RECIPE SWAP: RECIPES TO RECOVER FROM THE HOLIDAY

Now that the holiday season has passed and new year resolutions are being made and sometimes broken, I just have to share a story I received from one of our Recipe Swap readers. I think you will get a chuckle from it. We have to have fun sometimes, in addition to all of the good recipes we swap around.

'Twas the month after Christmas, and all through the house

Nothing would fit me, not even a blouse.

The cookies I'd nibbled, the eggnog I'd tasted

At the holiday parties had gone to my waist.

When I got on the scales there arose such a number!

When I walked to the store (less a walk than a lumber),

I'd remember the marvelous meals I'd prepared;

The gravies and sauces and beef nicely rare,

The wine and the rum balls, the bread and the cheese

And the way I'd never said, "No thank you, please."

As I dressed myself in my husband's old shirt

And prepared once again to do battle with dirt

I said to myself, as I only can

"You can't spend a winter disguised as a man!"

So away with the last of the sour cream dip,

Get rid of the fruitcake, every cracker and chip,

Every last bit of food that I like must be banished

Till all additional ounces have vanished.

I won't have a cookie, not even a lick.

I'll want only to chew on a long celery stick.

I won't have hot biscuits or cornbread or pie,

I'll munch on a carrot and quietly cry.

I'm hungry, I'm lonesome, and life is a bore

But isn't that what January is for?

Unable to giggle, no longer a riot.

Happy New Year to all and to all a good diet!

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A Cape Girardeau cook who enjoys the tasty combination of soy sauce and ginger, shares a chicken recipe with us that is full of flavor.

Baked Chow Mein Chicken

1 can (5 ounces) chow mein noodles, crushed

1/2 cup blanched almonds, chopped

1/3 cup butter

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 teaspoons fresh ginger, chopped

1/4 teaspoon pepper

6 boneless skinless chicken breasts

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine noodles and almonds in a shallow dish. Melt butter. Add soy sauce, ginger and pepper. Stir to combine. Dip chicken breasts in butter mixture, then roll in noodles. Gently press mixture onto chicken. Lay in bottom of 9x13-inch baker. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until juices run clear when chicken is pierced with fork. Serve immediately. Yields 6 servings.

With this cook's love for the soy sauce and ginger combination, I will share one my husband's favorite recipes. I bake the pork tenderloins in the cold winter months, but grill as soon as weather permits.

Pork Tenderloin Teriyaki

2 (9 ounce) pork tenderloins

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1 tablespoon oil

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1/8 teaspoon minced garlic or 1 clove, minced

4 strips bacon

Place pork tenderloins in zip-top plastic bag. Combine remaining ingredients, except bacon, and pour into bag over pork. Refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight. Remove pork from marinate and wrap bacon strips around pork securing with toothpicks.

Grill pork over medium-hot coals 18 to 25 minutes or bake until done. Let stand 5 minutes before slicing into thin slices.

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We are still in search of the perfect oatmeal cookie recipe for Gary Rust. This week we have several to share. This first recipe is crisp on the outside and still chewy in the center. It comes to us from a person in Jackson who loves to bake in her spare time.

Crisp 'n' Chewy Cookies

1 1/4 cups butter-flavored shortening

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 egg

3 tablespoons maple syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 cups quick-cooking oats

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

2 Butterfinger candy bars, chopped

In a mixing bowl, cream shortening and sugars. Beat in egg, syrup and vanilla. Combine oats, flour, baking soda and salt; gradually add to the creamed mixture. Stir in chocolate chips and candy bar. Roll into 1-inch balls. Place 2-inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 375 degrees for 7 to 9 minutes or until golden brown. Remove to wire racks to cool. Yield: 7 dozen.

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We have two other recipes that come to us from Cape Girardeau, and I think both would be delicious and a nice addition to anyone who has a cookie recipe collection.

Chewy Oatmeal Cookies

1 cup butter or margarine, softened

1 cup sugar

1 cup packed brown sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups quick-cooking oats

2 cups cornflakes

1 cup coconut

1 cup salted peanuts

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugars. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt; gradually add to the creamed mixture. Stir in remaining ingredients. Drop by level tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes or until barely lightly browned. Remove to wire rack to cool. Yield: 6 1/2 dozen.

Favorite Oatmeal Cookies

1 cup real butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2 cups flour

1 1/4 cups quick-cooking oats

1 cup Grape Nuts cereal

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

In large bowl, cream butter and sugars. Beat in egg and vanilla. Combine flour, oats, cereal, baking soda and baking powder; gradually add to creamed mixture. Roll into 3/4-inch balls. Place 2-inches apart on ungreased baking sheets; flatten with a fork. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool for 3 minutes before removing to rack to cool. Yield: about 6 dozen.

This will bring Recipe Swap to a close for another week. Now that the holiday is over and you are getting back into a routine, be sure to put those favorite recipes and requests down on paper to share with other recipe collectors.

Have a great week, and happy cooking.