Recipes perfect for two

Our daughter had the opportunity to go on an overnight field trip to the St. Louis Science Center last weekend, and what an adventure it was. We had back-to-back activities until midnight, including a fire drill.

After a wonderful and action-packed evening, we then bedded down for the rest of the night on the floor with 324 other campers. Once the roaring dinosaur was turned off, then several of the kids started their own communication with hand clapping and coughing until well after 1 a.m. It was a fabulous adventure and Mrs. Essner outdid herself with all the organization and finance details.

Our daughter is lucky to have her as a teacher.

Heather Cato and I attend the same church and a couple of weeks ago she asked me if I could include some recipes for cooking for two. She enjoys cooking, but like many of us, does not enjoy eating the same thing for a week. I have found a few recipes that I think she will like, and many of you who might need smaller-sized recipes.

Chicken Breast in Herb Mustard Cream Sauce

1 to 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon white wine

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 tablespoon herbed Dijon mustard

SautZ chicken breast halves in a little olive oil until golden brown and cooked throughout. Remove to a warm plate. Pour off any excess oil from the pan. Over high heat, add the wine and balsamic vinegar, scraping the pan and reducing the liquid until thick and syrupy. Add the heavy cream and boil vigorously, continuously scraping the pan with a wooden spoon, until the cream is thick and reduced by about half its original volume. Remove from heat, stir in the mustard and spoon over the chicken.

Chicken Divan

3/4 cup milk

3 ounces cream cheese, cubed

1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 cup broccoli florets, cooked, drained

3/4 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked (large size)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat milk and cream cheese cubes over low heat, stir until smooth. Stir in the Worcestershire sauce. Place broccoli in a 10-by-6-inch baking dish. Top with 1/2 cup of Cheddar cheese, break chicken into pieces and pour cream cheese sauce. Cover with foil. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup Cheddar cheese and bake until Cheddar cheese is melted, approximately 5 minutes.

Hamburger Casserole

1/2 small onion

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/4 pound ground beef

1 small tomato, peeled and cut up

1/4 green bell pepper, chopped

1/2 stalk celery, chopped

Salt and pepper

1/2 teaspoon sweet basil

1/2 small zucchini, thinly sliced

Chop onion. Cook in skillet with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add hamburger to onion and brown to taste. Add tomato. Add pepper and celery. Season to taste with salt and pepper and 1/2 teaspoon sweet basil. Fry until almost cooked. Add zucchini, sliced thin. Barely heat through. Serve with cooked rice.

Linguine with Mushroom and Garlic Sauce

3 tablespoons butter

8 ounces mushrooms, sliced

3 medium garlic cloves, minced

1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary, crumbled

Freshly ground pepper

1/2 cup whipping cream

Salt

4 ounces dried linguine

2 ounces mozzarella cheese, cut into small cubes

Chopped fresh parsley

Melt butter in heavy large skillet over medium-low heat. Add mushrooms, garlic, rosemary and generous amount of pepper. Cook until mushrooms exude their juices, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Add cream and simmer until sauce thickens slightly, about 3 minutes. Season with salt. Meanwhile, cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water. Drain well. Add pasta and cheese to sauce and stir until cheese melts. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

Spaghetti Sauce

1/2 pound ground beef

1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce

1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste

3 tablespoons chopped onion

1 teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon basil

Brown ground beef in skillet, stirring until crumbly. Add mixture of tomato sauce and paste. Stir in onion, oregano and basil. Simmer for 15 minutes. Serve over cooked spaghetti.

Tropical Pork Chops

1 firm banana

2 teaspoons vegetable oil, divided use

2 lean pork chops (1/2-inch thick)

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

2 tablespoons raspberry jelly or honey

2 teaspoons prepared mustard

1/2 cup water

Cut banana in half crosswise, then lengthwise into 4 pieces. Cook bananas in 1 teaspoon hot oil, in nonstick skillet. If necessary, add one-half teaspoon additional oil. Remove browned bananas to a warm plate. Rub pork chops with garlic. Sprinkle with ginger. Add remaining oil to skillet. Brown chops on both sides. Remove chops to warm platter. Melt jelly or honey in skillet; add mustard and water. Stir to blend. Return chops to skillet; spoon sauce over them. Cover, simmer 8 to 10 minutes or until cooked thoroughly. Remove chops to dinner plates; top with bananas. Spoon remaining sauce from skillet over pork chops. Serve with green and yellow beans. Garnish with raspberries and thyme, if desired.

Shrimp Spaghetti

4 ounces thin spaghetti

1/2 cup butter

2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon monosodium glutamate (MSG - may be omitted)

Dash of pepper

8 jumbo shrimp

4 ounces mushrooms, sliced

3 tablespoons grated Romano cheese

Cook spaghetti according to package directions. In skillet, melt butter over low heat. Add remaining ingredients, except cheese, and sautZ for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Combine shrimp mixture with spaghetti. Stir in cheese. If using smaller shrimp, add more than the amount specified.

I hope you have an opportunity to try these recipes. If you are accustomed to cooking for one or two, send in some of your recipes and I can pass them onto Heather to enjoy.

I am all out of room, so 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 the Southeast Missourian staff.