“We love to cook,” said Trish Reed, president of P.E.O. Chapter BT in Mathews. She added, “the mission of P.E.O. (Philanthropic Education Organization) keeps our chapter focused and busy. We still find time to cook, and bake, and entertain.”
Just a little over a year ago the organization printed and introduced its first cookbook, “By the Bay—A Taste of Mathews.” It came together when members were searching for fundraising ideas, trying to think of something that had not been done before. The idea seemed natural, as Chapter BT members love to cook and they had the resource of home-tested recipes. The book came to life.
“By the Bay” is a success and the chapter has sold over 250 copies. This past year the members have donated more than $7,000 to P.E.O. for scholarships, grants and awards for women’s education. Of that amount, $5,000 is due to success of cookbook sales.
The following recipes were submitted for the book, but there just wasn’t room. If you do not have a copy, get one. They are on sale at the Mathews County Visitor Center on Main Street.
Within Virginia there are 75 P.E.O. chapters with 2,800 members. In the Middle Peninsula there are four chapters: White Stone, Mathews, Gloucester and Mathews/Gloucester, totaling more than 100 members. Nationally, P.E.O. membership exceeds 240,000. Chapter BT also supports students. In 2021 The BT Chapter established the Suzy Jones Scholarship, and has been awarded annually to a Mathews High School deserving female graduate.
The Virginia State P.E.O. chapter offers a variety of scholarships with a minimum of $1,500 to qualifying women living in Virginia and attending a school of higher education. A recent MHS student has received a Virginia scholarship to obtain technical certification. It’s the priority of Chapter BT to identify such candidates.
It’s women working for women and they do love to cook.
CLAM CHOWDER
Barbara Van Over
In the mid-90s after our carriage house was built, John and I began spending more time here and we enjoyed going to the yacht club. John and my father, Sam Hook, loved the clam chowder. I had never had clam chowder, but at their urging I tried it … LOVED IT!
Laura Offield was the manager of the club at that time and I asked her for the recipe. She declined. Later, after she left the club, she called me and said that she was fixing to make clam chowder and if I would like to come over and watch, I could. John and I went over to her house, and we watched her make the chowder…
She did not use a recipe. I had to watch and write it down as best I could as she chopped, poured, tasted, chopped and seasoned, and chopped.
This is my version of her recipe. I had to promise not to share it, which I have not.
After Laura passed away, I felt like maybe I could share this gem. Maybe.
1 lb. bacon, divided
2 to 3 large onions, chopped
1 whole stalk of celery, chopped
4-5 medium to large red bliss potatoes with skins
1 large can of clams
1 large can of clam juice
½ stick of butter
1½ heaping Tbs. flour
Half-and-half for roux
To taste: salt, pepper, white pepper, Old Bay, parsley
Put half of chopped bacon, the onion and celery in a pot. Cook slowly until just beginning to caramelize. Create a roux from the flour, butter and half-and-half; almost to a paste. Add chopped potatoes and slowly add clam juice stirring occasionally. Add clams, adjust seasoning. Chowder should be a little thicker than oyster stew. Garnish with ½ pound of crispy fried bacon and parsley. I get clams and clam juice from the Deltaville market.
CRAB TOPPED CHICKEN
Lynn May
Crabmeat makes everything special. A family favorite for special occasions.
6 small boneless, skinless chicken breasts
½ c. chopped onion
½ c. chopped celery
3 Tbs. butter
3 Tbs. white wine
8 oz. crabmeat
½ c. herb seasoned stuffing
Preheat oven to 400°F. Place chicken breast in a greased baking dish, brush or spray with cooking oil. Bake for 10 minutes. While chicken is cooking, sauté onion and celery in butter until translucent. Remove from heat and add white wine, crabmeat and stuffing. If too dry, add more white wine. Top partially cooked chicken with crab/stuffing mixture.
You can top with Swiss cheese if desired.
Return to oven and cook an additional 20 minutes, until internal temperature reaches 160°F.
Easy Hollandaise Sauce
To make this dish extra special, drizzle Hollandaise sauce over chicken before serving.
