Joanne Fluke's Lake Eden Cookbook Part 9

Sprinkle the Fritos on top of the hotdish, spreading them out as evenly as you can.

Sprinkle the cheese on top of the Fritos as evenly as you can.

Don't cover the hotdish. Return it to the oven to cook for another 10 minutes, uncovered, or until the cheese has melted.

Let the baking pan or roaster sit for at least 10 minutes so the hotdish can firm up before you serve it.

Hannah's 2nd Note: When I first had this hotdish at Clara and Marguerite's condo, they served it with white wine margaritas. If you don't want to serve alcohol, it would also be good with ice cold lemonade.

Hannah's 3rd Note: Norman served this with sour cream on the side for those who wanted to put a dollop on top of their serving. (I really liked it that way.) I think it would also be good with guacamole on the side for those who want to add that.

SALLY'S SUNNY VEGETABLE SALAD 5 cups chopped broccoli florets

5 cups chopped cauliflower florets

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (the sharper the cheddar,

the better the salad)

cup golden raisins (Sally says to tell you she's used

sweetened dried cranberries as a subst.i.tute for the raisins)

cup minced onion (Sally uses chopped green onions)

cup white (granulated) sugar

1 cup mayonnaise (Hannah uses h.e.l.lmann's it's called

Best Foods west of the Rockies)

2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar (I used raspberry vinegar)

6 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled (or cup bacon bits)

cup Sh.e.l.lED, salted, toasted sunflower seeds

Chop the broccoli and cauliflower florets into tiny bite-sized pieces.

Combine the broccoli and cauliflower in a large salad bowl. Add the shredded cheese and mix it up with your fingers.

Mix in the raisins and the minced onion.

In a small bowl, combine the sugar, mayonnaise, and red wine vinegar. Mix it with a rubber spatula, or a whisk until it's smooth.

Pour the dressing you just mixed over the top of the salad. Toss it, or stir it with a spoon or spatula until the vegetables are coated with the dressing.

Sprinkle the bacon bits on top.

Sprinkle the sunflower nutmeats on top of that.

Hannah's 1st Note: You can make this salad several hours before serving. It's even better that way because the flavors blend. Just toss the vegetables and raisins with the dressing, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and refrigerate it until your company arrives. Then all you have to do is sprinkle on the bacon bits and the sunflower seeds, and serve.

Yield: 12 to 16 servings.

Hannah's 2nd Note: I made this for a 6-person dinner party once, and I ended up with about half of the salad left in the bowl. I refrigerated it to see what would happen, and it was every bit as good the next day!

SALMON CAKES WITH DILL SAUCE OR EASY CELERY SAUCE.

1 small can salmon9

2 slices bread, crusts removed (you can use any type of bread)

1 beaten egg (just whip it up in a gla.s.s with a fork)

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce (or hot sauce, or lemon

juice)

teaspoon dry mustard (that's the powdered kind)

teaspoon salt

teaspoon onion powder

2 Tablespoons b.u.t.ter

Open your can of salmon and drain it in a strainer. Remove any bones or dark skin. Flake it with a fork and put it in a small mixing bowl.

Cut the crusts from two standard-sized slices of bread and tear the middle part into small pieces. Add the pieces to the bowl with the salmon.

Add the egg and mix it all up with a fork.

Mix in the Worcestershire sauce (or lemon juice, or hot sauce,) the dry mustard, salt, and onion powder.

Stir it all up until it resembles a thick batter with lumps.

Divide the batter into thirds. (You don't have to be exact n.o.body's going to measure them when you're through. They'll be too busy eating them.) Spread a sheet of wax paper on a plate and pick up one of the lumps of batter. Squeeze it together with your hands to form a firm ball. Place it on the wax paper and flatten it like a hamburger patty. The patty should be about a half-inch thick.

Hannah's 1st Note: If you flatten your Salmon Cakes too much and you'd like to make them thicker, just go ahead. All you have to do is gather the batter into a ball again and start over.

Shape the other two lumps of batter into b.a.l.l.s and then patties. Let them sit on the wax paper for a minute or two to firm up even more.

Melt the two Tablespoons of b.u.t.ter in a frying pan over medium heat.

Place the Salmon Cakes in the pan and fry them over medium heat until they're golden brown on the bottom. (That should take approximately 2 minutes.) Flip the patties over and brown the other side. (Total frying time will be approximately 4 to 5 minutes.) Remember that all you're doing is frying the egg. Everything else has already been cooked.

Drain the Salmon Cakes on a paper towel and transfer to a serving platter. Serve with Dill Sauce or Edna's Easy Celery Sauce. They're also wonderful with creamed peas or creamed corn.

Hannah's 2nd Note: When I do these for the family, I use my electric griddle and triple the recipe so I have nine Salmon Cakes. If you don't have an electric griddle or you prefer to use a frying pan, you can fry them and then put them in a single layer in a pan in an oven set at the lowest temperature to keep them warm until you've fried them all. Make sure to refrigerate any leftovers. I've put leftover Salmon Cakes in the refrigerator overnight and heated them in the microwave the next day for lunch. They're not quite as good as freshly fried, but they're still very good. (They're also good cold.) Hannah's 3rd Note: You can also make Tuna Cakes, Shrimp Cakes, Crab Cakes, Chicken Cakes and any other "cake" you can think of. All you need to do is subst.i.tute 6 to 8 ounces of the canned, or cooked and chopped main ingredient of your choice for the salmon. (This is why I always keep a can of salad shrimp, a can of tuna, and a can of chopped chicken in my pantry.) Yield: Serves 3 if you team it up with a nice green salad and a slice of something yummy for dessert. (If you serve it alone, as a total lunch, it'll work for one person with a big appet.i.te, or one person with a little appet.i.te and a cat.) DILL SAUCE.

Hannah's Note: This sauce is best if you make it at least 4 hours in advance and refrigerate it in an airtight container. (Overnight is even better.) 2 Tablespoons heavy cream

cup mayonnaise