Recipe Swap: The 9-by-13 baking dish is practical and perfect

The 9-by-13-inch baking dish seems to be one of America's favorite pans. A 9-by-13-inch baking pan holds 3 quarts, so it's perfect for a recipe that calls for a 3-quart casserole. Because of the pan's shallow depth, food will cook faster and more evenly than in a deeper dish. A 9-by-13-inch pan is almost twice the size of an 8-inch square pan, so recipes can be easily doubled. More than 50 million 9-by-13-inch pans have been purchased since the 1950s. Today, my salute to the 9-by-13-inch baking pan come from the Better Homes and Gardens "9 X 13: The Pan That Can," a book featuring more than 370 family favorites to fit America's most popular pan.

Apple Almond Cinnamon Strata

The recipe can be changed by using peach, cherry, raspberry or blueberry pie filling and changing the almonds to pecans or walnuts to match the filling. You may also use vanilla in place of the almond, depending on the filling used.

1 (1-pound) loaf cinnamon-raisin bread, cut into 1-inch pieces

8 eggs, slightly beaten

2 cups milk

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon almond extract

1 (21-ounce) can apple pie filling

1/2 cup slivered almonds, toasted

Powdered sugar

Grease a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Place bread pieces in prepared dish. Set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, salt and almond extract. Stir in apple pie filling and half of the almonds. Pour egg mixture evenly over the bread pieces in the dish. Press down lightly with a rubber spatula or the back of a large spoon to moisten all of the bread. Sprinkle with the remaining almonds. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours, up to 24 hours. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Bake, uncovered, about 50 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean or 170 degrees on a thermometer. Let stand for 15 minutes before serving. Sift powdered sugar over. Makes 8 servings.

Chicken Caesar Lasagna

Nonstick cooking spray

9 dried whole-wheat or regular lasagna noodles

2 (10-ounce) containers refrigerated light Alfredo pasta sauce

3 tablespoons lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper

3 cups chopped cooked chicken breast

1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained

1 cup bottled roasted red sweet peppers, drained and chopped

3/4 cup shredded Italian blend cheese, 3 ounces

Lightly coat a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Cook lasagna noodles according to package directions, drain well. Place lasagna noodles in a single layer on a sheet of foil. Set aside. Meanwhile, in a large bowl combine Alfredo sauce, lemon juice and black pepper. Stir in cooked chicken, spinach and roasted red peppers. Arrange three of the cooked noodles in prepared pan. Top with one-third of the chicken mixture. Repeat layers two more times. Bake, covered, for 45 to 55 minutes or until heated through. Uncover. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake, uncovered, about 5 minutes more or until cheese is melted. Let stand for 15 minutes before serving. Makes 8 servings.

Note: The author suggests cooking two pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts seasoned with salt and pepper in a large skillet in olive oil for 8 to 12 minutes until no pink is present.

Pork Chop and Rice Bake

4 bone-in pork rib chops, cut 1/2-inch thick, about 2 pounds total

1 tablespoon cooking oil

Black pepper

1 small onion, thinly sliced and separated into rings

1 (10-ounce) can cream of mushroom and roasted garlic soup

3/4 cup water

1/2 cup dry white wine

3/4 cup long grain rice

1 (4-ounce) can sliced mushrooms, drained, or more if desired

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed

2 tablespoons snipped fresh parsley

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a 12-inch skillet cook pork chops in hot oil until browned, turning to brown all sides. Remove chops from skillet, reserving drippings. Season chops with pepper. Set aside. In the same skillet cook onion in the reserved drippings until tender. Set aside. In a large bowl combine soup, the water and wine. Stir in uncooked rice, mushrooms, Worcestershire sauce and thyme. Spoon into an ungreased 9-by-13-inch baking pan. Top with browned pork chops, spoon cooked onion over. Bake, covered, for 35 to 40 minutes or until rice is done and chops are tender and juices run clear, or 160 degrees on thermometer. Let stand, covered, for 10 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with parsley. Makes 4 servings.

Rosemary Roasted Vegetables

1 pound fresh Brussels sprouts

12 ounces fresh whole green beans

1 bunch green onions, trimmed and cut up

12 fresh rosemary sprigs

8 slices pancetta or bacon, partially cooked, drained, and cut up

2 tablespoons olive oil

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 lemon, halved

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Wash Brussels sprouts and green beans. Drain. Halve any large brussels sprouts. In a covered large saucepan cook Brussels sprouts in a small amount of lightly salted boiling water for 3 minutes. Add green beans and cook 5 minutes more. Drain. Transfer brussels sprouts and green beans to an ungreased 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Add green onions and rosemary sprigs. Toss to combine. Top with partially cooked pancetta or bacon. Drizzle vegetable mixture with oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast, uncovered, about 20 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender and pancetta is crisp. Transfer to a serving platter. Squeeze juice from lemon over vegetables. Makes 12 servings.

Root Beer Float Cake

1 package 2-layer-size caramel or yellow cake mix

Root beer

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

1 teaspoon finely shredded lemon peel

Root beer icing (recipe below)

Grease a 9-by-13-inch baking pan or baking dish. Set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees if using a metal baking pan or 325 degrees if using a glass baking dish. Prepare cake mix according to package directions, except substitute root beer for the liquid called for and add the vanilla and lemon peel. Spread batter into prepared pan or dish. Bake according to package directions. Cool in pan or dish on wire rack for 10 minutes. Carefully invert cake onto a wire rack. Remove pan or dish. Cool completely. Invert again onto another wire rack. Using a serrated knife, cut top of cake to make it level. Trim edges of cake and discard trimmed pieces. Cut cake in half lengthwise into two 4 1/2-by-13-inch rectangles. Place one cake rectangle on a serving platter. Spread with half of the Root Beer Icing. Top with second cake rectangle. Spread top with the remaining icing. Makes 15 servings.

Root Beer Icing: In a medium bowl beat 1/3 cup butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed until smooth. Gradually add 1 cup powdered sugar, beating well. Slowly beat in 3 tablespoons root beer and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Gradually beat in 2 cups additional powdered sugar. If necessary, beat in a little more root beer or powdered sugar to make icing of spreading consistency.

With more than 370 recipes in this book it was difficult to pick which ones to include here. I really like this book, all of the recipes are good ones, which is something you cannot always say about a cookbook. It will take me a couple of years to cook my way through his book, but it will be fun.

I have a recipe request this week from Tracey Tripp of Cape Girardeau. She recently tried a new soup, creamy chicken with gnocchi, at Olive Garden, and was wondering if anyone knows how to make it. Also, while in St. Louis she purchased some gnocchi at Trader Joe's and would like for you to give her some recipes on how to use it. If you have cooked with gnocchi and have recipes, please get those into me so I can include them here and pass them along to Tracey.

Have a great week and until next time, 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.