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2C ► WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2006 From sea to shining sea Sooner state holds centennial celebration By CHARLOTTE PERKINS Journal Lifestyle Editor Oklahoma will begin its Centennial celebration as a state tomorrow. How much do you know about the state that was the 46th to be admitted to the union? Well, of course, the state song is possibly the best in the nation - from the musical by Rogers and Hammerstein. And it’s the birthplace of the great American humor ist and social commentator, Will Rogers and its nickname is the Sooner State. (That’s for historical reasons, by the way. Oklahoma was Indian territory before the cow men and farmers arrived. The federal government had set a date in 1889 for the land rush to begin, but there were plenty of settlers who ignored the date and got there sooner.) Maybe you knew all that and more, but did you know that Oklahoma has an “Official state meal?” In a stroke of political genius and an effort to please everybody back in 1988, the state legislature voted that Oklahoma’s Official State Meal is: Fried Okra Squash Cornbread Barbecue Pork Biscuits Sausage and Gravy Grits Corn Strawberries Chicken Fried Steak Pecan Pie and black-eyed peas. In other words, Oklahomans like their own home-grown, home-cooked foods. Solet’scelebrateOklahoma with a few recipes from their official meal. ChickeivFried Steak This is just steak fried the way chicken is fried, and topped with a cream gravy. Using a meat tenderizer or marinade on the steak will help, because round steak can be tough if not tender- PIES From page iC fruit. This showstopper cre atively marries mellow gold en pears with tart ’n tangy cranberries, topped with a sweet and spicy crumble of brown sugar, cinnamon and allspice. 1 refrigerated pie crust (from 15-ounce package) 3/4 cup granulated sugar 3 tablespoons corn starch 1 teaspoon McCormick Ground Cinnamon, divid Ending one season, beginning another This Saturday will be our last day this year at the Downtown Farmers Market. I want to thank all my nice customers who have been so faithful. Thanks for your fellow ship, friendship and for sharing your recipes with me. I have looked forward to those Saturday mornings. On the following Saturday, I will be at the Mistletoe market with my canned goods. Some I have made into lovely baskets for gift giving as some have requested. 3 lam sharing some win -33 ter and holiday drink reci pes this week. I love a good hot cup of cider or spiced tea when it is cold. Make it 3 ahead of time so it is ready Journal/Charlotte Perkins Oklahoma is the only state with an official state meal approved by its legislature - and what a meal it is! The com, okra, squash and black eyed peas shown here are just part of the down-home menu. ized. 2 pounds top round steak, about 1/2” thick 1 cup flour 1 teaspoon salt Pepper to taste 2 eggs 2 tablespoons half-and half 1/2 cup vegetable oil 1/2 cup half-and-half 1 3/4 cups chicken broth Worcestershire sauce to taste Mix 1/2 cup of flour with the salt and pepper. Pound the mixture into both sides of the meat using a meat mallet or tenderizer. Cut the beef into individual serv ing portions. Beat the eggs together with the cream. Heat the oil in a heavy skillet over medium high heat. Reserve 3 tablespoons of the flour. Dip the steaks in the egg mixture, and then into the remaining flour. Brown the steaks on both sides in the hot oil. Reduce heat ,cover and cook for 15 ed 1/4 teaspoon McCormick Ground Allspice, divided 6 firm ripe pears, cored, peeled and sliced 3/4 cup dried cranber ries 1/2 cup flour 1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) but ter Directions Preheat oven to 375°F. Prepare pie crust as directed on package for one-crust pie using 9-inch pie plate. Mix granulated sugar, when you are, or when a guest drops by. Wassail 2 quarts apple juice 2 1/4 cups pineap ple juice 2 cups orange juice 1 cup lemon juice 1/2 cup sugar 1 (3 inch) "Bret Jean Rea Cooking with Jean stick cinnamon 1 teaspoon whole cloves. Combine all ingredients in a Dutch oven. Bring to a boil. Cover. