Recipe

Charles D. Allen of Reading, Vt., wrote that he wanted a recipe for clam cakes or clam balls. "I got hooked on them when I lived in Providence, R.I., and they were as popular as french fries or onion rings. They are fried balls of bread dough with minced clams in them. I can't find the recipe and would appreciate your help." Blair Brennan Slaughter of Hunt Valley responded. She wrote: "I am a native Rhode Islander living in Maryland, so I had to respond to the request for clam cakes. "When I first served my Maryland-native husband clam cakes he was appalled, as they are the antithesis of crab cakes.

Karen Hooper and her husband from Newport, Tenn., were looking for a recipe for the Caramel-Pecan Silk Supreme pie that they had enjoyed at the Bakers Square restaurant chain in California. Connie Bethune of Maynardville, Tenn., writes that she has recently moved from California and can "relate to Bakers Square and their delicious pies." She had her own recipe for a pie that she felt was very similar to the one served at the restaurant. In fact, she says, her family cannot tell the difference.

Mary Keen of Baltimore was searching for a recipe for what she described as the "best oatmeal cookie" that she had ever eaten. Keen said what made these cookies unique was that they were made with orange juice. Joy Meyer of Bella Vista, Ark., sent in a recipe she had clipped many years ago from a magazine for orange-oatmeal cookies. These tasty cookies are made with both orange juice and orange rind. I tested the recipe using butter and freshly squeezed orange juice. The cookies were crisp on the outside and slightly chewy on the inside.

If you like rice and salad and tend toward vegetarian meals, try the rice-salad recipe given below. This week's second recipe is for matzo meal rolls.Susan Marie of Forest Hill wrote that she wanted a rice salad that was once printed on an Uncle Ben's rice box. The dish had several different vegetables in it.Her answer came from Doris Wachter of Baltimore, who noted that the recipe -- called pebble salad -- was from a contest sponsored by Uncle Ben's rice.Barbara Waddell of Catonsville requested a recipe for matzo meal rolls.

Jan Shaw from Mount Kisco, N.Y., was hoping to find a recipe for an old-fashioned coconut layer cake like the one she remembers with great fondness from her childhood growing up in Baltimore. Anne Brusca of Columbia responded to Shaw's request with a recipe that she thinks makes the best coconut cake she has ever eaten. The icing is her late mother's recipe and "much easier than seven-minute frosting and just as good." What is particularly nice about this recipe is that although it is made using a cake mix, it does not taste anything like a box cake.

Dian Mehrer from Rapid City, S.D., was seeking a recipe for "Jeans Bars." These rich bar cookies were made with lots of butter, sweetened condensed milk, chocolate chips and nuts, and had a shortbreadlike bottom layer. She said they are "guaranteed to make your jeans tight - thus the name." Ruth Charles, also of Rapid City, had the recipe Mehrer was looking for. It came from the 1983 Pillsbury Classic, No. 30, "Best Recipes." She says that she has made this recipe with great success many times and that it has been a family favorite.

Dottie Denitto of Sykesville writes that she is searching for a recipe for coconut muffins like the ones served at Harpoon Hannah's Restaurant in Ocean City. "They are about the size of a regular cupcake and are simple, cakelike, sweet and delicious. I have tried a few recipes from books and the Internet, but none came close. Thanks for your help," she says. Volondia Kelly of Arnold responded: "I have a cousin who works at Harpoon Hannah's in Ocean City who gave me the recipe that I have enclosed and said that this is the one that the restaurant makes.

The amount of apples was left out of the apple-streusel muffin recipe in Tidbits in Sunday's paper.L The recipe calls for 2 cups of coarsely chopped tart apples.The Sun regrets the errors.

Sue Williams of Bend, Ore., was looking for a recipe for Rhubarb Bread that contained cream cheese or buttermilk. Georgia Simpson-Maher of Rohnert Park, Calif., sent in a recipe she had from the Willamette Rhubarb Growers of Molalla, Ore. Spring is rhubarb season and the perfect time of year to make this tasty quick bread. I used fresh rhubarb, but if it is not available, the frozen would be a fine substitute. Serve the bread with cream cheese on the side and you'll have a real treat.

Alfie Cadden of Baltimore is seeking a recipe for Coney Island Sauce for hot dogs and hamburgers. "I've tried to beg, borrow, steal or bribe everyone for this recipe, but no luck. There is a secret ingredient that gives it flavor." The response that tester Laura Reiley chose was from Rosemary Baum of Westminster, who wrote: "I don't know if this is the recipe that Alfie Cadden is looking for, but it is the one that I have had for quite a while which was printed in the Hanover Merchandiser a few years ago."