RECIPE SWAP: DISHING OUT DESSERTS FOR BENEFIT AUCTION

It's dessert time, so get your sweet tooth ready. It is time for the annual Humane Society Dessert Auction to be held Aug. 5. This year's fabulous desserts will be auctioned from 2-4 p.m. at the Holiday Inn Sierra Room. Desserts will be donated from area restaurants and noted bakers from the community.

This will be my third dessert auction and it is more fun each year. The staff from Rainbow Auction Company donates their time and talent to help with the auction.

Tickets are available for $6.50 at the Humane Society Shelter or at the door. The best part of the auction is when samples of many desserts are served and cool refreshing beverages are served to all that attend.

I have learned so much by helping with the dessert auction. I had no idea that the shelter took animals in like pot-bellied pigs, goats, ferrets, birds, goldfish, rabbits, iguanas and of course dogs and cats. The local shelter took in animals from 17 surrounding counties last year, a much larger area than I knew about.

Please mark your calendars for Aug. 5 and plan to come and support the Humane Society and have a great time.

While we are discussing desserts, Jodi Thompson has a couple of sweet treats to share with us today.

Apple Cheesecake Pie

1 graham cracker pie crust, 9 inch

For the filling:

1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

2 eggs

For the topping:

1 20-ounce can apple pie filling -- chilled

2 tablespoons toasted chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Combine cream cheese, sugar, lemon juice and vanilla in a bowl. Mixuntil well blended. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing after each addition. Place crust on baking sheet; pour in filling. Bake for 25 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely. Spread apple filling evenly on top of cooled cheesecake. Garnish with toasted pecans.

Jodi also shares this next recipe and said she felt like she would gain weight just by reading the recipe that is so rich.

Almond Rocha

1 cup sugar

3 tablespoon water

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 giant Hershey chocolate bar, grated

1/2 pound butter

Dash of salt

Chopped or sliced almonds

Cook sugar, butter, and water until dark crack stage. Then add vanilla.

While above is cooking, butter a 9-by-13-inch pan. Sprinkle with almonds and 1/2 of Hershey bar. Pour mixture over this. While hot, sprinkle with more almonds and rest of Hershey bar.

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This time of year usually anyone who has zucchini in their garden is looking for ways to use it up. I heard a joke the other day where a couple was to attend a wedding in a small rural community. Someone told them to lock their car doors when they arrived at the church. Curious, the couple responded with a remark about vandalism and theft in their community. The man told them they certainly did not have a problem with theft, but if they kept their car unlocked it might be full of zucchini when they came out of the wedding. Oh how true! If you do have excess on hand try one of these delicious recipes.

Zucchini Loaf Bread

3 eggs

2 cups brown sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 cups grated zucchini

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons vanilla

3 teaspoons cinnamon

Beat eggs, add sugar, oil and vanilla. Mix well. Add zucchini stirring to mix in. Next add all dry ingredients. Mix until well blended. Grease a Bundt pan or 2 loaf pans. Pour batter in prepared pans. Bake 350 degrees for about 1 hour.

For variety add any of the following:

1 cup raisins, currants or dates chopped

1 cup chopped nuts -- walnuts or pecans

1 cup coconut

1 cup zucchini and 1 cup mashed banana (this in place of the 2 cups zucchini)

1 cup shredded apple

1 cup crushed pineapple, well drained

Zucchini Ziti Pasta

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup butter or margarine, or less to taste

1/2 cup chopped green pepper

1 1/2 to 2 pounds zucchini, sliced

3 cups tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 can (4 ounce) sliced mushrooms, undrained

1/2 teaspoon garlic

1 pound ziti or other short pasta

Saut onion in hot butter for 2 minutes. Add all other ingredients except ziti. Cover and cook over low heat for about 30 minutes, stirring frequently. Zucchini slices should be tender. But still preserve their shape. Serve on hot cooked ziti.

Be creative with your ziti recipe. Try adding browned ground beef, extra garlic and herbs, then top with Parmesan cheese.

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Recently we had a request for fried tomatoes and today we have a response from Rob of Cape Girardeau. The different version of the traditional fried tomatoes is this recipe calls for red ripe tomatoes as opposed to green tomatoes.

4 or 5 large tomatoes, cut into thick slices

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup flour

4 to 6 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 cup heavy cream

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley

Sprinkle tomatoes on both sides with salt and a little black pepper. Spread the flour on a sheet of waxed paper. Then dip the tomato slices in the flour, coating each side thoroughly; gently tap off any excess. In a heavy 12-inch skillet, preferably with a nonstick lining, melt 1/4 cup of butter over moderate heat. When the foam subsides, add the tomato slices and cook them for about five minutes or until they are lightly browned. Sprinkle the tops with half of the brown sugar, carefully turn the tomatoes over with a spatula, and sprinkle with the rest of the brown sugar. Add 1 or more tablespoons of butter to the skillet if necessary. Cook the tomatoes for three to four minutes, and then transfer the slices to a heated serving platter. Pour the cream into the skillet, increase the heat to high, and bring the cream to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil briskly for two to three minutes or until the cream thickens. Taste for seasoning, then pour the cream over the tomatoes. Sprinkle with the finely chopped parsley.

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We have only one request this week. It comes from Joan of Cape Girardeau.

She would like a recipe for carrot casserole. The one she remembers eating years ago had shredded carrots and onions, other than that she couldn't tell us much more about it. Please share your favorite recipe with Joan.

Be sure to mark your calendars for the Humane Society Dessert Auction and I hope to see you there.

Have a great week and happy cooking.

Susan McClanahan is administrator at the Cape Girardeau Senior Center. E-mail your recipes or requests to her at smclanahan@semissourian.com or by mail at P.O. Box 699; Cape Girardeau, Mo. 63702-0699. Recipes published have not been kitchen-tested by the Southeast Missourian staff.