Volunteer & Staff R ECIPE B OOK 2 019 -2020
Dear Alexandria Symphony Orchestra Volunteers, This token of appreciation from the ASO Staff and Board of Trustees is sent to you along with our hope that you and your families are healthy and safe. We miss you and the enthusiasm you bring to our programs and events, and we look forward to seeing you as soon as we are able. I’m also grateful to Cecilia Stroud, who conceived of and executed this special project. Her behind-the-scenes diligence and industriousness is a key ingredient in the ASO’s success. Happy Cooking!
Melynda Wilcox
, President
ASO Board of Trustees
Table of Contents
Au Gratin Potatoes
8
Basic Quiche
10
Chicken Arroz Caldo
12
Chicken & Wild Rice Casserole
14
Cuccidati
16
French Spaghetti
18
Hungarian Coffee Cake
20
Perfect Margaritas
22
Perfect Rice
24
Pineapple Upside-down Cake
26
Rice Krispie Bars
28
Toll House Cookies
30
Watergate Cake
32
Weekend Chili
34
White Chicken Chili
36
Acknowledgements I would like to give a tremendous thank you to all our volunteers, who are very much the heart of the Alexandria Symphony Orchestra. Even though the 2019-2020 season was cut short, we still had over 400 volunteer hours served, donating almost $7,000 worth of time! Bravi! While we cannot celebrate your efforts and dine together in person, my hope is that these recipes will enable us to stay connected, share in each other’s uniqueness and of course thank you for all your hard work and willingness to keep the ASO alive! With much appreciation,
Cecilia Stroud
ASO Volunteer Coordinator
Au Gratin Potatoes From the kitchen of:
,
Beth and Jim Roberts volunteers
My sister-in-law served this at a Thanksgiving dinner the first time I had it. It serves quite a few people and is delicious! I’m sharing it from a Civic League cookbook from Bryan, Ohio, my hometown. The contributor was Gwen Phillips, a cheerleader from my high school. I always admired her.
Yield: 10-12
Prep time: 30 minutes
Total time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Ingredients frozen hash brown potatoes
2 pounds
butter
½ cup, melted
salt
1 teaspoon
pepper
½ teaspoon
cream of chicken (or celery) soup
1 can
sour cream
1 pint
cheddar cheese
2 cups grated
onion
2 tablespoons, freshly grated
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Directions 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 2. Thaw potatoes. Mix all ingredients. Place in 9 x 13 casserole. 3. Bake 45 minutes to 1 hour at 350.
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Basic Quiche From the kitchen of:
,
Melynda Wilcox president, ASO Board of Trustees I served this at the ASO volunteer appreciation brunch in September 2019. Change up this quiche by adding in some vegetables (fresh spinach works great) and other fresh herbs when you add the parsley. To make ahead: Prepare the filling and refrigerate. Wait until ready to bake to pour filling into pie crust.
Yield: 5 servings
Prep time: 15 minutes
Total time: 1 hour
Ingredients pie crust
1, thawed and at room temperature
olive oil
1 tablespoon
medium yellow onion
1, diced
salt
¾ teaspoon
black pepper
freshly ground black pepper
fresh flat-leafed parsley
1 cup, chopped
eggs
4
half-and-half
¾ cup
Gruyère cheese
8 ounces, grated
ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon
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Directions 1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees 2. In a large skillet, over medium heat, heat the oil. Add the onions, ½ teaspoon of the salt and some pepper. Cover and cook until the onions are softened, 3 to 4 minutes. 3. Add the parsley (and fresh spinach or other vegetables and herbs as desired) and cook, covered, for 2 minutes more. 4. Meanwhile, whisk together the eggs and half-and-half in a large bowl. Stir in the Gruyère, nutmeg and remaining salt and pepper, and the onion mixture. Pour the egg mixture into the pie crust. 5. Bake until the filling is set, about 40 minutes. Let rest for 5 minutes. Cut into wedges and serve.
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Chicken Arroz Caldo From the kitchen of:
Kathryn Toohey, Volunteer
This Chicken Arroz Caldo is my family’s recipe that has been passed down from generations. The origins for this simple dish stem from my ancestors, who were once owners of their own rice fields in Manila, Philippines. We are usually taught this dish without measurements; with that in mind adjust the ingredients to your taste buds as not everything in life needs fast hard rules.
