MONROE - HCE, or Home and Community Education, has a long history in Green County.
It began more than 70 years ago as Home Demonstration Clubs and today the organization is still focused on improving home and community life. Green County has eight clubs with a total of 99 members, including 20 individual members.
It also has a long tradition of collecting tasty, tried-and-true favorites in its annual Holiday Letter recipe collection. The 2008 Holiday Letter is now available and includes bar and cookies; breads, desserts, healthy favorites; main dishes and casseroles; miscellaneous; and salads and soups. Each booklet costs $3 and can be picked up at the University of Wisconsin-Extension office in the Government Services Building in the Pleasant View Complex.
More information about HCE is available by calling Bridget Mouchon, Family Living Educator at the Green County Extension office at 328-9440.
Here's a small sampling of some of the recipes the Holiday Letter contains:
ORANGE DATE NUT BREAD
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons shortening
1 egg, beaten
1/4 teaspoon salt
rind of orange, chopped
1 cup dates, chopped
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup boiling water
1 teaspoon soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
1/2 cup nuts, chopped
Preheat oven to 350° F. Cream sugar and shortening. Add beaten egg and salt. Add combined orange rind and dates. Mix soda, baking powder and vanilla (will bubble up). Add to above mixture. Mix and add orange juice and boiling water. Add flour and chopped nuts. Beat after each addition until well blended. Place into greased loaf pan and bake. Yield: 1 large loaf.
- Donna Ladwig, Balls Mill
REALLY GOOD CAKE
1 chocolate cake mix
3 eggs
1 large can (1 pound) apple pie filling (cut pieces into much smaller size)
1 cup chocolate chips (milk or dark chocolate; mini, regular or maxi size chips)
1 cup chopped nuts (any kind)
Preheat oven to 350° F. In a large bowl mix the cake mix, pie filling and eggs. Pour into greased 9 by 13-inch cake pan. Top with chocolate chips and nuts. Bake for about 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean from the center. Serve warm with a scoop of ice cream.
Comments: Try a chocolate cake, cherry pie filling and dark chocolate chips, or a spice cake with peach pie filling (be sure you cut up the peach slices into smaller pieces), pecans and white chocolate chips is also very, very good.
- Karen Benton, Independent
LOW FAT COUNTRY CHICKEN AND BISCUITS
4 to 6 pieces chicken (skin and fat removed)
2 cups water (or broth)
2 cups skim milk
2/3 cup flour
salt and pepper
baking powder biscuits (baked and split)
Brown chicken, add water. Cover and simmer for 40 minutes or until done. Remove chicken and set aside. Chill and defat broth, if possible. Stir flour into milk; mix with broth. Cook and stir until thick. Season to taste. Return chicken to gravy. Simmer several minutes longer. Add biscuits, which have been baked and split. Yield: Serves 4 to 6.
- Donna Ladwig,
Balls Mill
SWEET APRICOT CHICKEN AND SNAP PEAS
1 pound cooked linguine
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 teaspoons mined ginger
2 teaspoons sesame seeds
2 tablespoons sesame oil
3/4 cup apricot jam
1 teaspoon soy sauce
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/2 cup diced apricots
1 cup chicken broth
2 cups diced, cooked chicken breast
2 cups snap peas
Sauté' garlic, ginger and sesame seeds in sesame oil over medium heat 2 minutes. Add jam, soy sauce, mustard, apricots and broth; cook 5 to 7 minutes to reduce sauce. Stir in chicken and peas. Cook an additional 3 minutes. Place this mixture over cooked linguine noodles. Yield: 4 servings.
- Marlene Gobeli, City-Country Mixers
EASY TURKEY CRUNCH SALAD
1 package (16 ounces) coleslaw mix
6 ounces turkey breast, diced
3 packages (3 ounces each) Ramen noodles (any flavor)
2/3 cup vinaigrette salad dressing (bottled)
1 can (15 ounces) mandarin oranges, drained
toasted almonds, sliced
In a large bowl, combine slaw and turkey. Remove seasoning packets from noodles. Crumble noodles and add to slaw mixture. Gently fold in oranges and almonds. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss together.
