DEBBIE MACOMBER’S
CEDAR COVE COOKBOOK
Photographs by
ANDY RYAN
Illustrations by
DEBORAH CHABRIAN
OTHER CEDAR COVE BOOKS BY DEBBIE MACOMBER
92 Pacific Boulevard • 8 Sandpiper Way • 74 Seaside Avenue
6 Rainier Drive • 50 Harbor Street • 44 Cranberry Point • 311 Pelican Court
204 Rosewood Lane • 16 Lighthouse Road
Contents
Introduction
Breakfast
at 16 Lighthouse Road with Olivia Griffin
Good Morning Strawberry-Banana Smoothie
Best Banana Bread
Hearty Bran Apple Muffins
Breakfast Casserole with Bacon and Cheddar
Cowboy Eggs with Smoky Black Beans and Lime-Avocado Salsa
Buttermilk Hotcakes with Blueberries
Honey Nut Granola
Ham and Cheese Stuffed Omelet
Sunday Sour Cream Coffee Cake
Corn Muffins with Raspberries
Homemade Cinnamon Rolls
Lunch
at 204 Rosewood Lane with Grace Sherman Harding
Spicy Hot Sauce Chicken Noodles
Anytime Tomato Soup with Fresh Basil and Swiss Cheese Pita Croutons
Windy Weather Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
Summer Minestrone with Pesto Puree
Italian Deli Panini
Panini Marguerita
Creamy Tarragon Chicken Salad
Turkey, Provolone and Garden Vegetable Wrap
Broccoli and Cheese Soup in a Bread Bowl
August Corn Chowder
Homemade (with Help) Chicken Noodle Soup
Wonton Soup with Pork and Bok Choy
Tea
at 6 Rainier Drive and the Victorian Tea Room with Justine Gunderson
Confetti Crab Salad
DD’s on the Cove Crab-Melt Sandwich
White-Chocolate Chunk Oatmeal Cookies
Chef’s Salad
Chocolate Chip, Oatmeal and Coconut Cookies
Giant Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Cookies
Pumpkin Tea Cake with Honey Cream
Sugar-Dusted Molasses Crinkles
Asian Peanut Noodle Salad with Chicken and Red Grapes
Honey-Walnut and Butter Scones
Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies
Super Fudge Brownies
Best Blueberry Muffins
Crumb Bun Muffins
Appetizers
at 311 Pelican Court with Zach and Rosie Cox
Eggplant Caponata with Toasted Pita Crisps
Shrimp and Cream Cheese Canapés
Parmesan Cheese Twists with Fresh Herb Dip
Ginger Chicken Skewers with Peanut Dipping Sauce
Roasted Red Pepper, Goat Cheese and Tarragon Pinwheels
Mini-Hamburgers with the Works
Caramelized Onion Tart with Black Olives
Smoked Salmon Canapés with Horseradish Cream
Celery Cups with Blue Cheese Mousse and Bacon
Dinner
at 44 Cranberry Point with Bob and Peggy Beldon
Lasagna Bolognese for a Crowd
Seared Scallops with Mushroom Ragout
Bowtie Pasta with White Beans, Roasted Peppers and Garlic Spinach
Casual Chicken Cordon Blue
Chicken Pot Pie
Fresh Herb Crab Cakes with Homemade Tartar Sauce
Beef Stew with Red Wine
Thick Pork Chops with Apple-Walnut Stuffing and Cider Gravy
Roasted Salmon with Creamy Dill Sauce
Ginger Flank Steak and Oyster Sauce Stir-Fry
Fettuccine Alfredo with Garlic Shrimp and Scallops
Chili Pie with Cheddar Hash Brown Topping
Roast Chicken with Root Vegetables and Cider Gravy
Broccoli Casserole with Parmesan Bread Topping
Stuffed Sweet Peppers
Spaghetti with Fresh Clam Sauce
Anytime Spaghetti with Clams
Southwestern Taco Salad with Charred Corn
Broccoli Lasagna
Garlic Bread
Teri’s Macaroni and Cheese
Shrimp Enchilada Bake with Ricotta and Monterey Jack
Fried Chicken
Caesar Salad with Lemon Shrimp and Homemade Garlic Croutons
Creamy Risotto with Spring Vegetables
Cauliflower, Potato and Cheese Soup
Penne with Caramelized Butternut Squash and Parmesan
Italian Braised Chicken with Peppers, Onions and Sweet Sausage
Braised Halibut in Roman-Style Sauce
Roasted Garlic White Pizza
Rosemary-Garlic Crusted Pork Tenderloin on Sautéed Spinach
Chicken and Wild Rice Soup with Leeks
Dessert
at Harbor Street with Roy and Corrie McAfee
Lattice-Top Cherry Pie
New York Cheesecake
Quick Lemonade Cake
Celebrations Coconut Layer Cake
Chocolate Zucchini Cake
Coconut Cream Pie
Apple Pie with Cinnamon Streusel Topping
Deep Chocolate Layer Cake with Ganache Frosting
Oatmeal Date Bars
Golden Toffee Blondies
Apple-Date Torte
Milky Way Tart
Russian Tea Cakes
Orange Bundt Cake
Three-Minute Chocolate Sauce
Double Ginger Cake with Lemon Drizzle
