×

A much appreciated good deed

Several months ago, the church we attend — St James Orthodox Christian Church, which is the old St. Ambrose Catholic Church in Belpre, 120 Maple St. — decided to do a complete remodeling and renovation.

This would take several months to complete and the problem arose as to where would we hold services while the work was taking place. Coming to our aid was the Trinity Episcopal Church on Juliana Street and the Rev. Paul Hicks, pastor of the church.

Because we are a small church we have to share a priest with the Orthodox Church in Huntington and forced to have our services on Saturdays because our priest (Fr. Mark Elliot) must be at his church in Huntington on Sundays.

It was very kind and thoughtful and a blessing for us for the offer by the Trinity Episcopal Church to let us hold our services on Saturday mornings at their beautiful and classic church. This continued for several months as the renovations took longer than expected.

Therefore, we all would like to extend our deepest gratitude and appreciation to the Trinity Episcopal Church for your help and good deed.

On Nov. 2, we held our first service in our newly renovated church…WOW! I was speechless when I first walked in for the contractors did a beautiful and wonderful job.

We hold services every Saturday at 10 a.m. and everyone is invited to attend and we would love to have you. Following the church services, we always have refreshments with coffee and sweets, and if you want to experience some good food we have a potluck lunch on the third Saturday of each month, starting in December.

Once again, THANK YOU TRINITY CHURCH.

Till next week!

***

White Bean, Pasta and Smoked Turkey Breast Salad with Orange Cumin Vinaigrette

2 1/2 cups canned white beans, rinsed well and drained

1 turkey breast half

1/2 pound ziti, penne or other tubular pasta

1 red onion, minced, soaked in ice water for 10 minutes and drained well

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 1/2 cups finely chopped celery

1 red bell pepper, sliced thin

1 yellow bell pepper, sliced thin

3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh coriander plus coriander springs for garnish

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh mint leaves

2 naval oranges, the zest, pith and membranes cut away with a serrated knife and the flesh cut into sections

1/2 cup finely chopped pitted black olives

Vinaigrette:

3/4 cup fresh orange juice

2 tablespoon white wine vinegar

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 cup olive oil

dried hot pepper flakes to taste

Smoke the turkey breast or purchase already smoked. Transfer the breast to a cutting board. Cut into thin slices. Make the vinaigrette: In a bowl, whisk together the orange juice, the vinegar and the cumin. Add the oil in a stream, whisking and whisk the dressing until it is emulsified. Whisk in the red pepper flakes and salt and pepper to taste. In a kettle of boiling salted water, cook the pasta until it is tender. Rinse it under cold water and drain it well. In a very large bowl, toss together the beans, the pasta, the onion, the garlic, the celery, the bell peppers, the chopped coriander, the mint, the orange sections, the olives and the turkey slices. Add the vinaigrette and salt and pepper to taste and toss the salad gently but throughly. Divide the salad among 8 plates and garnish the plates with coriander sprigs. Serve the salad at room temperature.

***

Pumpkin Pecan Bread

3 eggs

1 16-ounce can pumpkin

3/4 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup water

2 1/2 cups flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

2 1/4 cups sugar

1 1/4 teaspoons salt

2 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground cloves

3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1 cup dark raisins

4 ounces cream cheese, softened

3 tablespoons butter, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup confectioners’ sugar

Combine egg, pumpkin, oil and water. Set aside. Combine the next 7 ingredients. Add pumpkin mixture to the dry ingredients. Beat well. Slowly add pecans and raisins. Pour mixture evenly into 3 small greased loaf pans. Bake at 350 for 45-50 minutes. Combine cream cheese, butter, vanilla and sugar and blend well. Frost the cooled loaves with cream cheese mixture and serve.

***

Banana Muffins

3 ripe bananas

2 eggs

2 cups flour

3/4 cup flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

chopped nuts

Combine and blend all ingredients together in processor or mixer. Pour into lined muffin pans and bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.

***

Banana-Orange Muffins

2 bananas, mashed

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 cup orange juice

2 eggs

1/4 cup butter, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

Beat together the first six ingredients until blended. Add the dry ingredients all at once and stir until mixture is moistened. Do not overmix. Spoon into muffin tins and bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes.

***

Pumpkin Cheesecake with Praline Sauce

Crust:

1 tablespoon butter, softened

1 1/4 cups finely chopped pecans

1/4 cup fine dry breadcrumbs

2 tablespoons butter, melted

Filling:

4 packages cream cheese, softened

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

2/3 cup sugar

5 eggs

1/4 cup flour

2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

2 tablespoons brandy

16 ounces cooked, mashed pumpkin

Praline Sauce:

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup butter

1 egg, beaten

1/4 cup chopped pecans

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Heat oven to 350. Butter 9-inch springform pan. Combine pecans, breadcrumbs and sugar. Drizzle melted butter over mixture. Press into bottom and up sides of pan. Refrigerate. For filling, beat cream cheese until fluffy. Gradually beat in both sugars until smooth. Add eggs, beating well after each egg. Combine flour, pumpkin pie spice, brandy and pumpkin. Gradually add to cream cheese mixture. Beat until smooth. Pour into prepared crust. Bake at 350 for 1 hour and 20-30 minutes or until center is set. Turn oven off. Let cake stand in oven with door open at least 8 inches for 30 minutes. Remove and cool to room temperature on wire rack. Refrigerate overnight. For the sauce, in saucepan over medium heat, combine sugar, water and butter. Bring to a boil. Boil 2 minutes. Gradually blend small amount of hot syrup into egg. Return egg mixture to saucepan. Cook over low heat 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Stir in pecans and vanilla. Serve sauce slightly warm.

***

Kiki Angelos is a food columnist for the Parkersburg News and Sentinel.

NEWSLETTER

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *

Starting at $4.62/week.

Subscribe Today