Hall of Fame list of recipes

For my birthday my parents gave me "The Recipe Hall of Fame Cookbook, Winning Recipes from Hometown America." The 450 selections are from 11,000 recipes in the acclaimed Quail Ridge Press State Cookbook Series. I have a few cookbooks from that series, and they are all great. Now, in this Hall of Fame book, the publishers have selected the best from all of those books. I really have enjoyed reading the recipes and seeing which state they came from. You may wish to find this book and read it cover to cover, as I have. I will pass along a few recipes from the book to you today.

Chicken Florentine with Mushroom Sauce, Texas

1/2 cup minced onion

1 tablespoon margarine

2 (10-ounce) packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained

1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Swiss cheese

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, pounded flat

Saute onion in margarine. Remove from heat and add spinach, cheese and nutmeg. Spoon spinach mixture into 4 mounds in lightly greased 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Place chicken piece over each mound. Bake 350 degrees for 20 to 30 minutes or until chicken is done.

Mushroom Sauce

2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms

1 tablespoon margarine

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

1 cup chicken broth

1 cup milk

1/2 cup dry white wine

White pepper to taste

Saute mushrooms in margarine until liquid evaporates. Add lemon juice, broth, milk, wine and white pepper to mushrooms. Bring to a boil and cook until liquid is reduced by 2/3 and sauce is slightly thickened. Spoon 1/4 of sauce over each serving. Serves 4.

Ozark Chicken Casserole, Missouri

2 cups cooked diced chicken

1 cup cooked rice

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 cup chopped celery

1 medium onion, chopped

1/2 cup mayonnaise

3 hard-cooked eggs, chopped

1 can cream of chicken soup

Salt and pepper, to taste

1/2 stick butter, melted

2 cups Pepperidge Farm Herb-Seasoned Stuffing Mix

Combine chicken, rice, juice, celery, onion, mayonnaise, eggs, soup and seasoning thoroughly and place in greased casserole. Mix butter and stuffing and sprinkle on top. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes.

Southwest Orange-Chile Chicken with Black Beans, New Mexico

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 whole chicken, 3 to 4 pounds, skinned and cut into serving pieces

1 large purple onion, halved and thinly sliced

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 1/2 cups freshly squeezed orange juice

3/4 cup chicken stock

3 tablespoons hot chile sauce

1 3/4 cups cooked black beans with 2 tablespoons liquid

1 red bell pepper, cut into strips

1 tablespoon dark rum

Salt and pepper to taste

Chopped fresh cilantro

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Brown chicken on all sides in oil; remove to a plate lined with paper towels. Saute onion in pan drippings until limp and slightly browned, about 8 minutes. Add garlic and saute 1 minute. Return chicken to skillet, and add orange juice, stock, and chile sauce. Cover and simmer over low heat 30 minutes. Add black beans and liquid and bell pepper strips. Simmer, uncovered, 30 minutes. Add rum, salt and pepper; simmer 15 minutes. Sprinkle with cilantro, and serve immediately. Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Melt-In-Your-Mouth Blueberry Cake, Maine

2 eggs, separated

1 cup sugar, divided

1/2 cup margarine, softened

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2 cups sifted flour plus 1 tablespoon for coating blueberries

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/3 cup milk

1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries

Cinnamon sugar for topping

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat egg whites until stiff. Beat in 1/4 cup sugar. Cream margarine; add salt, vanilla and remaining sugar gradually. Add egg yolks and beat until creamy. Sift flour with baking powder. Add alternately to creamed mixture with milk. Fold in beaten egg whites. Coat blueberries with 1 tablespoon flour. Fold in berries. Turn into a well- greased and floured 8-by-8-inch pan. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar on top. Bake in 350 degree oven 40 to 50 minutes. Cool on rack. Wrap any leftovers and store in the refrigerator. May be frozen. Serves 8.

Marie Wallace's World's Best Cookies, Indiana

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed

1 egg, slightly beaten

1 cup vegetable or canola oil

1 cup quick oats

1 cup crushed cornflakes, measure after crushing

3 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup coconut

1 cup pecans, chopped rather fine

Red or green glazed cherries for decoration, optional

Cream butter with the sugars. Add the egg and the oil. Mix well. Add oats, cornflakes, flour, soda, salt and vanilla. Mix well. Stir in coconut and nuts. Roll in 1-inch balls of dough and place on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Flatten the balls with a fork in a crisscross pattern. Dip fork in water between cookies. If desired, place glazed cherry half in the center of each cookie. Bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes, or until light brown. Do not overbake. Makes 8 to 10 dozen cookies.

It is difficult to select a few recipes from such a large book, so I just opened it and pointed to recipes, and that is what made it into the column today. I hope you enjoyed it.

Have a great week, and until next time, happy cooking.

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