RECIPE SWAP: ZUCCHINI PIE, FRENCH TOAST AND CORN CASSEROLES

Tomorrow is the Southern Living Cooking School and the release of the Recipe Swap cookbook. I hope many of you have your tickets to come to the show and stop by the Southeast Missourian booth so we have the opportunity to get acquainted and to pick up your copy of the book.

You will also be able to pick up a small bag of oyster cracker snack mix. A large group of special people, you know who you are, gathered on different days to bag 5,500 samples of the snack. These people deserve a special reward for coming to my aid, but a sincere and simple "thank you" will have to do.

I recall two years ago when Southern Living was in town. I had the opportunity to go up on stage to do a little taste testing. The spicy barbecue shrimp, raspberry tea and daiquiri cheesecake were just divine. Not only did each recipe taste wonderful, but the presentation to the audience was in Southern Living style.

I look forward to meeting many of you. Have fun and enjoy the show.

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Margie Loennecke of Jackson shares her husband's favorite recipe. It is zucchini pie, but she tells us it tastes just like apples. It is also suitable for a diabetic dessert just by substituting 18 packets of Equal sweetener for the sugar in the recipe.

Zucchini Pie

4 cups zucchini, measured after peeled and sliced

2 tablespoons Minute Tapioca

1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

2 tablespoons margarine

4 tablespoons lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup sugar

2 teaspoons cornstarch

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 9-inch double crust pie shell, unbaked

Mix dry ingredients, set aside. Combine lemon juice and zucchini. Add to dry ingredients. Put in pie shell and dot with margarine. Cover with top crust, cut slits for steam to escape. Bake 10 minutes at 400 degrees. Lower temperature to 350 degrees and bake 45 to 50 minutes.

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A few weeks ago we had a request for French toast casserole. Michele Gilmer of Scott City has a family recipe to share with you. When her son, Tom, comes home from the Navy on leave, he and his family drive 22 hours to get home. Michele has this casserole waiting in the refrigerator for him for a good breakfast treat.

Baked French Bread

4 eggs

2/3 cup orange juice

1/3 cup milk

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon or nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/3 cup butter or margarine

French bread

Cut French bread into thick slices. Place in single layer in a baking dish. Whisk eggs, juice, milk, sugar, spice and vanilla. Pour over bread. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Pour 1/3 cup butter over mixture in pan. Bake until golden brown, about 25 minutes. Serve with butter, syrup or powdered sugar.

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Our friends from Altenburg have two recipes for corn casserole to share. The first recipe is large enough to nicely serve a crowd. It makes a good dish to carry to a covered-dish supper. The second recipe is a smaller, yet different version of corn casserole.

Corn Casserole For A Crowd

1 can yellow corn, drained

1 can white corn, drained

1 can cream style corn

1 can cream of broccoli soup

1 cup grated cheese

Mix together in large bowl, Set aside.

Combine:

1 box Chicken-In-A-Biskit snack crackers, crushed fine

1 1/4 sticks margarine, melted

Add half of the cracker mixture to the corn mixture, reserving the remaining crackers for the top.

Pour into sprayed casserole dish. Top with remaining cracker mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes until bubbly.

Corn Casserole

1 can whole kernel corn, drained

1 can cream-style corn

1 cup sour cream

2 eggs

1 package Jiffy cornbread mix

1/2 cup margarine

Melt margarine. Add other ingredients and bake 45 minutes. Top with 1/2 cup shredded cheese and bake another 10 minutes.

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Opal Rodgers of Cape Girardeau has a few recipe she would like to pass onto you. Opal has been real good about sharing their favorite recipes, and we appreciate that.

Finger Meatballs In Sauce

1 pound ground beef

1 1/2 cups cracker crumbs

1 medium onion, chopped

1 cup cooked rice

2 eggs

1 tablespoon garlic salt

pinch pepper

Combine all ingredients together. Form into balls about the size of a hickory nut. Brown on all sides. Pour spaghetti sauce over meatballs and simmer for 15 minutes.

Tamales

1 pound ground beef

1 cup oats

2 tablespoons chili powder

2 teaspoons salt

3/4 cup cornmeal

3/4 cup flour

32 ounces tomato juice

1 cup ketchup

1/2 to 1 teaspoon sugar

water

Scramble fry ground beef till brown and done. Drain fat. Mix oats, 1 tablespoon chili powder and 1 teaspoon salt in with the meat. Mix together the tomato juice, ketchup, 1 tablespoon chili powder and sugar. Bring to a boil. Make a dough of the cornmeal, flour, 1 teaspoon salt and enough water to make a stiff dough. Roll the cornmeal mixture out thin. Put small amounts of the meat mixture on a square of dough. Fold over and seal the edges, like you would a fried pie. Drop into boiling water for about 5 minutes. Take out and put in serving pan. Cover the tamales with the boiling sauce from above.

Coconut Cake

1 box yellow cake mix with pudding in the mix.

Bake according to box directions. Cool about 5 minutes, punch holes all over the cake with a fork. Pour 1 can Eagle Brand milk over top of cake. When cake is thoroughly cool, spread 1 8-ounce container whipped topping over top. Sprinkle package of frozen coconut over top.

We have a couple of requests from readers this week. Georgia Snider of Chaffee is looking for a recipe for Asian coleslaw. She said it is very good and is hoping someone can help her out.

The second is for a strawberry and spinach salad with a orange dressing. I'm sure one of our readers can help with this request.

And our last request is for different snack mixes. These would be great to have along in the car on vacations.

That will close this week of Recipe Swap. I hope each of you had a blessed Easter. I am looking forward to tomorrow and to meeting many of you. Until then, happy cooking.