Special recipes for a special girl on a special day

By Susan McClanahan

Happy 21st birthday Lexie! Our daughter, our baby, is celebrating her 21st birthday this weekend. It seems nearly incomprehensible that 21 years has flown by so quickly.

Lexie is a bright, very creative, free-spirited and adventurous 21-year-old. She enjoys trying all kinds of foods, loves to travel, is a hard worker and loves her music, music festivals and concerts.

While Lexie is away at school, I miss her so much, but fortunately she is close enough to come home often. And with coming home, there's always some comfort food involved and old favorite recipes we pull out to prepare. I'm sharing a few of her favorites with you today so you can give them a try as well.

Ranch Style Chicken

This is one of Lexie's favorite ways to prepare boneless chicken pieces. For this recipe, I do like to buy the boxed, already-crushed cornflake crumbs. They are crushed very fine and can be found in stores in the coating area, alongside the Shake 'n Bake and other bread-crumb items. I omit the salt in the recipe, as I think the cheese and dry dressing powder provide adequate saltiness.

• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast
• 1 cup prepared bottled ranch salad dressing
• 1 cup corn flake crumbs
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 package dry Hidden Valley Ranch Salad Dressing mix

Cut chicken breasts into long strips, about four per breast. Place in a plastic zip-top bag with the bottled salad dressing. Move chicken and dressing around to coat all well. Allow to marinate in the refrigerator several hours or overnight. When ready to bake, combine all dry ingredients and place in an empty pie plate. Remove chicken from dressing, dredge in dry mixture and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Continue until all chicken strips are coated. If any dry mixture remains, sprinkle over chicken on baking sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes. Serve with additional bottled ranch dressing for dipping.

You may also do chunks or nuggets, and bake those 12 to 15 minutes.

Lexie's Favorite Salad

• Butter head lettuce, torn into small pieces
• Romaine lettuce, torn into small pieces
• 1 package dry Parmesan cheese-filled tortellini, cooked, rinsed and chilled
• Crisp-cooked bacon pieces, crumbled
• Green onion tops, sliced
• Dried cranberries
• Toasted pecans
• Shredded or shaved Parmesan cheese
• Grape tomatoes
• Poppy seed dressing, select a good quality dressing

This is a toss-together-as-you-like-it salad. Use more or less of what you like. Be careful not to overdress the salad just before serving.

Fish Tacos with Best Fish Taco Sauce

This favorite fish tacos recipe is loaded with fresh ingredients and filled with perfectly seasoned, plump fish. Don't skip the best fish taco sauce; an irresistible garlic lime crema.

Fish taco ingredients:

• 24 small white corn tortillas
• 1 1/2 to 2 pounds tilapia
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• Olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter

Fish taco toppings:

• 1/2 small purple cabbage, finely sliced
• 2 medium avocado, sliced
• 2 Roma tomatoes, diced (optional)
• 1/2 diced red onion
• 1/2 bunch Cilantro, longer stems removed
• 4 ounces (1 cup) Cotija cheese, grated
• 1 lime, cut into 8 wedges to serve

Fish taco sauce ingredients:

• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/3 cup Mayo
• 2 tablespoons lime juice (from 1 medium lime)
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon Sriracha sauce, or to taste

Line large baking sheet with parchment or silicone liner. In a small dish, combine seasonings: 1/2 teaspoon cumin, 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, then evenly sprinkle seasoning mix over both sides of tilapia.

Lightly drizzle fish with olive oil and dot each piece with butter. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes. To brown edges, broil for 3 to 5 minutes at the end, if desired. Combine all taco sauce ingredients in a medium bowl and whisk until well blended.

To serve the tacos, quickly toast the corn tortillas in a large, dry skillet or griddle over medium-high heat.

To assemble: Start with pieces of fish, then add remaining ingredients, finishing with a generous sprinkle of Cotija cheese and finally that awesome taco sauce. Serve with a fresh lime wedge to squeeze over tacos.

