Recipe Swap: Celebrating 35 years of love with our favorite timeless recipes

Scott and I just celebrated our 35th wedding anniversary this week, and as you can expect, it involved a meal together. Through the years we have had so many recipes that we have returned to over and over again, and we have enjoyed many of these tried-and-true oldies many times.

I have chosen a few recipes to share with you that I have had so long I don’t even know where they came from. These may not be our absolute very favorite recipes of all time, but they are good and always nice to fall back on.

Here’s to many more together!

Marinated Beef Flank Steak

• 1/4 cup oil

• 1/4 cup light soy sauce

• 3 tablespoons honey

• 2 tablespoons vinegar

• 3/4 to 1 teaspoon ground ginger

• 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder

• 1 tablespoon dehydrated onion

• 1 beef flank steak

Score flank steak just barely cutting the outer fibers in a diamond crisscross pattern. Place steak into a glass dish or zip-top bag. Combine all other ingredients and stir to combine. Pour over steak. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator overnight.

Grill steak over medium-hot coals or gas grill for about 8 minutes on each side, keeping it pink on the inside. Remove from grill and allow to rest for 10 to 15 minutes while loosely covered with foil. Slice on the bias, across the grain into thin slices.

Pork Tenderloin Teriyaki

• 2 (9 ounce) pork tenderloins

• 2 tablespoons light soy sauce

• 2 tablespoons lemon juice

• 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

• 1 tablespoon brown sugar

• 1/8 teaspoon dried minced garlic, or 1 clove fresh, minced

• Bacon strips

• Toothpicks

Place pork tenderloins in zip-lock bag. Combine remaining ingredients, except bacon, and pour over pork. Refrigerate at least two hours, or overnight. Remove tenderloins from marinade and wrap in bacon strips, securing with toothpicks at each new piece. Grill over medium-hot coals or gas fire for 18 to 25 minutes, brushing with marinade is desired. Internal temperature only needs to reach about 140 to 145 degrees. Remove to platter and cover with foil for at least five to 10 minutes. Slice diagonally into medallions and serve.

Texas Sheet Cake

This old retro recipe is light and fluffy yet rich and moist. Texas sheet cake is one of Scott’s favorite yet simple chocolate desserts.

Cake:

• Cooking spray

• 2 teaspoons all-purpose flour

• 2 cups of all-purpose flour

• 2 cups granulated sugar

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 3/4 cup water

• 1/2 cup butter or 1 stick

• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa

• 1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 2 large eggs

Icing:

• 6 tablespoons butter

• 1/3 cup milk

• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa

• 3 cups powdered sugar

• 1/4 cup chopped pecans, toasted

• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

To prepare the cake, coat a 15-inch-by-10-inch jelly-roll pan with cooking spray, and dust with 2 teaspoons flour. Set prepared pan aside.

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups, level with a knife. Combine 2 cups flour and next four ingredients (2 cups flour through salt) in a large bowl; stir well with a whisk. Combine water, 1/2 cup butter, and 1/4 cup cocoa in a small saucepan; bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Remove from heat; pour into flour mixture. Beat at medium speed of a mixer until well-blended or stir together with a wire whisk. Add buttermilk, 1 teaspoon vanilla and eggs; beat well.

Pour batter into prepared pan; bake at 375 degrees for 17 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Place on a wire rack.

To prepare the icing, combine 6 tablespoons butter, milk, and 1/4 cup cocoa in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, and gradually stir in powdered sugar, pecans, and 2 teaspoons vanilla. Spread over hot cake. Cool completely on wire rack.

Note: You can also make this recipe in a 13-inch-by-9-inch baking pan. Bake at 375 degrees for 22 minutes.

Sticky Finger Biscuits

• 1 can Grands style biscuits

• 1/2 cup Karo syrup or pancake syrup

• 1/2 cup butter

• 1/2 cup brown sugar

• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

• 1 teaspoon vanilla

A handful of Cranberry Almond Crunch cereal or Honey Bunches of Oats cereal

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Melt together the syrup, butter and brown sugar in a microwave bowl. Add cinnamon, vanilla and cereal.

Put the biscuits in a sprayed 9-inch-by-13-inch baking pan. Pour mixture over the biscuits.

Bake at 375 degrees for 15 to 18 minutes or until browned and biscuits are done.