Ingredients oil
1 tablespoon of cooking oil of choice
chicken breast
1 breast, cubed
onion
half of 1 medium onion, sliced
garlic
1 clove, minced
fresh ginger
1 Inch, minced or grated
rice
1/2 cup, rinsed and drained
water or chicken broth
4 cups
lemon or calamansi
juice of half a lemon or 4 calamansi
salt & pepper
To taste, can sub. Patis Fish Sauce
green onion
(Optional) chopped for garnish/topping
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Directions 1. Add 1 TBSP cooking oil to heated pot. 2. Add garlic and sauté until light brown. 3. Add ginger and onion, sauté until onion is translucent. 4. Add chicken and sauté until no longer pink. 5. Add salt & pepper or Patis Fish Sauce to taste. Stir then cover for one minute. 6. Add rice and water or broth. Stir and bring to a boil. 7. Once it reaches a boil, simmer until rice is cooked (don’t let the rice absorb all the liquid, it will be either a soup or porridge consistency). 8. Optional - Add lemon or calamansi juice to taste. 9. Optional - Garnish with green onion.
Special Diet Information: This dish is gluten free and can be made vegetarian if you substitute chicken for tofu/vegetable protein and by also using salt to season instead of fish sauce.
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Chicken & Wild Rice Casserole From the kitchen of:
,
Carole Pyle volunteer
It was hard for me to select my favorite recipe because I have so many. However, during the past year I have become quite addicted to the Food Network (FN) on TV. I follow several of the “star” cooks on that show and often record them for future viewing if I’m unable to watch during the regular broadcast. For years I made a less involved version of a chicken and rice casserole. However, it used cream of mushroom soup and not fresh mushrooms as does this recipe. Plus, this one has more wonderful ingredients. I’ve modified ingredient amounts from the FN one. DELICIOUS — ENJOY!!!
Yield: 6-8 servings
Prep time: 30 minutes
Total time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Ingredients long grain and wild rice mix unsalted butter fresh mushrooms onion all-purpose flour low sodium chicken broth half-and-half chicken breast halves slivered almonds, coarsely chopped pimentos fresh parsley kosher salt 14freshly ground black pepper
1 6-ounce box, ex. Uncle Ben’s Original 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus a little more for preparing the dish 8 ounces, sliced 1/2 small, chopped 1/4 cup 1 1/2 cups 1 1/2 cups 2, cooked and diced 1/2 cup, toasted, coarsely chopped 1/4 cup, sliced 1/8 cup, chopped 1/2 teaspoon 1/4 teaspoon
Directions 1. Cook the long grain and wild rice according to package instructions. Set aside. 2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. 3. Grease a large casserole dish. 4. Melt the butter in a large skillet. Add the mushrooms and onions, and sautÊ until the onions are translucent. 5. Stir in the flour, and cook for 2-3 minutes. 6. Slowly stir in the broth and the half-and-half, and cook until the mixture has thickened—about 7-10 minutes. 7. Add the chicken, rice, toasted almonds, pimentos, parsley, salt and pepper into the wet mixture. 8. Pour everything into the prepared casserole dish. 9. Bake uncovered until most of the liquid has been absorbed, 30-45 minutes.
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Cuccidati From the kitchen of:
Michele Farrell, volunteer
My Italian aunts always made these fig cookies for the holidays or weddings. I always associate them with good people and happy events.
Yield: 4-5 dozen
Prep time: 1 hour
Ingredients
Filling
Dough flour
2 ½ cups
sugar
¾ cup
baking powder
2 ½ teaspoons
salt
½ teaspoon
butter
½ cup cold cut into tablespoon size
eggs
2 large beaten
milk
1/2 cup
vanilla
1/2 teaspoon
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Total time: day and a half
figs
1 pound chopped
dates
1 pound
orange rind
1
nuts
1/2 pound chopped
honey
1 cup
bourbon whiskey
1/2 cup
Frosting powder sugar
1 box or bag
milk
1 teaspoon
vanilla
1 teaspoon
sprinkles
1 teaspoon
Directions This is a three-step recipe. Make the dough separately, make the filling separately, chill both, then make the cookies the next day. Make the dough: Sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt; then add the butter, eggs, milk, and vanilla to make the basic dough. Mix with your hands until the dough is like crumbs and sticks together. Form two flattened balls and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill the dough till it is cold, at least 2 hours. Make the filling: Separately chop the figs, dates, and nuts in a food processor; then put them into a large bowl and mix in the honey, whiskey, orange rind, and cinnamon. Keep in the refrigerator for several hours. When the dough and the filling are cold, then roll out the dough into a rectangle about 1/8 thick on a floured surface. I use a pastry cloth and rolling pin cover with flour on both. Make a strip that looks like a log that is about 3 inches wide so you can place about one inch of filling in the strip log. You will have a few of these depending on how much dough you roll out. Keep unrolled dough in the fridge. Place the filling in the center, then fold the sides over the filling and pinch the edges together to seal. Place the seam-side down and press to flatten the seams. Cut the logs on a slant so each cookie will be about 1 and a half inches long. Place cookies a half inch apart on buttered baking pans. 1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees 2. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes Cool on cookie racks until just warm, then glaze with frosting. Just add enough milk and a little vanilla to made it a loose glaze. Mangia!
