Cottey Cuisine

It's not very often that I get excited over a cookbook. And I'm excited over this one! It's a great book, it's local and it's filled with great recipes!!!!

It's by Michael Richardson, Chef and Director of Food Service at Cottey College, in the little town 20 miles from me.

It's title is The Best of Cottey Cooking, Favorite Recipes from the celebrated Cuisine of Cottey College.

Often, when I get a new cookbook, I read it and then put it on the shelf -- usually one of the cookbook shelves in the sunroom. My "real" cookbooks, the ones I refer to most often are in the kitchen -- above the fridge and another shelf in the larder.

I have what I call my "Nevada/Fort Scott" shelf of cookbooks upstairs for I do favor local cookbooks -- many have the the names of the recipe submitter and many of those are friends.

This cookbook, however, never made it upstairs -- it already has a place above the fridge.

And I've made several recipes from it including . . .

The Lemon Chiffon Pie

A great summer pie with a fresh lemon flavor. I made it twice for company and both groups pronounced it "superb"!!!

And . . .

The Chicken Divan

Made a great lunch dish for The Lunch Bunch -- however, since I served plates, I baked it in individual gratin dishes which also made for a pretty presentation.

You don't have to live in Nevada or Fort Scott to purchase this cookbook (although it is for sale there -- at the Daily Mail, Caveners, and Cottey in Nevada and at the Tribune and Life + Style in Fort Scott) for you can order it online -- at The Chef's Life.

Not only do you get a great cookbook but a portion of the proceeds from the sale of each book will fund scholarships for future Cottey College students.

LEMON CHIFFON PIE

1 nine inch graham cracker pie crust

14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk (regular or fat free)

1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 3 lemons)

8 ounce container whipped topping (regular or light)

1/2 cup whipped topping (optional)

5 to 6 strawberries, sliced or qusrtered

Whisk together the condensed milk and lemon juice until smooth and blended. Fold in the whipped topping, then pour into the crust. Chill for at least 2 hours before serving. Garnish each serving with a dollop of whipped topping and a slice of strawberry, if desired.

NOTE: I didn't have extra whipped topping so I whipped some cream to top each piece and I didn't have strawberries but did have blueberries in the fridge so used them for garnish.

CHICKEN DIVAN

12 broccoli florets

4 t. vegetable oil

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch strips

Sauce:

10.75 ounce can cream of chicken soup, undiluted

1/2 c. light or regular mayonnaise

1/2 c. chicken broth

1 t. lemon juice

3/4 t. Worcestershire sauce

1/2 t. dry mustard

Topping:

3/4 c. croutons

3/4 c. shredded cheddar cheese

1 T. grated Parmesan cheee

dash paprika

Steam the broccoli until crisp tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain, chill in ice water, then drain again. Roll up in a towel to absorb excess moisture. Set aside.

Heat the oil in a large skillet. Add the chicken strips and cook over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes per side, or until juices run clear when pierced with a knife; set aside.

For Sauce: In a large skillet or saucepan, heat the soup, mayonnaise, broth, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce and dry mustard, whisking until smooth. Stir chicken, including the accumulated juices, into the sauce mixture.

Place the chicken mixture into an 8 x 8 inch (or similar size) pan. For a nice presentation, arrange the broccoli down 2 sides of the casserole. Top the casserole with croutons, then the cheddar cheese and then the Parmesan. Sprinkle with paprika. Bake in a preheated 350 oven, covered, for 15 to 20 minutes or until hot in the center.

NOTE: Instead of one 8 x 8 inch pan, I used individual gratin dishes for the Divan. The girls pronounced it divine and since I was serving it, I thought it was prettier in individual dishes. I would make it in one big pan, if I were serving buffet or family style.

It's Friday -- which means that it's Foodie Friday -- where we all go over to Michael's at Design By Gollum to see what has been cooking this week!