Goodbye, Flash; hello, 'Feeding the Flock'

We had a death in our family this week. One of our 9-year-old daughter's fish passed away. The fish, named Flash, was found lying on the bottom of the tank. We got him out and had a nice, quiet burial. With his passing, there was still one fish left behind, so we had to get him a new friend. Daughter and Daddy went to the store to get a new friend and came home with three new fish. Now we have a whole family. She has had fun naming them and watching them get used to their new home. Oh, to be 9 again and have that as the biggest worry of the week.

You know by now how much I love getting a new cookbook. I usually can't put it down and read it from cover to cover, marking the recipes I want to try right away.

A couple of weeks ago, my friend Melba Smith from the Cape Girardeau Senior Center gave me a cookbook from her church. The "Feeding the Flock" cookbook from the Women's Ministries of Cape Church of God is a nice 82-page book filled with a good variety of recipes in eight sections. Among its many great qualities, I especially like the sugar-free and sourdough recipes. I would like to pass along a few recipes from the book for you to try and enjoy.

Orange Chicken

6 boneless chicken breast halves

1/4 stick margarine

2 tablespoons flour

Dash ground ginger

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 1/2 cups orange juice

1/2 cup slivered almonds

1/2 cup seedless raisins

Cooked rice

Sprinkle chicken with salt; brown in margarine. Take chicken out of pan and pour off drippings except for 2 tablespoons. Blend flour and spices in reserved drippings and brown slightly. Add orange juice. Cook over low heat until thick. Then add almonds, raisins and chicken. Cover skillet and cook on low for approximately 30 minutes. Serve over rice. Yields 6 servings.

Oven Barbecued Pork Chops

8 1-inch-thick pork chops

1 teaspoon oil

Salt to taste

8 slices lemon, 1/4-inch thick

8 slices onion

1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce

1/2 cup dark brown sugar

Salt and pepper pork chops. In a skillet, sautZ pork chops in oil. Transfer to a large, 2-quart casserole dish. Top with lemon and onion slices. Combine tomato sauce and brown sugar; pour over chops. Cover and bake in 325-degree oven for 60 minutes. Baste occasionally. Remove, cover and bake 15 minutes longer, continually basting. Yield 8 servings.

Oven Fried Catfish

3/4 cup crushed corn flakes

3/4 teaspoon celery salt

1/4 teaspoon onion powder

1/4 teaspoon paprika

Dash pepper

Vegetable cooking spray

4 (6-ounce) catfish fillets

Combine corn flakes, celery salt, onion powder, paprika and pepper; set aside. Spray all sides of fish with cooking spray and coat with cornflake mixture. Arrange fillets in a single layer on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Spray tops of fish with cooking spray. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork.

Tostada Grande

1 pound lean ground beef

1/2 package taco seasoning mix

1 cup (8 ounces) tomato sauce

1 cup (4 ounces) diced green chiles, drained

1 package crescent dinner rolls

1 small can sliced black olives, drained

1 cup refried beans

4 ounces shredded Cheddar and mozzarella cheese mixture

1/2 head lettuce, shredded

1 large tomato, chopped

1 small onion, chopped

Sour cream, if desired

In a skillet, brown ground beef; drain well. Stir in seasoning, tomato sauce and chiles; heat until hot and bubbly. Simmer uncovered, for 15 minutes or until mixture thickens. Lightly grease a 9x10-inch pie plate. Separate rolls; arrange in pan. Layer black olives and refried beans in pan; top with meat mixture. Bake at 375 degrees for 18 to 22 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Sprinkle immediately with cheese. Garnish with lettuce, tomatoes and onion. Top with sour cream, if desired. Serves 4 to 6.

Fresh Spinach Salad

1 pound fresh spinach

3 hard-boiled eggs, sliced

8 slices bacon, fried crisp and crumbled

1 onion, chopped

Mushrooms, sliced; optional

1 cup bean sprouts; optional

Dressing:

1 cup salad oil

3/4 cup sugar

1/3 cup ketchup

1/4 cup vinegar

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Salt and pepper

Layer in a large bowl, spinach, eggs, bacon, onion, mushrooms, and sprouts. Pour on dressing and toss just before serving.

For the dressing, in a bowl, mix together all ingredients with a wire whip. Mix well and add to spinach salad.

Melt-In-Your Mouth Pumpkin Bread

1 1/4 cups vegetable oil

5 eggs

2 cups pumpkin

2 cups flour

2 cups sugar

2 (3 ounces) boxes coconut pie filling and pudding mix

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Mix oil, eggs and pumpkin. Combine remaining ingredients and add to pumpkin mixture. Divide the mixture in two 9-by-5-by-3-inch loaf pans. Bake at 325 degrees for about 1 hour or until the loaves test done.

Mexican Corn Bread with Sausage

1 1/2 cups corn meal

2 tablespoons flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons garlic salt

1 cup creamed corn

2 eggs

1 cup milk

1 small onion, chopped

1 pound pork sausage, uncooked

4 ounces Cheddar cheese, grated

4 ounces mozzarella cheese, grated

In a large bowl, mix together cornmeal, flour, baking soda, garlic salt, corn, eggs, milk, and onion; mix well. Spread 1/2 of the batter in a greased 9-by-13-inch pan. Drop raw sausage into batter. Sprinkle with cheeses and top with rest of batter. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

There were so many recipes I had marked I couldn't hardly decide which ones to include here.

I am all out of room for this week, so until next time, happy cooking. .

Susan McClanahan is administrator at the Cape Girardeau Senior Center. Send recipes to her at smcclanahan@semissourian.-com or by mail at P.O. Box 699, Cape Girardeau, Mo. 63701. Recipes published have not been kitchen-tested by the Southeast Missourian staff.