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Cookbook specializes in cupcakes, muffins (05/20/12) I have a special friend, Shelby Stafford, who has officially nicknamed herself "Cupcake." On occasion I might call her "Honey" and she is quick to tell me her name is not Honey, it is Cupcake. Cupcake was recently given a book devoted entirely to cupcakes and muffins. "The Taste of Home Cupcakes! Muffins & More" book contains 130 recipes for scrumptious delights for you to try. I think Cupcake's mother will need to get on the ball if she is going to make all of these recipes for her... Celebrating Mother's Day with mom's recipes (05/13/12) Today is a special day; it is not only Mother's Day, it is also graduation day for the Centennial graduating class at Cape Girardeau Central High School. Our son Ross is among the students in the class of 2012. Ross has had an amazing high school experience. ... Recipes from the St. Louis restaurant The Hill (05/06/12) The Hill in St. Louis certainly has to be one of the most celebrated culinary sites in the Midwest. This mostly Italian community is full of fabulous restaurants, grocery stores and bakeries like no others. As written in the cookbook "A Taste of the Hill": "The Hill has always had a strong commitment to the city of St. ... Recipes to create a full-course meal (04/29/12) This is one of those weeks when I do not have a theme to the recipes in this column, and it winds up being a little bit of everything. We will start out with an entree then end up with a couple of sweet treat recipes. This column is so much fun when you, the readers, send in recipes to pass along to other readers. ... Easter weekend full of delicious food (04/22/12) My family was fortunate enough to spend Easter weekend with cousins in the Dallas area. I have shared many recipes from my cousin Cindy Dude with you before, and it was at their house that we ate our way through the weekend. Over the weekend we enjoyed overnight blueberry French toast, skillet cookies and ice cream, jalapeno sliders, a variety of smoked meats, Butterfinger pie, and enough food on Resurrection Sunday for a large group. It was so nice to visit, see family and hold new babies... Putting that leftover corned beef to good use (04/15/12) Recently, I have had a couple of readers ask about leftover corned beef recipes. They cooked corned beef for St. Patrick's Day, froze the leftover meat and are now looking for ways to use it up. For people who love the taste of a traditional Reuben sandwich, these recipes are sure to become some of your favorites... Some recipes to kick off a beautiful spring (04/08/12) Spring has definitely sprung in the weather, flowers, trees and food. Fresh asparagus is wonderful right now and strawberries coming from California and south Texas are pretty good now. So get out your spring recipe file and start cooking all of those favorite dishes to kick off this beautiful spring... No fooling when it comes to these recipes (04/01/12) Today being April Fools' Day, I feel like I need to include some silly or crazy recipes that might fool you in some way. However, finding none that really jumped out at me, I decided to turn to reader mail for inspiration. All of today's recipes are from reader mail, and some I have had for quite a while just waiting to get to them... Recipes to survive the season of Lent (03/25/12) Rob Weeks of Cape Girardeau hand delivered several recipes to me to use during Lent. During the Lenten season, many Christians give up meat altogether or some just on Fridays, and eat more fish and seafood. Rob thought this would be a good time to share some of his favorite seafood recipes. ... Cookbook on sale to support VNA Hospice (03/18/12) VNA Hospice, a service of Visiting Nurse Association of Southeast Missouri, has a new cookbook for sale to help support the services offered through the hospice program. VNA has a long tradition of providing comfort to the sick and ministering to the dying, largely through the use of volunteers. VNA Hospice offers free grief support in many communities where they have offices... CrossRoads church sells cookbooks for improvements (03/07/12) CrossRoads Church near Jackson has a new cookbook for sale: "CrossRoads Family Recipes: From Our Family To Yours." The proceeds of the sale of this book will go toward church and grounds improvements. There are 182 pages of recipes and a nice section in the back of the book with additional recipes, nutritional tips, household hints, kid's kitchen crafts and gifts from the kitchen with a new look that I had not seen before. ... Recipes for a leap year birthday (02/29/12) Happy Birthday to my father-in-law, Jerry McClanahan, on this leap day. He is having his 18th birthday today; you do the math. This past year has been a fun year for our family, as he was 17 and both of his grandsons, Ross and Troy-Lee, were also 17 at one time. ... Readers submit a variety of recipes (02/22/12) Once again, the readers of this column have sent in some amazing recipes to share with you this week. I enjoy getting readers' mail, and this week you all came through nicely. Keep up the good work, and I look forward to seeing what you come up with in the weeks ahead... Cookbook to support funding women's education (02/15/12) Adelaide Parsons of Cape