RECIPE SWAP: FAIR OFFERS A WEEK OF GOOD TASTES

It's fair time in Cape Girardeau, and with the fair comes lots of great food. I know of several people who go to the fair just to eat and start planning what they are going to eat long before they ever arrive at the fair. And yes, I have my favorites, too. The fish at the Grace Methodist Church stand, the lemon shake-ups, the polish sausage covered in grilled onions, and the cheesecake on a stick Daddy Bars. Are you hungry yet?

Also at the fair is the annual R.B. Rice recipe contest. It will be at 10 a.m. Saturday in the R&R tent. Rules for the contest are printed in the fair handbook. The 1997 winner of this contest was Rosemary Ross of Chaffee. She made a zucchini casserole that swept the judges tastebuds and won her first place in the contest. Her recipe is now appearing on the commercially produced packages of R.B. Rice sausage in local grocery stores. We will share her recipe with you. I hope several of you can enter the contest on Saturday and good luck.

Award-Winning R.B. Rice Zucchini Casserole

1 pound R.B. Rice Sausage

4 medium zucchini squash, diced coarsely and peeled

3/4 cup of shredded carrots

1/2 cup chopped onion

6 tablespoons margarine

2 1/4 cups herb stuffing

1 cup sour cream

1 can cream of chicken soup

Brown sausage, drain and set aside. Cook zucchini until slightly tender and drain. Saute' carrots and onion in 3 tablespoons margarine. Stir in 1 1/2 cups herb stuffing mix, soup and sour cream. Gently fold in squash and sausage. Pour into greased casserole dish. Sprinkle on top the remaining melted margarine and remaining stuffing. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

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Last week we had a request from Irma Ward of Cape Girardeau for a sourdough recipe that could be used in a bread machine. I have to admit I had my doubts of whether that would work, but Glenda Jones of Doniphan has her recipe that she worked with for quite awhile before she perfected it. She also shares a few tips along with the recipe. Her bread machine states it takes 3 hours 20 minutes to make the loaf. She takes the bread out of the machine with 21 or 22 minutes left on the machine. The loaf becomes too done if left in the entire time. She also says that this loaf makes wonderful toast for breakfast.

Sourdough Bread For Bread Machine

Starter for sourdough bread:

2 tablespoons yeast

2 tablespoons sugar

2 cups water

Using a large glass jar, 1/2-gallon size, mix above ingredients well. Then add 2 cups bread flour and mix well. Leave out in room temperature. Cover with a paper towel. Let stand 5 or 6 hours or overnight if kept in refrigerator. It can be used cold or let it warm up.

To make bread, use the following ingredients in order in bread machine.

3/4 cup starter

1/4 cup sugar or scant 1/4 cup

1/4 cup oil

3/4 cup warm water

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 cups bread flour

Follow your individual instructions of machine for best results. Remember to watch baking times and remove as needed as to not overbake.

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Following the Humane Society Dessert Auction there was a request for the Ding Dong Cake that was sold at the auction. It was sent to us by a Cape Girardeau cook, and it does sound very rich and delicious.

Ding Dong Cake

1 Duncan Hines Swiss chocolate cake mix

1 small box instant chocolate pudding mix

Follow directions on box for preparation of the cake, adding the box of chocolate pudding mix. Bake in 2 round cake pans. Cool cakes completely and then split with dental floss, making 4 layers.

Filling:

2 cups powdered sugar

About 10 ounces Cool Whip

Mix until thick. Put filling between layers, leaving the top plain. For the icing, use a can Duncan Hines dark chocolate icing. Ice top and sides of cake.

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We are still getting a few recipes in from the recent request for tortillas and bagels. I hope someone lets me know how they turn out. I simply have not had time to make them yet.

Corn Tortillas

Mix the following dry ingredients:

1 1/2 cups fine cornmeal

2 tablespoons soy flour

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1 teaspoon salt

Add slowly: 1 cup cold water (approximately)

Mix and knead the dough a little. Divide into 6 equal parts. Roll each portion very thin on floured board or between waxed paper. Bake on hot ungreased iron grill. Flip over and brown other side. A heavy skillet may also be used.

The recipe had a note that these were delicious used as pizza bases or filled with tofu and tomato sauce and then baked.

