As these recipes from "The Church Supper Cookbook" show, some of America's most beloved and time-tested dishes originated at potluck suppers in houses of worship. Next time you're invited to a communal meal, bring one along.

Baked Beans
Golden Potato Salad
Cole Slaw for 24
Chicken and Corn Pudding
Classic Lasagna Plus Two
Turkey Florentine Casserole
Ham Loaf
Cheese Strata
Scripture Cake
Chocolate Angel Pie

Grace Manney's Baked BeansBoth Grace and her recipe are well known at the Mendon Community Church.

 

1 pound yellow-eye beans

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon dry mustard

1/3 pound salt pork, thinly sliced

Soak beans overnight. Leave in soaking water and add sugar, salt, and mustard. Add water as necessary to cover beans. Cook until beans are tender. Turn into bean pot or Dutch oven, arranging salt pork slices on top. Cover and bake at 275-F for 6-8 hours, adding water from time to time when dry. Serves 6-8.

 

 

Golden Potato Salad

6 cups peeled, diced, and boiled potatoes

1/2 cup diced cucumber

1/2 cup chopped onion

2 tablespoons chopped chives

2/3 cup mayonnaise

1/3 cup yogurt

2 tablespoons cider vinegar

1 tablespoon prepared mustard

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Paprika

Combine potatoes, cucumber, onion, and chives in large bowl. Blend mayonnaise, yogurt, vinegar, mustard, salt, and pepper in small bowl. Pour over potato mixture and blend thoroughly. Refrigerate several hours. Sprinkle with paprika before serving. Serves 6-8.

--Carol Jensen, United Church of Hardwick, Hardwick, VT

 

Cole Slaw for 24

4 cups mayonnaise

1 cup sugar

1 cup vinegar

4 teaspoons salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

8 teaspoons prepared mustard

2 teaspoons celery seed

12 cups shredded cabbage

With electric mixer or blender, combine mayonnaise, sugar, vinegar, salt, pepper, mustard, and celery seed. Toss with cabbage and chill.

--Edith Downing, Killingworth Congregational Church, Killingworth, CT

 

Chicken and Corn Pudding
A smooth taste that goes well with other casseroles and with salads.

2 cups diced cooked chicken

3 eggs, well-beaten

3 cups milk

2 tablespoons flour

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1/4 cup minced onion

1/4 cup green pepper

1 3/4 cups canned whole-kernel corn, drained

Place chicken in greased casserole dish. Beat eggs, milk, and flour together in bowl, and add salt, pepper, onion, green pepper, and corn. Pour over chicken. Bake at 325-F for 1 hour or longer--until custard is set and knife inserted in center comes out clean. Serves 6-8.

 

 

Turkey Florentine
Turkey, spinach, and mushrooms in a smoothly delicious sauce.

8 tablespoons butter

1 chicken bouillon cube

3 cups diced cooked turkey

1 cup canned, drained mushrooms

1/4 cup flour

2 cups milk

1 cup grated Colby or Cheddar cheese

1 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons sherry

Dash of nutmeg

2 packages (10 ounces each) frozen chopped spinach, cooked and drained

Melt four tablespoons butter and crunch bouillon into hot butter. Sauté turkey in butter for 2-3 minutes, stirring to heat evenly. Remove turkey and add mushrooms to butter. Sauté for 2-3 minutes and add to turkey. Keep turkey and mushrooms hot. In same pan used to sauté, melt remaining four tablespoons butter and blend in flour. Gradually add milk, stirring until sauce is smooth and thick. Add cheese, salt, sherry, and nutmeg, stirring until cheese is melted. Butter a 9x13 inch baking dish. Spread spinach over bottom. Cover with turkey and mushroom mixture. Pour sauce over all and bake at 350-F for 30 minutes, or until heated through and bubbly. Serves 8.

 

Classic Lasagna Plus Two
The eggs and zucchini are the two pluses--they make the difference!