4 egg yolks
2 Tbs. lemon juice
¼ tsp. dry mustard
Dash Tabasco sauce
2 sticks butter, melted
In a blender, mix first 4 ingredients well. Remove cover and slowly add melted butter. Do not over-blend. Sauce should be smooth and creamy.
LASAGNA IN A BOWL
TRISH REED
As fall approaches, it’s time for Lasagna Soup, a hearty family favorite and crowd-pleaser at Kingston Parish’s Soup with Love.
1 lb. lean ground beef (or half Italian sausage)
1 lb. onion, diced
4-5 garlic cloves, minced
¼ tsp. red pepper flakes
24 oz jar spaghetti sauce (I use Prego)
8-10 cups chicken broth, divided
14 oz. can crushed tomatoes
2 Tbs. tomato paste
2 tsp. balsamic vinegar
1½ tsp. sugar
1 Tbs. dried basil
1 tsp. each parsley, oregano, salt
½ tsp. pepper
Bay leaf
10 uncooked lasagna noodles (broken into 1”-2” pieces)
½ c. heavy cream
In large soup pot, cook ground beef and onion until beef is browned. Add garlic and red pepper flakes and sauté for 1 minute. Drain excess fat. Add spaghetti sauce, 6 cups chicken broth, crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, balsamic vinegar, sugar, spices and broken lasagna noodles pieces. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until noodles are tender, stirring occasionally. Discard bay leaf, add heavy cream and 2-4 cups chicken broth to reach desired consistency. Garnish with mozzarella and Parmesan cheese.
FILÉ GUMBO
Rosemary Eaton
Back when Ron and I and family were stationed in Biloxi, Mississippi, and living along the Gulf, my neighbors and I would run down to the piers when the shrimp boats came in and buy fresh shrimp—very reasonably priced, I might add. This gumbo became a favorite of ours. The name Filé Gumbo comes from the sassafras leaves (dried powder) added to the pot at the very end.
1/3 c. vegetable oil
1/3 c. flour
1/3 lb. sausage, chopped (I use Andouille sausage)
1 c. onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
½ Tbs. parsley, chopped
1½ tsp. salt
¾ tsp. pepper
1 bay leaf
½ tsp. thyme
Pinch of cayenne
¼ tsp. Creole Seasoning
1 qt. water
1 lb. shrimp, shelled and deveined
2 Tbs. filé (powdered sassafras leaves, a thickening agent, made by Zatarain’s)
Heat vegetable oil in a large pot. Gradually add flour to create a roux. Stir constantly over a low heat until dark in color, about 10 minutes. Add all ingredients except the shrimp and filé. Bring soup to a boil, lower flame, and simmer for 45 minutes. Add the shrimp and cook for about 7 minutes ’til shrimp are very pink. Remove pot from stovetop and add filé and stir. Let gumbo sit for a few minutes. Serve over hot rice.
GRANDMA KEIL’S SWEDISH PANCAKES
Kathy Yent
I made this recipe, weekly, for over 35 years using full level cups of flour, when I found Grandmother Keil’s original handwritten recipe using just a scant cup.
1½ c. milk
2 eggs
1 tsp. salt
1 Tbs. sugar
1 scant c. flour
Mix well; ladle ½-c. batter into well-greased hot 8” skillet. Cook until batter has glazed over then flip for just an instant. Roll into tube-shape with syrup, jam or honey.
WHITE CHOCOLATE PEANUT CANDY
Norma Thomas
This recipe was first introduced to me around 1987. Mrs. Phyliss Lewis, a teacher, generously presented this candy as Christmas gifts to the staff. The recipe is easy, produces a large quantity, is easy to store and keeps for weeks. I have often prepared this candy for Christmas and hostess gifts and taken it to P.E.O. gatherings. I believe Betty Wrenn Day enjoys this candy!
24 oz. almond bark bar, vanilla or chocolate may be used
2 12-oz. white chocolate or chocolate morsels
24 oz. salted peanuts
Melt almond bar and morsels over low heat, or in the top of a double boiler pan. Mix until smooth, add peanuts and mix. Drop by rounded teaspoons on wax paper on cookie sheet. Let set overnight. Store in a tin container with a loose top.