Recipe swap 1/9/02

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smcclanahan

Last weekend I was so hopeful that we might get some snow. Our children have been praying we would get enough snow to play in. As we left my parents house Sunday evening, the snow was beautiful as it fell. Large fluffy flakes falling down like feathers. We quickly grabbed pieces of black paper to catch the beauty of each falling snowflake.

But as usual, it didn't last long and didn't even cover the ground. So, we will keep praying and being hopeful for snow in the forecasts of days and weeks ahead.

Jodi Thompson of Jackson, Mo., shares a fun idea with us to make edible snowflakes as a nice snack on a cold, wintry day. As the children are hopeful for snow, try these cheese covered snowflake snacks.

Snow White Snowflake

1 flour tortilla per person

Shredded mozzarella cheese

Utensils you will need to make this recipe are: kitchen scissors, baking sheet, oven mitts, spatula, heated broiler or toaster oven.

Fold the tortilla in half and then in half again. Cut out shapes and designs from the folded edges of the tortilla with the kitchen scissors. Cut through all of the layers, trying not to tear the tortilla. Open the tortilla and place it flat on the baking sheet. It should resemble a snowflake design.

Carefully sprinkle the shredded mozzarella cheese on the snowflake tortilla.

Try to keep the cheese away from the holes. Place the baking sheet and snowflake under the broiler or in the toaster oven just until the cheese bubbles. Watch carefully, it only takes a moment. Wearing oven mitts, remove the baking sheet from the oven. Set aside and let cool for a few minutes.

While waiting, sprinkle a little cheese on the white plate. With a spatula, remove the tortilla snowflake from the baking sheet. To serve, place the tortilla on the white plate. Sprinkle with a little more cheese, if desired.

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While the days are cold and we do have a few snow showers here and there, Jodi also reminds us to care for God's creatures by helping to feed the birds. This is another great activity to do with your children. It would also be nice to keep this feeder filled for an elderly friend or neighbor.

Bird watching can provide hours of enjoyment to shut-in senior adults.

The Birds Are Hungry

Hang an 18-inch long, 6-inch diameter tree limb with 1-1/2 inch holes drilled all around in it from a tree limb and fill the holes with this food. It is very popular with the birds in any yard.

1/4 cup flour

3/4 cup corn meal

1/4 cup peanut butter

Bacon grease

Mix all ingredients using enough bacon grease to make a soft dough. Press well into the holes in the log and hang in at least 5 feet above the ground to keep birds safe from cats. Refill as the birds eat it. You will get a good variety of birds eating right outside your window.

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Over the Christmas holiday Jodi had fun writing in to Recipe Swap with many of her favorite recipes. Jodi loves to cook and is so wonderful to share so many of her great recipes. So to kick off the new year with Recipe Swap, we will let Jodi have the spotlight and let her shine. Thanks, Jodi, for sharing.

Polenta is Italian for cornmeal. It also refers to an Italian side dish, like cornmeal mush, that's prepared by boiling cornmeal and water or broth until thick and creamy. Polenta is usually served as a side dish topped with cheese or a tomato sauce. It can also be cooled and cut into slices to be fried or broiled.

Polenta with Italian Sausage

4 cups water

1 cup cornmeal

1 teaspoon salt

1 pound Italian sausage links

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 can (14-1/2 ounces) Italian stewed tomatoes

1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste

2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Combine water, cornmeal and salt in a double boiler or heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, brown the sausage and garlic in a large skillet; drain. Cool slightly. Cut sausage into 1-inch pieces; return to skillet. Add tomatoes, tomato paste and parsley; bring to a boil. Remove from the heat. Spread half of the cornmeal mixture in a serving dish; top with half of the sausage mixture. Repeat layers. Sprinkle with cheese. Serve immediately. Yields 4 servings.

Sweet-and-Sour Meat Loaf

1 egg

5 tablespoons ketchup, divided

2 tablespoons prepared mustard

1/2 cup dry bread crumbs

2 tablespoons onion soup mix

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 pound ground beef

1/4 cup sugar

2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons cider vinegar

In a bowl, lightly beat the egg. Add 2 tablespoons of ketchup, mustard, bread crumbs, dry soup mix, salt and pepper. Crumble beef over mixture and mix well. Shape into an oval loaf. Place in a shallow 1-quart microwave-safe dish; cover with waxed paper. Microwave on high for 11-12 minutes or until meat is no longer pink, rotating a half turn once; drain. In a small bowl, combine the sugars, vinegar and remaining ketchup; drizzle over meat loaf.

