COOK OF THE WEEK - LINDA WHITTLESEY

I keep running into this week’s cook of the week at church gatherings and finally I have her doing our Cook of the Week! I first met Linda Whittlesey when Our Saviours Church held their annual Heritage Bazaar and asked to do the Cook of the Week. I met lots of good cooks and even got to watch them prepare some delicious ethnic Norwegian and Danish baked goods. Just a month or so ago, Linda and her husband, Kirk, were at the Methodist Church waiting to go in for their annual turkey supper. I had another perfect chance and this time we made connections.
Linda grew up in Forest City, the daughter of the late Victor and Blanche Benson. She went to school in Forest City and then on to Hamilton Business College in Mason City. She works at Sande Construction with the inventory and moved to Humboldt in 1987. Kirk grew up in Humboldt, the son of Don and Joyce Whittlesey, now of Bella Vista, AR. Kirk is a retired optometrist who followed in his father’s footsteps. Kirk went to school in Humboldt, ICCC and Illinois College of Optometry in Chicago, IL. They met at church and have been married for 20 years.
They have three children. Emilie and Brad Fielding live in West Des Moines; Ross and Sarah Whittlesey and their daughter, Harper, live in Adel; and Alyssa Thompson and her fiancé, Robert Trimble, are getting married in June and live in Ankeny.
Linda and Kirk attend Our Saviours Lutheran Church in Humboldt. She is on Our Saviours Lutheran boards and the treasurer for Lift High the Cross. Linda also is a member of PEO Chapter BV. Her hobbies include Hardanger embroidery, quilting, walking, yoga, reading, pickle ball and travel. Kirk’s hobbies include racquetball, pickle ball, golf, cars and travel.
They couldn’t think of a favorite meal, but one that they go to often or is requested for birthdays is Poor Man’s Beef Stroganoff, which she shared the recipe with us today. She says this is a very easy recipe and a great comfort food.
Linda added that a favorite menu for her is roast beef (the way her Mom always made it) with mashed potatoes, gravy and scalloped corn. In the summer they grill a lot and in the winter Linda makes casseroles or soup. She likes to make freezer meals so when she can’t think of something to cook there is already something ready she can pull out and thaw and cook.
She shares a couple of helpful hints today in regard to cooking.
The first is when boiling eggs to get the peel off easily – Boil as you normally do or she covers the eggs with water and covers the pan. Bring to a boil and then turn down to simmer for 15 minutes. Drain hot water off and run cold water over and drain off a couple of times so you can handle the eggs. Slightly crack the shell against the side of the pan and then let the eggs soak in cold water for about 5 minutes. Peel. Cracking the egg and letting it soak is what makes getting the shell off easily.
Her second helpful hint is an easy way to shred chicken breasts – Cook chicken breasts and then put them in a stand mixer bowl and let it do the shredding. That is a new one to me and really does sound so simple. I’m going to have to try these hints!
Her recipes look so yummy and delicious. I can’t wait to try some of them!

Chocolate Chip Peanut
Butter Brownies
(From a Foods class
in high school)
1 cup peanut butter (crunchy
or creamy)
2/3 cup butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar, packed
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup chocolate chips
I usually add a little more as I like lots of chocolate chips.
May also use 1/2 cup chocolate chips and 1/2 cup peanut butter chips.
Mix flour, baking powder and salt together and set aside. Cream peanut butter, butter and sugars until fluffy. Beat in eggs until blended. Add vanilla and slowly add flour mixture. Add chips. Spread in jelly roll pan and bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes. DO NOT OVER BAKE!!! Cool. These are a very moist bar.
(NOTE: for a 12”x17” pan use recipe plus half more of the recipe. Bake same amount of time.)

Cinnamon Cream
Cheese Squares
(2) 8 ounce tubes crescent rolls
(sometimes you can find these as a sheet)
(2) 8 ounce packages cream
cheese
1-1/2 cups sugar, split
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Unroll one tube of dough and place in a lightly greased 9 x 13 inch pan. Seal seams and perforations, set aside. In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, 1 cup sugar and vanilla until smooth. Spread over dough. Unroll remaining dough and place over cream cheese mixture, stretch to fit and seal seams. (I usually roll out on a cutting board or something and then stretch to fit and seal seams and then put over mixture). Brush with melted butter. Mix remaining 1/2 cup sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over the butter.
Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until done. Cool and cut into squares.