Girardeau sent a new cookbook to me, "Cooking with Missouri's P.E.O.s: Recipes from our Missouri State Chapters." The cookbook is a nice softcover, spiral-bound book with 231 pages of recipes in eight categories. Philanthropic Educational Organization (PEO) was founded in 1869. ... Contest recipes using Girl Scout cookies (02/08/12) The annual Girl Scouts of the Missouri Heartland "Just Desserts" event was held recently in Cape Girardeau. The fundraiser is a dessert contest in which Girl Scouts team up with area distinguished chefs to make a dessert using Girl Scout cookies. Girl Scouts across the country are celebrating 100 years of service and leadership to girls, and carrying out their mission of building girls of courage, confidence and character, which makes the world a better place. ... Recipes to share in the middle of basketball season (02/01/12) I have had a couple of people share recipes with me this week, which is great. I enjoy getting recipes from readers because I think it makes it interesting to see who submitted recipes and where they are from. Also, we are in the middle of basketball season and I find myself in a gym somewhere quite often and it is nice to have these recipes to share with you. For those of you who have thought you might send something in, now is the time. Send in your family favorites today... Super Bowl party recipes (01/25/12) Everyone loves Super Bowl parties, which always include fabulous food. Some parties serve lots of snacks, appetizers and finger foods, while others do chili and all of the fixings. Some order out chicken wings and pizza. Whatever your tradition is, it is sure to include some great food, fellowship with friends, and, oh, of course, football... Recipes full of pumpkin, apples and bacon (01/18/12) Over the entire Christmas holiday I was given several recipes at different events I attended or friends passed recipes along to me. I would like to share those with you today in hopes that you can use them and they will find a comfortable place in your "favorites" file. The pumpkin muffins are very good, as well as the apple cookies. My husband thinks everything is better with bacon, so the last two recipes today include bacon. I hope you enjoy... Variety of recipes to keep the taste buds guessing (01/11/12) Once in a while I do not have a theme for this column and do a variety of different recipes. This week there are a couple of chicken recipes, pork, ground beef and a casserole recipe with an international flare. With that kind of variety, surely you can please every member of your family with something. Good luck! I've tried and it never seems to work out quite like that, but it is still fun to keep trying... Southeast Missouri Food Bank to benefit from cookbook sales (01/04/12) The Bank of Missouri has a new cookbook for sale and all proceeds will benefit the Southeast Missouri Food Bank. The book is to commemorate the bank's 120th anniversary and to celebrate 120 years of family traditions. This is a very nice spiral-bound book with 238 pages of recipes in 10 categories. There is a nice variety of recipes from familiar favorites to new and interesting recipes to spark your curiosity. The book is available at many Bank of Missouri locations... Cheesecake is not only for dessert (12/28/11) One thing is for sure, these recipes prove that cheesecake is not just for dessert anymore. I know a few people who are really into making cheesecake right now, so I decided to do this column all on savory cheesecakes to ring in the New Year. It would be quite nice to have several different kinds of appetizer cheesecakes on a New Year's Eve party buffet. ... Cookbook is great last-minute gift idea (12/14/11) If you are looking for last-minute gift ideas, I have a great suggestion. St. Vincent de Paul Parish has a large cookbook for sale to celebrate their 175th anniversary. This book is a real bargain for the price to get 384 pages of tried-and-true recipes. The book contains a brief history of the parish and seven different sections of recipes... Flavorful cranberry recipes (12/07/11) I look so forward to the arrival of fresh cranberries to the store every winter. The common combination of cranberries and orange to me is like candy and a flavor I have learned to love. I have a pretty large collection of cranberry recipes, and enjoy trying new ones quite often during the cranberry season. I purchase extra bags and freeze them to be able to enjoy all year through. Today I have just a couple of recipes for you to try and hope you enjoy these tart, little berries this winter... Receipes from leftover turkey (11/30/11) Thanksgiving is over and many of you have put leftover turkey in the freezer. I know one person who puts the turkey carcass in the freezer for a couple of weeks, then pulls it out to make stock and soup for a later meal. For those of you who have frozen your leftovers I have a couple of recipes today that will help you in using those up. It is fun to be creative and see how we can use food items in many ways. I hope you enjoy these and come up with a few of your own... Recipes from around the world (11/23/11) My friends from the senior center, Rob and Joan Weeks, lent me "Around the World Cookbook." It is an interesting book featuring 34 countries and popular foods from each