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HOUSTON DAILY JOURNAL
Centerville’s Dominy shares favorite recipes
By CHARLOTTE
PERKINS
Journal Lifestyle Editor
If you live in Centerville,
chances are you’ve eaten
Carrie Dominy’s good cook
ing, but in case you’ve
missed it, just plan your
next event at Centerville
United Methodist Church,
or show up for one of the
church’s regular Wednesday
night suppers.
The kitchen at Centerville
UMC is where Dominy
reigns supreme, practicing
the fine art of cooking for
dozens or even hundreds.
On Saturday, however,
she was reigning as Queen
Mother of the Free Spirits of
Centerville Red Hats Club,
and she just happened to be
in Henderson, at the home
of Peggy Dobbs, presiding
over a Valentine’s party.
Presiding, for Carrie
Dominy, definitely means
being in charge, but it also
means making sure there’s
plenty of good food, so in
between announcements of
upcoming events, she was
running back and forth from
the kitchen to the dining
room with one plate after
another of delectable party
food.
There was a dip with
shredded dried beef and
pecans. There were pastry
shells filled with chicken
salad. There were piping
hot pigs-in-blankets. There
were tiny ham biscuits and
party sandwiches and pra
lines and cookies and cake
and punch.
She explains that after
she got married at 16, her
husband’s mother and her
own mother taught her how
to cook, and she has always
enjoyed it, but it was when
she became involved with the
United Methodist Women at
her church that she discov
ered her love for cooking on
a large scale. She’s in charge
of the church’s Wednesday
night suppers, with help
from Jennifer Payne, and
has cooked for as many as
200. Additionally, she cooks
for events when outside
groups meet at the church,
and while she does the work
of a caterer, she explains
that she doesn’t cater at all.
“I only do it at my church,”
she explains, adding that the
money that’s made goes into
the church.
Dominy is living proof
that if you want something
done, you should ask a busy
person. She worked as a
nurse and administrator at
Houston Medical Center for
26 years, and after being
widowed when she was in
her late thirties, continued
to hold her family together.
She has three daughters,
Karen Metson, a pediatric
nurse; Robin Craig, an oncol
ogy nurse, and Dell Burgess,
who’s a stay-at-home mom,
and she’s proud with good
reason of her children’s
accomplishments. Robin
and Dell both lost their
hearing completely in early
childhood due to an inher
ited nerve deafness that had
struck two of Dominy’s sis
ers and two of her brothers.
She put countless hours
into working with them
on their communications
skills and their educations,
and now they’re successful
adults with children of their
own.
The whole family - includ
ing eight grandchildren
- gathers two Sundays a
month for a big family din
ner, which always includes
favorites as well as at least
one new dish.
Here are some of Dominy’s
favorites - and most of these
were on the table at the
Valentine’s Party.
Gala pecan spread
8 oz. cream cheese
2 tablespoons regular
milk
4 oz. dried beef, washed,
dried, finely snipped
2 tablespoons onion
flakes
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup chopped
pecans
2 tablespoons marga
rine
Soften cream cheese,
blend with milk, and stir
in dried beef, onion flakes,
garlic salt, and sour cream.
Spoon into pie dish. Sprinkle
with pecans coated with
melted margarine. Bake at
350 degrees for 20 minutes.
Serve with Triscuits or other
crisp cracker.
Tomato-cheddar
spread
2 10-oz. cans RoTel orig
inal diced tomatoes and
green chilies, drained
1 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon
Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 8-oz blocks sharp
cheddar cheese, shred
ded
1 4-oz. jar chopped
pimiento, drained
Stir together first four
ingredients in a large bowl.
Stir in cheese and pimiento.
Serve with crackers or on
sandwiches. Makes 2 1/2
cups spread.
Olive-nut sandwich
spread
6 oz. softened cream
cheese
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup chopped
pecans
1 cup sliced salad
olives
Dash of pepper
Mix all ingredients well.
This spread, which may
be used on crackers or in
sandwiches, will keep in the
refrigerator for weeks.
Pecan cranberry
spread
1/2 cup cream cheese,
softened
1/4 cup chopped
pecans
1/4 cup dried cranber
ries
1/8 cup orange juice
concentrate
Using an electric mixer,
beat at medium speed and
cream the cream cheese until
soft and fluffy. Transfer to a
small bowl. Add remaining
ingredients and stir to com
bine. Cover with plastic wrap
and refrigerate 30 minutes.
