Recipe Swap: Column fan devoted to collecting and sharing recipes

Over the past several years, Jodi Thompson of Jackson has been an avid reader of this recipe column. Jodi is also a great cook and a cookbook and recipe collector. Recently Jodi had a shoulder replacement and has spent some of her recovery time sending me recipes on the computer -- all by using one hand and at times just a few fingers. I have gotten so many great recipes from her that I decided to pass along a few of those with you here today. I know she must be eager to get out and grill by looking at a few of these recipes.

Garlic and Onion Burgers

2 pounds ground beef

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup minced onion

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 teaspoon Italian-style seasoning

In a large bowl, mix together the beef, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, onion, salt, pepper and Italian seasoning. Refrigerate for 2 to 4 hours. Preheat grill for high heat. Form burgers into 1/2-inch-thick patties. Lightly oil grill and place burgers on grill. Cook for about 6 minutes, turning once.

Ice Cream Bread

1 cup butter pecan ice cream, softened

3/4 cup self-rising flour

1 tablespoon sugar

In a small bowl, combine the ice cream, flour and sugar. Transfer to a 5-3/4-inch-by 3-inch-by-2-inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack.

Yields 1 loaf (6 slices).

Garlic Cranberry Chicken

8 green onions, chopped

2 celery ribs, chopped

2 medium carrots, chopped

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1 whole garlic bulb, cloves separated and peeled

1 bay leaf

1 1/2 cups white wine or reduced-sodium chicken broth

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon white pepper

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

6 bone-in chicken breast halves (7 ounces each)

Sauce:

1/4 cup dried cranberries

1/4 cup boiling water

4 1/2 teaspoons butter

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon white pepper

1/4 cup fat-free half-and-half

Place the onions, celery, carrots, cranberries, garlic and bay leaf in a 13-by-9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Add wine or broth. Combine the salt, pepper and basil; sprinkle over chicken. Place chicken on top of vegetable mixture. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 70 to 80 minutes or until chicken juices run clear. Remove chicken; keep warm. Strain cooking liquid. Discard vegetable mixture. Skim fat from liquid and set aside 1 1/3 cups.

For sauce, place cranberries in a small bowl. Add boiling water. Let stand for 3 minutes. Drain and discard liquid. Set berries aside. In a nonstick saucepan coated with cooking spray, melt butter. Stir in the flour, salt and pepper until smooth. Gradually whisk in reserved cooking liquid. Bring to a boil; cook 1 to 2 minutes longer or until thickened. Stir in half-and-half and reserved cranberries; heat through. Serve with chicken.

Yields 6 servings.

BBQ Chicken Burgers

1 tablespoon butter, cut into pieces

1 small red onion, 1/2 finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 teaspoon sugar

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 1/4 pounds ground chicken

1 tablespoons grill seasoning (recommended: McCormick brand), a palm full

Salt and pepper

4 cornmeal kaiser rolls, split

In a small skillet over medium heat, melt butter. Add chopped onions, garlic and tomato paste and sweat them for 5 minutes to soften and sweeten. Sprinkle in sugar and remove from heat. Cool in a bowl, 5 minutes. Add tomato paste mixture and Worcestershire to bowl and combine. Add chicken to the bowl then grill seasoning and combine the burgers well to evenly distribute the flavors and form 4 patties. Cook patties 6 minutes on each side over medium-high heat. Serves 4.

Grilled Tilapia

This can be served over rice with vegetables or your choice of side dishes.

8 fillets tilapia

1 stick butter

1 tablespoon lemon pepper

1 tablespoon garlic powder

Melt 1/2 stick of butter in skillet or on flat grill. Place each fillet in skillet or on grill. Season each fillet with Lemon Pepper and Garlic Powder. Cover skillet with/lid or if using a flat grill place foil over fillets. Let cook until edges start to brown. Flip fillets and continue to cook until both sides are light/golden brown. Serve with your choice of sides. (Cooking time will vary depending on the size of filets). Serves 3.

Dipping Sauce for Steak

In a large nonstick cooking pot melt two sticks of butter over low heat.

After this is melted, add to it 3 cups of brown sugar.

After the brown sugar and butter have melted, add the follow ingredients one at a time, making sure to stir each one in thoroughly so that they are well blended.

2 cups ketchup

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1/4 cup A1 sauce

1/4 to 1/3 teaspoon liquid hickory smoke

A pinch black pepper

Serve the sauce warm in dipping cups. Store leftovers in refrigerator. This makes a large batch.

Portobello Pizzas

6 large Portobello mushroom tops, stems removed and gills scraped

Extra-virgin olive oil, for liberal drizzling plus 1 tablespoon

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 pound Italian sweet sausage

1/2 pint grape tomatoes

1/2 cup cream

1/2 cup basil leaves, shredded or torn

1/2 cup shredded Parmigiano cheese

Preheat broiler. Dress the mushroom caps with liberal drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Broil the Portobello mushrooms 5 minutes on each side until tender. While caps are broiling heat 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat, add sausage and brown and crumble the meat, then add tomatoes to skillet and cook another few minutes until they burst. Add cream to skillet and reduce 2 to 3 minutes more. Remove the sausage from heat and fold in basil. Fill mushroom caps and top with cheese, place under broiler to brown 2 to 3 minutes then quarter caps and serve. Yields 24 pieces.

Beet and Nectarine Salad

2 (5-ounce) packages spring mix salad greens

2 cups sliced fresh nectarines

1 (13 1/4-ounce) can sliced beets, drained

1/2 cup balsamic vinaigrette

1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

In a large salad bowl, combine the greens, nectarines and beets. Drizzle with dressing and toss gently to coat. Sprinkle with feta cheese. Yields 8 servings.

Have a great week, and we all wish Jodi a speedy recovery from her surgery. Until next time, 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 Southeast Missourian staff.