Cookbook Love: Absolutely a la Carte

I got this amazing cookbook for my 21st birthday  (inside the front cover says, "Happy Birthday, Brooke, Enjoy, Charolette Skelton"-- pretty neat) from some co-workers when I worked at Penny's Pantry, a lunch/catering business, while I was in college. I have really enjoyed it! It has little stories weaved throughout too. I have lots of cookbooks, but this is my favorite! Here are a few of the delicious recipes that I've tried and loved:

A la Carte Fruit Sauce:

2 cups sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
4 large eggs
1 cup lemon juice
1 cup pinapple juice
1 cup orange juice

Combine sugar and flour in a saucepan; whisk in eggs. Then whish fruit juices into mixture and cook over low heat, stirring often, until thickened. Chill.

Jezebel Sauce:

1 (18 oz) jar pineapple preserves
1 (18 oz) jar apple jelly
1 (5 oz) jar prepared horseradish
3 tablespoons dry mustard
1 teaspoon pepper

Cook pineapple preserves and apple jelly in a saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until melted.
Gradually stir mustard into jelly mixture. Remove from heat and stir in horseradish. Chill.
It's a great condiment for all meats.

The book has several chicken salad recipes; this is my favorite so far. I made one change to it-- I use grilled chicken for extra flavor.

Chicken Salad with Bacon and Pecans

1 cup mayonaise
1 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon Cavender's Greek seasoning
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
4 cups choppe cooked chicken breast
2 cups chopped celery
1/2 cup pecan pieces
5 bacon slices, cooked and crumbled

Combine first 4 ingredients in a large bowl. Add chicken and next 3 ingredients to maynoise mixture, stiring well. Chill several hours.

Canadian Cheese Soup

1/2 cup margarine
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 cup diced carrot
1/2 cup chopped celery
3-4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 cups chicken broth
3 cups half-and-half
2 (1 lb) processed cheese spread loaves, cubed
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
Salt and pepper to taste

Melt margarine in a large saucepan over medium heat; add onion, carrot, and celery and saute until tender.
Reduce heat and add flour, stirring well. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture begins to turn light brown.
Increase heat to medium; gradually add broth, stirring constantly until mixture begins to thicken.
Gradually add half-and-half, stirring constantly (do not let boil). Add cheese, stirring until melted.
Add cumin and parsley and season with salt and pepper.

Sweet and Sour Green Beans

4 (16 oz) cans whole green beans, drained
2 medium onions, sliced and separated into rings
16 bacon slices
3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
3/4 cup vinegar

Place green beans in a 3-quart baking dish; place onion slices over beans.
Fry bacon in a skillet over medium-heat until crisp; drain, reserving drippings. Crumble bacon and sprinkly over onion.
Cook reserved bacon drippings, brown sugar, and vinegar in skillet over medium-heat until sugar is disolved.
Pour sugar mixture over casserole and chill several hours.
Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour.