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"Best of the Best from Ohio cookbook"

Quail Ridge Press, 288 pages. $16.95.

Community cookbooks represent the best recipes its contributors have to offer, but what if the best isn't good enough?

Two cookbook authors from Brandon, Miss., think they have the answer. They started a cookbook series called the "Best of the Best," collecting the best community cookbooks from each state, and then asking its editors for recommendations.

And the Dayton area is well represented in the "Best of the Best of Ohio Cookbook," with about 40 recipes from six community cookbooks.

The "Best of the Best" series was the brainchild of Gwen McKee and Barbara Mosely, cookbook editors for Quail Ridge Press in Brandon who traveled to and researched each state before compiling each book. The first book, "Best of the Best from Mississippi," was published in 1982. The final two, Utah and Nevada, were published in 2005.

The pages are sprinkled with facts and lore from the Buckeye State. Some of it we should know — like the item on the Wright brothers, the Wright Cycle Company and Aviation Trail in Dayton.

Others we may not know — like the Lancaster high school student who designed the 50-star U.S. flag in 1958. (The teacher gave him a B-, but changed it to an A when the design was accepted by Congress.)

And some we don't really need to know — did you know Rudolph Foods Company in Lima is the world's largest producer of pork rind products, at 100 million pounds annually? Did you care?

But it makes for interesting reading while you're waiting for the water to boil or the timer to go off. And it gives the cookbook a rather broad personality.

McKee and Mosely did their homework, visiting each state and testing each recipe. But some of the recipes include the first-person introductions from the original publications — such as, "Yes, sir. I hit a home run when I created this one" — but no attribution.

And that points out the shortcoming of this statewide collection. The personality and charm of each community cookbook gets lost in the translation.

If you're looking for a good recipe collection, you can't go wrong with "Best of the Best." But if you're looking to capture the real flavor of a community or organization, you're better off going right to the sources.

Local cookbook editors were pleased to be included in "Best of the Best of Ohio" and happy to share their picks for favorite recipe among those featured – so consider these recipes "the best of the best of the best of Miami Valley cookbooks."

"Cookies & Tea"
College Women's Club of Dayton
Contact: Joan Hardy
401 East Drive
Dayton 45419
(937) 299-1376
$10, includes postage handling. Make checks payable to the College Women's Club of Dayton.

Featured recipes: Potato Chip Cookies; Best Cookies in the World; Cherry Coconut Bars; Blonde Brownies; Nut Cups; Coconut Peanut-Butter Balls.

Editor's pick: Coconut Peanut-Butter Balls (Recipe)

At the end of each meeting of the College Women's Club of Dayton, members would retire to the dining room for cookies and tea. In 2000, "Cookies & Tea" was born. "Our group has always been for education," said Joan Hardy. To that end, the proceeds help fund a scholarship to Sinclair, as well as an annual contribution to the YWCA's domestic violence program.

This recipe was submitted by retired Dayton children's librarian Charlotte Leonard, and "is always a favorite," Hardy said.

"Recipes and Remembrances: Around St. George's Tables"
St. George's Episcopal Church
5520 Far Hills Ave.
Dayton, OH 45429
(937) 434-1781
business@stgeorgeohio.org
Cost: $7.50, plus $2.50 postage and handling. Make checks payable to St. George's Episcopal Church.

Featured recipes: Taco Soup; Tortellini in Tomato Cream Sauce; Roast Chicken With Orange, Lemon and Ginger; Kahlua Mousse Cake; Apple Baba; Spicy Carrots With Cumin Seeds.

Editor's pick: Tortellini in Tomato Cream Sauce

This recipe collection covers 50 years of food trends and parish history. Sections are arranged by decade and include popular recipes from each era. Tortellini in Tomato Cream Sauce is a signature recipe of the Rev. K. Paul St. Germain, former associate rector of St. George and a gourmet chef, according to Marjo van Patten, who, along with St. Germain, was instrumental in compiling the cookbook. The tortellini recipe can easily be multiplied for large-scale cooking, and cooked chicken or shrimp can be added if desired.

"A Festival of Recipes"
Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church
500 Belmonte Park, North
Dayton, OH 45405
(937) 224-0601
dfricioni@aol.com
Cost: $25, plus $3 postage and handling. Make checks paying to Annunciation

Greek Orthodox Church. Also available this weekend at the Greek Festival.

Featured recipes: Greek Roasted Potato Salad; Vegetable Tourlou; Greek Oven Potatoes With Lemon Juice; Chicken With Feta and Tomatoes; Shrimp Scorpio; Baked Fish.

Editor's pick: Greek Oven Potatoes With Lemon Juice (Recipe)

"A Festival of Recipes" takes its name from Annunciation's annual Greek Festival, and this year's festival is Friday, Sept. 5 through Sunday, Sept. 7, at the church. Dessine Fricioni, who chaired the cookbook project, said she polled parishioners on their favorites to be included in "Best of the Best," and tried to represent a typical Greek meal. Greek Oven Potatoes With Lemon Juice was submitted by Eleftherios Karkadoulias, a renowned sculptor who worked on the restoration of the Statue of Liberty and the Private Fair sculpture in Dayton, and created the falling Icarus sculpture in the lobby of the Air Force Museum. He recently created and installed the three bronze crosses that are on top of the domes of the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church.

"Causing a Stir" and "Discover Dayton"
Junior League of Dayton
601 W. Riverview Ave.
Dayton, OH 45406
(937) 222-5541
office@jldayton.org
Cost: $22.95, plus $1.61 tax for Ohio residents and $4.50 postage and handling.

