In the kitchen with the Mom's Club

Back in May 2012, a short article ran in the Coastal Point on the Mom’s Club of Bethany Beach. Most of the members in the groups that I highlight (no offense, please) are considerably older than those in the Mom’s Club. So, I thought it would be fun to see what recipes the younger generation had to offer. To my pleasant surprise, there is no obvious divide.

Special to the Coastal Point • Marie Cook
Three officers of the Moms Club of Bethany Beach shared some of their favorite recipes with Marie Cook for this weeks Marie’s Kitchen. From left, Jenn Ryall (Secretary and Activities Coordinator), Patti Prosachik (Vice-President), and Kerri Fox (President).

Since the article ran in May, several new members have joined the club.

“But we are definitely looking for more,” said President Kerri Fox. (I’ll put her contact information right here, in case you’re interested in joining: kbfoxx@gmail.com.)

Kerri, who has five children, ranging from ages 3 to 18, is also owner of Beach Belle Spray Tan Company. She provides organic spray tanning at three different salons in the area. If you’re interested in learning more about Beach Belle Spray Tans, contact Kerri at beachbelledesigns@gmail.com or call (302) 296-7455.

The ages of members vary.

“We have members who are first-time mothers with new babies, as well as mothers with children as old as 18,” Kerri said. “We also have mothers that do not work, some who work part-time and others who work full-time. We’re happy to have mothers of all ages join our group. Older moms would be fantastic mentors and a great source of support,” she added.

The group officially meets once a month, but they also arrange playdates and field trips.

The Moms would like to see more local opportunities where young mothers and children can gather for fun, especially in the off-season, such as indoor playgrounds. They currently drive to Rehoboth Beach or Salisbury for these options.

The Moms plan annual service projects and I love it that, this fall, they are planning to work with a group that sews quilts for cancer patients. Why do I love it? Because that group is Faith, Hope, Love Quilters — the organization that I just highlighted in my past two columns.

So, if you’re a mom looking for companionship and support, I recommend that you contact Kerri. You’ll be so glad that you did.

According to Patti Prosachik, Mom’s Club vice president, “Kliffes is a long-time family recipe handed down from my grandmother. She made them for almost every holiday and family get-together. I remember many Christmas Eves, baptisms and birthday parties when all of the grandchildren couldn’t wait to get to dessert! Although other relatives have tried to make them, the hands of my grandmother always made them taste so good.”

Kliffes — Little Nut Roll

(Slovak Nut Roll Recipe)

Ingredients for dough:

? 1 package (1/4 ounce) dry yeast

? 1/4 cup hot low-fat milk

? 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling

? 1/2 teaspoon salt

? 1/4 pound butter (1 stick)

? 1/4 cup granulated sugar

? 2 large egg yolks

? 1/2 cup low-fat sour cream

Ingredients for Nut Filling:

? 6 egg whites

? 1 cup granulated sugar

? 3 pounds chopped walnuts

? Milk to soften

Method for Kliffes:

For dough: Dissolve yeast in hot low-fat milk. In a separate bowl, combine flour, salt, butter and sugar. Add egg yolks, sour cream and the yeast mixture; mix well to a stiff dough. Cover and let rise for at least one hour. Punch down dough; divide into 3 portions.

For filling: In a large bowl, combine egg whites, sugar, chopped walnuts and milk; mix to blend.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out each portion of dough to 1/4-inch thickness. Spread each with nut filling and roll as for jelly roll, guiding the dough with a hand at each end. Place each roll, seam-side down, on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Cover and let rise for one hour. Bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for 30 minutes or until golden. Yield: 3 nut rolls; slice to serve.

Jenn Ryall, Mom’s Club secretary and activities coordinator, grew up in a large family.

“I’m one of eight kids,” she said, “so everyone pitched in. I learned the basics of cooking from my mother. After I was married, I learned a lot about cooking from my husband, who is a chef. I love, love, love to cook and bake, and I’m always willing to try a new recipe or come up with something of my own.”

