always remember the gathering of Aunt's and cousins at his home, being together and it saddens me that when one relative passes away the other's tend to forget about the fun and fellowship. Unfortunately, along with my Uncle his famous recipe for eggnog passed away also. It was never written down.

From Elaine Perkins: Tired of making big meals for lots of people? Here’s the perfect antidote to all those leftovers. And to prove that it is the perfect dish for the holidays, this is one of Santa’s favorite weeknight meals.

Chicken Spaghetti Bake

3 oz uncooked spaghetti
1/3 cup chopped green pepper
1/3 cup chopped onion
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup cubed cooked chicken breast
1 8-oz can tomato sauce
1/3 cup cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
¼ cup chopped fresh mushrooms
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
½ teaspoon hot pepper sauce
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese

Cook spaghetti according to directions. Meanwhile, in a small skillet, sauté green pepper, onion and garlic in butter until tender. In a large bowl, combine green pepper mixture, chicken, and next 6 ingredients. Drain spaghetti; stir in chicken mixture. Transfer to a 1 quart baking dish coated with cooking spray. Bake uncovered for  20-25 minutes or until heated through. Sprinkle with Parmesan. 2 servings.