Easter
at Eagle Crest Avenue with Ben and Charlotte Rhodes
Devilled Eggs for Angels
Cheddar Biscuits
Asparagus Frittata
Baby Spinach Salad with Shallot Vinaigrette and Toasted Walnuts
Creamy Potato Salad
Colorful Fruit Salad with Vanilla-Lime Yogurt
Sweet and Spicy Baked Ham
Fancy Lemon Pound Cake with Glaze
Easter Bunny Cake
Fourth of July
at Pacific Boulevard and The Waterfront Park with Troy and Faith Davis
Fresh Summer Salsa with Homemade Tortilla Chips
Creamy Bean Dip
Grilled Baguette and Tomato Salad
Cured Grilled Salmon with Lime-Jalapeño Butter
Hearty Skillet Cornbread with Bacon
BBQ Chicken
Herb Garden Pesto Rigatoni
Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp
Peach and Raspberry Crumble
Thanksgiving
at Seaside Avenue with Bobby and Teri Polgar
Rice, Sausage and Pecan Stuffing
Cranberry-Orange Relish
Braised Brussels Sprouts with Bacon
Sweet Potato Purée
Mashed Potato Casserole
Green Salad with Roasted Pear, Roquefort Cheese and Raspberry Vinaigrette
Golden Roast Turkey with Maple Glaze
Chocolate Chip Pecan Pie
Pumpkin Pie with Cinnamon Crust and Spiced Whipped Cream
Christmas
at Sandpiper Way with Dave and Emily Flemming
Artichoke and Caramelized Onion Phyllo Pie
Baked Potato Casserole
Baby Arugula Salad with Goat Cheese, Pecans and Pomegranate Seeds
Homemade Dinner Rolls
Sautéed Green Beans and Almonds
Christmas Beef Wellington
Jack Griffin’s Christmas Cookies
Holiday Sugar Cookies
Gingerbread Men
Acknowledgments
Conversion Chart
Introduction
As I’ve often said, I’m a frequent eater—but I’m a frequent cook, too! In fact, I spend more time in the kitchen than I do in the dining room. I remember, when I was only four, begging my mother to let me help her make dinner. She was a gifted cook who never let a recipe get in the way of being creative; not surprisingly, working in the kitchen (and enjoying it!) is part of my family heritage.
I think it’s fair to say that, thanks to my mother, I became proficient at cooking over the years. Good thing, too—in high school, the cooking part of Home Economics was all that got me a passing grade. I’m a terrible seamstress, so my ability to cook saved me from a certain F. (Who knew there were so many incorrect ways to sew in a zipper?)
In the days before the many cookbooks now available—cookbooks for every conceivable type of cuisine and diet and specialty—recipes were often preserved on index cards. My mom had several small green boxes stuffed with them. And after her death I found a notebook in which my grandmother had written down recipes and cooking hints she felt her daughter (my mom) should have when she left home. I savored every word and learned cooking hints I still use. For instance, I discovered how to gauge when bean soup has simmered long enough to reach its maximum flavor. According to my grandma, Helen Zimmerman, you can tell by the aroma. As a thrifty and inventive cook, she also had lots of suggestions for substitutes and alternative ingredients, and different spices to try in particular recipes.
Like my mother, I’ve collected recipes all my life—and yes, I have the same small green recipe boxes crammed with carefully handwritten notes that date back to my grade-school days.
Years ago, I chose some of those recipes and created my own envelope-size recipe booklets as a thank-you gift to my loyal readers at Christmas. In return, readers sent me their own favorite recipes. This was my first venture into cookbook publishing—but not my last!
You may have noticed that meals play an important role in all my stories. This is certainly true of earlier series like “Midnight Sons” and “Heart of Texas,” as well as the Blossom Street books. But cooking and preparing meals, and sharing them with family and friends, is perhaps most significant in my Cedar Cove series.
If you’ve read any of these stories, you’ll recognize Charlotte Jefferson Rhodes. She’s known and loved by just about everyone in town. Not only that, her reputation as a superlative cook is well-deserved.