Cover and microwave on high for 3-5 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes before slicing. Yields 4 servings.

Almond Chicken Stir-Fry

Ready in 30 minutes or less

1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into strips

3 tablespoons canola oil

1 1/2 cups cauliflowerets

1 1/2 cups broccoli florets

3/4 cup julienned carrots

1/2 cup chopped celery

1/4 cup chopped sweet red pepper

1 can (8 ounces) sliced water chestnuts, drained

3 cups chicken broth

3 tablespoons soy sauce

1/3 cup cornstarch

1/2 cup cold water

Hot cooked rice, optional

1/3 to 1/2 cup slivered almonds, toasted

In a skillet or wok, stir-fry chicken in oil until no longer pink. Stir in the vegetables, broth and soy sauce. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low; cover and cook until vegetables are crisp-tender. Combine cornstarch and water until smooth; stir into chicken mixture. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Serve over rice if desired. Sprinkle with almonds. Yields 6 servings.

French Canadian (Not Boston) Baked Beans

1 pound small white pea beans

1 onion, coarsely chopped

1 teaspoon dry mustard

2 teaspoons ground black pepper

1 to 2 cups pure maple syrup, plus more if desired

1/3 pound salt pork

Salt

Pour the beans onto a plate, and pick-over looking for bad beans, or stones.

Place beans in bowl, cover with water by at least 2 inches, and soak overnight.

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Drain beans and place in 4-quart bean pot. Add onion, dry mustard, pepper, salt, and maple syrup. Add water to cover. Cut salt pork into 1-inch pieces and place on top of beans. Bake covered, approximately 8 hours. Check each hour to see if water needs to be added.

You can add more maple syrup in place of water for flavor, if desired.

Serve the beans with brown bread, franks, or ham. For breakfast, serve with eggs, bacon, and home fries. Yields 6 servings.

Maple Banana Fritters

1 cup dark amber maple syrup

Vegetable oil, for frying

1 1/2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

3/4 cup milk

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

4 ripe bananas, peeled

2 tablespoons lemon juice

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. In a saucepan bring maple syrup to a gentle boil, reduce heat and let simmer and cook for 10 minutes until thick and will coat the back of a spoon. Remove from heat and let cool enough to pour into a serving container. In a deep frying pan, add 2 to 2 1/2-inches of oil and heat to 350 to 375 degrees or until a drop of batter immediately rises to the surface. While oil is heating, sift together in bowl the flour, baking powder, and salt. Beat eggs in a separate bowl and add to dry ingredients. Add milk and vanilla to batter and mix until all ingredients are incorporated and it has a pancake batter-like consistency. Add additional milk a little at a time if needed. Let batter rest for 10 minutes to let the baking powder to become active and bubble. Next, cut bananas into 1-inch size pieces on an angle and toss in a bowl with lemon juice. Using two forks, coat banana pieces with the batter and drop one at a time into the hot oil. Let cook until both sides are golden brown, about 3 to 4 minutes for each side. Turn bananas with forks as they brown. Remove and drain on paper towels, then place in oven on a lined baking pan to keep warm. Repeat steps if doing a larger batch. Pour syrup over bananas and serve as a dessert or side dish. Yields 8 servings.

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We do have a couple of requests this week. Ruth Ann Ford of Cape has lost her recipe for melt-a-ways. They are a cookie that she traditionally makes for Christmas and in a recent move she misplaced her recipe.

Secondly there is a request for Southern chicken and dumplings. Rolled dumplings, not drop dumplings is what this person is looking for.

Lastly, at a recent dinner party I went to we had a curried butternut shrimp bisque. I was telling the "soup queen" about it and she would love the recipe. So, Dimple, the pressure is on to share your recipe with us.

That will do it for another week. Hope you have a terrific week and of course, happy cooking.

Susan McClanahan is administrator at the Cape Girardeau Senior Center. Send recipes to her at smcclanahan@semissourian.com or by mail at P.O. Box 699; Cape Girardeau, Mo. 63701. Recipes published have not been kitchen-tested by the Southeast Missourian staff.