First published Monday, May 23, 1994:
Dear readers: To celebrate Memorial Day and the start of the summer season, here's a special edition of Ask-it Basket featuring seasonal recipes shared by June and Slim Betterley of Honeoye, Ontario County.
Asparagus supreme
1 ½ pounds fresh asparagus or 3 8-ounce packages frozen asparagus
1 small can tiny shrimp, drained
1 can cream of celery soup, undiluted
3 tablespoons shredded carrot
1 small onion, chopped
Salt and pepper
½ cup sour cream
3 slices toast
Cook asparagus and drain. Add all ingredients except toast. Place in a 2-quart casserole. Cut toast into cubes and spread on top. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Makes 6 servings.
Fresh rhubarb crisp
1 cup flour
½ cup rolled oats
1 cup brown sugar
½ cup melted margarine or butter
4 cups rhubarb, cut in ½-inch pieces
1 cup sugar
½ cup flour
½ teaspoon cinnamon
Combine flour, oats, brown sugar and margarine or butter until crumbly; set aside. In a greased, 8-inch square pan, combine all remaining ingredients and sprinkle 1¤2 cup water over all. Top with the flour-oats mixture. Bake, uncovered, at 375 degrees for 35 minutes. Serve warm.
Charcoaled turkey
For the sauce:
1 28-ounce can tomato sauce
¼ cup salad oil
¼ cup vinegar
¼ cup chopped onion
¼ cup chopped green pepper
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon celery salt
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon garlic salt
½ teaspoon pepper
½ cup beer
About 2 tablespoons tomato paste
4 drops hot sauce (optional)
For the turkey:
1 turkey, about 12 pounds
1 small onion, sliced
1 stalk celery
1 carrot, cut up
3 teaspoons margarine or butter
To prepare the sauce: Combine all ingredients and simmer 30 minutes, using just enough tomato paste to thicken.
To cook the turkey: Wash the turkey well and remove giblets and neck from body cavity. Tie wings together in back of the bird and pin neck skin to back. Place onion, celery, carrot and margarine inside the bird. Place over a drip pan in a covered grill. Cook for about 1¤2 hour, then place 1¤2 cup of sauce inside the bird. Turn the turkey at least three times during the cooking and baste often with the sauce. It will take 2 to 3 hours to cook the turkey.
The sauce is also good for grilling a beef roast.
Fresh strawberry pie
For the pie:
1 quart strawberries
1 9-inch baked pie shell
For the glaze:
1 ½ cups water
¾ cup sugar
2 heaping tablespoons corn starch
1 3-ounce package strawberry gelatin dessert mix
To make the pie: Clean berries; leave whole. Arrange berries, stem-side down, on the baked pie shell, setting them close together in a single layer. You may have enough berries to start a second layer. Use all of the berries.
To make the glaze: Mix water, sugar and corn starch in a saucepan and cook until thick and clear, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Stir in gelatin mix while mixture is still hot. Pour glaze over the berries. Refrigerate till set, about 1 hour.
Corn chowder
4 slices bacon
2 tablespoons chopped onion
2 tablespoons chopped celery
2 tablespoons chopped green pepper
1 cup water
2 cups fresh corn, cut from cob, or frozen corn or canned whole kernel corn, drained
3 fresh tomatoes, peeled and cut up, or 1 small can tomatoes
2 large potatoes, cut in small pieces
3 ½ cups milk
½ cup evaporated milk
Cook the bacon in a deep pot. Crumble the bacon. Cook onion, celery and green pepper in the bacon grease on low heat for about 2 minutes. Add the water, corn, tomatoes and potatoes. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Add the milk. Do not boil after adding the milk or it will curdle. Season to taste. Makes about 2 quarts.
Slim's hot sauce
½ cup salad oil
1 pound ground beef
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon paprika
2 teaspoons red hot pepper or cayenne pepper
1 quart water
Pour salad oil into a saucepan. Shred beef into it and cook over low heat until the meat looks done. Add remaining ingredients and simmer about 1 hour. If the water evaporates completely, add a little more. Taste. If you prefer more spices, add more. Continue to cook until about 2/3 of the water is gone.
Serve with hot dogs or hamburgers. This can be frozen.
Peach parfait pie
3 ½ cups fresh or canned sliced peaches
Sugar
1 3-ounce package lemon gelatin dessert mix
½ cup cold water
1 pint vanilla ice cream
1 9-inch baked pie shell
½ cup heavy cream, whipped (sweetened, if desired)
If using fresh peaches (which are best), let stand about 15 minutes with a little sugar. Drain peaches (fresh or canned), reserving liquid. Add enough water to syrup to make 1 cup liquid. Heat to boiling. Add gelatin mix and stir till dissolved.
Add cold water. Cut ice cream into 6 pieces and add to the hot liquid. Stir till melted. Chill till mixture mounds slightly when dropped from a spoon, about 15 to 20 minutes. Fold in peach slices, reserving a few for garnish. Pour into pie shell. Chill till firm, about 2 hours. Trim with whipped cream and a few peach slices.
