By Dave Woods

dwoods@joplinglobe.com

BRANSON, Mo. — Derek Leaver and his wife, Gay, could hardly wait to get back home and put the recipes they picked up during a cooking class at the new Silver Dollar City Culinary and Craft School to the test.

“I’m going to make both recipes for church,” Derek said as he organized his notes and recipes from the hour-long session. “This was great.”

Gay explained that her husband does all of the cooking at home, and cooks for around 250 members of their church every week as well.

“Derek is king of our kitchen,” she said.

“Most guys get Playboy,” Derek joked. “I get cooking magazines.”



The 50-something couple from Benton, Ark., said that they have been coming to Silver Dollar City for years, but said they now have a new reason to make the trek.

“This (culinary school) is the best thing that Silver Dollar City has ever done,” Derek said.

As they filed out of the culinary school’s state-of-the-art kitchen classroom, they paused to take one last look around.

“We can’t wait to come back for another class,” Gay said.

Derek just smiled. “I have bad case of appliance envy,” he said as he stroked the stove and peeked inside an oven.

State-of-the-art

More than four years in the making, the park’s Culinary and Craft School not only showcases the artisanship of Silver Dollar City’s citizens, it provides visitors an opportunity to take craft and cooking classes, take home traditional park recipes and pick up a few tips from Debbie Dance Uhrig, a food writer, cookbook author and the park’s master craftsman of culinary arts.

“We have state-of-the-art appliances,” she bragged. “They are the best that Viking makes. We have chilling drawers and warming drawers, and cameras set up so that when people come in, no matter where they sit in the classroom, they have a wonderful view of what’s going on.”

Uhrig said that since the school opened its doors last summer, it has developed a following of loyal students hungry for the $10 classes.

“The culinary school holds a new appeal for Silver Dollar City,” she explained. “It gives the older generation, and those who really have an interest in cooking, something different to do when they come to the park. Instead of going and riding a ride, they have more interest in sitting down and learning about something.”

The popularity of the Food Network and other cooking shows has a lot to do with the recent resurgence of food culture, Uhrig suggested.

“I think people are finding it’s an outlet for them to use their creativity,” she said. “It’s something that a couple can do together in the kitchen.”

It’s a good way to entertain, she said, and it’s fun to cook with a partner.

“A lot of couples will say, ‘I do the cooking, and he does the clean up,’ or ‘I do the salads, and he does the main dish,’” she said.

Uhrig said many newlyweds are taking her classes together.

Dream job, dream kitchen

Brad Thomas, Silver Dollar City’s general manager, said he understands the new culinary school’s appeal.

“Entertaining at home is growing in popularity again,” he said, while perched on the school’s wrap-around sipping porch overlooking the Echo Hollow Amphitheater. “Having friends over and cooking together is so popular; we just wanted to help our guests take advantage of that trend.”

And, he added, it gives them a place to promote the works of the park’s artisans.

“We needed a place where we could showcase our crafts,” Thomas said. “A place where we could display them in a way that would say, ‘This is how they could look in your own home.’ You can see just how our copper crafts and glass, and pottery and woodwork will look in everyday life around the house.”

Uhrig said that she believes divine intervention may have played a part in her being chosen to head up the school’s culinary program.

“I hate to use that old-fashioned cliché, ‘It was a God thing,’ she said, but it very much was.”

Uhrig said she finally has her dream job, in her dream kitchen. And while it’s a lot of work, she said it’s still a lot of fun.

“We have a good time, and we laugh a lot, and we joke a lot, and we eat together,” she said. “Whenever people come together at the dining table, good things always happen.”

The following recipes were provided by the culinary school.



Silver Dollar City’s succotash

1 pound lightly breaded okra

8 ounces frozen whole kernel corn

8 ounces yellow summer squash

8 ounces pre-cooked diced chicken

4 ounces chopped green peppers

4 ounces chopped onion

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon salt

Butter flavored vegetable oil, as needed

Sauté onions, corn, squash and peppers in oil and remove from heat. Sauté chicken in the same skillet with oil heating thoroughly. Fry okra until golden brown, add salt and pepper. Add other ingredients back into the skillet and reheat. The recipe serves four.

 

Silver Dollar City’s harvest skillet

2 cups frozen green beans

2 cups frozen wax beans

2 cups fresh or frozen halved baby carrots

2 cups thinly sliced skin-on red potatoes

3 pounds ham in 1 inch cubes (may substitute thinly slices smoked sausage)

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup lard or vegetable oil

Paprika, garlic and pepper to taste

Heat lard or oil in a cast iron skillet. Add vegetables, ham or sausage to skillet. Add salt, paprika, garlic and pepper to taste. Make sure the skillet is hot to avoid ingredients absorbing too much oil. Thaw frozen vegetables and use pre-roasted potatoes to reduce prep time. The recipe serves four.

 

Cran-apple raisin dressing

1 box packages stuffing

1/4 cup diced onion

1/4 cup diced celery

1 cup fresh cranberries

1/4 cup raisins

1/4 cup diced apples

1 teaspoon margarine

1/4 teaspoon poultry seasoning

1/4 teaspoon leaf sage

In a 3-quart sauce pan, sauté celery and onion in margarine until transparent. Add seasoning and fruit. In a separate bowl, prepare stuffing mix according to the directions using 3/4 cup of water more than called for, and cook according to directions. Mix stuffing into saucepan with previously prepared mixture of fruit and vegetables. Serve warm. The recipe serves four.

  

Made-from-Scratch Ginger Cookies

(Named a top 20 recipe by Midwest Living Magazine)

2 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup shortening

1 cup sugar plus 1/4 cup aside

2 tablespoons molasses

1 large egg

In a mixing bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, spices and salt. In a second mixing bowl cream shortening and 1 cup of sugar until fluffy. Add molasses and egg. Beat mixture for one minute. Add flour mixture and mix on low speed until combined. Shape the dough into 1 1/2 inch balls and place 3 inches apart on a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until light brown on bottom. Cool on a rack and serve. The recipe makes 20 cookies.

 

Want to go?

For a Silver Dollar City Culinary and Crafts School class schedule, park and event information go to www.silverdollarcity.com or call (800) 831-4FUN.