Whole Wheat Tortillas

3 cups whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon salt, or to taste

1 1/2 cups warm water

Mix the flour and salt in a bowl. Add the water and mix into a nice dough. Knead until soft and elastic.

At this point, you can let the dough rest for an hour or so, but it isn't really necessary. Pinch off a chunk of dough, roll into a smooth ball, about golf ball size, with your hands, then flatten on a floured surface. With a rolling pin, roll into a thin circle. Be generous with the flour to avoid sticking. Cook on a medium hot griddle until delicately beige and specked with brown. It may take some practice to get the griddle the right temperature. You don't have to use any oil on the griddle.

The person who sent in this recipe says the only problem with making this recipe is keeping them around. Her children eat them with beans, with fruit or jam, or just plain. They make a great crust for a quick pizza by adding tomato sauce and toppings and put under the broiler. They also love them for burritos or quesadillas. She also adds that besides being tasty and nutritious, they are cheap to make. This recipe makes about a dozen for about 20 cents.

Homemade Bagels

2 ounces butter substitute (applesauce or another suitable item)

1 cup milk

1/2 ounce fresh yeast or equivalent of dried yeast

14 ounces strong white flour

1 1/2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon (leave out for plain bagels)

a handful raisins (leave out for plain bagels)

1 egg white

Dissolve the butter substitute in the milk, heating the milk if necessary. Cool the mixture to tepid, add yeast and sugar and leave until it gets a bit frothy (about 10 minutes). Meanwhile mix the flour, salt and cinnamon, plus a bit more sugar if you like your bagels a bit sweeter, about 1 or 2 tablespoons. Mix the egg white with the yeast liquid and add to the flour. Knead for 8 to 10 minutes until the dough is nice and elastic and not sticky. Work in the raisins a few at a time to get them evenly distributed in the dough. Leave the dough in a covered bowl in a warmish place to rise to double in size, about 1 hour.

Divide the dough into 12 pieces, roll each one to near 8 inches and form into a ring, pinching the ends together with a little water to make them stick. Leave on a floured surface, preferably covered with a cling film or cloth, until they start rising again, about 20 minutes.

Bring a large pan of water to a good boil, and drop the bagels in carefully one at a time for about 15 seconds each. They should puff up a bit. Remove them from the water with a slotted spoon or strainer and put them on a non-stick sprayed baking sheet, and brush with a little milk. Bake at about 390 degrees for 20 minutes or until nice and brown. Cool on a wire tray.

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Mrs. Evelyn Meyr of Altenburg shares a delicious cake she makes that starts with a box mix. Would be a great fall dessert.

Spice and Raisin Cake

1 box spice cake mix

1 package instant butterscotch pudding mix

3/4 cup oil

4 eggs

2/3 cup raisins

1 cup chopped pecans

1 cup water

1 cup coconut

Combine cake mix and pudding mix. Add oil, eggs and water, beating as you add. Beat well. Stir in raisins, coconut and pecans. Mix well. Pour into well-greased and floured Bundt pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour. Leave in pan to cool. Can be frosted but also good plain.

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Mrs. Lillian Fiehler of Altenburg also has a cake recipe to share with you. Her pineapple cake makes a 9-x-13-inch cake that would be a great dessert for a potluck dinner.

Pineapple Cake

2 cups flour

2 cups sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup chopped nuts

1 (20-ounce) can crushed pineapple with juice

Blend eggs and sugar. Add flour, salt, baking soda and pineapple. Mix well by hand. Put into a 9-x-13-inch pan, bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

Frosting:

Cook 1 cup milk and 3 tablespoons cornstarch together. Cool. Beat 1 stick margarine, 1/2-cup white Crisco and 1 cup sugar. Beat with mixer about 5 minutes. Add cooled flour paste and beat 5 more minutes. Spread on cooled cake.

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We have one recipe request for this week, and I feel like it is going to be a very popular one. Rose Musgrave-Quinn of Cape Girardeau is looking for all types of recipes for tomato relish, preferably ripe tomatoes, but green tomato relish would be satisfactory, too. She is also wanting recipes for salsa and pecante sauce. She loves anything that is hot or spicy. This should be very interesting to see all of the different types of relish recipes she receives.

That will do it for another week of Recipe Swap. Have a great week and happy cooking.