Pad Thai with Tofu

For the sauce:

• 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 1 to 2 tablespoons hot sauce
• 1 tablespoon mirin (sweet rice wine)
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup

For the noodles:

• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• 2 cups thinly sliced shiitake mushroom caps (about 5 ounces)
• 1 cup grated carrot
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 8 ounces extra-firm tofu, drained and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 cup light coconut milk
• 2 cups shredded romaine lettuce
• 1 cup fresh bean sprouts
• 1 cup (1-inch) sliced green onion tops
• 1 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/3 cup dry-roasted peanuts
• 8 ounces uncooked wide rice stick noodles (Banh Pho), cooked and drained
• 5 lime wedges

To prepare sauce, combine first 5 ingredients, stirring with a whisk.

To prepare noodles, heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms, carrot and garlic; saute 2 minutes. Add sauce and tofu; cook 1 minute. Stir in coconut milk; cook 2 minutes. Stir in lettuce and next five ingredients (lettuce through noodles); cook 1 minute. Serve with lime wedges.

Cajun Shrimp and Grits

For the Cajun Shrimp:

• 1 to 1 1/2 pound extra large or jumbo shrimp peeled and deveined
• 5 thick bacon slices chopped
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup red bell pepper, diced
• 1 teaspoon Cajun salt
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/4 cup or more broth/stock
• 1/2 lemon, optional
• Salt and pepper

For the Grits:

• 1 cup quick cooking grits
• 2 cups water
• 3 cups milk
• 1 bay leaf
• 3 to 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 to 2 cups white sharp cheddar cheese, preferably smoked
• Salt to taste

For the Cajun shrimp: In a large skillet over medium heat, saute bacon until brown and crisp; this may take about 3 to 5 minutes. Remove bacon from skillet and transfer to plate. There will be some bacon drippings left in the pan (about 3 tablespoons). Add about 1 tablespoons of oil or butter to the pan, followed by shrimp. Season with Cajun salt, and saute shrimp for about 3 to 4 minutes. Set aside. Add garlic, paprika, bell pepper, parsley and green onions. Add about 1/4 cup broth, adjust to preference; continue cooking for another 3 minutes. Add shrimp toward the last minute with lemon juice, if desired; adjust to taste. Add crisp bacon. Adjust seasonings with salt and pepper. Remove and serve over grits.

For the grits: Start by adding milk, bay leaf and salt to a heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil. Gradually whisk in the grits, until you have added the entire amount in the pot, a little at a time. Keep stirring with a whisk to prevent any lumps. You may have to remove saucepan from heat while trying to get rid of lumps. Reduce heat and cook grits at a bare simmer, covered, stirring frequently until water is fully absorbed and grits thickened, about 15 minutes.

Remove grits from heat; add butter and cheese, stirring with a whisk until cheese melts.

Assemble the dish by placing the grits at the bottom of a shallow bowl, Cajun shrimp and sauce. Enjoy piping hot!

Lobster Mac and Cheese

This is a special-occasion dish, such as a 21st birthday! Occasionally there will be a nice sale on lobster tails to make it a little more reasonable.

• Kosher salt
• Vegetable oil
• 1 pound cavatappi or elbow macaroni
• 1 quart milk
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, divided
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 12 ounces Gruyere cheese, grated (4 cups)
• 8 ounces extra-sharp cheddar, grated (2 cups)
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 1/2 pounds cooked lobster meat
• 1 1/2 cups fresh white bread crumbs (5 slices, crusts removed)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Drizzle oil into a large pot of boiling, salted water. Add the pasta and cook according to the directions on the package, 6 to 8 minutes. Drain well.

Meanwhile, heat the milk in a small saucepan, but don't boil. In a large pot, melt 6 tablespoons of butter and add the flour. Cook over low heat for 2 minutes, stirring with a whisk. Still whisking, add the hot milk; cook for a minute or two more, until thickened and smooth. Off the heat, add the Gruyere, cheddar, 1 tablespoon salt, pepper and nutmeg. Add the macaroni and lobster; stir well. Place the mixture in 6 to 8 individual gratin dishes.

Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, combine with the fresh bread crumbs and sprinkle on the top. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbly and the macaroni is browned on top.

Italian Cream Cake

• 1 (18.25-ounce) box white cake mix
• 1 stick butter, softened
• 1 1/4 cups buttermilk
• 3 egg whites
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 (8-ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained
• 1/2 cup sweetened flake coconut
• 2 cups chopped pecans, divided
• Cream-cheese frosting (recipe follows)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly coat two 8-inch cake pans with cooking spray; set aside. In a large bowl, combine cake mix, butter, buttermilk, egg whites and extracts. Beat with an electric mixer on low for 30 seconds, scraping down sides of the bowl as needed. Beat on medium for 2 minutes. Fold in crushed pineapple, coconut and 1 cup of pecans. Divide batter into the prepared cake pans. Bake in preheated oven for 31 to 36 minutes or until tester inserted in middle comes out clean. Cool in pans for 10 minutes, then turn out on to wire racks to cool completely.

When cake is cooled, make the cream-cheese frosting and stir in the remaining 1 cup of pecans into the frosting. Frost the top of the bottom layer, place on the top layer and frost sides, so the entire cake is covered. You may choose to top with toasted coconut that has been browned in the oven on a sheet pan until dark golden brown. Slice and serve. Refrigerate any leftovers.

Cream Cheese Frosting

• 8 ounces unsalted butter, softened
• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 2 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a large bowl, beat together the butter and cream cheese with an electric mixer. With the mixer on low speed, add the powdered sugar a cup at a time until smooth and creamy. Beat in the vanilla extract. Beat well until light and a little fluffy.

Dried Beef Cheese Ball

There are many varieties of this cheese ball, but Lexie likes it very simple. The addition of Worcestershire sauce or garlic powder is a nice addition, but not always necessary. This super-easy cheese ball is a favorite snack to have in the refrigerator, especially around the holidays. Lexie likes it with Wheat Thins.

• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 2 jars Armor dried beef, sliced or finely chopped
• Green onion tops, sliced thin

In a bowl, combine the cream cheese and finely chopped or sliced dried beef. Stir and mash together with a fork until well combined. Return to the refrigerator to firm up.

Remove from refrigerator, move mixture around in the bowl until a ball is formed. Add sliced green onion tops to a plate or bowl. Roll the cheese ball into the green onions to cover. Put cheese ball onto a serving piece, onto a plate or in a storage container. Serve with crackers.

Lemony Glazed Shortbread Bars

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup cornstarch
• 1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup finely shredded lemon peel (6 to 7 lemons)
• 1 1/2 cups butter, softened
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• Lemon glaze

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Line a 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking pan with heavy foil, extending foil 2 inches over each end of the pan. Lightly grease foil; set aside.

In a medium bowl, stir together flour and cornstarch. In a small bowl, combine powdered sugar and lemon peel. Using your fingers or pressing against side of bowl with a wooden spoon, work lemon peel into powdered sugar until sugar is yellow and very fragrant. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine butter, lemon juice, salt and vanilla; beat with an electric mixer on medium until combined. Gradually beat in sugar mixture. Beat in as much of the flour mixture as possible with the mixer. Stir in any remaining flour mixture. Continue beating or stirring until dough comes together. Gather dough into a ball.

Press dough evenly into the prepared pan. Bake on center rack of the oven 40 minutes.

Remove from oven. Immediately dollop glaze over top and gently spread to evenly distribute the glaze. Let cool completely. Using the edges of the foil, lift the uncut bars out of the pan. Cut into 24 squares. Cut each square in half, diagonally. Makes 48 bars.

Have a great week, and until next time, happy birthday Lexie, and happy cooking.