country, with a brief write-up about the culinary importance of that country. I really have enjoyed reading it and learning a little something new on every page... Easy-to-make Thanksgiving recipes (11/16/11) Most of us are planning or have already planned our Thanksgiving meal. The stores are ready for us to purchase all of the items we need and then some. Today I pulled out a couple of recipes that might be used for your Thanksgiving weekend meal planning. ... Good friends give gift of church cookbook from Shawneetown (11/09/11) You know you have good friends when they see a cookbook somewhere and bring it home for you. I had this happen to me last week. Debbie and Steve Chapman were in Shawneetown for a meeting at Trinity Lutheran Church and brought me back a copy of the church's cookbook. ... Desserts on the mind (11/02/11) It just happened to work out that all of the recipes for today are desserts. Occasionally there is a theme for this column, and today is one of those days. Some of these desserts have a flavor of fall, others are great all year. I hope you enjoy this extra sweet variety for you today... A few seasonal recipes for fall (10/26/11) This week the temperatures dropped and a chill is definitely in the air. As soon as the temperature dropped, I found myself at the store ready to purchase ingredients for a couple of different types of soups and wanting to do some baking. Turning the oven on takes the chill from the air and the children love to have fresh baked items... Passing on family recipes (10/19/11) I talked to Winnie at Broadway Prescription Shop where she works, and she asked about my mother's homemade soup. Winnie's sister has had my mom's soup and told her it was the best soup and she wanted the recipe. It is hard to write down a recipe that is in someone's head, but we did the best we could. I hope you enjoy this as much as I have for many years... Submit your recipes and have them printed (10/12/11) Reader mail has been great this week. I really like to have input from area readers. It adds a nice variety to the column, and I always enjoy seeing where the mail comes from. Maybe you have a recipe you would like to share with other cooks. If so, send it in and we will share it in this column... Recipe Swap: Modern Pony Express recipes (09/28/11) On our return trip from Colorado, we stopped at Gothenburg, Neb., to visit an original Pony Express station. I had been there many years ago, and I thought our children might enjoy it as I did at their age. Of all of the interesting artifacts in the station, I found a cookbook tucked away on a shelf. ... Recipe Swap: Internet changes means of trading recipes (09/21/11) Hardly a day goes by that someone does not give me a recipe. Quite often friends give them to me at the senior center, I get some by mail, but mostly by email. The Internet and email sure have changed the way we trade recipes and communicate. Today's recipes are a few I received recently from friends and recipe buddies... Historical recipes of Ste. Genevieve (09/14/11) Pat Robert of Cape Girardeau gave me the Ste. Genevieve "Missouri History on the Table: 250 years of Good Cooking and Good Eating." The cookbook was published in 1985, but the historical relevance of the book remains the same. I really like the way the book is divided into sections featuring periods of time and how culinary influences can be seen in each time period. I do not know if the book is still available, but it is a wonderful history book as well as a cookbook. I hope you enjoy... Safe House recipes from the women of Cape Girardeau (08/31/11) The Safe House for Women in Cape Girardeau has a new cookbook for sale. Just released, the book is on sale at the organization's office next to the Safe House for Women Thrift Store. The 92 pages of recipes offer an interesting and exciting collection from great cooks in and around Cape Girardeau... Hall of Fame list of recipes (08/24/11) For my birthday my parents gave me "The Recipe Hall of Fame Cookbook, Winning Recipes from Hometown America." The 450 selections are from 11,000 recipes in the acclaimed Quail Ridge Press State Cookbook Series. I have a few cookbooks from that series, and they are all great. ... A little taste of Marquand, Mo. (08/17/11) Shelby Mouser Shell is originally from Marquand, Mo., and I don't know another person more proud of their hometown and heritage than Shelby is. She frequently returns to Marquand to help in the antique shop, volunteer at the school for special projects, helps with the cemetery fundraiser and work in the museum. ... Never a shortage of recipes (08/10/11) Frequently I am asked if I ever run out of recipes or ideas to write about. And always, my answer is no. The possibilities are endless, and the list of topics I could share is just as long. I receive dozens of recipes each week by email from different people, groups and magazines. ... Colorado cooking (08/03/11) Our family has just returned home from a trip to Colorado for vacation. We enjoyed the spectacular scenery and the breathtaking surprise views around every corner. We also enjoyed some great food while there. We ate fresh trout nearly every evening -- prepared many ways -- and also enjoyed great Colorado beef... The salad days of summer (07/27/11) With summer upon us, I