TBC has cookbooks galore—just in time for the holidays

By AMY DAVIS
TENNESSEE BIBLE COLLEGE

COOKEVILLE—Know how much potato salad to make when serving 100? How about the best way to remove a chocolate stain? What's the measuring equivalent to four tablespoons? How long should you roast eight pounds of beef?

And most importantly — what's a good recipe for dinner?

In an effort to provide answers to these questions and more, The Ladies Associates of Tennessee Bible College have compiled three cookbooks over the past few years as a fundraiser for the college — and they would like to once again encourage the community to take advantage of their mouthwatering recipes, which have been reprinted by popular demand.

Billie Hill, left, and Bessie Graham of the Ladies Associates of Tennessee Bible College enjoy a sampling of sweet potato cake. The recipe can be found in "The Big Blue Book of Cooking," which has been reprinted by popular demand as a fundraiser for the college. Copies are available at TBC, 1616 McCulley Road, Cookeville, or call 931.526.2616.

"We have a lot of new and improved copies of The Big Blue Book of Cooking, and we need to get them in the hands of people, especially this time of year!" said editor Billie Hill of the first and most popular cookbook of the three. "It contains so many wonderful recipes for the holidays."

The cookbooks are $10 each, and proceeds go to Tennessee Bible College in Cookeville for the purchase of library books, computers, printers and the like.

The Big Blue Book of Cooking is packed with recipes "plain and fancy" for a large variety of main dishes, appetizers, soups, salads, breads, beverages and desserts for all occasions, plus an appendix with household hints, party planning guide, substitutions, equivalents, stain-removal tips and more. Second Helpings features new recipes not found in the first book, and Third Time's a Charm contains even more dishes, including low-calorie and sugar-free recipes.

Hill especially wants to emphasize The Big Blue Book of Cooking, which she believes is the best of the three. Its new and improved cover and binding make it more durable than previous copies. "I've had several people tell me the cover has worn off their cookbook because they're really using it," she said. And so it may be time for a replacement — or time to get one for a friend.

"It would be a fantastic gift for new brides, graduates and maybe a single person moving out on their own," said Lois Irby of Algood. "Mother's Day, Christmas, birthdays...any occasion. For the person who has everything! And these books are different — they have the Tennessee flavor."

Hill said, "I always give them as wedding gifts, and I've just gotten the sweetest letters from brides who've used them."

"These books contain simple recipes for the novice cook, as well as more involved recipes for the seasoned cook," Irby said. "And they contain so many other things besides just recipes — household tips, poetry, Scripture, weights and measures, conversions and various things you would use in the kitchen."

Following are a few samplings from The Big Blue Book of Cooking:

Sweet Potato Cake
1 1/2 cups cooking oil
2 cups sugar
4 eggs, separated
4 Tbsp. hot water
2 1/2 cups self-rising flour
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
1 1/2 cups raw, sweet potatoes, grated
1 cup nuts, chopped
1 tsp. vanilla

Mix and beat oil and sugar until smooth. Add egg yolks, beat well and add hot water and dry ingredients which have been sifted together. Stir in potatoes, nuts and vanilla. Beat well and fold in stiffly-beaten egg whites. Pour into 3 (8-inch) pans and bake at 350 degrees, 25-30 minutes. Cool and frost.

Frosting:
1 large can evaporated milk
1 cup sugar
1 stick margarine
3 egg yolks
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/3 cups coconut

Combine all ingredients except coconut. Cook over medium heat for 12 minutes. Add coconut and stir until cool. Spread between and on top of layers.

King's Ranch Chicken
1 boned chicken
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 large onion, chopped
1 Tbsp. chili pepper or powder
1 can Rotel tomatoes
1/2 lb. grated cheese
pkg. tortillas

Mix together chicken, mushroom soup, chicken soup, onion and chili pepper. Start with a layer of tortillas, then chicken; spread alternate tortillas and chicken until all is used, ending with chicken on top. Sprinkle cheese on top. Top this with Rotel tomatoes. Bake 30 minutes at 375 degrees. Serve with salad and tortilla chips. (Soups are undiluted.)

Zucchini Bread
Mix together and set aside the following:
3 eggs, beaten
2 cups sugar
1 cup grated zucchini (raw)
2 Tbsp. vanilla

Sift:
3 cups plain flour
1 tsp. soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon

Sift ingredients together, then add egg mixture. Add 1 cup chopped nuts if desired. Bake in 350-degree preheated oven for one hour or until done. Makes two loaves.

Pork Chop-Rice Casserole
1 cup uncooked rice (use your favorite kind)
1 cup each: cream of mushroom and cream of celery soup
1 1/2 cup water
1 pkg. Lipton onion soup
8 medium-sized pork chops

Heat soups with water. Pour 1/2 of this over the rice part in bottom of large glass baking dish. Add pork chops and pour rest of soup mixture over pork chops. Sprinkle chops with dry onion soup mix. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for about 1 1/2 hours.

Bible Cake
1 c. Psa. 55:21 (butter)
2 c. Jeremiah 6:20 (sugar or can syrup)
2 tsp. I Sam. 14:25 (honey)
6 Jeremiah 7:11 (eggs)
1/2 c. Judges 4:19 (milk)
4 1/2 c. I Kings 4:22 (flour)
2 tsp. Amos 4:5 (baking powder)
1 c. I Sam. 30:12 (raisins)
1 c. Nahum 3:12 (figs)
II Chronicles 9:9 to taste (spices)

Combine butter with sugar and honey. Cream well. Add eggs and milk. Beat. Mix a little flour with the fruit. Mix remainder of flour with baking powder and add with fruit to liquid mixture. Add spices to taste and mix well. Pour into greased tube pan. Bake 1 hour at 350 degrees.

The Big Blue Book of Cooking is available at Tennessee Bible College, 1616 McCulley Road in Cookeville, Tenn. For more information, call 931.526.2616.