Photos by Catrina McCulky

Wild Rice Casserole
Jeanne Twitchell

1C. rice, uncooked 1 stick margarine 1 can French onion soup 1 sm. can mushrooms 1 can beef consomme

Mix all ingredients into a baking dish. Bake at 350° for 45 minutes.

Fruit Pizza
Mary Alice Brown

1 lg. Pillsbury sugar cookie dough roll, sliced 1 (8-oz.) pkg. cream cheese 1/2 C. powdered sugar Sauce: 1-1/2 C. fruit juice from any canned fruit 2 T. cornstarch Various fruits, fresh or canned Cool Whip

Crust: Slice the cookie dough and place slices, sides touching, on a pizza pan or jelly roll pan. Press to make a crust. Bake according to package directions and cool.

Sauce: Fruit juice and cornstarch should be mixed well and cooked until thick and clear. Works great in the microwave. Allow to cool.

Topping: Mix cream cheese and powdered sugar until smooth and spread over the cooled crust. Be creative and lay the fruit in any pattern or design your heart desires. When your creation is complete, pour the cooled sauce over the entire pizza. Garnish with Cool Whip prior to serving.

Ginger Bread
Kathryn Link

1 C. sorgham 1 C.sugar 1/2 C. shortening 2 eggs 3 C. flour 2 tsp. baking soda 2 tsp. cinnamon 1 tsp. ginger 1/4 tsp. cloves or allspice

Cream together sorgham, sugar and shortening. Add eggs and beat well. Sift together remaining ingredients. Add dry ingredients, gradually to creamed mixture. Gradually stir in 1 C. very hot, not boiling, water. Bake in a greased 9x13 inch pan at 325° for approximately 35 minutes.

Illinois Country Cooks Cookbook Sale!!! For a limited time, you can purchase our wonderful cookbook for the discounted price of $12. We will even ship it for free. That's a savings of nearly $6. Make sure you get one while supplies last. They make wonderful gifts. If you would like a copy, send a check for $12 for each copy to Illinois Country Living, Attention Catrina McCulley, PO Box 3787, Springfield, IL 62708.

22 | ILLINOIS COUNTRY LIVING | www.icl.coop

Swedish Coffee Braid

2 pkgs. dry yeast 1/4 C. warm water 2-1/2 C. milk, scalded and cooled 3/4 C. butter, melted and cooled 1 egg 1/2 tsp. salt 1 C.sugar 1-1/2 tsp. ground cardamom seed 7 C. flour, or more as needed 1 C. raisins

Blend yeast and water together and let stand for five minutes. Stir in milk, butter, egg, salt, sugar, raisins and cardamom until blended. Stir in flour to form a stiff dough. Turn dough onto a floured board and knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Add flour as needed. Place in a greased bowl and turn over to grease the top. Cover and let rise until almost doubled, 1-1/2 to 2 hours. Punch down and divide into 6 pieces. Roll each into a 24-inch rope. Braid and place on a greased sheet. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 40 minutes. Bake at 350° for 40 minutes. Freezes well and makes 2 very large coffee cakes.

Crab Rangoon

1 (8-oz.) pkg. crabmeat, fresh or imitation 1 (8-oz.) pkg. cream cheese, at room temperature 2 green onions, finely chopped 1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce 1/4 tsp. garlic salt 1 pkg. wonton wrappers 3 C. cooking oil

Combine crabmeat and cream cheese; mix until creamy. Add Worcestershire sauce, garlic salt and onions; mix until well combined. Place a small teaspoonful in the center or a wonton wrapper. Moisten the top and ends of triangle and seal together with a fork. Heat oil to 350°, Deep fry Rangoon until golden brown. May be dipped in sweet and sour sauce or Chinese hot mustard. Uncooked crab Rangoon may be frozen and deep fried directly from the freezer. If desired, soy sauce, hot sauce or oriental seasoning five-spice may be added to the ingredients.

23 | January 2004 | www.aiec.coop