Ladies Aid Society St. Paul Lutheran Church Sadorus, Illinois

ILLINOIS FINEST COOKING Ladies Aid Society of St. Paul Lutheran Church in Sadorus, IL submits their soft-backed, spiral-bound cookbook filled with 177 pages of fabulous recipes. The book sells for $12, which includes postage. To order, contact June Reifsteck, 524 County Road 400 N., Sadorus, IL 61872, or call her at (217) 598-2356.

Last Minute Cranberry Relish
June Reifsteck

1 (8-1/4-oz.) can crushed pineapple
1 (16-oz.) can whole cranberry sauce
1/4 C. pecans, chopped
1/4 tsp. apple pie spice
Pinch of ground cloves

Drain pineapple. Pour cranberry sauce into a 4-cup bowl. Add pineapple, pecans and spices. Mix well. Serve at once or refrigerate for up to a week.

Cheeseburger Casserole
Elma Staley

1 lb. ground beef
1/4 C. onion, chopped
1/8 tsp. black pepper
1/4 C. green pepper, chopped
1 (8-oz.) can tomato sauce
1/4 C. catsup
1 (8-oz.) pkg. cheese slices
1 pkg. refrigerator biscuits

Saute ground beef, green pepper and onion; drain. Stir in black pepper, tomato sauce and catsup. Simmer until heated. Add meat mixture. Alternate meat mixture and cheese slices in a 2-quart casserole. Arrange biscuits around the edge of casserole. Bake at 400° for 20-25 minutes. Note: I like to bake the biscuits first, separately, and add after the casserole is baked. They are not so soggy on the bottom.

Chocolate Chip Pie
Marijo Blacker

1 C. sugar
1/2 C. flour
2 eggs, beaten
1 tsp. vanilla
1 stick oleo, melted
1 C. chopped nuts
1 C. chocolate chips
1 (9-inch) unbaked pie shell

Mix all pie ingredients together, adding nuts and chocolate chips last. Pour into the pie shell and bake at 350° for 40-45 minutes until golden brown. Can be served with Cool Whip or ice cream.

Macaroni Salad
Rita Lybarger

1/2 C. uncooked macaroni
3 bananas, sliced
1 C. pineapple tidbits
1/2 C. pecan pieces
1/2 C. coconut
3/4 C. sugar
1/2 C. pineapple juice
1 T. flour
1 egg

Cook macaroni, drain, cool and set aside. Combine egg, flour, sugar and pineapple juice. Bring to boil and then let cool. Mix all ingredients together, leaving nuts for last.

Dill Dip Arlene Kamradt 2 C. mayonnaise 2 C. sour cream 2 T. Accent 2 T. dill weed 2 T. onion, minced 2 T. parsley flakes Mix all ingredients together. Chill. Serve with fresh vegetables, Hawaiian or rye bread, or crackers.

Hamburger Soup
Shirley Schroeder

2 lbs. hamburger
1 onion, chopped
3 ribs celery, chopped
3 C. tomatoes, fresh or canned, chopped
5 carrots, sliced
1-1/2-2 C. instant rice
3 bay leaves
3 T. beef bouillon or 3 cubes
5 C. water (more or less)
Salt and pepper, to taste

Brown hamburger with onion in a large Dutch oven; drain well. Add bouillon, bay leaves, water and celery. Bring to boil and simmer for 20 minutes. Add vegetables and rice; cook until vegetables are tender. This keeps in the refrigerator for several days and freezes well.

Carmel Nut Crunch
Arlene Kamradt

1/2 C. packed brown sugar
1/2 C. dark corn syrup
1/4 C. oleo or butter
1/2 tsp. salt
6 C. Cheerios cereal
1 C. pecan halves
1/2 C. slivered almonds

Heat oven to 325°. Butter a l5xl0-inch jelly roll pan. Heat brown sugar, corn syrup, butter and salt in a 3-quart saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly until sugar is dissolved, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in cereal and nuts until well coated. Spread in pan. Bake 15 minutes. Cool until slightly firm, 5-7 minutes, then loosen with a metal spatula. Let stand until firm, about 1 hour. Store in a covered container. Makes about 8 cups.