thought you might enjoy a few cool salad recipes. I also love grilled fresh peaches, so I am sharing this recipe with you that includes another favorite of mine: raspberries. All of these recipes are from a new cookbook I picked up, "Picnics, Potlucks and BBQs" published by CQ Products. ... Eat like a president with White House recipes (07/20/11) Famous people from time to time submit recipes for inclusion into cookbooks. It may be celebrities or artists, or like today's examples, presidents of the United States and their first ladies. Some of these are more current, while others are quite old, like Abraham Lincoln's vanilla almond cake. You be the judge of which recipes you will try... Cheesiest column ever (07/13/11) Cheese is one food item I don't think I have ever devoted an entire column to. Sometimes cheese served simply is the best, with a cracker variety or homemade rolls. Cheese can be the star of a recipe or a complement ingredient that adds to the main attraction. However, cheese is delicious and deserving of its own column. Today it is all about cool and refreshing or warm and comforting cheese... Fire up the grill (or broiler) for a burger feast (07/06/11) Following the Independence Day holiday I think of summer and the grilling season in full swing, which for us, usually involves hamburgers on the grill. Ralph and Martha Maxton of Cape Girardeau recently had family in town for a visit. They made this recipe for cherry burgers with cherry ketchup, which sounds absolutely wonderful. I have included one recipe for an indoor cooking process just in case rain puts a damper on your plans... Get a taste of Belize from your own kitchen (06/29/11) Our son Ross just returned from a mission trip to Belize. Upon his return, some of the conversations were about the food. You cannot visit or live in Belize without eating rice and beans; they are the national staples, and most people eat them every day. Rice and beans, usually cooked in coconut milk and served together, is often served as a side dish. Another national staple is "fry jack," much like our johnny cakes, that is served for breakfast, often smeared with beans, alongside eggs... Cool down this summer with flavored iced tea (06/22/11) Iced tea is always my beverage of choice, and on hot days there is nothing better. I remember as a child my mom made fresh tea every day. Nothing tasted better than that quart jar of iced tea wrapped in newspaper when we got to the end of the soybean row from chopping weeds from the bean rows in the field. Today I am featuring flavored iced tea recipes that you might enjoy on a hot day. The Food Network cookbooks or the website are full of beverage recipes... Feeling saucy: Try some new barbecue flavors (06/15/11) Summertime and barbecue just seem to go hand in hand. Our daughter is a condiment lover, especially barbecue sauces. We have purchased nearly every bottle that the stores carry, and when we visit other parts of the country, she is always trying and rating the barbecue sauce. To start out this week, I will share five sauce recipes sent in by Rob Weeks of Cape Girardeau. I am certain we will try all of these at our house... 'Foodie' friend shares some favorite recipes (06/08/11) Rob Weeks from the senior center loves to collect recipes and cookbooks, grocery shop and cook. He is quite a "foodie," and I guess that is why we are friends. Today, Rob shares four recipes with us that he enjoys making and are great this time of year when fresh fruit and berries are plentiful. I included where he got the recipe if he included that information on the cards. I hope you enjoy a little piece of his recipe collection... Making the most of strawberries, asparagus (06/01/11) Strawberries and asparagus are fresh at the farmers market and in the supermarket right now, and they are delicious. We have had some enjoyable strawberries from Aldi that are smaller and meaty and taste like old-fashioned berries we had at home growing up. I have included a few strawberry recipes and a couple of asparagus recipes for you to enjoy while the produce is at its peak of freshness... Reader shares bounty of online recipe swap (05/25/11) I have put aside some recipes I received and decided this is the perfect day to share a few of those with you. There is no theme for today, just a variety of entrees and a dessert that I will be making soon. All of the recipes today are from Jodi Thompson of Jackson. Jodi has a large Internet recipe swap group. I get several recipes from her a week and always find a couple to save and try. I hope you find these enticing as well and can add them to your recipe collection... Appetizers perfect for a graduation party (05/18/11) Graduation time is here once again. We have had the pleasure of attending several parties where we have enjoyed great fellowship and, of course, fabulous food. Every party is different and the food is different, which makes them fun to attend. I pulled The Dinner Doctor cookbook off my shelf to thumb through and found that it had a nice appetizer section. ... Make the most of fresh asparagus at its peak (05/11/11) It is fresh asparagus season, and the crop is beautiful. Our family has enjoyed some of the abundance from Rob Weeks' patch this week along with a few recipes he and his mother shared with us. Asparagus