SERVE UP DISHES OF COOKED CHEESE, SPICY SAUCES FOR MEATS

Over the course of the past week I haven't done much cooking. We have been battling the flu and a stomach virus and two plastic beads in the nose of a 4-year-old. Life is certainly exciting with children.

Again this week we have a lot of mail to share with you. The top response of the week is for cooked cheese recipes. We recently had a request and as usual you have come through with many replies. Let's get right to those.

Tammy Ostendorf of Cape Girardeau shares her favorite recipe. Tammy uses the recipe of her husband Rick's Aunt Adella Frank. Interestingly, Tammy's mother, Sharon Lappe also sent the same recipe and bragged on Rick's cooking ability. Sharon said Rick is great with the grill. Maybe he should share some recipes with us.

Cooked Cheese

1 (8 ounce) carton small curd cottage cheese

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

Mix these two ingredients together and let stand for 1 hour.

In a double boiler melt 1 stick butter and 1/4 pound Velveeta cheese. Add cottage cheese mixture to double boiler and cook until all is melted.

Annette Roth of Scott City, Mo., shares a very similar recipe that she got from her Aunt Martha. Annette makes her cheese in an iron skillet and takes this cooked cheese to church potluck dinners with some fresh homemade bread.

Cooked Cheese

1 pound cottage cheese

1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda Mix in skillet and set for 2 hours.

Add: 2/3 stick butter or margarine

1/4 pound Velveeta cheese, which is about 1-inch off the loaf

Heat slowly on low heat, stirring constantly until melted.

For those of you have the Cape Senior cookbook, there are two more cooked cheese recipes on page 9 and 10 of the book. Not that I'm plugging our book or anything.

Jodi Thompson of Jackson, Mo., replies to the request from Ann Seabaugh for sauces to serve on grilled or broiled fish. She would serve this sauce warmed and poured over the fish. She uses the dried minced garlic and leaves it in the sauce. Do not brown the garlic, just stir-fry until fragrant.

Garlic Dill Butter

1 large clove garlic, quartered

1/2 cup butter

1/4 teaspoon lemon pepper seasoning

1/4 teaspoon dried dill weed

In a small saucepan, saut garlic in butter until brown. Remove and discard garlic. Add remaining ingredients.

A Cape Girardeau reader shares several recipes for sauces. We will save a few of those for next week, too.

Orange Sauce for Fish

2 tablespoons butter

1 small onion, grated

1/4 cup flour

2 cups orange juice

1/4 cup orange liqueur

Rind of 1 orange, slivered

1 teaspoon dry mustard

Salt and pepper

Melt butter. Add onion and saut for 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in flour. Gradually stir in orange juice and liqueur. Add orange rind and mustard. Stir over medium heat until sauce thickens and bubbles. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.

Homemade Tartar Sauce

Mix 3/4 cup mayonnaise with 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1 tablespoon capers and 1/4 cup well-drained pickle relish.

Spicy Sauce

Mix 1/2 cup chili sauce with 2 tablespoons frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed, and 1 tablespoon prepared white horseradish.

Lime Mayonnaise

Grated rind of 3 limes

3 egg yolks

1/2 pound unsalted butter, melted

3 tablespoons water

1 tablespoon lime juice

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 grinds fresh pepper

Combine water, lime juice, salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat until reduced to about 1 1/2 tablespoons. Reduce heat to low. Add yolks and whisk until mixture is thick and white. Take off heat and add butter bit by bit. Just before serving add the grated rind.

Jodi Thompson also shares a recipe she has fallen in love with. She said it is quite possibly the best chicken she has ever eaten. After trying it she now makes it a couple of times a month to satisfy her craving. Jodi uses a large cast iron chicken fryer left to her by her late Grandma P.B. Whatever pan you use needs to be deep enough to eventually hold all of the chicken and then be covered with water. It also needs to have a lid that can be vented. Just for fun we will give the credit to her for sharing it with us.

Jodi's Garlic Chicken

2 1/2 to 3 pounds of your favorite chicken parts

Minced garlic, to taste, about 4 tablespoons fresh minced

1 stick real butter, no substitute

Salt and pepper

Water to cover chicken

Extra wide egg noodles, cooked according to package

Melt the stick of butter in frying pan. Add the garlic and enough salted and peppered chicken parts to cover the bottom of the pan. Continue to add and remove chicken parts until all are browned to your liking. Put salt and pepper on all the pieces again and return them to the pan. After returning all the chicken to the pan cover with water. Bring this to a boil then cover the pan venting the lid a little, and turn the heat down to a simmer. Cook for 45 minutes to 1 hour until well done. You will want the gravy to thicken and get more concentrated. Sometimes at this point, you wish to add a sliced onion or two. Cook the noodles and put in a deep bowl and ladle the garlic "gravy" over them. Place the chicken on top.

I had about thought Judy Reed of Jackson had stopped reading Recipe Swap, but she's back. Sorry to hear you've been under the weather, Judy.

Judy answered a request from Sandy Riehn for pineapple recipes, and it sounds like a good one.

Pineapple Fluff

1 large can pineapple with the juice

1 large can mandarin oranges, drained

1 cup small marshmallows or more to taste

1 package Instant French vanilla pudding

1 large tub frozen whipped topping, thawed

Mix all together and store covered in the refrigerator. A nice addition is pecan pieces, coconut, and maraschino cherries.

We have just one request this week for Peanut Butter Pie from Mr. Nebel who visits me at the Senior Center. He had a piece of this pie recently at a restaurant and would like to be able to enjoy it at home as well.

This has been another week with lots of wonderful mail. I have several more that I will share next week and as room permits. Keep up the good work. Have a nice week and happy cooking.