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French Spaghetti From the kitchen of:
,
Meredith Wade volunteer
This dish was on the dinner party menu at Melynda Wilcox’s home in Feb. 2002. The recipe came from her mother-in-law. On my recipe card I wrote this anecdote from the evening: Laura (Melynda’s young daughter, now a college grad): “Mommy, this is delicious. Will you make it forever and ever?”
Yield: 4-6
Prep time: 30 minutes
Total time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Ingredients linguine
8 ounces, cooked
diced tomatoes, with juice
2 - 28 oz. cans
onions
2 large, chopped
For sauce: butter
6 tablespoons butter, melted
all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons
milk, whole/1 or 2%/skim
2 ½ cups
sharp cheddar cheese
1 pound, grated
Salt
to cook’s taste
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Directions 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 2. Cook linguine according to package directions. Drain well. 3. Chop and brown onions in 2 Tablespoons butter. 4. Make sauce: Melt butter, add flour, stir over medium heat for 4 minutes to cook flour, slowly stir in milk until mixture smooth. Add grated cheese, stirring until melted, and then salt to taste. 5. Mix pasta, onions, and sauce. 6. Pour into baking pan/s – determined by how large a batch you made. 7. Bake 1 hour. Special Instructions: Recipe can be doubled.
A note from Melynda Wilcox: My mother-in-law’s original recipe calls for one pound (not 8 oz.) of thin spaghetti (not linquini), and it actually serves more like 6 to 8. I know this recipe says salt to taste, but my mother-in-law’s recipe calls for a whole tablespoon!
19
Hungarian Coffee Cake From the kitchen of:
,
Colleen Weiser volunteer
My mother got this recipe from a family friend before she was married, and my mother made it for my family as long as I can remember. It is an easy recipe to make and the coffee cake is moist and delicious. I always get requests for this recipe anytime I make it. It is special to me because it reminds me of my mother and times from my youth when my family would sit around the breakfast table enjoying eating this special treat.
Yield: Depends on thickness
Prep time: 15-20 minutes
Total time: 80 minutes
Ingredients butter or margarine
1 Cup
Cinnamon topping:
sugar
l ½ Cups
cinnamon
1 teaspoon
eggs
4 (separated)
cocoa
1 Tablespoon
flour
3 Cups
sugar
½ Cup
salt
¼ teaspoon
baking powder
3 teaspoons
milk
1 Cup
Note: Sometime during the holidays I mix in colored sugar crystals- green and red are cool for the holidays. I like to add either chopped walnuts or pecans. (optional to your taste. Sometimes I place only on top layers; other times I include in other layers).
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Directions 1. You need a “tube pan” for this recipe. I use the spray baking flour on it, but you can just coat the sides with Crisco and then powder with flour. Tube pan can be round or square- doesn’t matter. 2. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees 3. Cream butter until fluffy in large bowl. 4. Gradually add sugar and egg yolks- beat until light and fluffy. 5. In separate bowl, mix flour, baking powder, and salt. 6. Put a portion of flour mixture into creamed mixture- ALTERNATING in between with milk 7. Repeat until mixture and milk are finished. 8. In smaller bowl, beat the 4 egg whites until stiff, but not dry. 9. Gently FOLD into batter with spatula. 10. Into tube pan: pour 1/3 of mixture (spread with spatula), then sprinkle with cinnamon-cocoa-sugar topping. 11. Repeat 2 more times. 12. Bake at 350° for one hour or until toothpick comes out clean. 13. Let cool. Good idea to make the night before so you can enjoy for breakfast brunches.
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Perfect Margaritas From the kitchen of:
Cecilia Stroud, ASO’s Volunteer Coordinator While there may be many rumors and myths surrounding the origin of the margarita, it is with pride that I know it was made in my hometown of El Paso, Texas. (OK, technically Juarez, Mexico but, we are really close) I was originally intimidated to make them at home thinking I would be juicing limes all day but turns out they only need one lime. ONE! With not many great Mexican food places here in Virginia, might as well learn how to make them myself, right?
