Bonita's Recipes

“Cooking fills my heart with joy! I make everything with all my love, but it is God who put all the good flavor in it!”

Mrs. Paca’s Cream of Crab Soup

1 nice onion chopped fine. 1 tablespoon of butter. 1 cup of chicken stock, stronger the better. 1 quart of whole milk or cream (if very special day!). A little parsley chopped fine. ½ teaspoon celery salt. 1 stalk of celery chopped fine. 1 teaspoon of nutmeg. Dash of crushed red pepper and another of black pepper. Add one more dash of white pepper for extra spicy heat. 1 pound of crab meat (a little more is wonderful, a little less is a shame). Thicken with a little flour. ¼ cup of sherry (and ¼ cup for you. Shhhhh! That’s a secret!)

Sauté the onion and celery in the butter, add the chicken stock, then slowly pour in the milk (or cream!). Add all of the seasonings, except the sherry (but drink yours and get another! You must always remember to spoil yourself!).

Stir in the crab meat and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. Make a paste with your flour and some water and stir in to thicken. (How thick is up to you!).

Just before you serve it, remove from heat and stir in the sherry.

Make sure you have more sherry for you!

All my love,

Bonita

Bonita’s Biscuits

These take love of a very different kind

First, the staff takes turns making them because that poor soul must come into the Inn’s kitchen one hour before any other staff. That is 4 o’clock in the morning, every morning. Nobody else should be there unless they are helping you.

Ingredients for one batch. I always make 5 batches all at once together: 7 cups flour, . ¾ cup lard (butter or shortening are good too), ½ tablespoon salt, ½ tablespoon sugar, ½ teaspoon baking powder, 1 ½ cups water.

Mix ingredients together to make a good dough. Put cotton in your ears. You must beat the dough at least until the dough blisters, 45 minutes, for best quality. Use a hammer. Now you know why no one else should be around.

Form into biscuits and prick the tops with a fork. Bake 20 to 25 minutes in a very hot oven, at least 475 degrees.

While baking, find the sherry you’ve been hiding. You will need some.

Grace and Love,

Bonita