Recipe Swap: Cookbooks are birthday gifts with excellent taste

It is always exciting to get a new cookbook, and for my recent birthday I got two. My sister, Pat, gave me "The Amish Cook at Home: Simple Pleasures of Food, Family and Faith." It is filled with beautiful photographs, stories about the Amish faith community and, of course, great-sounding recipes. The second cookbook, "Down Home with The Neelys, A Southern Family Cookbook," came from my cousin, Cindy Dude. Today I will pull a few recipes from both books and share them with you in hopes you will enjoy them while planning your week's menu. To Pat and Cindy, thanks for making my birthday special.

Asparagus with Bacon Cheese Sauce

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons flour

1 cup milk

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup shredded American or mild Cheddar cheese

1 1/2 pounds asparagus, trimmed

4 to 6 slices bacon, cooked crisp and drained

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the flour and cook until smooth and bubbly, about 3 minutes. Gradually whisk in the milk. Cook, whisking constantly, until the sauce has thickened. Stir in the salt and cheese until the cheese is melted. Set aside and keep warm. Meanwhile, cook the asparagus in 1 inch of salted boiling water in a large skillet until crisp-tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Immediately drain and rinse under cold water. Pour the sauce over the drained hot asparagus. Sprinkle with the crumbled bacon. Serve right away.

Rhubarb Dream Bars

Crust:

1 1/2 cups flour

2/3 cup powdered sugar

1/4 cup margarine or butter

Filling:

3 large eggs, beaten

2 cups sugar

1/2 cup flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 cups chopped rhubarb

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter the bottom and sides of a 9-by-13-inch cake pan. To make the crust, in a medium bowl, mix the flour, sugar, and margarine until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Press evenly across the bottom of the cake pan. Bake 15 minutes. Remove from the oven, leaving the oven on, and let stand while making the filling. Combine the eggs, sugar, flour and salt in a medium bowl. Stir to make a batter. Stir in the rhubarb until incorporated. Pour into the crust. Bake until the bars are firm when you shake the pan a little, about 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and let stand until completely cool. Cut into bars to serve. Makes 15 bars.

Cinnamon Pudding

Sugar syrup

2 cups packed brown sugar

1 1/2 cups water

2 tablespoons margarine or butter

About 3 cups flour

1 cup granulated sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 cup milk

2 tablespoons margarine or butter

1/2 cup walnuts, chopped, optional

2 cups sweetened whipped cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-by-13-inch pan. To make the syrup, combine the brown sugar, water and margarine in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then remove from the heat. Set aside. Combine the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder and cinnamon in a large bowl. Stir with a whisk to blend. Stir in the milk and margarine to make a smooth batter. Spoon into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Pour the sugar syrup over the top and sprinkle evenly with the nuts. Bake until the center is firm when you shake the pan a little, about 45 minutes. Cut into 1-inch squares and top each with a dollop of whipped cream.

Spinach Salad with Bacon, Blue Cheese, Pecans and Cranberries

1/2 pound thick-sliced bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

Creamy blue cheese dressing

4 ounces Danish blue cheese, crumbled

1/4 cup buttermilk

1/4 cup sour cream

Dash hot sauce

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

For the salad:

1 (12-ounce) package baby spinach leaves

1/2 medium red onion, thinly sliced

1 cup dried cranberries

For the spiced pecans:

Nonstick vegetable spray

1/4 cup light brown sugar

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1 cup pecans

Pinch cayenne pepper

Fry the bacon in a medium skillet over medium heat until brown and crisp. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the chopped bacon to a paper towel-lined plate, and set aside to cool. To make the dressing, use a fork to mash the blue cheese in a medium bowl. Whisk in the buttermilk, sour cream, hot sauce, and salt and pepper to taste. Combine the baby spinach, red onion, dried cranberries, bacon and spiced pecans in a large bowl. Toss the salad with the creamy blue-cheese dressing just before serving. For the pecans, place a 12-inch square of foil on a baking sheet, and spray the foil with nonstick spray. Heat the brown sugar, olive oil and balsamic vinegar in a large skillet over medium heat, stirring, until the sugar melts and the mixture bubbles. Add the pecans and the cayenne pepper, and stir until the nuts are well coated. Transfer the nuts to the foil, spreading them out, and allow them to cool completely and they will harden and dry. Serves 4.

Spicy Salmon with Mustard and Brown Sugar Glaze

1 cup dry white wine

2 tablespoons butter

1 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning

2 teaspoons drained capers

Pinch cayenne pepper

1 (2-pound) center cut wild salmon fillet, skin removed

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1/3 cup spicy brown mustard

1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Heat the wine, butter, Old Bay Seasoning, capers and cayenne in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 3 to 4 minutes. Sprinkle the salmon on both sides with salt and pepper. Place the fish in a glass baking dish. Pour the wine mixture over the top and bake until fish is opaque in the center, 15 to 17 minutes; remove from the oven. Preheat the broiler. Whisk together the mustard and sugar in a small bowl; spread over the salmon to cover. Broil the salmon until the topping is brown and bubbling, about 3 minutes. Transfer the salmon to a platter and serve. Serves 6.

I hope you have an opportunity to give these recipes a try. Have a great week and, 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.