RECIPE SWAP; PECAN PIES AND DISHES FOR SUMMER

Through the course of Recipe Swap I have shared with you some of the special events in our family. This week we have a couple of anniversaries to celebrate in.

My sister Linda and her husband Wynn are celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary today. Being one of my older sisters, she has been a wonderful marriage and parent role model for Scott and I. We have watched them raise two wonderful daughters and we follow many of their parenting skills to guide us. Thanks, Sis.

On Sunday, my parents, Duane and Marilyn Kinsey will be celebrating their 50th anniversary. They have both worked very hard all of their married life and been more than generous to all six of their children. They are wonderful baby sitters, guidance counselors, helpers and supporters.

Each of them brought their own special gifts to the marriage and well as a strong Christian background. Through that bond came six children, of which personally, I think they saved the best for last. Yes, I'm the baby, and have the other five as my best friends for life.

Happy anniversary, Mom and Dad. I am so very thankful God made us parent and child.

Mom has always been known for her marvelous pies, but pecan in particular. She uses the same pie crust recipe for all of her pies and cobblers. It is so flaky and tender. Give it a try, as well as her pecan pie.

Marilyn's Pie Crust

2 cups flour

1 cup Crisco shortening

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup water

Place the flour in a large mixing bowl. Remove 1/4 cup to a small bowl. Add the shortening to the larger portion of the flour, as well as the salt. Cut in shortening until well combined. Add the water to the smaller portion of flour, stirring well to break up any lumps. Add the water mixture to the large bowl and gently toss with a fork, being careful not to overwork the dough. Adjust small amounts of flour or water to obtain the desired texture.

Pecan Pie

1 (9-inch) pie shell, unbaked

1 to 1 1/2 cups pecans

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup syrup

3 tablespoons butter or margarine

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

3 eggs

1/2 cup canned evaporated milk

Pinch salt

1 tablespoon flour

Place pecans in the bottom of unbaked pie shell. A few may be chopped coarse as well as halves. Combine brown sugar, syrup, butter, vanilla, eggs, canned milk, salt and flour. Beat well with a wire whisk. Gently pour the filling over the pecans in pie shell. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 1 hour. The pie will puff up, but will fall back down during cooling.

For the syrup, you can use all dark syrup, a combination of dark and light or even a little maple pancake syrup. Any combination will work, just use a total of 1 cup.

We have another gooseberry pie recipe to share this week for Betty Rosenquist and Laura Sanford. We never did get the gooseberry topping for coffeecake from anyone. There is still time to get it in.

Sour Cream Gooseberry Pie

1 (9-inch) deep pie shell, unbaked

3 cups gooseberries

1 egg, slightly beaten

1 1/2 cups sugar

Dash of salt

3 tablespoons tapioca

1 cup sour cream

Blend together well the egg, sugar, salt, tapioca and sour cream. Fold in gooseberries. Pour in pie shell. Bake in preheated 450 degree oven for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake 35 to 45 minutes longer or until filling is firmed and lightly browned.

When this pie is finished, there will be a scrumptious topping baked on. The contributor of this recipe also adds she uses this recipe for all of her favorite fruits. She has used it for rhubarb, blueberries, peaches and shredded apples. Just adjust the sugar accordingly as to the fruit used.

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A Cape Girardeau cook is still able to get some strawberries at the grocery store and wanted to share this cold soup with you.

The recipe calls for frozen, but fresh are the best.

Strawberry Soup

15 ounces frozen strawberries, thawed with juice

16 ounces sour cream

1 ounce vanilla extract

3 ounces powdered sugar, measured after sifting

1/2 ounce grenadine syrup

2 ounces half and half

Mix strawberries and sour cream. Beat slowly until well mixed. Add grenadine, vanilla, and sugar while mixing until smooth consistency. Add half and half last, mixing only until well blended. Chill and serve. Shake well before serving. Serves 6.

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On hot summer days, salads are a great option to hot cooking. Here are a few that I have pulled out of my files to share with you. I hope you enjoy them.

Shrimp, Orange and Rice Salad

1 cup uncooked rice

1 pound fresh asparagus

1 pound medium shrimp, deveined and peeled

6 slices bacon, cut in 1/2-inch pieces

2 shallots, chopped

2 tablespoons olive oil

3/4 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup sliced green onions

1 tablespoon fresh tarragon

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

2 teaspoons grated orange rind

3 cans mandarin oranges, drained well

Cook rice according to package directions, cool. Set aside. Steam asparagus and break into bite-sized pieces. Set aside. Saut shrimp, bacon and shallots in olive oil until shrimp turns pink. Drain. Combine mayonnaise, green onions, tarragon, salt, pepper and orange rind in a large bowl. Add oranges, rice, asparagus and shrimp mixture, tossing gently. Cover and chill.

This dish may also be served as a main dish served warm.

Chicken Salad Croissants

4 bone-in chicken breasts

1 cup toasted pecans

1 cup red seedless grapes

1/2 cup thinly sliced celery

1 to 1/2 cups real mayonnaise

1/2 teaspoon salt

Boil chicken until tender. Debone and coarsely chop. Chop pecans and cut grapes in half. Add to chicken along with celery, mayonnaise and salt. To toast pecans, place 2 tablespoons melted margarine on a baking sheet. Stir in pecans. Bake at 325 degrees for 15 minutes, stirring twice. Serve this combined mixture on croissants.

Curried Chicken Salad

4 cups diced cooked chicken

1 cup chopped celery

Toasted almonds

1 1/2 cups mayonnaise

2 teaspoons curry powder

1 tablespoon chopped parsley

2 teaspoons soy sauce

2 teaspoons pineapple juice

Salt, to taste

White pepper, to taste

Combine chicken, celery, almonds and mayonnaise. Then combine curry powder, parsley, soy sauce, pineapple juice, salt and pepper. Mix with chicken mixture. Chill and serve on bed of mixed greens. Garnish with grapes and pineapple slices.

Italian Pasta Salad

2 small packages 3-color rotini pasta noodles

1 large head broccoli, cut into florets

1 small to medium sized zucchini sliced, chopped

3 medium carrots, cut, sliced

1 small red onion, thinly sliced

1 large can drained black olives

1 package dry Italian dressing mix

Sliced pepperoni, cut into fourths, desired amount

Boil pasta until just until a bit firm. Drain and rinse with cold water. Pour into a large bowl and add all vegetables, olives, and pepperoni. Prepare dressing according to package directions, reducing the oil by half. Pour over salad and toss gently. Arrange additional black olives, pepperoni and red onion slices on top for garnish. Makes a great meal when served with garlic bread or homemade bread.

We do not have any recipe requests this week. Everyone must be too busy working in the garden or trying to stay cool.

Have a great week, and happy cooking.