Rediscovering recipes after computer crash

I am suffering through my biggest computer disaster yet. Last week the hard drive on my computer fried and I lost everything I had on it. Backup, you ask? Nope, and how I do regret it. Today my helper in the office where I work got me this enormous memory stick and we will be backing up data often, believe me. What I will miss the most are all of the thousands of recipes that you, the readers of this column, have sent me over the past few years. They are all gone, so you can just send away, and I will start a new collection.

In going through recipes the old-fashioned way, on paper, I ran across these that I had saved from a few years ago. Enjoy.

Asian String Beans

Tired of plain steamed string beans? These Asian-influenced ones will wake up your taste buds.

1 serving cooking spray (5 one-second sprays per serving)

2 cup uncooked string beans, washed and trimmed

1 clove garlic clove, minced

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

2 teaspoon tamari sauce

Coat wok or skillet with cooking spray. Add string beans, garlic and pepper flakes. Stir-fry over high heat for 2 minutes. Add tamari and stir-fry until string beans are crisp-tender, about 1 minute more.

Crunchy Apple Salsa with Grilled Chicken

For the salsa:

2 cups York or Fuji apples, halved, cored and chopped

3/4 cup (1 large) Anaheim chile pepper, seeded and chopped

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/4 cup lime juice

Salt and pepper to taste

For the marinade:

1/4 cup dry white wine or white grape juice

1/4 cup apple juice

1/2 teaspoon grated lime peel

1/2 teaspoon salt

Dash pepper

4 medium boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Combine salsa ingredients and mix well; allow flavors to blend about 30 minutes. Serve over or alongside grilled chicken. Makes 3 cups salsa. For grilled chicken combine marinade ingredients, pour over chicken breasts. Marinate for 20 to 30 minutes. Drain and grill over medium-hot coals, turning once, until chicken tests done. Makes 4 servings.

Apple Chicken Stir-Fry

1/2 cup onion, vertically sliced

1 medium Fuji or Winesap apple, cored and thinly sliced

1 cup (2 medium) carrots, thinly sliced

1 1/2 teaspoon vegetable oil

1 pound cubed boneless, skinless, chicken breast

1 teaspoon dried basil, crushed

1 cup fresh or frozen Chinese pea pods

1 tablespoon oil

1 tablespoon water

2 cups cooked rice

Stir fry cubed chicken breast in 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in nonstick skillet until lightly browned and cooked. Remove from skillet. Stir-fry onion, carrots and basil in oil in same skillet until carrots are tender. Stir in pea pods and water; stir-fry 2 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in apples. Add to chicken, serve hot over cooked rice. Makes 4 servings.

Chicken and Apple SautZ

4 teaspoons vegetable oil

2 tart apples, thinly sliced

1 onion, sliced

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

1 cup apple juice

1 tablespoon cider vinegar

1 tablespoon cornstarch

Salt and pepper to taste

In heavy skillet, heat 2 teaspoons oil over medium-high heat, cook apples, onion and thyme for about 4 minutes or just until tender-crisp. Remove to bowl and set aside. Heat remaining oil in skillet, cook chicken, turning once for 2 to 3 minutes or until golden brown. Reduce heat to medium low. Set 1 tablespoon apple juice aside; pour remaining apple in skillet along with vinegar. Cover and simmer 6 to 8 minutes or till chicken is no longer pink inside. With slotted spoon, remove chicken to platter; keep warm. Combine cornstarch with reserved apple juice; stir into skillet and cook over high heat, scraping up any browned bits for 2 minutes or till thickened. Return apple mixture to pan and heat through, season with salt and pepper. Spoon around cooked chicken.

Chocolate Dessert Pizza

1 package pizza dough mix

1 (12-inch) pizza pan

1 package chocolate pudding mix (3. 4-ounce box) not instant, cooked type, prepared as directed and cooled

Crumb Topping Mix:

1/2 cup flour

3 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1/4 cup softened butter

1/8 teaspoon salt

Prepare pizza dough as directed on the package. Spread and shape dough on greased pizza pan. Pierce dough with fork 8 or 10 times. Place in preheated oven at 450 degrees for 5 minutes. Remove from oven and spread 3/4 cup of chocolate pudding on dough, sprinkle with 1/4 cup of crumb topping. Place back in oven and bake for 18 to 20 minutes. Crumb topping should be a little crisp.

To prepare the crumb topping, mix flour, sugar, brown sugar, and salt. Place butter with mixture and blend until the crumb topping resembles corn meal.

Chocolate-Sauced Dessert Kabobs

3/4 cup semisweet chocolate pieces

1/4 cup butter or margarine

2/3 cup sugar

1 (5-ounce) can evaporated milk (2/3 cup)

2 medium ripe nectarines or peaches

1/2 of a 10-3/4-ounce fresh or frozen pound cake

2 ripe bananas, peeled

6 whole strawberries, stemmed

For sauce, melt chocolate pieces and butter or margarine in a small saucepan over low heat. Add the sugar. Gradually stir in evaporated milk. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Cook and stir over low heat for 8 minutes. Remove from heat; set aside. Remove pits from nectarines or peaches; cut fruit into wedges. Cut the pound cake and bananas into 1-inch chunks. Alternately thread the peaches or nectarines, cake, and bananas on six 12-inch-long skewers. Add one strawberry to each skewer. Grill kabobs about 5 minutes or until cake is toasted, turning once. To serve, push fruit and cake from skewers onto dessert plates. Drizzle with the warm chocolate sauce. Makes 6 servings.

Our son has a mouth full of braces and it is very difficult for him to chew meat. I found this recipe for sweet and sour ground beef that works very well for him. It is pretty good and I hope you can get good use for the recipe as well.

Sweet And Sour Ground Beef

1 pound ground beef

1 (16-ounce) package broccoli and carrot frozen blend

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon ginger

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1 (8-ounce) can pineapple tidbits in its own juice, drained, reserving liquid

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon vinegar

1 tablespoon cornstarch

2 tablespoons water

Hot cooked rice

In a large skillet, brown ground beef; drain. Stir in vegetables; brown sugar, ginger, garlic powder, pepper, reserved pineapple liquid, soy sauce and vinegar; blend well. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat. Cover; simmer for 4 to 8 minutes or until vegetables are crisp tender. Stir in pineapple. In small bowl, combine cornstarch and water; blend until smooth. Gradually stir into hot mixture in skillet. Cook, stirring constantly, until thickened. Serve over hot cooked rice. Makes 4 servings.

I am all out of room, so until next time, have a great week and as always, 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.