Recipe Requests

At the request of her husband, Bill, Judy Heinekamp of Baltimore wrote in requesting the recipe for the classic Baltimore coddie, or codfish cake. Barbra Rosenberg, also of Baltimore, sent in her "tried and true" recipe. She says that it brings back childhood memories of trips to the neighborhood drugstore for "coddies and a chocolate Coke." Her recipe calls for salt cod, but she says that if that is not readily available, fresh or frozen (and defrosted) cod may be substituted. I tested the recipe as written, using the salt cod. It's a bit time-consuming, but I decided it was probably the best way to get an authentic coddie.

Brucie White of Baltimore was hoping someone might have the recipe for the signature chopped salad that was served at Marconi's restaurant that was in downtown Baltimore for many years and is now closed. Many locals remember the restaurant fondly but, unfortunately, no official cookbook from the famous restaurant seems to have surfaced over the years. However, Mike Flynn of Timonium, also a great fan of the salad, has developed a recipe that he thinks makes a "reasonable facsimile"of the renowned Marconi's chopped salad.

Rosalie Howeth of Baltimore was looking for a recipe she misplaced for spaghetti sauce made with tomato soup and other ingredients. Her daughter had learned to make it in a cooking class in junior high school in the late '70s and they both wanted to make it again. Amanda Brokaw of New York City handles public relations for Campbell's brands and sent in a recipe from a Campbell's cookbook, Cooking With Soup, published in 1982. It makes a pretty tasty homemade meat sauce in about 50 minutes, start to finish.

Barbara Corley of Windsor, Calif., was looking for a recipe she lost some years ago for a turkey meatloaf. She said it was particularly tasty and somewhat unusual in that it had sour cream as one of the ingredients. Donna Mason of Dallas sent in her recipe for what she describes as a Tex-Mex style turkey meatloaf that she thought Corley might like to try. I liked her recipe very much because it addressed what is my biggest complaint with turkey meatloaf: a lack of flavor. While this may not be your mom's meatloaf, it certainly is a healthful, low-fat alternative that packs so much flavor your family might not even realize it's made with ground turkey.

* Ellen Moffre of Lutherville is looking for a candied apple recipe. She also wants chocolate and toffee coating recipes for apple slices or apples on sticks.* Ellen Esposito of Baltimore wants recipes for herb butter and also for a creamy Greek and Italian dressing.* H. Toohey of St. Augustine, Fla., wants a turtle cake recipe.* Barbara Sparks of Glen Burnie wants a spinach pie recipe that uses phyllo dough.* Roland M. Neifeld Sr. wants a recipe for German pumpernickel bread.* Bertha Ryder of Baltimore is searching for a baked potato soup recipe.

Get out those recipe files! We have requests for a wide variety of recipes.But first a reminder, Recipe Finder is a reader exchange recipe column. We do not mail recipes, even if you send a stamped, self-addressed envelope.Recipes in Recipe Finder are not tested before they run. That means it's very important to include complete ingredients and directions in any recipe you may send us.And please print neatly! Recipe Finder has spent many an "entertaining" hour trying to decide if a little squiggle stands for teaspoon or tablespoon or trying to decipher someone's last name.

Charlotte Prouost of Lake Worth, Fla., asked for help locating a recipe for "Lightning Cake," which she remembers being in the Boston Cooking School Cookbook by Fannie Farmer dating back to the 1930s. Many readers, such as Joan Landsberg of Bend, Ore., still had original copies of this classic cookbook that had belonged to them or their mothers. Landsberg says she saved the cookbook because it was filled with recipes that she grew up with and with handwritten notes by her mother. The original Lightning Cake recipe, as published in the 1935 edition, did not specify a cake pan size, but later versions called for baking it in two 7-inch round pans or one 7-inch-by-10-inch pan. I chose to bake it in a single 8-inch round cake pan and it worked beautifully.

This spinach lasagna recipe, for Mary Smith of Millerstown, Pa., makes a nice change from more traditional tomato-based sauces. The recipe is from Cheryl Smith of Baltimore.Spinach lasagnaMakes 6 servings.2 tablespoons oil1 onion, finely chopped2 cups sliced button mushrooms1 pound frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained1 to 2 tablespoons lemon juice1/4 teaspoon grated nutmegsalt and pepper, to taste1 cup cottage cheese1 cup grated Cheddar or mozzarella cheese2 tablespoons butter2 tablespoons all-purpose flour1 cup milk1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese1/2 pound green or white lasagna noodles, cookedHeat oven to 375 degrees.

Shrimp -- one of America's favorite crustaceans -- is the subject of two recipe requests.Bonnie C. Dunnigan of Finksburg wrote that she had a delicious cup of pumpkin-shrimp bisque at Rudy's 2900 Restaurant last year and was looking for a similar recipe. Beth Hunter of Timonium sent in her version, saying: "This recipe has been adapted from the 'New York Times International Cookbook.' I hope this is the one she is seeking."Stacey Politzer of Baltimore wanted a recipe for shrimp in garlic sauce that is similar to the one served at Tio Pepe restaurant.

