Fair food in the kitchen

Rita Burk of Cape Girardeau sent me several recipes she has tried lately and thought they were interesting enough to share with you. Rita is a longtime Cape Girardeau cook and avid cookbook collector. Enjoy her latest findings.

Emily Cannon's Banana Pudding

This recipe came to Rita by way of Texas from her niece. Rita says it is the best recipe for banana pudding and they always have it at family get-togethers.

1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened

1 can of Eagle Brand condensed milk

2 cups of milk

1 (5.9-ounce) box instant vanilla pudding

1 (8-ounce) carton of frozen whipped topping, thawed

1 box of vanilla wafers, crumbled

4 to 6 bananas, sliced

Mix the softened cream cheese and the Eagle Brand milk well. Slowly stir in the milk, then blend in the vanilla pudding. Fold in the whipped topping. Mix well. Alternate layers of vanilla wafer crumbs, pudding mixture and bananas, starting with crumbs and ending with pudding. Top with additional whipped topping.

Cinnamon Cheese Roll-Ups

1 (16-ounce) loaf thinly sliced white bread, crusts removed

1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened

1 egg yolk

3/4 cup of powdered sugar

1 cup of granulated sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

3/4 cup of butter or margarine, melted

Flatten bread with a rolling pin. In a bowl combine cheese, egg yolk and powdered sugar. In another bowl combine granulated sugar and cinnamon. Set aside. Spread about 1 tablespoon of cheese mixture on each slice of bread. Roll up jelly-roll style. Dip in melted butter, then in the cinnamon and sugar mixture. Place on ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Yield 16 roll-ups.

Fried Twinkies

1 cup milk

2 tablespoons vinegar

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 cup flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

6 Twinkies, frozen

Mix all of the ingredients together except Twinkies until smooth. Push a Popsicle stick into the frozen Twinkie, leaving a few inches to use as a handle. Dip the frozen Twinkie into the batter. Deep fry until golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from fryer and place on paper towel to drain. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. You may want to add a caramel sauce or a fruit to the top of them as well. The cake will be warm and crusty on the outside and the filling will be cold. The batter should be enough for 6 Twinkies.

Animal Cracker Pie

44 animal crackers, crushed

1 teaspoon of baking powder

1 cup of chopped nuts

3 egg whites

1 cup of sugar

1 teaspoon of vanilla

3 cups of whipped cream

25 extra animal crackers for decorating

Mix the crushed animal crackers with the baking powder and chopped nuts. Beat the egg whites until stiff and gradually add the sugar and vanilla. Mix everything together and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. After the pie has cooled, top with whipped cream and decorate with animal crackers. Children get a kick out of this pie. Decorate the top like a circus with the animals.

Artificial Nuts

This is for people who cannot eat nuts.

1/2 cup margarine

2 cups dry oats

1/2 cup flour

1 cup brown sugar

In a heavy pan melt the margarine and add the oats, flour and sugar. Blend and mix together thoroughly. Delicious on ice cream. Store in airtight container in refrigerator. Makes 2 1/2 cups.

Watermelon Slush

Jodi Thompson of Jackson sent this recipe for watermelon slush. This refreshing drink would be delicious on a hot day. Jodi also submitted the sweet-and-sour chicken recipe that is low in salt and saturated fat. Enjoy!

Watermelon

2 tablespoons lime juice

1 tablespoon sugar

1 cup crushed ice

1/2 cup water

Blend melon, lime juice, sugar, ice and water in a blender until smooth. Serve in chilled glasses.

Sweet and Sour Chicken with Brown Rice

This version of sweet and sour chicken is just as satisfying as the classic Chinese takeout favorite, but without all the extra sugar, salt and saturated fat. The recipe is flexible enough to accommodate your family's favorite vegetables (carrots, scallions, Bok choy); just be sure to cut them into similar-size pieces so they'll all cook at about the same rate.

2 cups instant brown rice

1/4 cup seasoned rice vinegar

2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce

2 tablespoons cornstarch

2 tablespoons apricot preserves

2 tablespoons canola oil, divided

1 pound chicken tenders, cut into bite-size pieces

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons finely grated or minced ginger

1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth

6 cups bite-size pieces of vegetables, such as snow peas, broccoli and bell peppers

1 5-ounce can sliced water chestnuts, drained

Prepare rice according to the package directions. Meanwhile, whisk vinegar, soy sauce, cornstarch and apricot preserves in a small bowl. Set aside. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook, undisturbed, for 2 minutes. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until no longer pink on the outside and just starting to brown in spots, about 2 minutes more. Transfer to a plate. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil, garlic and ginger to the pan and cook, stirring, until fragrant, 20 to 30 seconds. Add broth and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Add vegetables. Reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and cook until the vegetables are tender-crisp, 4 to 6 minutes. Stir in water chestnuts and the chicken. Whisk the reserved sauce and add to the pan. Simmer, stirring constantly, until the sauce is thickened and the chicken is heated through, about 1 minute. Serve with the rice.

I am out of room for this week, so 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 Southeast Missourian staff.