Delinda Hodge

One of the first dishes Delinda Hodge of Calhoun City learned to cook that she really liked and still makes after 26 years, is Hawaiian chicken. She describes herself as “a not very adventurous eater.”

“Bread, meat, potatoes is me,” she said. So, for day-to-day cooking, she might have Hawaiian chicken, or roast, peas, cornbread, and she has always done a lot of crockpot cooking, especially when daughters, Ceejay and Kasey, were growing up. “I?am a picky eater and sometimes don’t eat what I cook,” she said.

She gets most of her recipes from the internet, and she likes simple, “basic five or fewer ingredients.” Her favorite cookbook is “Cookin’ Up A Cure,” saying she uses a lot of recipes from it. The beefy noodle casserole recipe from there makes a lot and she sometimes freezes a portion of it for later. She likes to take it to people when there is a special need.
Every fifth Sunday, her Sunday School class at Calhoun City First Baptist Church has a breakfast. For it, she likes to make the cheesy egg casserole that she can prepare Saturday night and cook Sunday morning. The punch recipe is a good one– “a good, cool summery drink”. Death-By-Chocolate cake is her favorite to make and eat. “It is simple and chocolate, chocolate, chocolate,” she said. She and her family also love the Monterey Ranch Bread, which she says is  real good with regular or chicken spaghetti.

Her mother, Linda Doler, did most of the cooking when says was growing up, so when she and Danny first married, they ate a lot of Hungry Jack biscuits, scrambled eggs and sandwich ham. What she has learned about cooking has been “trial by fire” sometimes literally, she said. She describes her first chicken and dumplings as “terrible!” She now uses the frozen ones, along with “lots of butter and chicken broth!” and the last ones were real good.

She and her co-workers at the county health department cook for each other’s birthdays. They bring the favorites of the birthday person. Her favorite meal is Sloppy Joes and homemade fries, saying Mrs. Bobbie (Hych) makes it for her birthday every year. The group always has a full Thanksgiving meal with ham and dressing for which she usually makes the mashed potatoes. “We try to find a reason to eat together,” she said.

“Cooking comes with maturity,” Delinda says, and she tries to plan meals and grocery shopping ahead of time. Her enjoyment of cooking “comes and goes,” although she likes to cook for special occasions, and loves holiday cooking. She likes to make chocolate covered cherries and other candies at Christmas and sometimes for other special occasions.

Hawaiian Chicken
2-8 oz. cans pineapple slices in juice
1 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
4-4 oz. skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1 Tbsp. oil
1 Tbsp. honey
1 Tbsp. teriyaki sauce
2 tsp. dried chopped chives
1/4 tsp. pepper
Drain pineapple slices, reserving 1/4 cup juice. Cut pineapple into quarters, set pineapple and juice aside. On waxed paper, mix flour and salt; use to coat chicken breasts. In skillet over medium heat, heat oil and cook chicken until golden and fork tender, about 10 minutes, turning once. Remove chicken breasts to a warm platter, keep warm. Into drippings in skillet stir honey, teriyaki sauce, dried chives, pepper, and reserved pineapple juice. Over high heat, heat to boiling; boil 30 seconds. Add pineapple, heat through. Pour sauce over chicken.

Monterey Ranch Bread
2 cups (8 oz.) shredded Monterey Jack cheese
3/4 cup ranch salad dressing with bacon
1 loaf French bread
2 Tbsp. butter or margarine, melted
In bowl, combine cheese and salad dressing; set aside. Brush bread with butter. Place on baking sheets. Broil 4” from heat until golden brown. Spread with cheese mixture. Bake at 350° for 10-15 minutes or until cheese is melted.
Cheesy Egg Casserole
4 cups (16 oz.) shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
2 cups (8 oz.) shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 lb. sliced bacon, cooked and crumbled (or sausage)
12 eggs
1 cup milk
Toss Monterey Jack cheese with flour, place in greased 13×9 baking dish. Top with cheddar cheese; sprinkle with bacon. Beat eggs and milk; pour over all. Cover and chill  8 hours or overnight. Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Bake, uncovered, at 325° for 40-45 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Let stand 5 minutes before cutting.

Beefy Noodle Casserole
2 lbs. ground chuck or ground round
1 large. onion
1 bell pepper
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
2 cans Ro-Tel tomatoes (I use one hot & one original)
1/2 cup milk
1 bag egg noodles
1 lb. Velveeta cheese
Cook noodles per package directions. Brown beef, onions and peppers. Add the chicken and mushroom soups, milk, Ro-Tel and diced Velveeta over cooked noodles. Toss lightly and put in casserole dish. Heat at 350° until hot.

Pineapple Strawberry Punch
2 pkgs. (10 oz. each) frozen sweetened sliced strawberries, thawed
1 can (46 oz.) pineapple juice, chilled
4 cups lemon-lime soda, chilled
In food processor or blender, puree strawberries. Pour into a large punch bowl. Stir in pineapple juice and soda. Serve immediately. 12 servings.

Death-By-Chocolate Cake
3/4 cup sour cream
4 eggs
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup oil
1 chocolate cake mix
1 small box instant chocolate pudding
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Powdered sugar
Preheat oven to 350°. Beat sour cream, eggs, water and oil together in large bowl until thoroughly mixed. Add cake mix and pudding mix. Stir in chocolate chips. Place batter in greased and floured bundt pan. Bake 45-55 minutes, or until a fork inserted into cake comes out clean. While still hot, invert cake onto a serving platter. When cool, sift powdered sugar over top of cake.