Illinois' Finest Cooking

The Plumfield Christian Church of West Frankfort, Illinois submits its cookbook, Taste and See. The book is soft-backed and comb-bound. It is filled with 125 pages of delicious recipes. The cost of the book is $7 plus $2.50 shipping and handling. To order, contact Peggy Fitch at (618) 932-6327 or e-mail her at fitch@heis.net.

Vegetable Pizza
Dot Sweet

1 pkg. crescent rolls
1 pkg. cream cheese
1 tsp. dill
1 C. mayonnaise
1 C. sour cream
1 tsp. dry onion flakes
Tomatoes
Peppers
Cheddar cheese
Mushrooms
Broccoli

In a pizza pan or jelly roll pan, press together crescent rolls and bake at 375° for 10-15 minutes. Combine cream cheese, dill, mayonnaise, sour cream and onion flakes. Spread over cooled crust. Place cut up vegetables on top and sprinkle with Cheddar cheese.

Crab Salad
Peggy Fitch
1 (12-16-oz.) imitation crab meat
1 sm. onion, chopped
2 stalks of celery, chopped
1 C. black olives, chopped
1 C. shell macaroni, cooked
Salad dressing

Cook shell macaroni according to package directions. Drain and cool. Mix macaroni, onion, celery and olives. Serve with your favorite dressing and crackers.

Texas Potatoes
Brenda Qayer
2 lb. bag hash brown potatoes, thawed
1/2-3/4 C. onions, chopped
1 C. cream of mushroom soup
1 (8-oz.) ctn. sour cream
1 C. shredded Cheddar cheese
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 stick butter, melted
1 C. corn flake crumbs

Mix potatoes, onions, soup, sour cream, cheese, salt and pepper. Place into a 9x13-inch baking dish. Mix corn flake crumbs with melted butter and sprinkle on top. Bake at 350° for approximately 1 hour.

Streusel Pumpkin Pie
Sherry Fitch
1 (9-inch) unbaked pie shell
1 (16-oz.) can pumpkin
1 (12-14-oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
2 eggs
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp. salt

Topping:
1/2 C. brown sugar, packed
1/2 C. flour
1/4 C. cold margarine or butter
1/4 C. chopped nuts

Pie: Preheat oven to 425°. In a large mixing howl, combine pumpkin, sweetened condensed milk, eggs, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt. Mix well. Pour into the pie shell. Bake for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 350° and bake for and additional 30 minutes. While pie is baking, mix streusel topping. Topping: In a medium bowl, combine brown sugar and flour. Cut in cold margarine or butter until crumbly. Stir in chopped nuts. Sprinkle on top of pie. Return to oven for 20 minutes.

Baked Chicken Breasts
Carla Qayer
4 chicken breasts, split/boneless
Salt and pepper, to taste
8 slices Velveeta or Swiss cheese
1 can cream of mushroom soup
3/4 C. white wine
2 C. seasoned croutons, coarsely crushed
1/3 C. melted butter or oleo

Arrange chicken in a glass baking dish. Season with salt and pepper. Place 1 slice of cheese on each piece. Mix soup with wine and spoon evenly over chicken. Sprinkle croutons on top. Drizzle with melted butter. Cover with foil. Bake at 325° for 1-1/2 hours. Remove foil for the last 10 minutes of baking.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
Benny Qayer
1 C. margarine
1 C. brown sugar, packed
1 C. sugar
2 lg. eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1-1/2 C. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
3 C. oatmeal, uncooked
1 (12-oz.) bag chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375°. In a large bowl, beat margarine until light. Add sugars; beat until fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla. Beat well. Add flour, baking soda and salt. Mix well. Stir in oatmeal and chocolate chips until thoroughly combined. Drop by rounded tablespoons onto a cookie sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes or until cookies are just set. Do not overbake. Makes about 5 dozen.

