RECIPE SWAP: SOME EASY RECIPES THE KIDS WILL LIKE

Today is a special day at our house as we celebrate the sixth birthday of our son, Ross. I was sitting and thinking about all of the happenings that we have experienced over the past six years. Learning all of life's big stuff, like walking, talking, knowing when to be quiet, potty training, learning manners, and on and on, have come so naturally. It is all of the little things that I hold so near and dear to my heart. His insatiable love for alligators and crocodiles is so cute and our family has learned more than you can imagine about reptiles, our wonderful bedtime talks and our kissing hand ritual, going off to kindergarten, his Terrific Tiger award from the school board, slugging the baseball for a home run, and the tight squeezing hugs as we go off to start our day.

He is not a perfect angel, by any means, but I think he is pretty close to it. He is a typical 6-year-old and has a personal association with the ping pong paddle. Just ask his daddy, it is the one used on him when he was a little boy.

Happy birthday, my little croc hunter. I love you.

In Ross' honor and all children I'll share a recipe for a kid-friendly breakfast dish, peanut butter French toast.

Peanut Butter French Toast

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

8 slices sandwich bread

2 bananas, sliced

4 large eggs, lightly beaten

1/2 cup milk

2 tablespoons butter or margarine

Spread peanut butter over 4 slices of bread. Arrange banana slices evenly over peanut butter. Top with remaining bread slices. Combine eggs and milk in shallow bowl. Melt butter in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Dip each sandwich in egg mixture, turning to coat both sides. Place in hot skillet. Cook 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Serve immediately.

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Ruth Lipps of Cape Girardeau is replying to a recent request for the Oriental salad recipe. Ruth's recipe uses the fairly new product found in the grocery store produce section, broccoli slaw. I served her recipe at Ross' birthday supper and it was a big hit.

Broccoli Slaw

1 package broccoli slaw

1 package beef Ramen noodles

1 package sunflower seeds

1 package pine nuts

1 package slivered almonds

3 green onions, sliced

Break up the Ramen noodles. Mix with remaining ingredients. Toss with dressing just before serving.

Dressing:

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup canola oil

seasoning packet from Ramen noodles

Put all ingredients in a jar. Shake well until blended.

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Sandy Vinson of Perryville, Mo., had made a request for apricot butter and she will be excited to have two to choose from. One of the responses was signed, "Not a can-can girl, but a canning girl."

Apricot Butter

Cut fruit in halves, remove pits. Place in large kettle with just enough water to cover. Cook until tender. Put through a fruit press or sieve. Cook until thick. Then sweeten with honey if desired. Pour into hot sterilized jars, leaving a 1/2-inch headspace. Adjust seals and process pints and quarts for 10 minutes in boiling water baths.

Apricot Butter

Pit and crush apricots, adding 1/4 as much water as fruit. Cook until pulp is soft. Watch it, it may stick. Put through a colander, then through a food mill or sieve. Usually 1/2 cup sugar to each cup fruit makes a fine butter. It's easier to use at one time not more than 4 cups fruit, plus added sugar. Let sugar dissolve in the pulp over low heat, then bring mixture to a boil and cook until thick, stirring often. When butter is thick enough to round slightly in a spoon and shows a glossiness or sheen, pack into hot sterilized 1/2 pint or pint canning jars. Leave a 1/2-inch headspace. Adjust lids and process jars in boiling water bath for 10 minutes. Remove jars, complete seals if necessary. Cool and store.

An alternate cooking method; butters stick so easily when cooking that some cooks put about 3/4 of the hot uncooked puree in a large uncovered crockery dish or enameled roasting pan and cook in 275 to 300 degree oven until it thickens. As the volume shrinks, add other 1/4 of puree. When butter is thick but still moist on top, ladle quickly into containers and process.

To spice up your butter, spices are added as butter begins to thicken. For 1 gallon pulp, use 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice and 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves. If butter is too light in color, tie whole spices in cloth bag and remove bag at end of cooking. A tea ball works nicely for the spices; it is easier and quicker than the cloth bag.

Sandy had also requests the cottage cheese topping for coffee cakes and LaVerne Fiehler of Cape Girardeau has a favorite she would like to share. The recipe does not include a coffee cake recipe, but there are several to choose from in the Recipe Swap cookbook.

Cheese Topping

2 pounds cottage cheese

1 eight ounce carton cream cheese

5 eggs, separated

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla

1/2 teaspoon salt

Beat the egg whites and set aside. Blend in other ingredients and fold in egg whites. Spread on coffee cake and bake in slow 300 to 325 degree oven for 1 hour or until set.

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Another Cape Girardeau cook sends in a recipe to use some fresh garden cabbage. In no time there will be an abundance of cabbage and this recipe will come in quite handy.

Skillet Cabbage

3/4 cup chopped onion

1 clove garlic, minced

1 1/2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

2 tablespoons margarine, melted

4 cups coarsely shredded cabbage

1/2 cup coarsely grated carrot

2 teaspoons soy sauce

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1/8 teaspoon paprika

Saut onion, garlic and ginger in margarine about 2 minutes. Add cabbage and carrot. Stir fry about 5 minutes. Stir in remaining ingredients. Makes 4 to 6 servings.

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I have only a couple of requests this week from a reader from Southern Illinois. She is hoping someone can help her with recipes for cornbread salad. She saw the one in the Recipe Swap cookbook, but it wasn't exactly like what she was looking for. Maybe you can help her. Also, she came to the right area to ask, but she is looking for a recipe for "hot potato salad" or what we call German potato salad. Now I know all of our good Lutheran folks up in the Altenburg and Frohna area know how to make the best German potato salad, probably in the entire country, so I would like several recipes to be able to share with her.

Have a safe and fun-filled Memorial Day weekend. Try new recipes and then share them with the rest of us. Have a great time and happy cooking.