Tick, tick, tick — my brain immediately began ticking. I’m already planning a future column highlighting Jenn’s husband, Chef Steve Ryall.

Jenn shared two of her favorite recipes. “During the holidays when I was growing up and our family gathered, our tradition was that everyone brought a side dish. My favorite was the Southern Comfort Sweet Potato Casserole from Southern Living magazine. The recipe doesn’t call for it, but I always add 1 to 2 tablespoons of shredded orange peel,” she said.

Southern Comfort
Sweet Potato Casserole

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Ingredients for casserole:

? 3 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled, cooked and drained

? 1/2 cup butter, melted

? 1/2 cup granulated sugar

? 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon (Jenn also adds some ground cloves to taste.)

? 1/4 cup orange juice

? 1 egg

? 1/4 teaspoon salt

? 1/2 cup Southern Comfort liquor

? 1 to 2 tablespoons shredded orange peel

Ingredients for topping:

? 1/2 cup chopped pecans

? 1/2 cup light brown sugar

(Sometimes Jenn adds marshmallows on top, rather than the topping mixture, or a half-and-half mixture of both.)

Method for Southern Comfort
Sweet Potato Casserole:

Beat the cooked and drained sweet potatoes until fluffy. Add all other ingredients (not topping ingredients) and mix well. Put the mixture into an ovenproof 2-quart casserole. Mix together the topping ingredients and spread over the top of the casserole. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 to 60 minutes. Yield: 8 to 10 servings.

“Although I love to cook,” said Jenn, “my passion is baking. I came across a recipe for Lemon Bars Deluxe in a ‘Better Homes and Gardens Homemade Cookies’ cookbook that is scrumptious and has been a family favorite now for many years.”

Lemon Bars Deluxe

Preheat oven to 350-degrees F.

This recipe, as printed, is for baking in an 8-by-8-by-2-inch baking pan, but Jenn always doubles the recipe and bakes in a 13-by-9-by-2-inch baking dish. While the crust is baking, prepare the filling.

Ingredients for crust:

? 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

? 1/4 cup granulated sugar

? 1/4 cup butter

? 1/2 cup finely chopped pecans

Method for crust:

In a medium-size mixing bowl, combine flour and sugar. Using a pastry blender, cut in the butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in the chopped pecans. Press mixture into the bottom of an ungreased 8x8x2-inch baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 18 to 20 minutes, or until golden. Remove from the oven, but keep oven temperature at 350 degrees.

Ingredients for filling:

? 2 eggs

? 3/4 cup granulated sugar

? 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

? 2 teaspoons finely shredded lemon peel

? 3 tablespoons lemon juice (Sometimes I use 1/2 lemon juice and 1/2 lime juice.)

? 1/4 teaspoon baking powder

? 1 cup sweetened coconut

Method for filling:

While the crust is baking, in a separate mixing bowl, combine eggs, sugar, flour, lemon peel, lemon juice and baking powder. With an electric mixer, beat for 2 minutes, or until well-combined. Stir in the coconut. Pour coconut mixture over baked crust. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes more until edges are light brown and center is set. Cool completely in the pan on a wire rack. Cut into bars. Store bars in refrigerator.

Kerri Fox, Mom’s Club president, started cooking at an early age, because she enjoyed experimenting with food and flavors.

“I am self-taught and started by simply following a recipe and then elaborating on it or changing things,” she said. “I searched for new recipes and new ideas and looked up things I didn’t know or understand. I often cooked dinner for my family, and when I mastered making homemade pie crust, I realized that I had a knack for making homemade pies.”

Although Kerri did not share a pie recipe with us, her Corn Pudding is the dish that she is asked to make for every special occasion.

“I found the recipe about 15 years ago in a newspaper, and since I love corn, I thought I’d give it a try. Since that time, this pudding has been a part of every birthday or holiday dinner,” she said.