Tomato Basil Soup
Soup ingredients:
(2) 14 ounce cans diced
tomatoes with juice
1 cup finely diced celery
1 cup finely diced carrots
1 cup finely diced onions
1 teaspoon dried oregano or
1 tablespoon fresh oregano
1 tablespoon dried basil or
1/4 cup fresh basil
4 cups chicken broth
Thickening:
1/2 cup flour OR 1/4 cup corn
starch
1 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup butter
2 cups half and half or skim
milk, warmed
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Add all soup ingredients into slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 5-7 hours until flavors are blended and veggies are soft. If desired at this point you can take a hand blender and use to chop up the vegetables. Try not to let the blender come up above the surface of the soup as this adds too much air and it gets frothy. About 30 minutes before serving prepare a roux (thickening). Melt butter over low heat in a skillet and add flour or corn starch. Stir constantly with a whisk for 5-7 minutes. Slowly stir in 1 cup of hot soup. Add another 3 cups and stir until smooth. Add all back into slow cooker. Stir and add Parmesan cheese, warmed milk, salt and pepper. Add additional basil and oregano if needed. The slow cooker can make the spices bland, so feel free to add more to taste. Cover and cook on low another 30 minutes or until ready to serve. This freezes well.

Caramel Pecan Delight
(Serves 12)
16 ounce package pecan
cookies, crushed or can use
vanilla wafers or gluten free
cookie
1/2 cup butter or margarine,
melted
(2) 8 ounce packages cream
cheese, softened
12 ounce jar caramel ice cream
topping, divided
1-1/2 cups cold milk
5.1 ounce package instant
vanilla pudding mix
3/4 cup chopped pecans
(optional)
In a bowl, combine cookie crumbs and butter. Press into greased 9 x 13 inch pan. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.
In a large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and 1/2 cup caramel topping until smooth.
In a bowl, whisk milk and pudding mix for 2 minutes and fold into cream cheese mixture. Spread over the cooled crust. Sprinkle with pecans, if desired. Cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours. Cut into squares and drizzle with remaining (or as much as desired) caramel topping. May drizzle chocolate topping on top also.

Sante Fe Chicken
Fajita chicken strips or 12 to
16 ounce diced chicken
15 ounce can whole kernel
corn, drained
15 ounce can black beans,
drain and rinse
15 ounce can black eyed peas,
undrained
16 ounce can garbanzo beans
or pinto beans, undrained
10 ounce can Rotel tomatoes,
you pick hotness desired
15 ounce jar picante sauce
1/2 cup shredded cheddar
cheese
In a large bowl mix all ingredients together. May use any kinds of beans that you like. Put mixture into one gallon baggie and freeze for later use.
Cook day: Thaw out and spray 9x13 pan and pour chicken mixture into pan. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes on 350 degrees or until heated through. Remove foil and bake another 10 minutes. I have also put in the crock pot on low for the afternoon and is good that way too. If frozen you would maybe need to put on low for several hours.
Serve over brown rice. When I first made this I wasn’t sure we would like it, but it is a favorite now.

Chicken Cashew Lettuce Wraps
Stir Fry Sauce:
4 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar or
white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground red
pepper, optional
2 teaspoons sesame or canola
oil
Cashew Chicken:
2 or 3 (about 1 pound) chicken
breasts, diced
6 lettuce leaves
3 tablespoons canola oil
1 cup onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1/2 cup cashews, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
Mix all ingredients for the stir fry sauce, making sure to dissolve brown sugar completely. Heat canola oil in pan over medium to medium high heat. Add diced chicken and brown for about 4-5 minutes. Remove chicken from oil. Add onions, garlic and soy sauce to pan; brown. When onions and garlic are brown and tender, add stir fry sauce, browned chicken and cashews. Sauté mixture for a few minutes and remove from heat. Spoon chicken mixture into lettuce leaves. Add your favorite hot sauce, more cashews or basil.

Chicken Broccoli Supreme
1 pound fresh broccoli, break
into pieces and steam for 2
minutes
3 cups cooked chicken breasts
– cut in small pieces
(I bought the frozen cubed chicken)
3 cups grated cheddar cheese,
divided
2 tubes Ritz crackers
1 stick melted butter
1 tablespoon poppy seeds
(I used sunflower seeds)
Sauce:
(I made the sauce or you can use a cream soup of some sort and just add the cheese. Probably would need 2 cans. I actually made the sauce the day before and then heated it up in the microwave to pour it over.)
1/3 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup cornstarch, dissolved
in 1/2 cup COLD water
1/3 cup chicken broth
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 cups milk
1-1/2 cups of above cheddar
cheese
In a greased 9 x 13 inch pan, layer the broccoli and chicken, then set aside. In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the melted butter, cornstarch dissolved in water, chicken broth, seasonings and milk. Stir well, and continue stirring until sauce has thickened. Turn heat down to low and add 1-1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese. Stir until melted. Pour over the chicken and broccoli. Top with 1-1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese. Melt butter and add the poppy seeds and stir well. Crush Ritz crackers in large Ziplock baggie with a rolling pin. Don’t crush too small. Add crumbs to the melted butter. Sprinkle crumbs over the top of the grated cheese.
Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Leftovers freeze well.

