Cook up some shrimp, crab, chicken - and puppy chow?

February is a busy birthday month for our family. Today is my dad's birthday, and tomorrow is our daughter's 17th birthday. Lexie was born on a Monday evening and came into the world with a full waiting room of family anxious for her arrival.

Lexie has a love for music, her favorite bands, art and fine food. She is very culinary curious and willing to try new foods on a regular basis. But, like all of us, there are a few of the basic home-cooked comfort foods that she likes.

Today I am sharing with you just a few recipes that are tasty and she enjoys.

Shrimp and Grits

3 cups 1 percent low-fat milk

1 cup water

1 tablespoon butter

1/2 teaspoon salt, divided

1/4 teaspoon black pepper, divided

1 cup uncooked quick-cooking grits

1/2 cup (2 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese

4 slices applewood-smoked bacon

1 pound peeled, deveined large shrimp

1 cup thinly vertically sliced white onion

2 cups grape tomatoes, halved

1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce or chopped chipotle chile, canned in adobo sauce

1/8 teaspoon ground or crushed red pepper

1/4 cup green onion strips

* Combine milk, water, butter, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon black pepper in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a simmer; gradually add grits, stirring constantly with a whisk. Reduce heat to medium; cook 4 minutes or until thick, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; stir in cheese.

* While grits cook, cook bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan, reserving 2 teaspoons drippings; crumble bacon. Add shrimp to drippings in pan; cook 2 minutes on each side or until done. Remove shrimp from pan. Add white onion to pan; sauté 1 minute. Stir in bacon, tomatoes, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, and remaining 1/8 teaspoon black pepper; sauté 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add shrimp, pepper sauce, and red pepper; cook 1 minute or until shrimp are heated. Serve over grits; sprinkle with green onions.

Savory Crab Cheesecake

This appetizer spread is quite elegant and can be made ahead so there is no last minute rush in preparation.

1 cup crushed butter-flavored crackers, about 25 crackers

3 tablespoons butter, melted

2 packages, 8 ounces each cream cheese, softened

3/4 cup sour cream, divided

3 eggs, lightly beaten

2 teaspoons grated onion

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon seafood seasoning, like Old Bay

2 drops hot pepper sauce

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1 cup crabmeat, drained, flaked and cartilage removed

Additional seafood seasoning, optional

* In a small bowl, combine cracker crumbs and butter. Press onto the bottom of the greased 9-inch springform pan. Place pan on baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Place pan on a wire rack. Reduce heat to 325 degrees.

* In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and 1/4 cup sour cream until smooth. Add eggs; beat on low just until combined. Add onion, lemon juice, seafood seasoning, hot pepper sauce and pepper; beat just until blended. Fold in crab. Pour over crust. Return pan to baking sheet. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until center is almost set. Cool pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Carefully run a knife around edge of pan to loosen. Cool 1 hour longer. Spread remaining sour cream over top. Refrigerate overnight.

* Remove sides of pan. Let cheesecake stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with seafood seasoning if desired. Refrigerate leftovers. Yield: 20-24 appetizer servings.

Ranch Chicken

This is an easy way to prepare chicken and is tasty, too. I cut the chicken breasts into 3 equal sized strips and bake them to make chicken fingers, or I chunk the chicken into bite sized chunks for dipping pieces. Lexie likes to dip hers in extra ranch dressing.

4 chicken breast halves

1 cup bottled ranch salad dressing

1/2 packet of Hidden Valley Salad Dressing and Seasoning Mix

3/4 cup cornflake crumbs

1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

* Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a shallow bowl, pour in the bottled ranch dressing. In another shallow bowl, place cornflake crumbs, Parmesan cheese and 1/2 packet of dry dressing mix. Stir to combine. Dip each chicken breast in the ranch dressing, removing any excess, and then dip in cornflake crumb mixture. Place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet until chicken is cooked through, about 25 minutes.

Cereal Puppy Chow Snack Mix

Lexie got hooked on puppy chow snack mix several years ago and she makes it quite often to have as snacks or to take to parties and get-togethers with friends. Recently I found a website with 50 different recipes for this crunchy addictive snack. I think she plans to work her way through all 50 recipes.

1 (12 ounce) box Crispix cereal

1/2 cup butter

1 cup creamy peanut butter

1 (12 ounce) package semisweet chocolate chips

2 to 3 cups powdered sugar

* In medium microwave-safe bowl, combine butter, peanut butter and chocolate chips and microwave on high for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring once during cooking, until mixture is melted and smooth. Place the cereal in another large bowl and pour the melted mixture over the cereal. Stir until the cereal is thoroughly coated. Pour the powdered sugar into a large plastic food bag. Pour the coated cereal into the powdered sugar and gently shake or turn bag over and over until it is well covered with the sugar. Pour the cereal onto wax paper to cool and dry. Store in tightly covered containers at room temperature.

Pork Tenderloin Teriyaki

Lexie loves pork tenderloin and this recipe is about her favorite. As with any pork recipe, the secret is not to overbake the pork.

2 (9 ounce) pork tenderloins

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon dry ground ginger

1 tablespoon vegetable or canola oil

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1/8 teaspoon dry minced garlic or 1 clove fresh garlic minced

1 pound bacon

Toothpicks

* Place pork tenderloins in a plastic zip-top bag. Combine the soy sauce, lemon juice, ginger, oil, brown sugar and garlic. Pour over tenderloins in bag; seal and refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight. When ready to grill or oven bake, remove from refrigerator and wrap with strips of bacon, securing with toothpicks when strips overlap. Grill over medium-hot coals for 20 to 25 minutes, brushing with the marinade in the bag. When just done, remove from heat and allow to rest for 5 minutes covered with foil. Slice diagonally with a very sharp knife into medallions.

Oven-Fried Potatoes

Lexie likes these potatoes served with the pork tenderloin. I usually just drizzle all of the oil mixture evenly over all of the potatoes and bake, not taking the time to brush them. I also increase the garlic and black pepper a little for a little extra flavor. The shredded Parmesan makes for a prettier presentation over the grated potatoes.

3 medium potatoes

1/4 cup vegetable or canola oil

1 tablespoon shredded Parmesan cheese

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon paprika

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

* Scrub potatoes and cut each into 1/8-inch slices. Place slices, slightly overlapping, in a single layer in a 9x13-inch baking pan (like fanning a deck a cards). Combine remaining ingredients, stirring well. Brush potatoes with half of the oil mixture. Bake, uncovered, at 375 degrees for 45 minutes, basting occasionally with remaining seasoned oil mixture.

Have a great week, and until next time -- happy birthday, my sweet Lexie -- and happy cooking.

Susan McClanahan is administrator at the Cape Girardeau Senior Center. Send recipes to her at newssemissourian.com or by mail at P.O. Box 699, Cape Girardeau, Mo., 63702. Recipes published have not been kitchen-tested by Southeast Missourian staff.