Apple, Peach, Strawberry & Pumpkin Recipes plus Eckert Family Favorites!

Eckert's Country Store and Farms in Belleville, IL submits its soft-backed, spiral-bound cookbook filled with delicious apple, peach, strawberry and pumpkin recipes. The book sells for $10, which includes postage. To order, contact Angela Gordon, 951 S. Greenmount Rd., Belleville, IL 62220, or call her at (618) 233-0513,ext. 119.

Taffy Apple Pizza

1 (20-oz.) pkg. refrigeirated sugar cookie dough
2 T. creamy peanut butter
1 (8-oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
1/2 C. packed brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
3 Granny Smith apples
1/2 C. water
2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1/8 C. caramel ice cream topping or caramel apple dip

Roll out cookie dough into a large rectangle jelly roll pan. Bake at 350° for 11-14 minutes or until cookie dough is lightly browned. Allow to cool for 10 minutes. In a small bowl, combine peanut butter, cream cheese, brown sugar and vanilla. Blend until smooth. Spread mixture on cooled cookie dough. Pare and slice apples. In a small bowl, combine water and lemon juice. Dip apple slices in water/lemon mixture to prevent browning. Arrange apple slices on top of cream cheese mixture. Drizzle caramel topping over apples. Cut into pieces and serve.

Strawberry-Chicken Crunch Salad Patty Peek

2 (5-oz.) cans chunk chicken
2 T. sesame seeds
2 T. slivered almonds
1-1/2 C. shredded cabbage
3 green onions, chopped
1 pkg. Ramen Noodles, uncooked and broken into small pieces
1 C. strawberries, hulled and sliced

Dressing:
2 T. sugar
1/2 C. vegetable oil
1 tsp. salt
1 (0.9-oz.) pkg. Good Seasons Italian dressing mix
1/2 tsp. pepper

In a large salad bowl, toss all salad ingredients together and refrigerate. Dressing: In a small container, mix sugar, oil, salt, dressing mix and pepper together and shake well. When ready to serve, drizzle dressing over top of salad.

Peach-Stuffed Pork Tenderloin

1 C. peaches, peeled and sliced
1/4 C. toasted almonds, sliced
1/4 C. soft bread crumbs
1/4 C. carrots, shredded
2 T. onion, chopped
1/2 tsp. fresh gingerroot, minced
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 lb. pork tenderloin Oil
1 T. orange marmalade

In a bowl, combine the first 8 ingredients; set aside. Make a lengthwise cut 3/4 of the way through the pork tenderloin; open and flatten to 1/4-inch thickness. Spread peach mixture over pork tenderloin. Roll up from the long side, tuck in ends and secure with toothpicks. Place on a rack in a shallow roasting pan and brush lightly with oil. Bake uncovered for 20-25 minutes at 425° or until meat thermometer reads 155°. Brush meat with orange marmalade. Bake for and additional 5-10 minutes. Allow to stand 5 minutes before slicing.

Cream Cheese Pumpkin Muffins

Filling:
1 (8-oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 egg, beaten
2 T sugar

Topping:
2/3 C. coconut flakes
1/2 C. pecans, chopped
3 T sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Batter:
2-1/4 C. flour
2 C. sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
2 eggs, beaten
1-1/4 C. canned pumpkin
1/4 C. vegetable oil
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Filling: In a small bowl, beat cream cheese, egg and sugar together; set aside. Topping: In a bowl, stir ingredients for topping together; set aside. Batter: In a large mixing bowl, combine flour sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Make a "well" in the center. In another bowl, stir eggs, pumpkin, oil and vanilla together then pour into the "well." Stir until mixture is just moistened. Grease 24 regular-sized muffin cups, or line with paper baking cups. Fill cups 1/3 full with batter, then drop one heaping teaspoon of filling on top and add additional batter until 2/3 full. Sprinkle each with topping mixture. Bake at 375° for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

SEPTEMBER 2002 ILLINOIS COUNTRY LIVING 23