- Julie Ostrander, Udder Gals
It began more than 70 years ago as Home Demonstration Clubs and today the organization is still focused on improving home and community life. Green County has eight clubs with a total of 99 members, including 20 individual members.
It also has a long tradition of collecting tasty, tried-and-true favorites in its annual Holiday Letter recipe collection. The 2008 Holiday Letter is now available and includes bar and cookies; breads, desserts, healthy favorites; main dishes and casseroles; miscellaneous; and salads and soups. Each booklet costs $3 and can be picked up at the University of Wisconsin-Extension office in the Government Services Building in the Pleasant View Complex.
More information about HCE is available by calling Bridget Mouchon, Family Living Educator at the Green County Extension office at 328-9440.
Here's a small sampling of some of the recipes the Holiday Letter contains:
ORANGE DATE NUT BREAD
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons shortening
1 egg, beaten
1/4 teaspoon salt
rind of orange, chopped
1 cup dates, chopped
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup boiling water
1 teaspoon soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
1/2 cup nuts, chopped
Preheat oven to 350° F. Cream sugar and shortening. Add beaten egg and salt. Add combined orange rind and dates. Mix soda, baking powder and vanilla (will bubble up). Add to above mixture. Mix and add orange juice and boiling water. Add flour and chopped nuts. Beat after each addition until well blended. Place into greased loaf pan and bake. Yield: 1 large loaf.
- Donna Ladwig, Balls Mill
REALLY GOOD CAKE
1 chocolate cake mix
3 eggs
1 large can (1 pound) apple pie filling (cut pieces into much smaller size)
1 cup chocolate chips (milk or dark chocolate; mini, regular or maxi size chips)
1 cup chopped nuts (any kind)
Preheat oven to 350° F. In a large bowl mix the cake mix, pie filling and eggs. Pour into greased 9 by 13-inch cake pan. Top with chocolate chips and nuts. Bake for about 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean from the center. Serve warm with a scoop of ice cream.
Comments: Try a chocolate cake, cherry pie filling and dark chocolate chips, or a spice cake with peach pie filling (be sure you cut up the peach slices into smaller pieces), pecans and white chocolate chips is also very, very good.
- Karen Benton, Independent
LOW FAT COUNTRY CHICKEN AND BISCUITS
4 to 6 pieces chicken (skin and fat removed)
2 cups water (or broth)
2 cups skim milk
2/3 cup flour
salt and pepper
baking powder biscuits (baked and split)
Brown chicken, add water. Cover and simmer for 40 minutes or until done. Remove chicken and set aside. Chill and defat broth, if possible. Stir flour into milk; mix with broth. Cook and stir until thick. Season to taste. Return chicken to gravy. Simmer several minutes longer. Add biscuits, which have been baked and split. Yield: Serves 4 to 6.
- Donna Ladwig,
Balls Mill
SWEET APRICOT CHICKEN AND SNAP PEAS
1 pound cooked linguine
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 teaspoons mined ginger
2 teaspoons sesame seeds
2 tablespoons sesame oil
3/4 cup apricot jam
1 teaspoon soy sauce
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/2 cup diced apricots
1 cup chicken broth
2 cups diced, cooked chicken breast
2 cups snap peas
Sauté' garlic, ginger and sesame seeds in sesame oil over medium heat 2 minutes. Add jam, soy sauce, mustard, apricots and broth; cook 5 to 7 minutes to reduce sauce. Stir in chicken and peas. Cook an additional 3 minutes. Place this mixture over cooked linguine noodles. Yield: 4 servings.
- Marlene Gobeli, City-Country Mixers
EASY TURKEY CRUNCH SALAD
1 package (16 ounces) coleslaw mix
6 ounces turkey breast, diced
3 packages (3 ounces each) Ramen noodles (any flavor)
2/3 cup vinaigrette salad dressing (bottled)
1 can (15 ounces) mandarin oranges, drained
toasted almonds, sliced
In a large bowl, combine slaw and turkey. Remove seasoning packets from noodles. Crumble noodles and add to slaw mixture. Gently fold in oranges and almonds. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss together.
- Julie Ostrander, Udder Gals