Kerri said that this recipe is so popular that she usually triples or quadruples it for a special occasion.

“I have five children, so we’re a family of seven,” she said, “and when you add extended family who also loves this pudding, I need to have enough to go around.”

She added that, if you increase the ingredients for a larger portion, you must also increase the cooking time, as well, and increase the amount of melted butter accordingly, too. Kerri said she uses a 9-by-13-by-2-inch casserole for her quadrupled recipe, fills it to the top and bakes for 60 minutes; but because oven temperatures vary, you should occasionally check the progress.

Corn Pudding

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Ingredients:

? 2 eggs

? 1/4 cup granulated sugar (I have also used Splenda with no problems.)

? 1 can (15-1/2 ounces) creamed corn

? 1/4 cup evaporated milk

? 3-1/2 level tablespoons all-purpose flour

? Enough melted butter to cover the top of casserole (at least 1/4 stick)

Method for Corn Pudding:

Beat eggs and sugar and then add creamed corn and evaporated milk; lastly, add the flour and mix well. Pour into greased 8-by-8-by-2-inch casserole. Bake at 350 degrees and at about 35 minutes into the 50-minute baking time, pour the melted butter over the top of the casserole and continue baking.

When the casserole is fully baked, remove from the oven and set on top of the stove for about 10 minutes before cutting and serving. Yield: 5 small servings.

Kerri acquired her recipe for Baked Oatmeal from a Mom’s Club that she coordinated in Pennsylvania.

“I’m not sure, but I believe the recipe originated at the Hershey Pantry Restaurant,” she said. “This is a fantastic breakfast to serve guests or just to bake ahead for the week. My children enjoy this, and it is so quick and easy to make.”

Since Kerri has a large family, she often doubles this recipe (which makes a 9-by-13-by-2-inch pan) and refrigerates the casserole. On busy mornings, she slices a portion of the casserole to reheat, tops it with milk and a little honey.

Baked Oatmeal

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Ingredients:

? 1/2 cup vegetable oil

? 1 cup granulated sugar

? 2 eggs

? 1 teaspoon baking powder

? 1 teaspoon salt

? 1 cup milk

? 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

? 3 cups oatmeal (both quick cooking and regular oats work well, but the texture will be different; quick-cooking oats are less firm)

? 1 cup Craisins or raisins, if desired

Method for Baked Oatmeal:

In a large bowl, mix oil sugar and eggs. Add baking powder, salt, milk and vanilla. Add oats and Craisins or raisins; mix well. Pour into 8-by-8-by-2-inch casserole and bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes. Serve warm or refrigerate to heat later.

Kerri also shares her recipe for Baked Pineapple Stuffing.

“This is an unusual side dish that I first tasted at a potluck dinner,” she said. “It was so good that I obtained the recipe and have added this dish to my holiday side-dish menu.”

Baked Pineapple Stuffing

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Ingredients:

? 1 stick butter

? 1 large can (20 ounces) crushed pineapple (do not drain)

? 1 cup granulated sugar

? 3 eggs, slightly beaten

? 4 cups plain white bread (about one loaf) cut into large cubes

? 1/2 cup milk

Method for Baked Pineapple Stuffing:

When the oven is preheated, place the stick of butter into the 13-by-9-by-2-inch casserole, place into the oven and let the butter melt. Mix pineapple, sugar, eggs, bread cubes and milk. Pour into the casserole and bake uncovered at 350 degrees for one hour. Yield: 4 to 6 servings. Because oven temperatures vary, check periodically to be sure you are not overcooking this casserole.

(Editor’s note: If you have recipes to share, or recipes you want, contact Marie Cook, Coastal Point, P.O. Box 1324, Ocean View, DE 19970; or by email at ChefMarieCook@gmail.com. Please include your phone number. Recipes in this column are not tested by the Coastal Point.)