When you serve these, invert each one onto a plate as a lot of the gooey goes to the bottom.

Feel free to add pecans and coconut, as you like.

Apple Crisp

This apple crisp is special to our family for many reasons. When our son went away to college to college, I would make this crisp for him when we went for visits or he came home for him to take back with him. It helped with good memories and comfort from home. Our family has always enjoyed bonfires and the fire pit, and this crisp is a regular staple on the picnic table full of food near the fire. When we eat this crisp, it truly is food for the soul to our family.

• 5 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and sliced

• 1/2 cup sugar

• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

For the topping:

• 1/2 stick butter, melted

• 1/2 cup quick cooking oats

• 1/2 box Jiffy brand yellow cake mix

• 1/4 cup sugar

• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

• 1/4 cup chopped pecans

Place apples in a deep baker. Combine 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon together. Sprinkle over the apples.

Combine all of the topping ingredients and mix well. Crumble over the apple mixture.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 45 minutes or until the apples are tender and crisp is bubbling.

I double the crisp topping as everyone loves it nice and thick on top.

Hanky Panky on Toast

• 1 pound ground beef

• 1 pound ground sausage, mild or hot

• 1 teaspoon garlic powder

• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

• 1-pound processed cheese spread, cubed

• 1 small loaf party rye bread or party sized sourdough bread, sliced

In a skillet, brown ground beef and sausage; drain. Add garlic powder and Worcestershire sauce; mix well. Add cheese. When mixed thoroughly, spread on slices of rye or sourdough bread. Bake at 350 degrees for seven to 10 minutes. Serve warm.

Cheesy Crab Bites

• 1/2 cup butter, soften

• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

• 1 1/2 teaspoons mayonnaise

• 1 (5 ounce) jars Kraft Old English cheese spread

• 1 (6 ounce) can flaked crabmeat

• 1 (6 count) packages English muffins

Mix together the first five ingredients. Slice muffins in half horizontal. Spread each muffin half with the cheese/crab mixture. Place under broiler and brown (watch carefully so it doesn't burn). To serve, cut each muffin half into quarters when cool enough to handle.

Note: I keep a bag of these in the freezer for when unexpected guests show up. Place on a cookie sheet to freeze, then transfer to freezer bags. When guests arrive, broil as instructed above.

Butterfinger Pie

The great thing about this recipe is that you can use any flavor of ice cream and any candy bars or candy pieces. I am sharing the Butterfinger version because it is Scott's favorite flavor blend.

I don't even have a recipe for frozen Butterfinger ice cream pie, so I will wing it.

• 1 prepared Oreo pie shell

• 1 carton good quality vanilla ice cream

• 5 large Butterfinger candy bars, or packaged Butterfinger crushed topping

• 1 carton frozen whipped topping, thawed

• Jarred or bottled chocolate syrup

Remove ice cream from the freezer. While ice cream is softening, crush all of the candy bars in a plastic zip-top bag using a rolling pin or you can use a food processor.

In a large bowl, scoop out the ice cream and add nearly all of the crushed candy bars, reserving some as garnish on top. Using some arm strength and a large spoon, smash and stir the ice cream and candy pieces together. Spoon into pie shell. Quickly cover with thawed whipped topping and top with reserves candy crumbs.

Cover with plastic wrap and get back into the freezer as quickly as possible. Slice and serve with a drizzling of chocolate syrup on the plate and across the piece of pie. This serves more than you think because it is tall and so rich. Cover and freeze any remaining leftovers.

Refrigerator Rolls

I have made these rolls so many times I don’t use a recipe anymore and don’t even have to think about what I’m doing when making them. This makes great cinnamon rolls, too.

• 1 cup water

• 1/2 cup butter

• 1/2 cup shortening

• 3/4 cup sugar

• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt

• 1 cup warm water

• 2 packages of dry yeast

• 2 eggs, beaten

• 7 cups flour, less or more as needed

Bring to a boil the 1 cup water in a saucepan. Remove from heat. Add butter and shortening and stir until melted. Add sugar and salt and cool unit lukewarm.

In a large bowl put 1 cup warm water. Sprinkle yeast over and stir until dissolved. Add the butter and shortening mixture and eggs to dissolved yeast. Add the flour and mix thoroughly, making a soft dough that is not sticky, just dry to the touch. Let rise; covered for one hour. Work down. Cover and put in the refrigerator overnight or until morning, covered with plastic wrap.