has a natural affinity for parsley, tarragon, soy sauce, sesame, garlic, ginger, lemon, cream, hard-cooked eggs, Parmesan and butter. These recipes seem to use just about all of these ingredients in some form. Enjoy the fresh new crop while it lasts... Recipes to commemorate church's 100th year (05/04/11) Our friends Terry and Angie Madsen moved back to Cape Girardeau in June after being away from Cape for 16 years. We were so excited to have them back with us, and we just picked right up where we left off years ago. Recently they went to visit their parents in the Kansas City area and came home with a gift for me -- you guessed it, a new cookbook. ... Cowboy Church cookbook wrangles tasty recipes (04/27/11) The Cape County Cowboy Church has a new cookbook its members put together as a fundraising project. The book is a nice spiral-bound book with 122 pages of great recipes. The day I got the book I read it cover to cover, marking several recipes I am going to try. ... Transforming entrees into something souper (04/20/11) My mother-in-law's dear friend Cheryl Gilges lives in Gulf Shores, Ala., and they email each other every day. Once in a while these emails include a recipe. Cheryl's lasagna soup with spicy sausage and melted cheese sounds inviting, and I look forward to giving it a try. When I got her recipe I thought about other foods we typically serve as an entree and found recipes where people had put those entree favorites into a soup. I decided to share those with you today... Passing along recipes from the senior center (04/13/11) Frequently, time passes and I do not get any mail or recipes from readers, and then all of a sudden I will get several all at once. This week at the senior center I was given a few recipes to pass along to you. They all sound interesting, and I look forward to giving them a try... Food that will take you out to the ballgame (04/06/11) Play ball! The St. Louis Cardinals are back in season, and it is a welcome sound on the radio. I have longed for baseball season to start for weeks now, so I am glad it is here. I loved watching all of the opening day festivities and enjoyed seeing and hearing the sounds of baseball again. ... Breakfast recipes fit for any meal, any season (03/30/11) Our children's favorite meal of the day is breakfast. Or, I should say, their favorite food is breakfast foods. We often have breakfast foods after church on Sundays and occasionally we enjoy them at supper time. I am always eager to try new breakfast recipes. ... Basketball for the boys, cookbooks for the girls (03/23/11) According to the boys at our house, it is the most wonderful time of the year. The NCAA basketball tournament is the highlight of the year for them. There are completed brackets from family members and friends -- and even experimental brackets filled out by flipping a coin and the old "eenie meenie miney mo" method -- all over the family room. ... Don't worry, just stew about St. Patrick's Day meal (03/16/11) Thursday is St. Patrick's Day, and I just could not let the day go by without passing along a few Americanized Irish recipes. I know several people who like to celebrate St. Patrick's Day but do not like corned beef and cabbage, so I chose a couple of stew recipes, one with light and fluffy dumplings. I also included the recipe for McDonald's shamrock milkshake... Recipes courtesy of a 'pioneer woman' (03/09/11) For Christmas my nephew gave me "The Pioneer Woman" cookbook. Its author, Ree Drummond, is all the rage right now, with the release of her new book, blogging on the Internet and numerous television appearances. She has a heartwarming story about how she became a "pioneer woman" and about her life on the ranch with her love, "the Marlboro Man." I have enjoyed her book so much and especially the fantastic photographs she has taken and included in the book. ... FFA cookbook compiles unusual recipes (03/02/11) Recently I purchased a copy of "The FFA Cookbook: Favorite Recipes from FFA Members & Alumni Across America." It really is a good book. Many of the recipes are unusual and different, but not so much so that you have to go out and buy a lot of ingredients. I have really enjoyed reading this book from cover to cover and am glad I added it to my collection. I hope you enjoy these recipes and have a chance to add this book to your own collection... Recipes evoke memories of farm food (02/23/11) The weather seems to have turned rather quickly to springlike temperatures. But I grew up on a farm and learned early on that there is always a little tease of spring early, but the weather really never settles down until after Easter. So we will have to wait and see about that. ... You won't miss the meat in these vegetarian dishes (02/16/11) Over the past couple of weeks I have shared recipes with you from new cookbooks and have put aside several recipes people have sent in. Cheryl Mothes frequently sends in vegetarian recipes hoping we will give them a try and embrace a meat free lifestyle. These recipes sound so good, I am sure we would not even miss the meat. This would be a great way to start the new year and healthy change in living and dining... A 14-year-old birthday girl's favorite foods (02/09/11) Our daughter is celebrating her birthday, and we are excited to have a 14-year-old