RECIPE SWAP: RECIPES EMERGE FROM DEPTHS OF CAR SEAT BASKET

In cleaning out a large basket between the front seats of our van this week, I found a couple of pieces of mail that had fallen down in the cracks. Or, it could of course, be that the kids hid them or some other strange thing. Whatever or however the mail slipped away, I share it with you now.

Mrs. Harris of Jackson has a version of the Oriental Cole Slaw recipe so many of you have enjoyed. All of them are similar, and I suggest you play with the recipes to come up with your own version, according to what you keep on hand or to your personal taste. I shared with you before that I always toast the dry noodles for an extra rich flavor and crunchy texture.

Oriental Cole Slaw

1 (16 ounce) package cole slaw mix

2 packages beef flavor Ramen noodles soup mix, uncooked

1 cup sunflower seed kernels

1 cup toasted almonds

2 bunches green onions, chopped

Dressing: 1/2 to 2/3 cup vegetable oil

2/3 cup sugar

1/2 cup vinegar

2 packages dry seasoning packets from the noodle packages

Shake dressing and pour over slaw at the last minute.

*****

Ann Parkinson of Cape Girardeau has a recipe for Quick Beer Bread to share from a recent request by a reader. Her recipe yields 12 regular sized muffins or one loaf.

Quick Beer Bread

3 cups self-rising flour

3 tablespoons sugar

1 (12 ounce) can of beer

Stir all ingredients together and pour into a greased 9-x-5-inch loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 55 to 60 minutes.

You may also put the batter in greased muffin tins. Bake the muffins for 15 minutes.

With the bread or muffins, you may brush the tops with butter after baking and return to the oven for about 2 minutes more.

*****

Tara Lutes shares two salad recipes that are fresh and cool on these warm days. In the Raspberry Spinach Salad recipe, she used strawberries and appreciated the economic savings and the flavor.

Raspberry Spinach Salad

2 tablespoons raspberry vinegar

2 tablespoons raspberry jam

1/3 cup vegetable oil

3/4 pound fresh spinach

3/4 pound whole toasted pecans, divided

1 cup fresh raspberries, divided

2 large kiwi fruit, peeled and sliced 1/4-inch thick

With a whisk or blender, blend vinegar and jam. Add oil in a thin stream while whisking. In a salad bowl, combine spinach, half of nuts, half of raspberries and all of the dressing. Top salad with kiwi and remaining nuts and berries. Chill. Toss just before serving.

Spinach Orange Salad

1/4 cup vegetable oil

3 tablespoons sugar, divided

2 tablespoons vinegar

1 tablespoon snipped fresh parsley

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper dash hot pepper sauce

1/4 cup sliced almonds 6 to 8 cups packed fresh spinach

1 cup thin bias-cut celery

2 tablespoons chopped green onion tops

1 can (11 ounces) mandarin oranges, drained

In a jar with tight-fitting lid, combine oil, 2 tablespoons sugar, vinegar, parsley, salt, pepper and hot pepper sauce; shake well. Chill. In a small skillet over medium heat, saute almonds in remaining sugar until golden brown; cool. In a large salad bowl combine spinach, celery, green onions, and oranges. Add the dressing and almonds and toss at the last minute before serving.

*****

Bettie Heise, our dear sweet cook at the Senior Center, was telling me about Friccadillies. They are meatballs in a basic mushroom gravy with a great name. She brought me the recipe from an old tattered and well-worn cookbook, so I knew it had been well used. Bettie makes them for carry-in dinners and people really enjoy them. She hopes you will, too.

Friccadillies

1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef

2 eggs, beaten

2 slices bread, torn into small pieces

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup milk

1 can mushroom soup

1/2 soup can of water

3/4 cup flour

Combine meat, beaten eggs, bread, milk and salt. Spoon meat mixture, about the size of a walnut, into small bowl containing flour. Shape meat into small balls and roll in flour. Put into skillet that has been lightly greased, or sprayed with a non-stick spray. Brown the meatballs on all side, turning to brown. Place meatballs in an 8-x-12-inch baking dish. Combine mushroom soup and water to make a gravy. Add a dash of pepper and pour gravy over meat and bake at 350 degrees about 25 minutes.

*****

We do have a couple of recipe requests from readers to pass along to you. The first is from Frances Sanders of Cape Girardeau. She recalls an old recipe for Red Devil's Food Cake she used to eat at bring-in-dish picnics. Mrs. Emma Reiker used to bring this lovely three-layer cake and "it was delicious." Frances has looked for the chocolate devil's food cake recipe for years and has been unsuccessful in finding it. She also adds that it is not the red velvet recipe we know today. This cake had a medium homemade texture and was a real deep burgundy color.

Our next requests are familiar to you. I have three requests for the Friendship Bread recipe. There are a couple in the Recipe Swap cookbook, but there are differences in all of the requests. The first request is from Sandy Riehn of Cape Girardeau for just the starter, but not using yeast. She is wanting to know how to get the mixture started from the very beginning. After that, she has directions for feeding and baking, but not to get it started with a mixture that does not use yeast.

The second request is from Sandy Vinson of Perryville for a friendship bread recipe that uses fruit, such as cherries, peaches, fruit cocktail, etc. I personally use the basic friendship bread recipe and just add whatever I want to it. Just be sure the fruits are well drained. But maybe some of you do have written instructions to follow, and I believe that is what she is looking for.

The third request is from Janet Welter of Kelso for a friendship cake. I think she might be happy with the bread, but if anyone has a cake recipe with pan sizes and baking times, that may help her.

That will end another week of Recipe Swap. Have a wonderful week and happy cooking.