Serve with crackers.
Apple cheese ball
10 oz. white cheddar
cheese, shredded
1 teaspoon garlic pow
der
1/2 teaspoon garlic
powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground
cayenne pepper
1/2 cup dried apple,
finely chopped
8 oz. cream cheese,
softened.
Combine first four ingre
dients and blend well. Stir
in apple and cream cheese.
Chill 30 minutes. Shape into
a ball. Cover and chill one
hour to three days. Serve
with crackers.
Peanut butter
Angers
1 loaf of thin-sliced
white bread (about 1 lb.)
1/2 cup peanut or veg
etable oil
1 12-oz. jar smooth pea
nut butter
Cut crusts from bread.
Keep crusts. Cut each slice
in six finger-size pieces
and place on cookie sheet
along with crust and allow
to dry out slowly for about
one hour in 200 degree oven
until crisp and dry. Mix oil
and peanut butter in top of
double boiler and heat over
boiling water until smooth.
Using a rolling pin, turn
crust into fine crumbs and
place in brown bag. Dip the
bread fingers one by one in
the peanut butter mixture,
lift out with a fork and place
in the crumb bag. When all
fingers are in bag, shake to
coat. Place the coated fin
gers in a single layer on a
baking sheet and bake in
350 degree oven to ten min
utes. Cool and store in tins.
Will keep well for two weeks.
Makes about 10 dozen.
Grape salad
One bunch green seed
less grapes
One bunch red seedless
grapes
One bunch black seed
less grapes
8 oz. cream cheese soft
ened
8 oz. sour cream
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1/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups chopped
pecans
1 cup light brown
sugar
Rinse and dry grapes,
separating from stems. Mix
cream cheese, sour cream
and sugar with an electric
mixer. Add grapes.
Toast pecans and mix
with one cup brown sugar.
Sprinkle over grapes.
Scalloped pineapple
3 eggs
1 stick butter
1 3/4 cup sugar
1 cup shredded Cheddar
cheese
6 slices bread
1 large can crushed
pineapple with juice
Mix all ingredients and
cook at 400 degrees until
brown.
Pralines
1 cup firmly packed
light brown sugar
1 egg white beaten with
fork
1 1/2 cups lightly toast
ed chopped pecans.
Preheat oven to 400
degrees. Stir beaten egg
white with sugar. If too stiff,
add drop of water. Then fold
in pecans. Drop by teaspoon
onto two foil lined baking
sheets. Place in oven and
turn oven off. Leave in oven
for 8 hours. Very easy and
good.
Coconut cream
cake
This rich coconut cake has
to be made three days in
advance so that the flavors
and textures will blend. It’s
worth the weight, Carrie
Dominy says.
Cake
1 clip (2 sticks) butter
at room temperature
2 cups granulated
sugar
5 eggs
3 1/2 cups all-purpose
flour
3 teaspoons baking
powder
1 cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla
extract
FOOD
Filling
1 cup chilled heavy
cream
2 cup sour cream
2 cups confectioners’
sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
extract
2 cups shredded coco
nut, plus more for top
ping
One 12-ounce container
Cool Whip (optional)
Preheat the oven to 350
degrees. Grease and flour
three 9-inch round pans. For
the calse, cream the butter
and granulated sugar until
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Journal/Charlotte Perkins
TOP AND RIGHT: Members of the Free Spirits of Centerville
fill up their plates with delectable party food after passing
around valentines. LEFT: Centerville cook Carrie Dominy
takes a plate of hot ham biscuits to the party table.
light and fluffy. Add the eggs
one at a time, beating well
after each addition. Combine
the flour and baking powder.
Add to the creamed mix
ture, alternately with the
milk, beginning and ending
with flour. Stir in the vanil
la. Divide the batter among
the prepared pans and bake
for 25 to 30minutes or until
firm to the touch. Cool the
cakes for 10 minutes
in the pans. Then turn them
out to cool completely.
While the cakes cool, make
the filling. In a large chilled
bowl, whip the heavy cream
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until stiff. Fold in the sour
cream, and then gradually
add the confectioner’s sugar.
Stir n the vanilla. Then fold
in the coconut.
To serve, split each cake
layer in half horizontally.
Spread the filling between
the layers and on top of the
cake.
Place the cake in an air
tight container and refrig
erate for three days before
serving. When ready to
serve, remove from refriger
ator and sprinkle with coco
nut, If desired, frost with
Cool Whip.
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