LEWISTON – Sue Chervenak began cooking when she was a stay-at-home mom with her four children. “It was fun … I enjoy doing it,” she said.
One of her first memories in cooking is very spicy. It was her first attempt at making homemade spaghetti sauce. She grabbed the hot pepper flakes and started sprinkling some into the sauce. “I put way too many in there,” said Chervenak. When she and her husband tasted the sauce, they were practically sweating because it was so hot.
One of her favorite dishes to make now is spaghetti sauce, but it’s a bit milder. “I like to do things in the crockpot … beef stew, chili … and I love to bake desserts,” said Chervenak. One item she’d like to master is making fudge. “It’s so difficult to get right.”
Chervenak has a garden and enjoys producing her own salsa and stewed tomatoes from her harvest. She also makes strawberry jam, applesauce and pickles. Last summer, she and her husband grew cayenne peppers for the first time. They dehydrated them and made their own red pepper flakes.
Many of Chervenak’s recipes come from her daughter, Linnea St. Pierre, who was featured as a “Cook of the Week” in September.
“We do a lot of recipe swapping … my daughter will come over and say, ‘Mom you have to try this,'” said Chervenak.
Chervenak’s most cherished possession in the kitchen is her KitchenAid mixer, a Christmas present from her husband. “I love it! I made homemade cinnamon bread with it as soon as I got it,” she said.
Chervenak is an executive assistant at Maine Family Credit Union. She and her husband, Jim, have six children between them and seven grandchildren. About a year ago, they took up a new hobby: making wine. They have their own wine cellar in the basement and enjoy giving what they make as gifts. They’re planning to have a wine-tasting party in the near future.
Vegetable squares
Ingredients:
2 packages refrigerated crescent rolls
2 packages of cream cheese at room temperature
1 package of Hidden Valley ranch dressing mix (dry)
¾ cup of Miracle Whip
1 cup of each, uncooked and chopped:
broccoli
cauliflower
carrots
green peppers
1 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese
Method:
Unroll and spread out crescent rolls on a large cookie sheet. Bake in 350-degree oven for 10 to 13 minutes until golden brown. Let cool. Mix cream cheese, dressing mix and Miracle Whip. Spread over cooked rolls. Top with vegetables and cheese. Press down and cut into squares.
Easy homemade chicken soup
Ingredients:
½ cup of chopped onions
1 stalk of celery, sliced
2 14-ounce cans chicken broth
1 16-ounce can stewed tomatoes
1 envelope Good Seasons Italian salad dressing mix
2 cups cubed cooked chicken
1 can string beans, drained
1 cup bow-tie pasta, uncooked
Method:
Cook onion and celery in small amount of oil in large saucepan for three to five minutes or until tender.
Add chicken broth, stewed tomatoes and dressing mix. Bring to a boil.
Add chicken, string beans, pasta. Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 10 to 12 minutes, or until pasta is tender. Add a little extra water if too thick. Serves 6.
Chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting
Ingredients:
1 package chocolate cake mix
1 cup creamy peanut butter
8 tablespoons margarine, room temperature
2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
3 to 4 tablespoons milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Method:
Bake cake as directed on package. Let cool.
Place the peanut butter and margarine in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed until fluffy, 30 seconds. Add the confectioners’ sugar, 3 tablespoons milk and the vanilla. Blend with the mixer on low speed until the sugar is well-combined, 1 minute. Increase the speed to medium and beat until the frosting is light and fluffy, 1 minute more. Add up to 1 tablespoon more of milk if the frosting seems too stiff. Frost cake.
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