Remembering Grandma's angel food cakes

smcclanahan

I can barely remember my grandma making angel food cakes from scratch -- separating the eggs and whipping the egg whites to stiff peaks to make the most gorgeous cakes. She would ice them with maraschino cherry icing, and my dad and brother, Wes, loved them so much. Of course, that meant there were plenty of egg yolks left over. Then she would make homemade noodles. There have been many family discussions about what she put in her noodles. Some remember them one way, while others remember them another way. But everyone agrees they had cheese in them, and they were fabulous. What we wouldn't give today to have her recipe for her delicious noodles.

Brigetta Tinsley of Cape Girardeau enjoys making angel food cakes from scratch too. They are feathery light and delicate and truly a "heavenly" dessert.

Angel Food Cake Deluxe

1 cup cake flour

1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

12 egg whites or 1 1/2 cups

1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup granulated sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Stir together flour and confectioners' sugar; set aside. In large mixer bowl, beat egg whites, cream of tartar and salt until foamy. Add granulated sugar, 2 tablespoons at a time, beating on high speed until meringue holds stiff peaks. Gently fold in flavorings. Sprinkle flour-sugar mixture, 1/2 cup at a time over meringue, folding in gently just until flour-sugar mixture disappears. Push batter into ungreased tube pan, 10-by-4-inches. Gently cut through batter. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until top springs back when touched lightly with finger. Invert tube pan over a funnel or bottle; let hang until cake is completely cool.

For two variations to this original recipe you might try one of the following.

Cherry Angel Food Cake

Before pushing angel food batter into pan, fold in 1/2 cup chopped maraschino cherries, well drained.

Coconut Angel Food

Before pushing angel food batter into pan, fold in 1 cup shredded coconut, 1/2 cup at a time.

Imperial Angel Food

Bake angel food cake recipe. Cool. Slice 1 quart strawberries. Prepare 1 envelope dessert whipped topping mix as directed on package. Fold in 2 teaspoons grated orange peel and 1 teaspoon almond extract. Fold strawberries into topping. Top slices of baked cake with strawberry topping.

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Over the course of the past several years of Recipe Swap we have shared with you many different variations of the oriental slaw recipes floating around. This week a reader from Altenburg, Mo., would like to share her favorite recipe.

Oriental Cole Slaw

1 pound package shredded cole slaw mix

2 packages beef Ramen noodle soup mix

2 bunches green onions, chopped

1 cup toasted slivered almonds

1 cup (or 4 ounces) sunflower seeds

For the dressing: 1 cup salad oil

1/2 cup sugar

1/3 cup vinegar

2 packages dry flavored seasoning packets from the soup mixes

Mix cole slaw and onions. When ready to serve crush noodles from soup mix and mix with slaw. Add almonds and sunflower seeds, then dressing. Don't add the dressing until ready to serve. Serves 8.

March Madness is in full swing and you might like to have a snack to munch on while watching the games on television. I think it would be nice to have on hand this Sunday during the selections for the tournament. This snack mix recipe also comes from an Altenburg reader.

Party Mix

3 cups corn Chex cereal

3 cups rice Chex cereal

3 cups Captain Crunch peanut butter cereal

3 cups thick pretzels, broken into small pieces

3 cups dry roasted peanuts

3 pounds white chocolate coating, or almond bark

Mix the first five ingredients in a large bowl. Melt coating in microwave; pour over all. Mix well, spread on waxed paper to set. Break into small pieces. Store in freezer bags. This also freezes well.

Rob Weeks of Cape Girardeau enjoys cooking, reading cookbooks and entertaining. Today Rob is sharing two recipes with us. The fried chicken is a very interesting blend of flavors. Be sure to allow the marinating time when preparing the recipe, as this is a key step in the success of the recipe.

The pork chop sandwich has my husband's name all over it. He enjoys pork and would especially like this sandwich. The recipe is interesting as it is written in narrative form, so read through to make sure you have all of your ingredients ahead of time.