Chicken Cordon Bleu
Casserole
Base:
1 large rotisserie chicken meat
removed and pulled (about
5-6 cups)
1/2 pound sliced deli-style
Black Forest ham, chopped
1/2 pound sliced Swiss cheese
Sauce:
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons flour
3 cups milk
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon pepper
Topping:
4 tablespoons melted butter
1-1/4 cups seasoned bread
crumbs
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a 9x13 inch casserole dish with nonstick spray. Layer the chicken in the bottom of the dish followed by the ham and then the cheese.
In a medium saucepan melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Slowly add milk, (warm milk in microwave for 1 minute if desired) whisking to keep the clumps from forming. Turn the heat to high and cook until the sauce thickens and boils completely, whisking often. Remove from the heat and add the remaining sauce ingredients. Pour the finished sauce over the based layer already in the dish. In a small bowl, mix together the topping ingredients until the butter is evenly distributed over the crumbs. Sprinkle over the top of the dish and bake for 45 minutes. Allow to cool 10 minutes before serving so the sauce will thicken just a bit.

Moist Cornbread
(Similar to Flying Mango in Des Moines)
1/2 cup cornmeal
1-1/2 cups flour
2/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup vegetable oil
3 tablespoons butter, melted
2 whole eggs, beaten
1-1/4 cups milk
Mix dry ingredients. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add oil, butter, eggs and milk into the center. Stir until just mixed. Batter will be runny. Bake in an 8 inch square pan at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. You can double the recipe for a 9x13 pan.

Best Pancakes Ever
(Our Favorite)
3/4 cup milk
2 tablespoons white vinegar
Combine milk and vinegar in small bowl for 10 minutes to “sour.”
1 cup flour
2 tablespoons sugar
(I leave this out if using sweet syrup)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
Combine dry ingredients in bowl.
1 egg
2 tablespoons melted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
After 10 minutes whisk egg, vanilla and melted butter together with soured milk. Pour into dry ingredients and whisk until most of lumps are gone but DON’T over beat. Batter will be thick. Let batter sit 10 minutes. Don’t stir but gently dip batter out (I use a large cookie scoop) and make pancakes. Feeds 3 to 4 people.
Makes about 12 small pancakes.

Creamy Tuscan Garlic Chicken
1-1/2 pounds boneless skinless
chicken breasts, thinly
sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1 cup spinach, chopped
1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes
In large skillet add olive oil and cook the chicken on medium high heat for 3 to 5 minutes on each side or until brown on each side and cooked until no longer pink in center. Remove chicken and set aside on a plate. Add the heavy cream, chicken broth, garlic powder, Italian seasoning and Parmesan cheese. Whisk over medium high heat until it starts to thicken. Add the spinach and sun dried tomatoes and let it simmer until the spinach starts to wilt. Add the chicken back to the pan and serve over pasta if desired. IF SERVING OVER PASTA you will want to double the sauce recipe.

Poor Man’s Beef Stroganoff
1 pound ground beef, browned
and drained
1 can cream of chicken soup
8 ounce container sour cream
egg noodles or mashed
potatoes
Brown beef and drain. Add cream of chicken soup and simmer for 10 minutes. Add sour cream just long enough to heat up and then serve. Can add another can of soup and another 8 ounces of sour cream. Serve over noodles or potatoes.

If you are reading this, then you probably enjoy new recipes. If you would like to share some of your recipes with the community, YOU could be Cook of the Week. Please contact me, Sally Redenius, if you would like to be in this column some week. I can be reached by phone at 515-373-6346 or email me at sacuthbe@msn.com.

The COOK OF THE WEEK 3rd Edition Cookbook is available. Cost per copy is $10.70, plus $4.80 shipping/handling. Order a copy today by sending a check or money order, along with name and shipping address, to: Humboldt Independent, 512 Sumner Ave., Humboldt, IA 50548.