In this book, Charlotte’s going to take you on a tour of the kitchens and dining rooms of Cedar Cove. She’ll share her best recipes, including those she was given by members of her family and her many friends. She’s also going to fill you in on what’s been happening with the people in town—her daughter, Olivia Griffin, her granddaughter, Justine Gunderson, Zach and Rosie Cox and Grace Harding, to name a few.
Like Charlotte, I believe that food is central to the important relationships in our lives. Serving a meal is probably the ultimate expression of hospitality and friendship, and a good dinner sustains us in more than just the obvious ways. For me, for Charlotte—and, in fact, for most of us—the preparation of food is associated with enjoyment, comfort, love.
While sharing food is a social activity, sharing recipes can bind us with others, too—with friends and perhaps especially with our families. It’s about forming and nurturing traditions, which help us create a sense of continuity from one generation to the next.
Quite a few of the recipes I use today came from my mother and grandmother—recipes I’ve passed on to my own children. Just as some of Charlotte’s recipes come from her mother and were passed down to her daughter, Olivia, and now her granddaughter, Justine….
Justine, who’s opened a tea room in town, has asked Charlotte for recipes and menu ideas, hoping to make her restaurant as wonderful as a visit to the fragrant kitchen she remembers from her grandmother’s home. Happy to comply, Charlotte has collected her favorite recipes in this book. You might recognize some of them from scenes in the Cedar Cove stories.
Ultimately, the genesis of this cookbook is my readers’ requests for these very recipes, the ones I’ve mentioned in the novels. My goal is always to give you a satisfying reading experience—with something extra. I like to describe myself as a “value-added” author, and this cookbook is one way of offering you that extra value. So are Charlotte’s introductions, in which she reveals her insights about the people of Cedar Cove, and her personal comments on various recipes.
Please join Charlotte and everyone in town for lots of delightful adventures in cooking and dozens of memorable meals. I hope these recipes will be as treasured in your family as they are in Charlotte’s (and in mine).
It’s a privilege to share my own “kitchen heritage” with you—a heritage of good food and good times.
Happy reading…and happy eating!
Breakfast
at 16 LIGHTHOUSE ROADwith
Olivia Griffin
I should begin by introducing myself in case we haven’t met before. I’m Charlotte Jefferson Rhodes and I’ve lived in Cedar Cove for much of my life. My beloved first husband, Clyde Jefferson (may he rest in peace), has been gone about twenty years now. We had two children—Will, our oldest, and Olivia Griffin (formerly Lockhart). Olivia lives in Cedar Cove and Will, now retired and divorced, recently moved back here. I remarried a few years ago, and Ben and I are very happy. There you have it—my personal history in one short paragraph.
I’m going to take you around Cedar Cove and share recipes I’ve accumulated over a lifetime—recipes I’ve discovered or created and many that have been passed to me by family and friends.
My daughter, Olivia, a big believer in the value of a nutritious breakfast, so I think it’s appropriate to start our journey of food and cooking at her house.
I’ve noticed, and I’m sure you have, too, that children develop their own personalities very early in life. Even at the age of two, Olivia was an organized little girl. One day I found her in my closet straightening my shoes. At two! That same year at Christmas, she took charge of clearing away the wrapping paper.
From the time she was three or four, Olivia decided she wanted to help me in the kitchen. I let her, although she couldn’t bear to crack an egg—for fear of dirtying her hands. She never licked a beater or a spoon, either. Several of the recipes I’ve included here are favorites of hers from childhood. Dishes she made herself from a young age. By the age of five, when Olivia started school, she could already read and do simple math. Clyde was convinced she’d grow up to become an engineer. Back then, there were few women in such professions and as her mother I dreamed lofty dreams for my daughter. But I never would’ve guessed she’d become a family court judge!
In high school Olivia and her best friend, Grace, used to hang out at the Pancake Palace (established, as the sign proudly says, in 1950). In fact, the girls still meet there at least once a week. I replicated the Palace’s pancake recipe for Olivia because she liked it so much, and I included it here.
Shortly after they graduated from high school, Grace married Dan Sherman, while Olivia went on to college, where she met Stanley Lockhart. I will say one thing, and only one thing, about my daughter’s ex-husband. Stan turned out to be a bitter disappointment—to Olivia, to the kids and to me. Enough said. I may not have a high opinion of Stan but he is, after all, the father of my grandchildren. The Sour Cream Coffee Cake you’ll find in these pages was one of his favorites, and it makes a nice addition to Sunday brunch.
Soon after her marriage, my daughter had twins, Jordan and Justine, followed by younger brother James. Olivia had set her sights on obtaining a law degree and with her usual sense of purpose she pursued this, all the while juggling family responsibilities and numerous other commitments. Thinking back on those early years I stand in awe of her.
I can hardly believe how much she accomplished—and how effortless she made it look.