Patsy Zeidman

Patsy Zeidman of Calhoun City usually cooks something different each time she hosts the Bridge Club. “The members are all good cooks and if they like something “that’s always a good sign to me,” she said. “They are an appreciative audience, and they like my homemade pies,” saying that she always makes her own crust.

“Travel is so fun,” and she is open pretty much to eating anything when traveling. “Every part of the country has its own wonderful fruits and vegetables that are delightful.” A former French teacher, she has spent some time in France, where she enjoyed shopping at the local markets.  She was introduced to couscous while staying with a family there.

Rhubarb is used a lot in Rhode Island, where her husband, A.M., is from, and when they lived there, she made rhubarb pie and sour cream rhubarb coffee cakes quite often. They had friends there who wouldn’t eat yellow corn because “that’s what you feed the animals,” but they would eat the white.

Patsy Zeidman

The BBQ shrimp recipe was given to her by a next door neighbor in Brandon who was from the coast. She got it when their boys were small and still makes the dish fairly often. “This is a great informal party dish,” she said. The marinated tomatoes are a dish she has also served to the Bridge Club.

She gets most of her recipes from friends and the Food Network website. The coffee cake recipe was her mother-in-law’s, “tried and true”, that they both used a long time. The shrimp dip recipe is “deceptively easy and so delicious” that can be served with any crackers but she likes whole grain.

The Zeidmans have two sons and when they and their families come home she cooks their favorites and “they eat well.” Among those favorites are chicken spaghetti and pineapple upside down cake. “As long as you have rolls, turkey and dressing (for the holidays), the rest doesn’t matter with them,” and she makes sure she has plenty because “guys eat a lot!” she said. But she does like to make sweet potato casserole and ham, too.

She says she likes most everything as far as food, and has recently gotten into kale. She sometimes makes kale chips, and likes to keep a batch of smoothies in the freezer that contain kale, celery, apples, carrots and orange juice.

BBQ Shrimp
5 lbs. medium to large shrimp in shells
4 bay leaves
1/2 lb. margarine (2 sticks)
3/4 cup olive oil
6 Tbsp. dry BBQ seasoning
1 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
2 tsp. oregano
Salt, pepper
Place shrimp in large flat pan, no more than two layers high. Put bay leaves between layers. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Melt margarine, add olive oil, bbq seasoning, oregano, garlic, lemon juice. Pour over shrimp. Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes. If shrimp are not done, just add five minutes. Do not overcook. Serve with French bread for dipping into the sauce and a green salad. Spread out newspapers, set out bowls for the shells and lots of paper towels so people can get messy. (Recipe can be halved for smaller group.)

Southern Living Marinated Tomatoes
1 small onion, sliced thin. (Soak in four cups ice water
30 minutes.)
Mix:
3/4 cup red wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped,
or about 3 Tbsp. dried
Parmesan cheese
Thinly slice six tomatoes. Layer tomato slices in a dish. Top with onion, drizzle half of dressing over them. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Chill at least 30 minutes.

Eunice Zeidman’s Coffee Cake
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup sour cream
1/4 lb. butter
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup sugar
Cream butter and sugar. Add sour cream. Mix well. Add dry ingredients a little at a time. Add vanilla.
For topping, mix together:
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup chopped nuts
4 tsp. cinnamon
2 Tbsp. coconut
In greased cake pan, put half the batter. Put half of topping mix on this. Add rest of batter and top with topping mix. Bake at 350° for 45 minutes.

Hot Crab Dip
1 large can crab meat (7-8 oz.)
1 Tbsp. Roquefort cheese
6 oz. cream cheese
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
Heat in covered crock in 450° oven until it bubbles.