Internet Recipe Close To Granny’s

Dear Merri Lou: At Granny’s Buffet I’ve eaten their Frog’s Eye Salad. It has tapioca, whipped cream, miniature marshmallows, coconut and fruit cocktail. I’d like the recipe, if you can get it. Thanks, Eileen, Spokane

Dear Eileen: I wasn’t able to get the exact recipe that Granny’s makes. However, it was a good excuse to take my family to Granny’s for a meal. Then we sampled a similar recipe that I found on the Internet. The result? Pretty darn close!

Old-Fashioned Frog’s Eye Salad From the Hershey Foods Web site (www.hershey’s.com). Granny’s likes to mix the cherries and all of the whipped topping right into the salad.

1/2 cup sugar

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 (20-ounce) can pineapple chunks, undrained

1 (8-ounce) can crushed pineapple, undrained

1 egg, beaten

2 teaspoons lemon juice

1-1/3 cups (8 ounces) acini pepe pasta, uncooked (see note)

2 cans (11 ounces each) mandarin orange segments, drained

3-1/2 cups (8 ounces) frozen nondairy whipped topping, thawed

3 cups miniature marshmallows

1/2 cup flaked coconut

Maraschino cherries

In medium saucepan, stir together sugar, flour and salt. Drain pineapple, reserving 1 cup juice.

With whisk, gradually stir egg and reserved pineapple juice into sugar mixture. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until mixture comes to a boil. Stir in lemon juice. Cool mixture to room temperature.

Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions; drain. Rinse with cold water to cool quickly and drain well.

In large bowl, stir together pineapple juice mixture and pasta. Cover; refrigerate several hours or overnight.

Add drained pineapple, orange sections, 2 cups whipped topping, marshmallows and coconut; mix gently and thoroughly. Cover and refrigerate until cold. Top with remaining whipped topping and garnish with cherries.

Yield: 12 (1-cup) servings.

Nutrition information per serving: 191 calories, 3.9 grams fat (18 percent fat calories), 37 grams carbohydrate, 2 grams protein, 18 milligrams cholesterol, 73 milligrams sodium.

Note: Acini pepe pasta gives this the frog’s-eye look, but other small pasta will work, too.

Dear Merri Lou: My wife and I loved the tomato soup that the 4B’s in the Valley served. They have now moved their operations to Montana, and we can no longer get their tomato soup. I wonder if you could get the recipe or one similar. Thank you for your consideration, - Robert and Rita, Spokane

Dear Robert and Rita: I tracked 4B’s to Missoula. Here’s their rich, creamy recipe.

4B’s Old Fashioned Cream of Tomato Soup

32 ounces canned diced tomatoes, undrained

9 ounces chicken broth (undiluted)

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon chopped onion

Pinch of baking soda

2 cups cream

Combine tomatoes, chicken broth, butter, sugar, onion and baking soda. Heat to just about the boiling point, then lower heat and simmer 1 hour. Heat cream in double boiler and add to hot tomato mixture. Serve immediately.

Yield: 1/2 gallon, about 8 servings.

Nutrition information per serving: 199 calories, 14.4 grams fat (65 percent fat calories), 14 grams carbohydrate, 3 grams protein, 47 milligrams cholesterol, 328 milligrams sodium.

Dear Merri Lou: Some time ago a recipe appeared in The Spokesman-Review for Butterscotch Pie using butterscotch topping. Now that I want to make the pie, I cannot find the recipe. I would be so grateful if you would please print this recipe again. Sincerely, - Dorothy, Spokane

Dear Dorothy: Although I couldn’t find the recipe in our files, I checked with the Smucker’s company and they gave me a caramel pie recipe, suggesting that butterscotch would substitute nicely. And it does!

Old-Fashioned Butterscotch Pie

Adapted from a recipe from Smucker’s.

3 large eggs

1 (12-ounce) jar butterscotch topping

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup milk

1 cup quick-cooking or old-fashioned oats

1/4 cup melted butter

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 baked 9-inch pie shell

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat eggs. Add remaining ingredients, except pie shell, and blend well. Pour into pie shell. Bake for 1 hour or until set.

Yield: 8 servings.

Nutrition information per serving: 404 calories, 16.5 grams fat (37 percent fat calories), 59 grams carbohydrate, 7 grams protein, 109 milligrams cholesterol, 401 milligrams sodium.

, DataTimes MEMO: Have a food question? Looking for a recipe? Merri Lou Dobler, a registered dietitian in Spokane, would like to hear from you. Write to Cook’s Notebook, Features Department, The Spokesman-Review, P.O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210, or e-mail to merrid@spokesman.com. As many letters as possible will be answered in this column; sorry, no individual replies.