Yield: 1 perfect margarita
Prep time: 2 minutes
Total time: 5 minutes
Ingredients silver tequila
2 ounces
Cointreau
1 ounce
freshly squeezed juice of 1 lime
about 1 ounce
agave nectar
to taste. about 1 to 2 teaspoons
salt, flaked
enough to rim the glass half-way
ice
14 good cubes
22
Directions 1. Combine tequila, Cointreau, fresh lime juice, and a few squirts of agave nectar in a cocktail shaker 2. Use your cut lime to rim half of an Old Fashioned glass and dip into flaked salt. NOT OPTIONAL 3. Put half the ice cubes in your glass, half in the cocktail shaker and shake vigorously for about 30 seconds 4. Strain into your prepared glass 5. Garnish with a lime wheel if desired
23
Perfect Rice From the kitchen of:
Joan Singer, Director of QuinTango and section violin
This flexible rice dish is my go-to recipe for unexpected company because I always have the ingredients in the cupboard, it’s fast, and people love it. You can use any rice; orzo is also great. It can accommodate vegetarians if you use vegetable broth. It’s a perfect accompaniment for BBQ meat or grilled broccoli and can be done without heating the kitchen on a hot day. It takes about 30 minutes, but 18 of that is in the microwave. Serves 4; if increased, cook times stay the same.
Ingredients butter
2 tablespoons
olive oil
2 tablespoons
onion
¼ cup, medium dice
rice (any rice – jasmine, Carolina,
1 cup
basmati – or you can substitute orzo) broth (vegetable or chicken)
24
2 cups
Directions 1. Put butter and oil in a microwaveable round dish (9” tart dish or pie pan suitable for serving) 2. Heat butter and olive oil at full power in the microwave for 2-3 minutes* – should be bubbly. 3 Add onion, stirring to coat, and cook for another 2-3 minutes – should be golden. 4 Add rice (or orzo), stirring to coat, and cook another 2-3 minutes. 5 Add liquid all at once and cook for 18 minutes.
*time depends on size of your microwave; usually do 2.5 minutes
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Pineapple Upside-down Cake From the kitchen of:
,
Melinda Kernc ASO’s Development Director
This recipe was a favorite in my house growing up, especially in the cold weather months. There are many versions of this recipe, but my favorite requires cooking the fruit like candy in a cast-iron skillet until everything is caramelized to form a crust. The texture of the sticky top pairs well with the dense cake. It’s great for breakfast, lunch or dinner, and—of course—dessert!
Yield: 8 large slices
Prep time: 15 minutes
Total time: 1 hour, 10 minutes
Ingredients pineapple
I large can, sliced
butter
½ cup (1 stick), unsalted
brown sugar
1 ½ cups, packed
Maraschino cherries
1 small jar
flour
1 ½ cups, all-purpose
baking powder
2 ½ tsp.
salt
½ tsp.
white sugar
1 ½ cups
butter
½ cup (1 stick), unsalted
eggs
2 large
milk
1 cup
26vanilla
2 tsp.
Directions 1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 2. Melt ½ cup of butter (1 stick) in large cast-iron skillet over medium heat. After 3 minutes, add brown sugar one layer of pineapple rings. Lower heat. Place one cherry in the center of each ring. Take off the heat. 3. Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. 4. Cream the other stick of butter and white sugar in another bowl. Add eggs and mix. 5. Alternate adding the dry ingredients with milk to the wet ingredients. Add vanilla. 6. Pour batter over the fruit in the skillet. 7. Bake until cake is golden-brown, about 40 minutes. 8. Let cool 10 minutes and invert over a platter so fruit is on top. Serve with vanilla ice cream or fresh whipped cream.
27
Rice Krispie Bars From From the the kitchen kitchen of:of:
,,
Melynda Wilcox Melynda Wilcox president, ASO Board of Trustees president, ASO Board of Trustees This was my mother’s twist on the ubiquitous Rice Krispie treats with marshmallow. Once you have these, you’ll never go back. Note: Do not substitute maple syrup for light corn syrup.
Yield: 24
Prep time: 15 minutes
Total time: 15 minutes
Ingredients butter
For greasing the pan
sugar
1 cup
Karo Light Corn Syrup
1 cup
peanut butter
1 cup
Rice Krispie Cereal
6 cups
semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup (6 ounces)
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Directions 1. Combine sugar and corn syrup in a Dutch oven or similar size large pot. Heat the mixture on medium heat, stirring, until bubbles form, then remove immediately from heat. 2. Stir in peanut butter, and then stir in the Rice Krispies. 3. Pour into a 13� x 9� pan or glass baking dish that has been greased with butter. 4. Melt chocolate chips in microwave until smooth and spread over Rice Krispie mixture. 5. Cut into squares for serving.