in the house. Lexie is adventurous in the culinary world. She enjoys trying new ingredients and new recipes and does not snack like most teenagers. For snacks she likes what she calls "real food," just in small quantities. Therefore, I need to have cooked items on hand that she can warm up for after-school snacks or a second meal of the evening... Out-of-state recipes have intriguing ingredients (02/02/11) My aunt Anna Mae Powell, who lives in Lebanon, Ind., sent a new cookbook to my mother recently from her church, Centenary United Methodist. It is a 275-page book celebrating the church's 175th anniversary. I have attended church there on many occasions while visiting family. ... Standby recipes from days gone by (01/26/11) Recently I returned to Shawnee High School in Wolf Lake, Ill., for my high school homecoming. It was so good to see old friends and hear about their children and accomplishments. I enjoyed reminiscing about fun times in the home economics room. One year we made homemade cream horns as a fundraiser to go on a trip to Nashville, Tenn., and stay at the Opryland Hotel. ... A taste of the islands for a worthy cause (01/19/11) The Jamaican Christian Medical Mission from Cape Girardeau is gearing up for its mission trip to Jamaica. The team goes every two years to address four areas of need: medical, dental, vision and hearing. The group takes tremendous amount of supplies and, as you can imagine, the cost is high. ... Recipe Swap: New kitchen gadgets call for new recipes (01/12/11) I know several people who received kitchen appliances as Christmas gifts. Kitchen Aid standmixers, immersion blenders and personal coffee systems seemed to be popular items. One friend got a food processor and asked if I could include a few recipes that use one. ... Recipe Swap: Vegetarian dishes for a healthy new year (01/05/11) Cheryl Mothes of Cape Girardeau is trying to help us all start off the new year on a healthy note, after all the food we have eaten over the holidays. She has contributed a few vegetarian recipes for us to try. I have tried several of them, and they are all delicious. She always says they are so packed with flavor you won't even know they are vegetarian, and she's right. Give these recipes a try to kick your new year off right... Feast on appetizers at New Year's parties (12/29/10) A new year is upon us, and there will be many gatherings of friends and family to help ring it in. A party just would not be complete without a grand buffet of snacks and appetizers to nibble your way up to midnight. The possibilities are endless when it comes to appetizers and finger foods. Include an assortment of hot and cold dishes, items that can be prepared in advance and remember those who have special diet needs and your party will be a grand success... Recipe Swap: A buffet of not-so-classic Christmas dishes (12/22/10) The Christmas season came quickly this year, but as the saying goes, whether I am ready or not it will still come. As long as we are ready for the celebration of the Christ child in our hearts, that is all that matters. I wish each of you a merry Christmas and hope you can spend it with those you love... Recipes that are great to party with (12/15/10) Karen Retter of Cape Girardeau was planning for her neighborhood's Christmas party and asked me when I was going to do an appetizer column. Although her party has now passed, I thought there might be other people planning for get-togethers and looking for a new recipe to serve. I enjoy serving shrimp through the holiday season, so I included a couple of appetizers that include it. I hope these recipes find their way to your next gathering... Good, old reliable recipes for the holidays (12/08/10) It seems that everywhere I go people are planning for a Christmas gathering of some type, which we all know will involve food. I have pulled several of my favorite recipes out of the drawer to have on hand during the school vacation when the children will be home and for the different gatherings we will be attending. If you have some of those good old favorite recipes you can pass along to us, it would be greatly appreciated... Recipes for life: Cookbook raises money for charity (12/01/10) If you are looking for Christmas gift ideas, look no further than the cookbook rack at the book store or, in this case, at Capaha Bank locations. The new "Friends For All" Relay For Life Team cookbook is available at the bank's branches. Already in its second printing, the book offers a variety of recipes in 150 pages. ... Side dishes to round out a Thanksgiving feast (11/24/10) The first Thanksgiving must have been a joyous occasion celebrating the abundant harvest. We have come a long way since the 1600s, when virtually everyone was involved in producing enough food. Today, only about 3 percent of the population produces food for everyone in our country and enough extra for exports. That alone is enough to be thankful for. I will pass along to you today a few side dishes you might want to try for your Thanksgiving feast... Put your pumpkin where your mouth is (11/17/10) With Halloween behind us and Thanksgiving approaching, pumpkins are still everywhere we look. Pumpkin is versatile. It can be used in sweet desserts or in savory dishes, such as the two I have chosen here