RECIPE SWAP: SPICED TEA, PEANUT BUTTER COFFEE CAKE TOP LIST OF RECIPE SWAPS

This has been a very exciting week for Recipe Swap. Good job readers! Our responses this week have been wonderful and the recipes sound great. Greg Illers of Cape started quite a stir when he requested a recipe for a German style peanut butter coffee cake. Over the past week, everywhere I've gone people have stopped me and given me all sorts of recipe tips and suggestions for the much loved dessert. But, it was Donna Telle of Uniontown who actually had a recipe and topping for me. Donna, I think this would be a great addition to the menu at Truman's birthday party!

Coffee Cake

1/2 cup warm water

2 packages yeast

1 teaspoon sugar

1 cup mashed potatoes

1 cup powdered milk

4 cup water

3 eggs

1 cup sugar

2 sticks margarine

1 tablespoon vanilla

1 tablespoon salt

8 cups flour

Dissolve yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar in 1/2 cup warm water. Mix other ingredients except flour. Then add yeast. Add flour gradually until dough kneads very smoothly. Let set until dough doubles in size. Roll dough out and place in baking pan to rise.

Bake in moderate oven, 350 degrees until light brown and done.

Cool slightly and top with your favorite topping.

Peanut Butter Topping

2 tablespoons butter

3 cups sifted powdered sugar

1/3 cup milk

1/2 cup peanut butter

Mix well until smooth. Spread over slightly cooled coffee cake.

There are as many topping suggestions for coffee cake as I suppose there are coffee cake recipes. In an Altenburg Immanuel Lutheran Church cookbook, I saw one that caught my eye.

Cheese Coffee Cake

2 whole eggs, beaten

3/4 cup sugar

2 cup cottage cheese

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened

1 tablespoon corn starch

Blend all ingredients in blender and pour over coffee cake. Bake in 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. Makes one 9x13-inch cheese coffee cake.

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Helen Childs of Cape was looking for a recipe for a tea drink mix and we have several to share with you, Helen. I think they sound wonderful.

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Ruth Lipps of Cape wrote in "My friend, Carol Kelley, gave me this recipe for Spiced Tea several years ago. I like to keep it in the cupboard for a relaxing pick-me-up, and it is equally good served at fall and winter social gatherings."

Spiced Tea

1 1/2 cup Tang drink mix

1 cup Lipton Instant Tea

1 1/2 cup sugar

1 package lemonade mix

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ginger

1/2 teaspoon cloves

Mix all ingredients together. Use 3 teaspoon of mix to 1 cup hot water.

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Shannon Anders of Cape also called me with her favorite Spiced Tea recipe as she and her husband, Joe, were sitting down to a hot bowl of Corn Sausage Chowder. I shared that recipe with you last week and they were sure enjoying it when we visited over the telephone.

Hot Spiced Tea Mix

1 1/2 cup Tang drink mix

1/2 cup sugar or Sweet-n Low equivalent

1/2 cup instant tea

1/4 cup lemonade mix

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

dash of salt

Mix all ingredients well. Makes 2 cups mix or 6 quarts diluted tea.

Store in an airtight container.

To serve, mix 1 to 2 teaspoon of mix per cup of boiling water.

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Ms. C. Miller of Jackson also sent her favorite in for you to make and have on hand. She did note that she uses 1 cup of instant tea in the recipe instead of the called for 1/2 cup.

Spiced Tea

2 cup Tang drink mix

2 cup sugar

1/2 cup instant tea

1 package lemonade mix, unsweetened

1 teaspoon ground cloves

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Mix all of the above. Store in covered container. Mix heaping teaspoon of mix with boiling water in cup or mug.

Some time back we talked about mincemeat pie. I still haven't tried it, but I've sure gotten a lot of grief over it. The next time my Mom makes it I will give it a try and let you know how it is. Somehow, I just can't get past the thought of it. But, Arlysse L. Popp of Oak Ridge shares her mother's recipe with us and she thinks it's the best.

Old Fashioned Mincemeat Pie (My Mothers)

1 pound chuck beef (I use lean ground beef)

2 pounds tart apples (pared and cored)

2 2/3 cup seedless raisins

2 1/2 cup currants

1/4 pound citron

1/4 pound suet, ground

2 teaspoons salt

1 tablespoon nutmeg

2 cups sugar

1 cup cider or sour wine

1 tablespoon ground cloves

1 tablespoon cinnamon

1 cup meat liquor

Cube meat and simmer until tender. Cool and put through food chopper. Reserve 1 cup meat liquor. Put apples, raisins, currants and citron through food chopper. Add meat, ground suet, and ingredients in order named. Simmer for one hour. Mincemeat is now ready for pie and the rest can be canned or frozen. Pour 3 cups mincemeat in a 9-inch unbaked pie shell. Nuts and maraschino cherries can be added for additional color and texture. Two or 3 tablespoons of bourbon may be added on top for flavor. Bake in 350 degree oven for about 40 minutes. I make a double batch and that will make enough for seven pies. Keeps in the freezer really well for six months or longer.

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Recipe Swap wouldn't be complete without some requests from readers who are looking for a recipe.

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Orene Holland of Cape is wanting to make old fashioned sorghum molasses popcorn balls. She says the ones made with sugars and corn syrup don't hold a candle to the recipe she remembers.

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Jewell DaWalt of Patton is needing help with breads. She wrote that several years ago she was given two bread starters: one for Friendship bread that was sweet and the starter was fed with flour, sugar and milk every day or two. The other was a sourdough starter that was fed with instant mashed potatoes. When the DaWalts moved, she had to give up her starters and would very much like to have them back.

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And our last request is for an old fashioned spice cake recipe. It is a heavy cake with a lot of spices.

I'm sure as readers are searching their recipe files and books for these requests they will run across an old favorite that they would like to share. Be sure to send those in, too, and we will share with all Recipe Swap readers.

~Susan McClanahan is administrator at the Cape Senior Center. Her cookbook collection tops 2,000 books.