29
Toll House (made Cookies with oatmeal) From the kitchen of:
,
Helen Fall section viola
This recipe is special to me because it has been in my family since before I was born. These cookies were part of the annual Christmas cookies we made growing up. I continue the tradition, giving tins of these cookies as Christmas gifts to my siblings and my grown children every year. These cookies are always the favorite gift. This summer, my daughter gave birth to her second child, and while she was in the hospital, her 3-year-old daughter, Dahlia, and I baked these cookies for her mommy and daddy, bringing the recipe to a new generation.
Ingredients sifted flour
1-1/2 cups
baking soda
1 teaspoon
salt
1 teaspoon
shortening
1 cup
brown sugar
ž cup
granulated sugar
ž cup
eggs (unbeaten)
2
hot water
1 teaspoon
vanilla
1 teaspoon
nuts (coarsely ground)
1 cup
chocolate chips
1 6-oz. package
30oatmeal
2 cups
Directions 1. Sift four, soda and salt. 2. Cream shortening until soft. Add sugars gradually, creaming until light and fluffy. 3. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Add hot water and vanilla to creamed mixture, then sifted dry ingredients. 4. Add nuts, chocolate chips and oatmeal, mixing thoroughly after each addition. 5. Drop by teaspoons on a cookie sheet. 6. Bake at 375 degrees for 8 minutes Makes about 50 cookies. Note: I always use “rolled oats,” not “quick oats.” Rolled oats will give you a chewier texture; quick oats will give you a more crunchy texture.
31
Watergate Cake From the kitchen of:
Kathy Ceasar-Spall, oboe
I have used this several times as a birthday cake.
Ingredients For the cake: pistachio pudding
1 box
eggs
3
club soda
1 Cup
white cake mix
1 box
oil
1 Cup
nuts
1/2 Cup, chopped
For the icing: pistachio pudding
1 box
Cool Whip
1 tub
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Directions 1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. 2. Beat first 6 ingredients together for 4 minutes. 3. Bake for 30-40 minutes, depending on what size pans you use (see cake mix box). 4. Beat box of pistachio pudding with tub of Cool Whip with electric mixer and spread over cake after it cools.
33
Weekend Chili From the kitchen of:
Ryan Jordan, ASO’s Director of Operations
I have never normally been a huge chili fan, but my Grandma’s recipe always seems to hit the spot with a cold beer during a lazy Saturday or Sunday watching football.
Yield: about 6-8
Prep time: 5-10 minutes
Total time: 1 hour, 30 minutes
Ingredients lean ground beef
1 pound
white onion
½ cup, chopped
tomatoes
1 can (equivalent to a pint or about 14 ½ ounces)
tomato soup
1 can (10 ½ ounces)
water
1 can (use soup can)
Joan of Arc chili beans
2 cans
sugar
1 teaspoon
chili powder
1-2 teaspoons
34
Directions 1. Cook 1 pound of ground beef in medium sautĂŠ pan with white onion. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add chili powder towards the end of cooking. 2. Add the cooked meat and onions to medium large pot (4 quart), then add tomato soup, water, beans (juice and all), then add sugar at your own taste (to lighten the acid of the tomatoes). 3. Bring all ingredients to a boil (about 10 minutes) and bring down the temperature to medium-low and let simmer for about an hour, stirring regularly. You may add tomato juice or beef broth if you prefer to lighten the texture towards the end of cooking.
35
White Chicken Chili From the kitchen of:
,
Shawn Stroud volunteer
If you’ve ever wondered how to capture the Southwest in a bowl, here it is. I love this recipe because it tastes like home and every bite is as good as the first.
Yield: 6-8 servings
Prep time: 10 minutes
Total time: 40 minutes
Ingredients onion jalapeĂąo garlic oregano cumin green chilies boneless chicken breast chicken broth salt & pepper white beans frozen corn sour cream fresh cilantro Monterrey Jack cheese tortilla chips 36Herdez green salsa - optional
1 small, diced 1, minced 2 cloves 1/2 teaspoon 1/2 teaspoon 2, 4.5 ounce cans 3 5 cups to taste 2, 15 ounce cans 1 1/2 cups 1/2 cup to taste 1/4 cup 1/2 cup to taste
Directions 1. Sautè onion, jalapeùo first, then add garlic, oregano, and cumin for 1 minute. Add green chiles, chicken, and broth and season. 2. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, covered for 10-12 minutes 3. Shred chicken, add beans, and corn. Simmer for 10 minutes. (Add optional salsa here) 4. Turn off heat and add sour cream. 5. Garnish with cilantro, chips, and cheese.
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