today. When purchasing pumpkin, be sure to read the label to get what you want. ... Delicious alternatives to holiday desserts (11/10/10) My family gathered recently to celebrate my mother's birthday. While we were together, we planned the Thanksgiving dinner menu. Several of us prepare the same side dishes each year, but sometimes we like to mix things up. While I was in a store over the weekend, someone stopped me, and we had the same conversation about desserts for Thanksgiving. ... Celebrating the end, for now, of political ads (11/03/10) I don't know about you, but now that the election is over I will not miss all of the political candidate advertisements on radio and television. It seems that for the past few weeks that is about all of the advertisements that have been running. Voting is such a privilege, and it is a shame that our political candidates cannot build themselves up with what they can do, but resort to tearing down the other candidate. ... Fall recipes and family traditions (10/27/10) As temperatures turn cooler, I am amazed at how many people are looking into their recipe files and telling me about a new recipe or an old forgotten one they have found. Over the past several days nearly everywhere I have gone conversations have turned to recipes and what people are making for different occasions. Although they don't often have the recipes with them, it is still fun to hear stories about how families spend time together and about food traditions... Warm and savory recipes for autumn (10/20/10) I had the privilege of contributing to the program at a recent Southeast Hospice volunteer meeting. The program was about menu planning and cooking tips for the holidays. As I pulled ideas and recipes together for the program, I just could not believe we are already thinking about the upcoming holiday season. ... A bounty of recipes to greet fall (10/13/10) October decorations are up and thoughts turn to recipes using apples, and soups and stews are a welcome treat after the long hot summer months. I particularly enjoy the combination of apples and pork. Today we have a few recipes you might try to greet fall with open arms... Recipes celebrate friend's birthday, lifestyle (10/06/10) Today is my friend Cheryl Mothes' birthday. She lives life to its fullest and all the time, so I dare even think what she is dreaming up to do on her special day. In honor of her birthday and vegetarian lifestyle and her desire to have "no one die" as a food source, I am including two of her recipes here today. ... Quick, easy dishes for families on the go (09/29/10) Both of our children are in the Cape Central Marching Tigers Band this year, and it is off to a great start. For the first time, it performed in two competitions in one day, taking home first place in both competitions at Farmington, Mo., and Murphysboro, Ill. We are excited about the great start to their season... Getting back on track after indulging on fair food (09/22/10) The SEMO District Fair has folded up and moved out and we have to say goodbye to all of the delicious fair food. We made our way around enjoying bites from each others food. We especially enjoyed the 4-H rib eye and pork burger sandwiches, the Grace Methodist fish and the marinated pork kebabs. ... Recipes using vegetarian chicken, slowcookers (09/15/10) Can't you just feel the approach of fall in the air? The days are shorter, the evenings turning cooler, the SEMO District Fair is open and children are back to school; all signs that fall is upon us. I will be looking into my recipe files in the near future for some of my favorite fall recipes. ... Recipe Swap: Sharing recipes from devoted readers (09/08/10) Once again this week we have great reader feedback and recipe contributions. This column is intended to be interactive, so the more you contribute and request recipes, the more fun it can be. I enjoy seeing where reader contributions and requests come from, and from your comments, I know you do, too. We are quickly coming into fall and cooler weather, so start looking for your favorite recipes to send in to share... Recipe Swap: Satisfying readers' recipe requests (09/01/10) Recipe requests seem to come in spurts. I'll go a long time without a request, then get several in one week. This week it seemed like every time I turned around there was someone needing a recipe they were hoping to make. I hope these recipes fulfill the need of those looking and entice others to try them... Recipe Swap: Enjoy the flavors of summer all year long (08/25/10) Peach season is winding down, fresh berry season is about over, corn on the cob is nearly done; now we look forward to late crop vegetables and apples. But there are still a few fresh fruits and vegetables, and if you don't have access to those, frozen products have come a long way in quality. Long after winter is here I still enjoy frozen peaches that taste pretty good. Today I have a few recipes that use fresh, frozen and even canned or packaged flavors you can enjoy... Recipe Swap: Sharing recipes gathered from all over (08/18/10) This week I have several recipes that have been given to me from friends and readers. I love getting reader mail and recipes. It is fun to pass them along to you. I encourage you to send in your favorite recipes so other readers might