 

1 pound ground beef

3/4 cup chopped onions

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 can (28 ounces) Italian tomatoes

2 cans (6 ounces each) tomato paste

2 cups water

4 tablespoons chopped parsley

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon oregano

8 ounces lasagna noodles

1 pound cottage or ricotta cheese

8 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

3 hard boiled eggs, sliced

2 cups thinly sliced zucchini

In large heavy pan, lightly brown beef and onion in oil. Add tomatoes (with juice), tomato paste, parsley, salt, garlic powder, pepper, and oregano, and simmer uncovered about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, cook lasagna noodles as directed. In 9x13 baking pan, spread about 1 cup of sauce. Then alternate layers of noodles, sauce, cottage or ricotta cheese, mozzarella, Parmesan, hard-boiled eggs, and zucchini, ending with sauce, mozzarella, and Parmesan. Bake at 350-F for 40-50 minutes, or until lightly browned and bubbling. Serves 6-8.

 

 

Sweet Ham and Pork Loaf

1 pound (4 cups) ground cooked ham

2/3-3/4 pound freshly ground raw pork

2 eggs, beaten

1 cup milk

1 cup dry bread or cracker crumbs

1 1/2 teaspoons dry mustard

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Combine meat and add eggs. Stir in milk, crumbs, mustard, salt, and pepper, and mix well. Form into loaf and place on rack in baking dish, or pack into greased 9x5 inch loaf pan. Bake at 400-F until slightly browned (15-20 minutes). Meanwhile, prepare sauce.

Sauce

1/4 cup vinegar

1/4 cup water

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon prepared mustard or 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard

Combine vinegar, water, brown sugar, and mustard in saucepan and bring to a gentle boil. Cook for five minutes.

Remove loaf from oven and pour half the sauce over it. Return to oven for 30 minutes. At end of this time, pour over rest of sauce. Place loaf pan on cookie sheet to catch any sauce that might boil over, and bake for 15 more minutes. When loaf is done, invert pan and remove loaf at once to prevent sticking. Serves 6-8.

--Shirley T. Oladell, Harwinton Congregational Church, Harwinton, CT

 

Cheese Strata to Feed 24

 

48 slices of day-old bread, trimmed of all crusts

2 pounds Cheddar cheese, thinly sliced

16 eggs

10 cups milk

2 teaspoons prepared mustard

1/4 cup minced onion

4 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

Arrange half the bread slices in greased baking dishes 2 inches deep. Cover with cheese slices. Top with remaining bread. Beat eggs. Add milk, mustard, onion, salt, and pepper, and blend in. Pour over bread and cheese. Refrigerate one hour or overnight. Bake uncovered at 325-F for about 50 minutes, or until puffy and brown. Serves 24.

 

 

Scripture Cake

1 cup Judges 5:25 last clause (butter)

1 cup Jeremiah 6:20 (sugar)

1 tablespoon 1 Samuel 14:25 (honey)

3 Jeremiah 17:11 (eggs)

1 cup 1 Samuel 30:12 second food (raisins)

1 cup Nahum 3:12 (figs), chopped

1/4 cup Numbers 17:8 (almonds), blanched and chopped

2 cups 1 Kings 4:22 (flour)

II Chronicles 9:9 (spices, such as cinnamon and nutmeg)

1 teaspoon Amos 4:5 (leavener, such as baking soda)

3 tablespoons Judges 4:19 last sentence (milk)

Cream Judges (butter), Jeremiah (sugar), and I Samuel (honey). Beat in the 3 Jeremiahs (eggs), one at a time. Add I Samuel (raisins), Nahum (figs), and Numbers (almonds), and beat again. Sift together I Kings (flour), II Chronicles (spices), Leviticus (salt), and Amos (leavener, or baking soda). Add to first mixture. Lastly, add Judges (milk). Bake at 325-F for 1 and 1/2 hours, or until done.

Chocolate Angel Pie
Serve this heavenly food in small portions--a little goes a long way.

2 egg whites

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup chopped nuts (any kind)

1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 package (4 ounces) Baker's German Chocolate

3 tablespoons water

1 cup sweetened whipped cream

1 Heath candy bar (1.4 ounces)

Beat egg whites with salt and cream of tartar until foamy, Add sugar gradually. beating until stiff peaks hold. Fold in nuts and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Spread in 8-inch pan, building up sides. Bake at 300-F for 50 minutes. Cool.

Melt chocolate in water over low heat, stirring constantly. Cool until thickened. Add remaining 1 teaspoon vanilla. Fold in half of whipped cream. Pile into meringue shell. Chill three hours. Put rest of whipped cream on top. Grate candy bar on top. Serves 8.