22 ILLINOIS COUNTRY LIVING www.aiec.org

Camp Cilca of Cantrall, Illinois submits its 50th anniversary cookbook, Camp Cilca Cooking. The book is paper-backed and comb-bound. It is filled with 56 pages of wonderful recipes. The cost of the book is $10, which includes postage. To order, contact Charlotte Bueltmann at 8687 Hilltop Ct., Dawson, 1L 62520 or call her at (217) 364-4513.

Coffee Cake
2 eggs
1 C. sugar
1 C. milk
4 T. melted shortening
2 C. flour
4 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1/2 C. brown sugar, packed
2 tsp. cinnamon
2 T. flour
2 T. butter, softened
1 C. nuts

Mix eggs, sugar, milk, shortening, flour, baking powder and salt together. Pour into a 9x13-inch pan. Sprinkle with a mixture of brown sugar, cinnamon, flour, butter and nuts. Bake at 375° for 20-25 minutes.

Kim's Favorite Corn
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 can corn with liquid
1 can creamed corn
1 stick butter, melted
1 C. sour cream
1 box Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix

Mix all ingredients together. Bake in a preheated oven at 350° for one hour or until firm.

Taco Salad
1 med. head of lettuce
1 lb. hamburger
1 pkg. taco seasoning
1 can kidney beans, (opt.)
1 lg. onion
4 med. tomatoes, diced
1 (8-oz.) pkg. Cheddar cheese
1 pkg. taco flavored chips

Dressing:
1 (8-oz.) bottle Thousand Island dressing
1/3 C. sugar
1 T. taco sauce
1 T. taco seasoning

Brown hamburger. Add taco seasoning, reserving 1 T. for dressing. In a large bowl, layer salad ingredients starting with lettuce and ending with cheese. Cover and refrigerate. At serving time, toss salad with dressing and taco chips.

Pauline's Brunch Egg Bake
3 C. Cheddar cheese, shredded
3 C. Mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 jar mushrooms, drained (opt.)
1/3 C. onion, chopped (opt.)
1/2 med. bell pepper, chopped (opt.)
1/4 C. butter, melted
8-oz. cooked ham, chopped or sausage, browned
1/2 C. flour
1-3/4 C. milk
8 eggs, beaten

In a large bowl, toss cheeses and sprinkle half in an ungreased 9x13-inch pan. Saute mushrooms, onions and pepper with butter until tender. Layer over cheese. Spread ham or sausage over vegetables and sprinkle remaining cheese over the top. Blend flour, milk, and eggs and pour mixture over layers. Bake in a 350° oven for 35-45 minutes.

Company Casserole
1 (8-oz.) pkg. noodles
1-1/2 lb. ground beef
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. garlic salt
1 (15-oz.) can tomato sauce
1 C. cottage cheese
1 C. sour cream
1 med. onion, chopped
3/4 C. grated cheese

Cook noodles as directed on package and drain. Brown ground beef and onion; drain. Add salt, pepper, garlic salt and tomato sauce. Simmer for 5 minutes. Combine sour cream and cottage cheese with noodles. Pour 1/2 of meat mixture into a 9x13-inch pan. Add noodle mixture. Top with rest of meat sauce. Sprinkle with grated cheese. Bake at 325° for 45 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Chocolate Chip Cookies
3 C. butter
3 C. shortening
5 C. sugar
5 C. brown sugar
6 eggs
3-1/2 T. vanilla
8 C. flour
5 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
6 C. chocolate chips

Cream butter, shortening and sugars very well. Add eggs and vanilla. Add dry ingredients and stir. Stir in chocolate chips. Spoon onto a cookie sheet and bake at 375° for 10-12 minutes.

The Tazewell County Genealogical and Historical Society of Pekin submitted their cookbook, Cooking Up Memories, which appeared in our December 2001 issue. The price of the cookbook was left out of the description. It is $17 including shipping.

NOVEMBER 2002 ILLINOIS COUNTRY LIVING 23