When ready to make rolls take out on floured board. Roll to 1/8-inch or 1/4-inch thick. Cut into 3-inch circles. Dip halfway in melted butter and fold in half onto baking sheet. Cover and let rise two hours. Bake 12 to 15 minutes at 400 degrees.

Sausage Corn Chowder

• 1 pound bulk pork sausage, mild or hot, according to taste

• 1 cup chopped onion

• 4 cups peeled and cubed potatoes (or equivalent of canned sliced potatoes, drained)

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1/8 teaspoon pepper

• 2 cups water

• 1 (17 ounce) can creamed style corn

• 1 (17 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained

• 1 (12 ounce) can evaporated milk

In a pan, cook sausage and onion until browned. Drain on paper towel. Boil together water, potatoes and salt until tender. Add sausage to potatoes and water. Add remaining ingredients and warm through. If chowder is too thick, add milk or a little of the juice from the drained canned whole kernel corn to thin down.

I always serve with apple muffins with this chowder, as it is a prefect go-together with the pork sausage.

Perfect Pork Loin with Effortless Au Jus

The absolute easiest, perfectly cooked roasted pork loin that’s tender and juicy every time with au jus that is deglazed in the oven as the roast bakes.

• 1 (4-5 pounds) pork loin (not tenderloin)

• 1 large onion

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 2 teaspoons salt

• 2 teaspoons pepper

• 1 teaspoon garlic powder

• 1 teaspoon paprika

• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary

• 2 cups chicken broth, divided

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Peel onion then cut into slices (about 1/3-inch thick). Arrange onion slices into a rectangle roughly the same size as the loin in the center of a 10-inch-by-15-inch baking pan (pan needs to be at least 1-inch deep).

Pat pork loin dry with paper towels. Combine olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic, paprika and rosemary in a small bowl. Rub spice mixture all over pork loin then place the loin, fat-side up, on top of the onions.

Bake, uncovered, at 425 degrees for 20 minutes. Open oven door then carefully pour half of the chicken broth into the pan (not on top of the loin).

Continue cooking for 20 more minutes then add the remaining chicken broth to the pan.

Continue cooking for five to 15 minutes longer or until internal temperature is at 145 degrees.

Remove pan from oven, tent with foil then let rest 30 minutes. Yes, 30 minutes — it will still be steaming hot when you cut into it.

The pork loin can be served two ways: with the pan juices as an au jus or thickened into a gravy with cornstarch.

For either option, it’s entirely up to you whether to strain the juices to remove the onions.

Option 1: Au Jus: Taste pan juices for seasoning then add salt if desired. Serve in dipping cups or drizzled over sliced pork loin. If au jus has cooled too much by the time the meat is sliced, simply reheat in a small saucepan.

Option 2: Gravy: Once pork loin has rested, pour the pan juices (strained or not – totally up to you) into a saucepan then bring to a low boil. Mix 2 tablespoons cornstarch with 1/3 cup cold water. Drizzle in half then mix until thickened. Add the remaining slurry if needed (impossible for me to know how much liquid you're starting with so I don't know how much cornstarch you'll need). Taste for seasoning then add salt if desired.

Notes: This recipe is for pork loin, not tenderloin.

You can pour the pan juices through a mesh strainer then discard the onions or you can leave the onions – it’s entirely up to you!

You can use a roasting pan with a rack instead of cooking the pork loin on onions if you prefer. If you do, feel free to add all of the chicken broth at once since the rack will prevent the loin from being submerged.

Feel free to change up the spices in the recipe. Thyme and oregano are great too! I don’t use fresh garlic because it can burn and become bitter at this temperature for this long.

Instead of onions, you could use apples or carrots. Just remember the sauce will taste like whichever you decide to use.

Using a smaller pan (with less surface area), covering the loin to cook or altering the instructions could result in watery au jus. This recipe works because the chicken broth and pan juices evaporate some which creates concentrated flavor and slight thickening. Any of these changes could also cause the pork to overcook.

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 news@semissourian.com or by mail at P.O. Box 699, Cape Girardeau, MO 63702. Recipes published have not been kitchen-tested by Southeast Missourian staff.