Shana Kakales
Even though Shana Kakales has in-laws from Greece, a family Sunday lunch favorite of Greek Spaghetti, is a recipe of her mother’s, Charlotte Hill. When she was little she would sit at the bar and watch her mother, who always did, and still does, cook full meals.
“I wanted to be able to cook like my mother,” she said. Shana enjoys cooking, but doesn’t do it as much as she’d like, and is trying to do more on the weekends. She says she calls her mother all the time, or her granny, Betty Hill, and asks about something cooking related.
“I’ll try it,” Shana, who is not picky, said, about making anything. Cornbread is a challenge for her–she can’t get it like she wants it, and says it usually sticks to the pan. She also says her cheesecake is good, but it always cracks.
Daughter Charleigh Beth loves pork roast, a recipe of Charlotte Sullivan, which includes apple juice, so she says it’s healthy. And daughter, Mary Alex, loves vegetables, with corn being her favorite. The girls like to try and help cook, and husband, Johnny, whose favorite is Oreo Balls, likes to grill. The family enjoys having breakfast for supper and the girls’ favorite part of that is pancakes. She prepares a traditional Thanksgiving meal for her in-laws, Bill and Voula Kakales.
Shana loves cookbooks and likes to look for something new to take for meals at church. Ham rolls are one things she likes taking, and “the Snicker Salad is absolutely wonderful.”
She will usually follow a recipe the first time, maybe not to the “t”, and will probably change it up the next time. As for tips or advice, Mama just says, “look at it,” and Voula uses a lot of olive oil in cooking and says that’s what she adds to her green beans. According to Shana, she and the ladies at work cook a lot there–for somebody’s birthday or a holiday. “We let whoever is having a birthday pick the menu and they don’t have to help cook!”
Greek Chicken Spaghetti
4-6 large chicken breasts, boiled and chopped
14-16 oz. spaghetti
1 carton feta cheese
1 small can black olives, drained
1 small can mushrooms, drained
2-14 oz. cans diced tomatoes
2-14 oz. cans chicken broth
3 Tbsp. Greek seasoning
1 stick butter
1 large onion
1 large bell pepper
Melt butter with onion and peppers. Add Greek seasoning, tomatoes, chicken broth. Simmer until onion and peppers are done. Add olives and mushrooms.
Continue to simmer and add chicken and feta cheese. Cook spaghetti according to package directions. In a large pan, pour cooked spaghetti and sauce over the top of noodles and mix. Cook at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until heated through.
Ham and Cheese Rolls
3 pkg. small square dinner rolls
1 lb. thinly sliced deli ham
Swiss cheese slices
3 Tbsp. poppy seeds
3 Tbsp. yellow mustard
1 cup butter
Slice rolls. Place ham and cheese between rolls. Mix butter, mustard, poppy seeds together. Spread over top of sandwiches. Bake for 10-15 minutes at 400°.
Oreo Balls
1 package of Oreos
1-8 oz. cream cheese
1 pkg. white almond bark
Crush Oreos and mix with cream cheese. Roll into balls and refrigerate until chilled. Melt almond bark as directed and dip over balls and place on wax paper until hardened.
Snickers Salad
(Donna Hood)
4-6 Granny Smith apples (chopped)
4-6 Snickers candy (chopped)
1 cup light brown sugar
1 pkg. cream cheese, room temperature
16 oz. Cool Whip
Mix ingredients together and top with one of the Snickers and peanuts. Makes a large salad.
Pork Roast
(Charlotte Sullivan)
4 lb. pork butt roast
1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 cup apple juice
1/2 tsp. salt
Preheat oven to 400°. Using a casserole dish with ovenproof lid and just large enough to hold the meat, place pork in dish. Sprinkle Worcestershire sauce over roast, covering it well.
Coat all sides with brown sugar and salt, pressing them into roast. Pour apple juice into casserole dish, around roast, not on it. Place in oven and decrease temperature to 300°. Bake, covered for four hours or until roast is tender and cooked through.
