Recipe Swap: Recipes from a birthday girl

Happy birthday, Lexie! Our daughter Lexie is now 12 years old. She is enjoying life so much right now -- playing basketball, being involved in church youth group, playing piano and reading the "Twilight" book series over and over. When it comes to food, she is very willing to try new things and likes foods from other cultures. When I asked her what her favorite foods were, she rattled off about four dozen recipes. I went to my recipes files and pulled a few of those out to share with you here today. So, in honor of her 12th birthday, here are a few of Lexie's favorites.

Pork Tenderloin Teriyaki

2 (9 ounce) pork tenderloins

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon dry ground ginger

1 tablespoon vegetable or canola oil

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1/8 teaspoon dry minced garlic or 1 clove fresh garlic minced

1 pound bacon

Toothpicks

Place pork tenderloins in a plastic zip-top bag. Combine the soy sauce, lemon juice, ginger, oil, brown sugar and garlic. Pour over tenderloins in bag. Seal and refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight. When ready to grill or oven bake, remove from refrigerator and wrap with strips of bacon, securing with toothpicks when strips overlap. Grill over medium-hot coals for 20 to 25 minutes, brushing with the marinade in the bag. When just done, remove from heat and allow to rest for 5 minutes covered with foil. Slice diagonally with a very sharp knife into medallions.

Oven-Fried Potatoes

3 medium potatoes

1/4 cup vegetable or canola oil

1 tablespoon shredded or grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon paprika

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Scrub potatoes and cut each into 1/8-inch thick wedges or slices. Place wedges, slightly overlapping, in a single layer in a 9-by-13-inch baking pan. Combine remaining ingredients, stirring well. Brush potatoes with half of the oil mixture. Bake, uncovered, at 375 degrees for 45 minutes, basting occasionally with remaining seasoned oil mixture. I usually just drizzle all of the oil mixture evenly over all of the potatoes and bake, not taking the time to brush them. I also increase the garlic and black pepper a little for a little extra flavor. The shredded Parmesan makes for a prettier presentation over the grated. Lexie likes these potatoes served with the pork tenderloin.

Chicken-Wild Rice Casserole

1 (4-pound) chicken cooked and meat removed from the bones

2 (6 ounce) boxes of Uncle Ben's Long Grain and Wild Rice traditional long cook

2 onions, diced into small pieces

1 stick margarine

3 tablespoons flour

2 cans cream of mushroom soup

1 cup milk

2 small cans sliced mushrooms, or fresh sliced

Fresh ground black pepper

1 pound shredded yellow cheese, Longhorn or Cheddar

Oven roast or boil chicken until done, remove meat from bones. You can use a store-bought rotisserie chicken for a time savings. Cut chicken into small pieces. Prepare rice according to package directions. Saut? onion and mushrooms in butter. Blend in flour, soup, milk and pepper. In large baking pan, sprayed with non-stick cooking spray, alternate layers of chicken, rice, cheese and sauce. Bake at 350 degrees about 40 minutes. This makes a large recipe so is a great dish for fixing ahead and freezing in small foil pans for carry-in dinners. If frozen, the whole casserole takes about 1 1/4 hours to bake.

Baked Ranch Style Chicken

1 cup crushed corn flakes (not sugar frosted)

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 cup prepared Ranch salad dressing

1 pound boneless chicken breast

Combine corn flakes, Parmesan cheese, salt, pepper and garlic powder. Place in a plate or pie plate. Cut chicken into cubes or strips and add Ranch dressing and allow to marinate several minutes. Take dressing coated chicken pieces and dredge in dry corn flake mixture and place on a sprayed or lightly greased baking sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes.

Shrimp pad Thai

8 ounces dried wide rice noodles

1/4 cup fish sauce

3 tablespoons tamarind juice

2 tablespoons sugar

3 tablespoons peanut oil

1 1/2 pounds large shrimp, peeled with tails on

4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 shallots, sliced

1 fresh red chile, sliced

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1 cup fresh bean sprouts

1/2 cup chopped unsalted roasted peanuts

1 lime, cut into small wedges

1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves

Soak the dried rice noodles in cool or lukewarm water for 30 minutes, or until they're limp but still firm to the touch; later cooking in the wok will soften them more. Drain the noodles thoroughly in a colander and set aside while preparing the other ingredients. In a small bowl, mix the fish sauce, tamarind juice, and sugar. Stir well to melt the sugar. Taste and adjust flavors to the desired combination of salty, sour and sweet. Heat a wok over medium-high heat until it is smoking hot. Add 1 tablespoon of the oil and quickly stir-fry the shrimp until they turn pink and are almost cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove the shrimp to a plate and cover to keep warm. Add the remaining oil to the wok and toss in the garlic, shallots and chile. Stir-fry for 30 seconds. Push the garlic and shallots to 1 side of the wok and pour the egg into the center. Scramble the egg lightly until set, breaking it up into pieces with a spatula. Add the drained noodles to the wok, stirring and tossing quickly with 2 spatulas to separate the strands. Pour in the fish sauce mixture, tossing well to coat the noodles and keep them from sticking (if the noodles are still too firm, drizzle with 1 to 2 tablespoons of water to help them cook.) When the noodles are in good shape, toss in 1/2 of the bean sprouts and peanuts. Save the remaining for garnish. Continue to stir-fry, to combine. Return the shrimp to the wok and toss the pad Thai together to warm everything through. Serve the pad Thai on a platter, pile the remaining bean sprouts and peanuts on 1 side of the dish and garnish with the lime wedges and cilantro. Squeeze lime juice over each portion before eating.

I hope you have enjoyed this little birthday favorites column and maybe you can add a few of these recipes to your favorites.

Until next time, have a great week and 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.