Rowan Magazine - The People, the Places, the Way of Life

In honor of our finance issue, we asked local bankers to weigh in on more than just the economic forecast. Rowan County bank employees shared their favorite recipes.

1 onion, chopped
2 tablespoons of vegetable oil
1 (14.5 ounce) can of whole peeled tomatoes, drained and chopped
1 (4 ounce) can of diced green chilies, drained
1 (10 ounce) package of frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
10 ounces of Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
1 (8 ounce) package of cream cheese, softened
1 cup of half & half cream
1 tablespoon of red wine vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Sauté onion in skillet over medium heat in oil until softened, about 4 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and chilies, let cook 2 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and stir in spinach, cheese, cream cheese, half & half and vinegar. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Spoon mixture into shallow baking dish like a 9-inch quiche dish or pie plate. Bake in the preheated oven until the dip is bubbly and the top is light brown, about 35 minutes.

Janet Johnson
Customer Service Representative
Community Bank of Rowan, Salisbury Branch

1 pound of hamburger
1 small to medium onion
2 packs of El Paso taco seasoning
1 (16 ounce) container of sour cream
1 head of lettuce
1 large tomato
2 cups of cheddar cheese, shredded

Brown the hamburger with the onion. Drain well and add one pack of El Paso taco seasoning, refer to directions on the back of the package. Let meat completely cool. Then mix 16 ounce container of sour cream with the other pack of El Paso taco seasoning. Spread sour cream mixture evenly on a platter. Then spread meat. Sprinkle shredded cheddar cheese, lettuce and tomato on top. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Serve with nacho chips.

Christine Trexler
Teller
Citizen South Bank

5 cucumbers, peeled and sliced
2 cups of red onion, sliced
½ cup of Kraft Light Done Right Italian dressing
¼ cup of sugar (or sugar substitute to equal ¼ cup)

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes to marinate. Serve chilled.

Kay Yates
Branch Manager
F&M Bank, Rockwell Office

6 to 8 medium potatoes
½ cup of onion, chopped
1 cup of cheese, grated
1 (8 ounce) pack of sour cream
1 can of cream of mushroom soup
Salt and pepper to taste
Ritz crackers, crushed

Peel, boil and break potatoes into pieces, put in a 15” x 9” casserole dish. In a separate bowl, mix the onion, cheese, sour cream and soup; pour over potatoes. Salt and pepper to taste. Top with Ritz crackers. Bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes or until bubbly.

Roxanne Maddry
Loan Review Specialist
F&M Bank

3 pounds of potatoes, peeled and chopped
1/2 onion, diced (add more to taste)
1 box of chicken broth
2 cans of cream of celery soup
8 ounces of cheddar cheese, shredded
1 container of half & half cream
Salt and pepper to taste
Bacon Bits (optional)

Place potatoes and diced onions in pot and cover with chicken broth, adding water if needed to completely cover them. Boil until they are tender and remove from heat. Add two cans of cream of celery soup and stir until dissolved. Add shredded cheddar cheese and stir (It will begin to thicken when the cheese is added). Add enough of the half & half to reach the desired consistency. Add salt and pepper to taste. Ladle into bowl and top with bacon bits if desired.

Marla J. Rayfield
Community Office Manager
CommunityOne Bank

1 pound of bulk sausage (hot or mild)
1 large onion, chopped
2 green bell peppers, chopped
2 cans of light red kidney beans
2 cans of diced potatoes or 4 raw potatoes, diced
2 cans of diced tomatoes
12 ounces of tomato juice
Chili powder to taste
Salt and pepper to taste

Crumble and brown the sausage until done. In a large pot, combine sausage and all other ingredients. Cook on medium-high, stirring occasionally, for 30-45 minutes or until potatoes are done (if using raw potatoes instead of canned).

Pat Lord
Retail Services Supervisor
CommunityOne Bank, Enochville Branch

6 cups of tortilla chips
3 cups of cooked chicken, diced or shredded
2 cups of cheddar and Monterrey Jack cheese blend, shredded
2 tablespoons of Jamaican jerk rub, divided
1 small yellow or red pepper
1 lime
2 tablespoons of snipped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup of sour cream
1 teaspoon of additional Jamaican jerk rub

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Arrange tortilla chips in a slightly overlapping layer on a large round baking stone. In a bowl, combine chicken, cheese and 1 tablespoon of the rub; mix gently. Sprinkle chicken mixture evenly over tortilla chips. Bake 5-7 minutes or until cheese is melted; remove from oven to cool. Dice bell pepper and cut lime in half crosswise. Juice half of the lime in a small bowl; add bell pepper and remaining rub, and mix well. Snip cilantro and mince. Slice remaining lime half, cut slices in half. Spoon bell pepper mixture over nachos; sprinkle evenly with cilantro. If desired, combine sour cream and additional rub in re-sealable plastic bag; trim corner to allow sour cream to flow through. Pipe sour cream mixture over nachos. Garnish with lime slices.

Heidi Whitesell
VP, Commercial SBA Lender
Community Bank of Rowan

1 can of refrigerated crescent rolls
1 pound of hamburger
1 (6 ounce) can of tomato paste
1 small onion, chopped
1 (2 cup) package of mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of pepper
1 tablespoon of dried Italian seasoning

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line 9” pie plate with crescent rolls and pinch seams together to form crust. Brown hamburger and drain. Add tomato paste, onion, salt, pepper and Italian seasoning; mix together. Press hamburger mixture into crust and top with mozzarella cheese. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until crust is brown and cheese is melted.

Doris Shive
CSR
F&M Bank, Avalon Branch

1 box of Duncan Hines yellow butter cake mix
½ cup of oil
4 eggs
1 can of mandarin oranges

Mix ingredients and bake at 350 degrees F.

Topping
1 (20 ounce) can of crushed pineapple
1 large box of instant vanilla pudding
1 large carton of whipped cream

Mix together and spread on cake once cool. Refrigerate cake once iced.

Joyce Durkee
Teller
Citizen South Bank

5 bananas
3 sticks of butter
2 cups of graham crackers, crushed
2 eggs
2 cups of powdered sugar
1 large can of crushed pineapple, drained
1 large container of whipped cream
1 small package of nuts
1 small bottle of cherries

Mix one stick of butter and two cups of graham cracker crumbs. Make crust. In electric mixer, combine two eggs, two sticks of butter and two cups of powdered sugar; beat for at least 15 minutes. Spread over crust. Next put the sliced bananas on top. Spread the drained pineapple over the bananas; cover with whipped cream and top with nuts and cherries. Refrigerate over night.

Barbara McLaughlin
F&M Bank

1 box of devil’s food cake mix
1 small jar of butterscotch ice cream topping
1 small jar of caramel ice cream topping
1 large container of non-dairy whipped topping
1 can sweetened condensed milk
Chocolate candy
Cherries

Bake cake in rectangular pan using directions on box. Let cool. Poke holes in top of cake. Pour ice cream topping over cake. Spread whipped cream over topping. Top with chocolate shavings of your favorite candy and cherries. Place in refrigerator. Tastes like a chocolate sundae.