By Olivia Fowler
For the Courier

ofowler@thepccourier.com

The faster you can get it from the garden to the pot, the better it’s going to taste. We have access to truly fresh corn once a year, and there’s no way to duplicate the flavor in those ears.

Frozen corn is next best but right now, when corn is coming in, take advantage.

These recipes offer some variety in preparing this all-time favorite. Of course, corn on the cob is still at the top of the list, but sometimes we all like a little change. So enjoy it while you

NOTICE OF SALE

STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA

COUNTY OF PICKENS

IN THE COURT OF

COMMON PLEAS FOR THE

THIRTEENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT

Case No.: 2014-CP-39-857

Brenda Wires and Barbara Day, Plaintiffs, Elizabeth Pauline Russell Defendant.

BY VIRTUE OF AN ORDER of the Court of Common Pleas for Pickens County, South Carolina,

By Olivia Fowler

Courier Staff

Molasses is an all-American ingredient and has been used for cooking since the early days of the colonies. It’s delicious poured over hot buttered biscuits or on pancakes, but there are a host of other dishes enhanced by the addition of this ingredient.

Not all of these recipes are quick, but much of the time involved isn’t labor-intensive. You can do other things while the pork chops marinate, and the slow cooker will take care of the beans while you go about your business. Yes, you do have to allow time for the bread to rise, but this bread recipe doesn’t require kneading. The bread does all the work. Only the molasses cookie recipe is mixed up and put into the oven right away. The cookies are somewhat addictive, so be careful.

Molasses Spice Cookies

2 1/4 c. all-purpose flour

2 tsp. of baking soda

1/2 tsp. of salt

1 tsp. ground ginger

1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp. ground allspice

3/4 tsp. ground cloves

1 tsp. vanilla extract

3/4 c. (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

1/2 c. dark brown sugar, packed

1/2 c. granulated sugar, plus 1/3 c. for rolling cookies

1 large egg

1/3 c. unsulphered molasses

Preheat oven to 375°F. Mix together flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, allspice together in a bowl and set aside.

Use an electric mixer and beat the butter for two minutes. Add the brown sugar, and 1/2 cup granulated sugar and beat until light and fluffy, about three minutes with mixer set at medium speed. Add egg, vanilla extract, and molasses. Beat until combined, about 30 seconds. Scrape down sides of bowl with a rubber spatula.

Add dry ingredients and beat at low speed until just combined, about 30 seconds.

Place remaining 1/3 cup of granulated sugar in a shallow bowl. Working with two Tbsp of dough each time, roll dough into 1 3/4 inch balls. Roll balls in sugar and place on ungreased cookie sheets, spacing them 1 1/2 to two inches apart.

Bake until the outer edges of the cookies begin to set and centers are soft and puffy, about 11-13 minutes. Cool cookies on sheets for 2-3 minutes before transferring them to cooling racks.

Note: Do not overcook. The centers of the cookies should be somewhat soft and spongy when you take them out of the oven, otherwise they will end up hard and dry.

Slow-cooked Baked Beans

1 lb. (2 to 2 1/2 c.) dry white beans such as Navy beans or Great Northern beans (can also use kidney beans)

1/3 c. molasses

1/3 c. brown sugar

3-4 tbsp. Dijon mustard

1/8 tsp. ground cloves

3 c. hot water

1/2 lb. salt pork (can sub bacon), cut into 1/2-in. to 1-in. pieces

1 medium onion, (1 1/2 c.) chopped

Place beans in a large pot and cover with two inches of water. Soak overnight and drain. Alternatively, bring a pot with the beans covered with two inches of water to a boil, remove from heat and let soak for an hour, then drain.

Mix the molasses, brown sugar, mustard, and ground cloves with three cups of hot water.

Line the bottom of a slow-cooker (or a Dutch oven if you are cooking in the oven) with half of the salt pork (pick the fattiest pieces). Layer over with half of the drained beans. Add all of the onions in a layer, then top with another layer of beans and the remaining salt pork. Pour the molasses water mixture over the beans to just cover the beans.

Cover and cook in a slow-cooker on the low setting for eight hours (or in a 250°F oven), until the beans are tender. Check the water level a few hours in,

We associate Valentine’s Day with sweet treats. We also tend to associate chocolate, strawberries, cherries and raspberries with the holiday that celebrates love.
Red Velvet Cake, Queen of Hearts Tart, Dark Chocolate Cake with Raspberry filling and Chocolate Chip Cherry Cookies say Valentine’s Day to the people lucky enough to eat them.
Yes, they are rich and delicious, and they are supposed to be. It’s nice to have something special to make the day something to remember.

Raisins are good for you, but don’t hold that against them. Not only do raisins get an A for nutrition, they also get high marks for flavor. They’re low in fat and are a favorite of athletes looking for high energy snacks.
But that doesn’t mean that they should only appear in trail mix.
The recipes featured this week utilize raisins in stuffing, baked beans, cake and ham sauce. We hope you’ll give them a try.

You could probably write a complete book about hot dogs and still leave something out. Everybody has a favorite.
Most of the time I tend to stick with what I know, which consists of a pack of wieners (which I call weenies) from the grocery store, buns, onions, ketchup, mayonnaise and slaw.
I’ve never been a hot dog chili fanatic because that’s just another way to add calories to a food that doesn’t need any help in that department. Slaw dogs are at the top of my list.
However you like your hot dogs, these recipes could make the whole hot dog experience a little richer.
And not every hot dog served requires a bun. Sometimes, if you’re in the right mood, a just plain weenie is good.

Peter Piper is famous for picking peppers, but his are all pickled.
Peppers are colorful, flavorful and offer an amazing range of temperatures. Some like them hot, some like them cold. But there’s sure to be a pepper out there with your name on it.
Decide how much heat you like and go from there. One of my favorite peppers is the red bell. It’s readily available and has a sweet mild taste that almost everyone can enjoy.
But there are many more. Please try some of these recipes and decide for yourself which you like best.

Green beans can be delicious, and it’s hard to find anyone that doesn’t enjoy them cooked like Grandma used to. However, there is nothing wrong with stepping out of that comfort zone and trying other ways.
Don’t shy away from other beans. And if you don’t like beans, or think you don’t, it may mean you haven’t found the right bean cooked the right way. There’s a bean out there with your name on it.
Feel free to tweak these recipes any way you like. If you can improve upon them please e-mail your version and I’ll let readers know. Thanks for the feedback.

It wasn’t very long ago when a number of tropical fruits just weren’t available in local grocery stores, but now we can easily buy mangos, papayas and other fruits we aren’t accustomed to eating on a regular basis.
It’s nice to have more options when it comes to serving fruits. Now that we can buy mangos and papayas, we can experiment with recipes featuring these fruits.
We’ve had kiwi fruit available for a much longer time and may be more familiar with more options for this fruit, but I thought kiwi should be included in this selection. It’s flavor mixes well with many other fruits.
I hope you’ll try and enjoy some of these suggested dishes.

There are a lot of meats we tend to serve at holidays or for Sunday dinners. And although we all love them the first time they appear on the table, our enthusiasm can wane if they don’t get eaten up quickly enough.
This week, I dug out some recipes that may inspire you to use up all those leftovers after the new has worn off.