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. to 20 minutes, turning occa sionally, until the steaks are cooked through and tender. Remove the steaks from the pan, and drain on paper tow els. Keep warm. Pour off all but 3 table spoons of the fat in the skil let; stir in 3 tablespoons of the flour. Stir well and scrape bottom of pan to loosen browned bits. Stir in the cream, then the chicken broth. Season with Worcestershire and hot sauce. Top the meat with the gravy. Serve with mashed pota toes. Cheesy Corn Casserole Found on cooksrecipes. com, this recipe was origi nated by Carol Plemmons of Idabel, Oklahoma . 2 (16-ounce) cans cream-style corn 3/4 cup corn meal 1 large egg 3 tablespoons vegeta- cornstarch, 1/2 teaspoon of the cinnamon and 1/8 tea spoon of the allspice in large bowl. Add pears and cran berries; toss to coat well. Spoon evenly into crust. Mix flour, brown sugar, remaining 1/2 teaspoon cin namon and 1/8 teaspoon all spice in small bowl. Cut in butter until coarse crumbs form. Sprinkle evenly over fruit in crust. Place pie on large baking sheet. Bake 1 hour or until pears are tender and topping is lightly browned. Cool on wire rack. Makes 10 serv ings. Remove cover and simmer an additional 30 minutes. Strain and discard spices. Serve hot. Creamiest Eggnog 1/2 cup sugar Dash allspice 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg 3 eggs separated 2 cups milk 1 cup light cream Combine first four ingre dients. In another bowl beat egg whites at high speed until soft peaks form. Gradually add 1/2 cup sugar and beat until stiff. In a small bowl, beat egg yolks until lemon colored. Gradually fold yolks into egg whites, add milk and cream See REA, page jC FOOD jtewWP ■ Jlflal ■ fwMr v’ V v «•-. f jf as ' 1 QA'I ' Oklahoma Tourism Board Children dance at the Red Earth Native American Festival in Oklahoma City. Oklahoma will celebrate its Centennial tomorrow. ble oil dar cheese 1 cup shredded ched- 1 tablespoon minced Easy as pie Follow these five tips for perfect pies: ■ Deep dish, regular-what’s the difference? Plenty! Always use the type of pie dish directed in the recipe, as they require different cooking times and ingredient amounts. ■ If edges are browning too fast, shield with aluminum foil strips (shiny side out). ■ Make clean-up a breeze. During baking, place a cookie sheet under fruit-filled pies to catch any juices that overflow. . ■ Cool baked pies on a wire rack, so air can circulate underneath. This prevents the crust from becoming soggy. ■ When cutting cream pies, dip the knife in warn water between slices so filling does not stick. Put cream and custard pies in the refrigerator after serving. Source: McCormick’s Call Us For Your Holiday or Special Occasions and Catering. Gift Certificates Are n k Also Available. ( 1504 Sam Nunn Blvd. * Perry, GA Fax: (478) 987-8100 Phone:(47B) Email: www.angelinasrfstaurant@alltel.net 1 BpH Italian s CAFf") HOUSTON DAILY JOURNAL jalapeno peppers Preheat oven to 400 degrees, Combine all ingredients and pour into ungreased baking dish. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until knife inserted in middle comes out clean. Makes 4 servings. Oklahoma’s Cream Cheese Pecan Pie Crust 1 c. flour 1/4 tsp. salt 1 tsp. sugar 1/8 tsp. cinnamon 1/4 tsp. baking powder 1/3 c. plus 1 tbsp. short ening 1/3 c. water Preheat oven to 375 degrees. For crust combine flour, salt, sugar, cinnamon and baking powder in a mix ing bowl. Cut in shortening until mixture is uniform. Sprinkle with water 1 table spoon at a time; toss lightly with fork. Work dough into a firm ball. On lightly floured sur face, roll dough into a circle 1-inch larger than inverted 9-inch pie pan. Gently lift dough into pan. Trim 1/2 inch beyond edge of pie pan, then fold dough under to make a double thickness around the rim. Flute edge. Filling 1/2 c. sugar 1 egg, beaten 1/2 tsp. salt 8 oz. cream cheese, softened 1 tsp. vanilla For the filling, combine sugar, egg and salt in mixing bowl. Add softened cream cheese and vanilla; cream mixture together. Spoon into unbaked pie shell. Topping 1 tsp. vanilla 1 1/2 c. pecans, chopped 1/4 c. sugar 3 eggs, beaten 1 c. light corn syrup For topping, combine pecans and sugar in bowl. Stir eggs, com syrup and vanilla into mixture. Pour over cream cheese filling. Bake in 375 degree oven for 35-40 minutes or until fill ing is browned. Cool and serve. Source: Cooks.com