Rob's Lime-Rum Fried Chicken

1/2 cup dark rum

1/2 cup fresh lime juice

1/2 cup soy sauce

1 (3 1/2 to 4 pound) chicken

Cut chicken into 16 pieces or as you are used to cutting. You will need 2 cups vegetable oil and 1 cup flour. Warm the rum over low heat. Stir in the lime juice and soy sauce. Pour mixture into a deep bowl. Add chicken and turn with a spoon to coat. Marinate at room temperature for two hours or more. Turn several times. Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Heat oil in skillet over high heat. Pat chicken pieces dry. Dip in flour; shake off excess. Fry 5 or 6 pieces at a time. Place in shallow baking dish on paper toweling. Put in oven to keep hot while frying remaining chicken in small batches. This chicken is crisp and very tender.

You might recognize that this recipe comes from "The Aunt Bee Cookbook." I can almost hear Andy Griffith or Barney talking about eating this sandwich for lunch. Read through and imagine if you can hear their voices, too.

Snappy Lunch Pork Chop Sandwich

Remove the bone from pork chops and trim fat. Tenderize the chops by pounding. Make sure that the chops are not too juicy. If you wash the pork chops make sure to pat them dry. For the batter, start with 2 cups flour. Add 2 tablespoons sugar, 2 whole eggs, and salt and pepper to taste. Gradually add sweet milk and beat the mixture until it is completely smooth, not lumpy but also not watery. The consistency is very important. When you dip a spoon in the batter, the batter should run freely off the spoon without being watery.

Get the grease in your skillet or griddle hot but not too hot that it smokes. You want the oil hot enough to cook the meat but not so hot that the batter scorches. Dip the pork chop generously in the batter and then place it in the skillet. Don't rush it. Impatience will lead to brown batter and raw meat. Turn the chops occasionally.

When the meat is cooked, the chops are ready to eat. At Snappy Lunch the sandwiches are served on a steamed bun and topped with homemade chili, homemade slaw, onions, tomato and mustard.

A note following the recipe said that the batter is not only delicious on this pork chop, but makes great onion rings, too. To make onion rings, the batter may need to be slightly thinner and can be done by adding a little more milk.

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A few weeks ago we had a request for vegetable side dishes to add to evening meals. Several were turned in and many did not have names on them. I will mix some of those in with a few that Joan Weeks turned in as well. I hope this helps that evening meal burn out.

Company Beans

1 (10-ounce) package frozen French-style green beans

1 (10-ounce) package frozen lima beans

1 (10-ounce) package frozen green peas

Mayonnaise

Cook vegetables. Drain and place in a 1-quart casserole. Top with mayonnaise. Serve warm. Yields 8 servings.

Baked Beans and Corn

1 (28-ounce) can baked beans

1 (8 3/4 ounce) can whole kernel corn

1/4 cup imitation bacon

1/4 cup onion

Combine and cook, stirring often, until hot. Yields 6 servings.

Stir Fried Zucchini

3 tablespoons oil

1 pound small zucchini, unpeeled, cut into 2-by-1/4-inch strips

1 medium onion, sliced

2 tablespoons sesame seeds

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1/2 teaspoon salt

Heat oil in large skillet. Add zucchini and onion. Cook 5 to 10 minutes over medium heat, stirring often until crisp tender. Quickly stir in sesame seeds, soy sauce and salt. Yields 4 servings.

Tomato Casserole

4 slices bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces

1/4 cup chopped onion

2 cups peeled and chopped fresh or canned tomatoes

2 cups bread cubes

3 tablespoons light brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 hard cooked egg, sliced for garnish

Croutons, for garnish

Fry bacon and onion until golden brown. Add tomatoes, bread cubes, sugar and salt. Mix until well blended. Pour into a buttered casserole. Bake 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Garnish with eggs and buttered croutons. Yields 4 to 6 servings.

We must close again for another week, but before we do, there is one request. A friend of mine from the Senior Center would like the recipe for vegetable chili. She recalls having eaten it at the Book Bug in Jackson where the owner prepared vegetable chili and she misses it, as the store is now closed. If anyone can help out my senior adult friend it would make her very happy.

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 the Southeast Missourian staff.