PANAMA CITY — Women and men in the community came together to serve Friday evening during the “Let’s Say Grace” Recipe Tasting at Gulf Coast State College.
About 10 dishes were prepared from “Let’s Say Grace,” a cookbook featuring 372 Southern-style recipes compiled by Proverbs 31 Guild and Bethel Village.
“We just picked what we thought would be some of the favorites — easy, not intimidating recipes for people who don’t cook, like me,” admitted Rachel Duvall, Bethel Village’s manager.
Duvall demonstrated how to make Coleslaw with the help of GCSC culinary students Keecha Downing, Troy Lewis and Chris Sanabria, while Tammy Harrelson made Blue Ribbon Peach Cobbler.
Other recipes were prepared by the women at Bethel Village, men at the Rescue Mission and volunteers from Proverbs 31 Guild, a volunteer fundraising arm of Bethel Village. Women of noble character, as shown in Proverbs 31 in the Bible, are described as having eager hands, being clothed with strength and dignity, and being wise and fearless.
Amanda Bawn, director of Fund Development at PC Rescue Mission, said the 2014 cookbook was started to commemorate 10 years of ministry of women.
“I was there when it was founded in 2004 and got to see it grow. ... We still have a waiting list; there’s definitely a need,” said Bawn, who added, “It’s good to see so many people come out for this event.”
The program for women, founded in July 2004, moved from a 3,000-square-foot house on Transmitter Road to more than 9,700 square feet on 11th Street in October 2013.
“The idea of hope is what drives Bethel Village,” said emcee Al McCambry, GCSC Dean of Workforce Development, as the crowd gathered on the third floor of the Advanced Technology Center.
All proceeds from the cookbook sales go to the $50,000 plumbing project at Bethel Village Home for Women and Children.
“I see the change in women’s lives. I see God working in their lives and it gets me excited,” said Gail Camperman, an instructor at Bethel Village and member of Proverbs 31. She prepared and served her recipe for Spinach Roll-Ups, which pack a lot of punch in a small bite.
“I’ve been making it probably 20 years. It’s really fast and incredibly easy,” said Camperman, who used plain, as well as spinach and tomato flavored tortillas. “I brought mints because it has a lot of onion in it.”
Donna Daniels’ Mexican Corn Dip received the most “text” votes for favorite recipe during Friday’s Recipe Tasting, but I was partial to Liz Creswell’s Tomato/Basil Tart.
“It’s the best recipe in the whole world,” Creswell said. “It’s tasty, but it’s also light. Add chicken or ham and make it more of a meal. I serve it for luncheons a lot. Serve it with a light salad, and you’re good to go.”
This turned out to be a sweet hang-out, right next to the table where Jullian Crutchfield was serving the Cream Cheese Squares she had prepared.
“You can serve it cold or warm,” said Crutchfield, who was quick to offer seconds.
After a bite of the creamy cinnamon-roll like dessert, I took her up on another taste — for research purposes. My conclusion: It was delicious, and I had to walk away or I would eat more.
The cookbook is not just filled with recipes, but also sprinkled with Bible verses, prayers and helpful cooking hints from the women of Bethel Village.
“It’s an awesome program,” said Michele Huble, who served Italian Bow Tie Bake, an easy weeknight meal.
Huble, 55, has been in the Women’s Recovery Program for six months.
“I have my newfound glory with God,” said Huble, who added she has lost 30 pounds during that time. “I have renewed strength; it totally restored my life — a lot of beautiful women. With the classes and everything, they really know what they’re doing to get us well. The spiritual connection is the most important. Trust in Him, and not humans, and you are OK.”
Mexican Corn Dip
- 2 cans Mexicorn, drained
- 2 cups sharp cheese, shredded
- ½ cup sour cream
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 4-5 green onions, chopped
- 4 jalapeno peppers, diced
Mix all ingredients and chill. Serve with corn chips.
Source: Donna Daniels, “Let’s Say Grace”
Spinach Roll-Ups
- 1 10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1 8-ounce container sour cream
- 1 bunch scallions, chopped
- 1 1-ounce envelope Ranch-style dressing mix
- 1 3-ounce jar Bacon bits
- 9 10-inch flour tortillas
Stir together spinach, mayonnaise, sour cream, scallions, Ranch dressing mix and bacon bits. Spread evenly on tortilla, roll up in a jellyroll-fashion, pressing edges to seal. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill 4-6 hours, then cut into ½- to 1-inch slices.
Source: Gail Camperman, “Let’s Say Grace”
Tomato/Basil Tart
- 1 pie crust
- 1½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- 4 medium tomatoes, chopped
- 1 cup fresh basil leaves
- 4 cloves garlic
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan
Place crust in 9-inch quiche dish and prebake. Remove from oven, then sprinkle with ½ cup mozzarella. Cut tomatoes into bite-sized pieces, drain on paper towels. Arrange on top of melted mozzarella. In a food processor combine basil and garlic, cover and process until coarsely chopped. Sprinkle over tomatoes. In a medium bowl combine rest of mozzarella cheese and mayonnaise. Bake at 375 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes.
Source: Liz Creswell, “Let’s Say Grace”
Italian Bow Tie Bake
- 8 ounces bow tie pasta
- 1 jar spaghetti sauce with sausage
- 1 envelope Italian salad dressing mix
- 2 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
Cook pasta according to package directions; drain. In large bowl, combine spaghetti sauce and salad dressing mix. Add pasta; toss to coat. Transfer to lightly greased shallow 2-quart baking dish. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake uncovered at 400 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes or until heated through.
Makes 4 to 5 servings.
Source: Ronnie Wilson, “Let’s Say Grace”
Cream Cheese Squares
- 2 8-ounce packages refrigerated crescent roll dough
- 2 8-ounce packages cream cheese
- 1¼ cup sugar, divided
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup butter, melted
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 9- by 13-inch baking pan. Press one can of crescent roll dough into bottom of prepared pan. In a medium bowl, mix together cream cheese, 1 cup sugar and vanilla until smooth and creamy. Spread over the crescent layer. Do not press down. Pour the melted butter over entire pan. Combine remaining ¼ cup sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle over top. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until top is crisp and golden.
Makes 24 squares.
Source: Donna Wilbanks, “Let’s Say Grace”
COOKBOOK
- “Let’s Say Grace: Recipes from Bethel Village celebrating 10 years of ministry to women,” $14, is for sale at Bethel Village, 1313 E. 11th St.; the Panama City Rescue Mission, 609 Allen Ave.; and online at pcrmission.org/saygrace. Proceeds go to the $50,000 plumbing project at Bethel Village Home for Women and Children. For more information, call the PC Rescue Mission at 769-0783 or Bethel Village at 914-0533.