Edna Doyle from Carney was trying to find a recipe for a Graham-Cracker Cream Pie like the delicious one her mom used to make. Sandra Stedman from St. Augustine, Fla., sent in a recipe that her aunt used to make, saying it was "the best Graham-Cracker Pie ever!" Her recipe makes a rich and luscious custard pie with a beautiful meringue topping. I advise making the custard in a double boiler to be sure it doesn't scald. Also, be sure to allow enough cooling time, or you could end up with a runny mess.

Juanita McNeill of Marston, N.C., was looking for a recipe for an old-fashioned egg custard. Bonnie Giraldi of Perryville sent in an easy recipe for a baked egg custard. Her recipe is the classic one. It is simple to prepare; just be sure to put enough water in the hot-water bath. The water should come up to the level of the custard inside the dish. The water bath assures that your custard is protected from the heat. To me, baked custard is definitely a "comfort food." It is good almost any time of day, including breakfast.

Anita Wheeler of Bremerton, Wash., was looking for a recipe for making mincemeat bars. Toni Palumbo of Mercerville, N.J., sent in one she found in her local paper not long ago for Holiday Mince Squares. These traditional bar cookies are wonderful to make this time of year because you can find the jars of mincemeat in grocery stores. I used my food processor to cut in the butter, which made the recipe quite fast and easy. I'm not sure why mincemeat seems to be available only around the holidays but I'm going to buy an extra jar or two now so that I can make these delicious, old-fashioned treats any time of the year.

Jerry Dennis of Fayetteville, N.C., has been searching for a recipe for Grape-Nuts Bread, which he says was printed on a box of Post Grape-Nuts in the mid-1940s. Mary Ann Ford of Cockeysville sent in a recipe given to her by her mother-in-law when she was first married in 1967. Her mother-in-law told her that it came from a box of Grape-Nuts cereal in the 1940s. Ford says it is still a family favorite today. The only change I made to the original recipe was to substitute buttermilk for the sour milk.

Marlene Wheeler of Baltimore was looking for a recipe for a fresh peach cake. She remembers with great fondness one that was made by Gerstung's bakery in East Baltimore. Connie Devine of Bel Air sent in a recipe for a Baltimore Peach Cake that she clipped from the News American newspaper in the summer of 1967. Now is the ideal time to make this simple yeast cake while the local peaches are at their most flavorful. Recipe requests * Linda Everett of Knoxville, Tenn., is looking for a recipe she has misplaced for a cottage-cheese poundcake that appeared in a women's magazine in the early '80s.

Holly Stewart of Auburn, Pa., was looking for her mother's old bran-muffin recipe. She thought that it was possible that it came from an All-Bran cereal box many years ago. Kathy Birke of Fayetteville, N.C., sent in a recipe that she said she cut from the side panel of an All-Bran cereal box some years ago. This is more than likely just what Stewart was looking for. The only difference is that Stewart remembers her mother's recipe had you soak the cereal...

Martha Nielson of Trenton, N.J., was hoping someone would have the recipe for a Crab Imperial dish similar to the one she and her husband used to enjoy on their trips to Maryland. It was served at Busch's restaurant in Cape St. Claire. The restaurant closed several years ago and though she has tried many recipes for Crab Imperial, none has come close to the light and fluffy one with a cheesy topping that was served at Busch's. Unfortunately, we did not receive any responses from our readers for a Crab Imperial with a cheese topping.

Barbara Donaldson from Dandridge, Tenn., used to have a recipe for scones that she got from the side panel of a box of cranberry-orange muffin mix made by the Duncan Hines Co. Company representatives informed her that Duncan Hines does not make the mix anymore and that the recipe is no longer available. Fortunately, Brenda Druen from Gore, Va., had the recipe. She also discovered a cranberry-orange muffin mix made by Krusteaz that she has found to be an acceptable substitute for the Duncan Hines mix. "It isn't quite as tasty as the Duncan Hines but it is fat-free," she says.

Sara R. Knowles of St. Augustine, Fla., requested a recipe for cabbage soup "like the one we enjoyed at Big Boy restaurants in Ironwood, Mich." She added, "I love soup, and nothing I've found can come close to this soup. I'd appreciate help in getting that one or something close to it." Margaret S. Waring of Baltimore responded with tester Laura Reiley's choice. Cabbage Soup Makes 3 quarts, serves 8 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder 1/4 teaspoon black pepper 2 celery stalks, chopped one 16-ounce can kidney beans, undrained 1/2 large head of cabbage, chopped one 28-ounce can chopped tomatoes, undrained 28 ounces water (use tomato can for measuring)

Patricia Coyle of West Palm Beach, Fla., was looking for a recipe for rice pudding that is baked instead of prepared on the stove top like most she has used. The particular recipe she used to have for the baked version was made with heavy whipping cream and she said it was "wonderful!" Dorothy McMann of Perry Hall e-mailed a recipe she got when she visited Williamsburg, Va., some years ago. While this particular recipe calls for whole milk, not heavy cream, there would be no reason why you could not substitute heavy cream if you were not concerned about the calorie count.

Doris Porter of Baltimore was looking for a recipe for what she called "Wacky Cake." It was in a cookbook that was compiled in the 1950s by her daughter's fourth-grade class and, sadly, she has lost it. She said while she has come across other recipes for the cake over the years, none of them produced the chocolate sauce in the bottom of the pan after baking that made this cake so particularly delicious. Margie LaDue of Mud Butte, S.D., sent in a recipe that her grandmother had passed down to her mother and the family always enjoyed.