enjoy them as well. Everyone has favorite recipes, and it is too hot to be outside, so sit down with your favorite beverage and write off a few recipes to send in. It would be fun to see where they all come from... Recipe Swap: Recipes fit for a 90th birthday celebration (08/11/10) Gwen Schild of Cape Girardeau is celebrating her 90th birthday this week. When she celebrated her 80th birthday her family put together a nice family cookbook and gave a copy to everyone at the party. I still have mine and refer to it on occasion. Gwen now resides at the Lutheran Home, but her family uses her recipes quite often, and they wanted to share just a few of their favorites with you today. They hope you enjoy the recipes, and we all wish Gwen a happy 90th birthday... Recipe Swap: Recipes to dress up your summer salads (08/04/10) Last week at the senior center my friend Joan Weeks shared her interest in salad dressings with me. She and her son, Rob, have several salad dressing recipes they enjoy making and offered to share them with us. Today I have included those recipes and a Thousand Island dressing recipe from the Thousand Island Hotel in New York, where the dressing was presumably served for the first time. I hope you enjoy all of today's selections... Recipe Swap: Explore the savory side of black walnuts (07/28/10) Black walnuts are in abundant supply in Missouri. The state is one of the top black walnut producing states in America. Black walnuts have a distinctive flavor, and it seems to be one of those foods that you either like or you don't. I always think of black walnut divinity or ice cream, but when I went looking for recipes from a request from Sue Martin of Cape Girardeau I found many recipes for side dishes and entrees that all sound interesting. Hammons Black Walnuts in Stockton, Mo., has a cookbook on its website, and many of today's recipes came from the site. Recipe Swap: Family recipes to celebrate a special occasion (07/21/10) My parents, Duane and Marilyn Kinsey, are celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary this week. The past 60 years have brought a range of memories for them including raising six children, surviving two major Mississippi River floods, having nine grandchildren and now adding great-grandchildren to the family tree. ... Cookbook benefits Bald Knob Cross (07/14/10) Lorene Wood from the Senior Center brought me in a new cookbook for my birthday, and I was so glad to get it. "Sharing Our Best" from Bald Knob Cross is a collection of recipes put together by area residents to help with the upkeep and maintenance of the beautiful Bald Knob Cross in Alto Pass, Ill. ... Recipe Swap: Sharing recipes from readers (07/07/10) Every now and then I need to clean up some loose ends with mail and recipes that readers have passed along to me. There is no particular theme to today's column, which I like to do occasionally to mix things up. It is fun to see what people send in and where they come from. If you have a favorite recipe you would be willing to share, send it in so other readers can try it as well... Recipe Swap: With blackberry season underway, start picking and cooking (06/30/10) Blackberries are coming on with a loaded crop, and they are so sweet and fresh right now. Find a place to go pick and load up for these favorite recipes and enjoy the harvest while it lasts. My sister Pat has blackberry bushes, and we enjoy using the berries just about any way imaginable. Here are a few recipes to get you started, but the sky is the limit for using blackberries. Maybe you have a favorite recipe you would like to pass along to us to share with other readers... Recipe Swap: Recipes straight from Aunt Celeste (06/23/10) My Uncle Waldo Powell Jr. died last week, and I was able to take my parents to the services in Michigan City, Ind. It was good to be with family again and visit with my Aunt Celeste. We did a lot of reminiscing about childhood memories of my uncle and all of the wonderful memories we had growing up with him and his wife. ... Recipe Swap: Recipes in honor of a golden anniversary (06/16/10) Our friends Ray and Joan Haring are celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary, and this special occasion is cause for celebration. Ray and Joan are gracious hosts who enjoy entertaining, not to mention great cooks and fabulous pie bakers. We have been fortunate to have dined in their home on several occasions, and each time holds special memories whether it be the beautifully decorated table, the lovely ice ring in a punch bowl, a warm piece of pie or the delicious food. ... Recipe Swap: Recipes to get you grilling this summer (06/09/10) Fire up the grill for some out-of-the-ordinary barbecue recipes. When I grill, I fill it up and put a few pieces of several kinds of meat on at once. It makes great leftovers for the children to eat when we are rushing to marching band practice or ballgames. ... Recipe Swap: St. Louis specialties printed in new cookbook (06/02/10) It is so much fun when I get a new cookbook, and my newest book is a really neat one. "Enjoy a Local at Home" is put out by Enjoy a Local, which promotes and supports restaurants in St. Louis. This cookbook's recipes are all from St. Louis restaurants, and the proceeds benefit the St. ...

Susan McClanahan Recipe Swap