Red, White, and Blue

Photos by Brooke Echols

Cook of the Month Wanda Monk, Cullman EC

Wanda Monk is one of our faithful regular contributors to the recipe pages of Alabama Living, and this month her recipe for Reba’s Blueberry Crunch Cake took top honors. She gives credit to her late mother-in-law, Mary Sue Monk, for originating the recipe which was a favorite for family and friends over the years. “She cooked for everybody in her little trailer,” she says, and Wanda enjoyed making it for her family at holiday time and other times. The recipe calls for topping the cake with almonds or pecans (we used almonds) but Wanda says, “I like any nut really.” And while the cake doesn’t have any red color in it, she named it after singer Reba McIntyre because “we both have red hair.”  

Reba’s Blueberry Crunch Cake

• 1 20-ounce can crushed pineapple (do not drain)
• 5 cups fresh blueberries
• ¼ cup sugar
• 1 box yellow cake mix
• ¼ cup slivered almonds or chopped pecans
• 1 stick margarine, melted

In a 9×13-inch baking dish, spread pineapple with juice evenly over the bottom. Spread blueberries evenly over pineapple layer. Sprinkle sugar over blueberry layer. Sift cake mix over blueberries evenly. Layer almonds or pecans over cake mix top. Drizzle melted margarine over almond layer. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes or until tested done and nuts are brown.

Nachos de USA

• Tostitos original restaurant-style tortilla chips
• Doritos Flamin’ Hot nacho tortilla chips
• Tostitos blue corn tortilla chips
• BBQ pulled chicken (from favorite place)
• BBQ pulled pork (from favorite place)
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1/2 white onion
• 1 ounce packet taco seasoning (I use Taco Bell original)
• 1 small packet Sazon Goya (con culantro y achiote)
• 1/4 cup water
• Alabama white sauce (I use Big Bob’s)
• Pace picante sauce (medium)
• Blueberry BBQ sauce (I use Pepper Palace)
• 1 jar jalapeño slices

In a large pan, brown ground beef and onion until cooked throughout. Drain grease and return to pan. Add taco seasoning, Goya and 1/4 cup water. Simmer for 5 mins and remove from heat. When ground beef is almost finished, heat pre-purchased chicken and pork.  Assemble tortilla chips on a large plate: red Doritos on the left side, white tortilla chips in the middle and blue tortilla chips on the right side of the plate. Top red chips with ground beef mixture and picante sauce. Top white chips with chicken and white sauce. Top blue chips with pork and blueberry BBQ sauce. Last, top every chip with a single jalapeño slice. Heat nacho plate in microwave for 30 seconds; serve and enjoy! 

Jim Archuletta, Joe Wheeler EMC

Shawn’s 4th of July Barbecue Beans

• 4 15-ounce cans Luck’s Pinto Beans
• 1 pound bacon
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 1 19-ounce bottle Big Bob Gibson’s Bar-B-Q Red Sauce
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon hickory liquid smoke

Drain and rinse pinto beans in a colander, set aside. In a medium-size skillet, fry bacon until crisp.  Set aside to cool, then crumble the bacon. Drain all but 1 tablespoon bacon drippings, and in the same skillet, sauté chopped onion with salt and pepper until onion is translucent. In a large mixing bowl, pour in all the bbq sauce. Pour vinegar into the empty bbq sauce bottle, replace lid and shake. Pour out vinegar into bowl, add all remaining ingredients and mix well. Pour beans mixture into a 9×13-inch casserole dish, cover with foil. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour.

Shawn O’Harra, North Alabama EC

Old Glory Dessert (Fruit Pizza)

• 1 tube refrigerated sugar cookie dough
• 1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
• ¾ cup confectioners’ sugar
• 4½ teaspoons lemon juice
• ½ cup fresh blueberries
• 2 cups strawberries, quartered (if large or cut in half if small)

Press cookie dough in a greased 15×10-inch sheet pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes until golden brown.  Cool on wire rack.  In a mixing bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar and lemon juice until smooth.  Set aside ¼ cup. Spread remaining cream cheese mixture over cookie crust. Decorate with blueberries and strawberries to resemble an American flag. Put remainder of cream cheese mixture in a small plastic bag. Cut one small hole in a corner and pipe stars in the spaces between the blueberries. *If you have a pastry star tip, use it in the plastic bag for prettier stars!

Nancy Sizemore, Baldwin EMC

The Buttered Home

For me, summer really kicks off with the July 4th holiday. This year, our country’s birthday is even more special being her 250th! I don’t know about you, but I plan to celebrate BIG this year! With it also being my youngest girl’s birthday, I plan to go all out on the menu. I can’t wait to see what all of our winners this month have in store that I can add to our July 4th table. 

One dessert that will be there for sure is one my whole family loves, this Red White and Blue Sugar-Free Cheesecake Dessert or “fluff” as my girls like to call it. With only five ingredients, including fresh berries, this recipe is one your whole family will love, too! For more simple recipes like this one, visit us at thebutteredhome.com

Red, White and Blue Sugar-Free Cheesecake Dessert

• 1 1-ounce package zero sugar cheesecake instant 
• pudding mix
• 1 8-ounce container zero sugar Cool Whip
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 4 ounces sliced strawberries
• 1/2 pint blueberries

In a bowl, mix Cool Whip, cheesecake pudding mix and lemon juice well, until combined. Fold in the strawberries and blueberries, reserving a few for garnish. Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes to overnight. Serve garnished.

*For an added treat, place in a freezer safe container, cover and freeze for a creamy, soft-serve ice cream consistency.