"What's Cooking" with Chef Geoff Littlefield April 2006

Thanks to all who made the Sausage and Pancake Supper a success! I was happy to be part of the event. I'm sorry I couldn't stay longer but, with Cheryl working and it being a school night I had to leave. Next year we hope to plan so I can help out more.

I enjoy helping out in the kitchen, it brings back memories of me helping in my old church in Pennsylvania. I once belonged to Saint Paul's Lutheran Church in Sassmansville and we held a semi-annual Turkey Supper, once in the spring and again in the fall. The fellowship hall is about twice the size of ours and the same could be

said for the sanctuary.

We really packed them in during our suppers! There were people standing in the hallways from the sanctuary to the fellowship doors and more sitting in the sanctuary. We had people coming as far away as Philadelphia to our Turkey Suppers! They were served our home-style, you would sit down and find on the tables:

Turkey and gravy, Pennsylvania Dutch style potato filling, corn and peas, cole slaw, chow-chow and cranberry sauce, Maier's Italian bread with butter and Bauman's Apple Butter. My favorite things were the Italian bread with butter and apple butter and Meadowbrook Dairy's strawberry ice cream in a soufflé cup! At any time during the supper you could find me "fressin" (PA Dutch for eating) one or the other!

I really miss my grandparents' cooking. My Pop-pop used to make corn and clam fritters, stuffed mushroom caps, and a wonderful strawberry pie. You just had to have a piece to appreciate it! It was like a cheesecake in a regular pie crust with strawberries and a marshmallow/meringue topping with more strawberries on top!

Mom-mom was known for her fastnachts, chow-chow, and her beef vegetable soup! So I guess you could say that a love for cooking runs in my veins; it was handed down from one generation to another. Now I'm handing down that love for cooking onto Eric. Eric has already been part of the ice cream making contest at the Delaware State Fair and is interested in helping me next year at the 4th annual Dewey Beach Country Chili Cookoff.

As long as I'm able I would love to help in our church kitchen. It's something my Pop-pop loved to do and it's a way I can still fell connected with him.

I would like to share a family recipe with my church family, it is a favorite of Eric as well. This recipe came from my Mom-mom and it is always made for family dinners. Try it and see if you like it too, it's corn casserole.

1 can creamed corn
1 can whole kernel corn, drained
1 stick butter, melted
2 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 box Jiffy corn muffin mix

Combine all ingredients and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes and enjoy.

P.S. If you have a minute, please stop by Dirk and Pam's store (Terrific Toys) and say, "Hello." It's right by the Dress Barn in the outlets.

Thanks be to God,

Chef Geoff

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