Featured recipes: "Discover Dayton": Hot Spiced Cider; Grandma Mac's Cinnamon Toast; Eggs and Sausage Casserole; Spinach Chutney; Potatoes au Gratin; Chicken Tetrazzini; Granny's Iced Shortbread Cookies; Hawthorn Hill Coconut Macaroons.

"Causing a Stir": Mushroom Tarts; Too-Good Tortellini Soup; Asparagus, Spinach, Pasta and Cashew Salad; Cilantro Cole Slaw; Thai Crab Cakes With Cilantro-Peanut Sauce; Century-Style Chocolate Sheet Cake; Chocolate Pate.

Editor's pick: Mushroom Tarts (Recipe)

The matriarch of community cookbook producers is the Junior League, which has nationally sold 20 million coobooks since the first one appeared in print in 1943. Junior League Dayton cookbooks — "Discover Dayton" and "Causing a Stir" — are featured in the "Best of the Best."

"Our cookbook is all about Dayton," said Joann Ringer, a past president and committee chair for Causing a Stir in 1999-2000. "Each chapter is dedicated to a Dayton topic, such as the arts. We put a lot of time and effort into researching local history."

Mushroom Tarts "is an absolute favorite," Ringer said. "It freezes well and it makes a quick appetizer."

"Cooking Up a Cure"
Always Friends (Light the Night Team)
15 W. Main St.
West Milton, OH 45383
(937) 698-3076
walway@who.rr.com
Cost: $10, plus $3 postage and handling. Make checks payable to Laura Alway.

Featured recipes: Won Ton Quiche; Cranberry Pumpkin Bread; Golden Fruit Salad; Spaghetti Patties; Tortellini Toss; Ancestor Apple Cake; Peach Kuchen.

Editor's pick: Spaghetti Patties (Recipe)

Light the Night is the annual nighttime walk to raise funds for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, and Laura Alway heads up the West Milton team, Always Friends. Alway, a 22-year survivor of actute lymphocytic leukemia, said the cookbook started in 2005 and there are only a few dozen copies left. This recipe for Spaghetti Patties is "probably the most unique recipe" in the book, and an excellent use for leftover spaghetti. "My siblings and I are now scattered over three states, but at our annual family gathering, these are frequently requested for a meal," Alway said.

Recipes

Coconut-Peanut Butter Snow Balls
Makes 2 dozen

1 cup peanut butter
1 tablespoon butter, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1 cup Rice Krispies
Mix peanut butter and butter.
Add powdered sugar and mix thoroughly. Add Rice Krispies. Shape into balls. Add more Rice Krispies if dough is not the right consistency to shape easily.

Frosting:
2/3 cup powdered sugar
8 teaspoons milk
1 1/3 cup flaked coconut
Raisins or nuts (optional)

Mix powdered sugar and milk. Rolls balls in frosting, then in coconut. A raisin or nut can be placed inside each ball for variety, if desired.

Spaghetti Patties
Makes 8-10 patties

4 cups cooked spaghetti
3 eggs
4 bacon slices, fried and crumbled
1/4 cup minced green onions
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon salt
Dash pepper

Combine all ingredients. Form into patties using one-half cup mixture per patty. Fry patties in oil over medium heat until brown and crispy.

Editor's note: Break spaghetti into small pieces before cooking for neater patties.

Tortellini in Tomato Cream Sauce
Makes 4 servings

1 10-ounce package assorted tortellini
1 cup dry vermouth
2/3 cup minced sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 and one half cups sour cream (not fat-free)
6 scallions, minced
Fresh tarragon, fresh basil and grated Parmesan cheese to taste

Cook tortellini and reserve. Boil vermouth, tomatoes, broth and garlic for 5 minutes; reduce heat to low, then stir in sour cream and scallions. Warm only. Serve over tortellini. Garnish with chiffonade of herbs and fresh Parmesan.

Greek Oven Potatoes with Lemon Juice
Makes 6-8 servings

1 cup chicken or beef broth
One-half cup olive or vegetable oil
One-half cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon salt
One half teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons dried oregano
1 tablespoon garlic powder (optional)
1 teaspoon dried dill (optional)

6 or 7 white baking potatoes, peeled, cut in quarters lengthwise

Combine all ingredients except potatoes in a large bowl, until well blended. Add potatoes and coat thoroughly. Arrange potatoes in a greased 9x13 pan and pour juice remaining in bowl on top. Cover with foil. Bake in preheated 375 degree oven for one hour. Uncover and continue baking an additional 30 minutes, or until potatoes are cooked through.

Mushroom Tarts
Makes 45 tarts

4 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons finely chopped shallots
8 ounces mushrooms, finely chopped
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon finely chopped chives
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
45 purchased frozen mini phyllo tart shells
Parsley sprigs for garnish

Preheat oven to 350. Melt butter in a heavy skillet. Add shallots and sauté 4 minutes, or until softened but not browned. Add mushrooms; cook 10-15 minutes, or until all moisture evaporates. Sprinkle flour over top; mix well.

Stirring constantly, add cream to mixture and bring to a boil. When thickened, reduce heat and simmer 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in chives, salt, cayenne pepper and lemon juice. Cool. Fill each tart shell with mushroom mixture. Bake 10 minutes. Garnish with parsley sprigs and serve immediately.

Note: The filled tarts may be frozen up to three months. To serve, do not thaw; bake at 400 degrees for 12 minutes.