More church recipes to enjoy

I think by now many of you know how much I love a new cookbook. I was so excited when my sister, Pat, gave me a new cookbook for Christmas. I have really enjoyed reading it over the past couple of weeks as time has allowed. The cookbook "Church Suppers" contains 722 favorite recipes from church cookbooks across the country.

In reading through the book, I quickly realized that United Methodists love to cook and every church must have a cookbook of their own. Each recipe in the book lists the contributing person as well as the name of the church and its location. It has been a fun book to read and enjoy.

I jotted down a few recipe titles inside the front cover that I want to try soon. I will pass a few of those onto you.

Cold Peach Soup

5 large peaches, peeled and quartered

1/4 cup sugar, or less as desired

1 cup sour cream

1/4 cup lemon juice

1/4 cup sweet cream sherry, optional or substitute as desired

2 tablespoons thawed orange juice concentrate

Fresh peaches, peeled and sliced for garnish

In a blender, puree the peaches with the sugar. Stir in the sour cream. Add the lemon juice, sherry, and orange juice. Blend until smooth. Transfer the mixture to a bowl. Cover and refrigerate until well chilled. Garnish each bowl with sliced peaches and serve.

Eggnog Bread

1/2 cup melted butter

1 1/2 cups sugar

4 eggs, beaten

2 cups eggnog

4 1/2 cups flour

4 teaspoon baking powder

2 teaspoon salt

1 cup chopped pecans

1 cup chopped cherries

1 cup raisins

1 cup dates

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, using a fork, blend the butter and sugar together. Stir in the eggs, then gradually stir in the eggnog. Mix well. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Gradually add the dry mixture to the eggnog mixture. Do not use an electric beater. Fold in pecans, cherries, raisins and dates. Fill loaf pans three-fourth full, using 6 small 6-by-3 1/2-by-2-inch pans or one 9-by-5-by-3-inch pan. Bake for 25 minutes.

Crab Cakes

2 slices bread, crusts removed

4 teaspoons milk

1 tablespoon mayonnaise

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon parsley flakes

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 tablespoon Old Bay seasoning

1 egg, beaten

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1 pound lump crabmeat

Vegetable oil

Break the bread into small pieces and moisten with the milk. Combine the bread and the remaining ingredients in a small glass bowl and mix well. Shape into cakes. Fry or broil until golden brown.

Christmas Recipe for Salmon

2 cups fresh cranberries

1/4 cup water

2 cups diced fennel

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

1/2 cup white grape juice

1 tablespoon onion, diced

Juice of 1 lime

1/2 teaspoon chopped jalapeno

1 tablespoon chopped cilantro

Salt and pepper to taste

4 salmon fillets, boneless and skinless, 8 ounces each

A basic court bouillon, white wine, white grape juice or beer for poaching, or other liquid as you desire

Cook the cranberries in the water until the berries pop and the mixture thickens. Set aside to cool. Dice the fennel, removing the outer layers first. In a bowl, combine the cranberries, fennel, allspice, grate juice, onion, lime juice, jalapeno pepper and cilantro. Season with salt and pepper and refrigerate for at least four hours to allow the flavors to blend. Poach the salmon fillets in a basic court bouillon, white wine, white grape juice, beer or other desired liquid. Poach for 8 minutes for each one-inch of thickness. To serve, place cranberry relish on individual plates, top with a salmon fillet and circle with accompanying vegetables of your choice.

Orange-Dijon Chicken Saltimbocca

4 boneless chicken breast halves

4 thin slices prosciutto

4 slices mozzarella or provolone cheese

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 can Campbell's Cream of Chicken Dijon Soup

3/4 cup orange juice

1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage, or 1 teaspoon rubbed sage

1/2 cup drained mandarin orange segments

Cut a lengthwise pocket in each chicken breast. Stuff each with 1 slice of prosciutto and 1 slice of cheese. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Add the chicken and cook until browned on both sides. Add the soup, orange juice, and sage. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes, or until done. Add the mandarin orange segments and heat through.

Mock Champagne

4 cups sugar

4 cups water

4 cups grape juice or pineapple juice

2 cups orange juice

8 pints ginger ale, chilled

Boil the sugar and water for 3 minutes and cool. Add the juices and chill. Just before serving, add the chilled ginger ale. Makes about 50 servings.

Coffee Lovers' Freeze

3/4 cup sugar

1 1/2 cups milk

1 1/2 cups cold coffee

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups whipping cream

in a heavy saucepan, combine the sugar and the milk. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Remove the pan from the heat and let cool. In a bowl, combine milk mixture, coffee, vanilla, and 1 cup of the whipping cream; mix well. Pour the mixture into a loaf pan and freeze until it has the consistency of slush, 1 to 2 hours. Beat the remaining whipping cream until stiff peaks form. Don't overbeat. Just before serving, stir the slush mixture into dessert dishes, filling them two-thirds full. Top with the whipped cream. Makes 6 1-cup servings.

These are just a few of the recipes I thought looked interesting, different or just had not had in a long time and sounded good. I hope you enjoy trying these as well.

I am out of room for this week, and as always, I would love to hear from you and hear what you are cooking at your house.

Have a wonderful week, and 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.