Sisters deliver savory and sweet

Whenever I've been asked what my passion is, my answer is a no brainer ... eating!

Yes, I like traveling, and I like horses, dogs, and exercising (thank goodness), but my favorite passion by far and wide is trying different restaurants and different foods.

We at the T-G have been featuring the Sunday column Simply Delish for a couple of months now. Up until now, I have mostly featured recipes that remind me of friends, family and growing up.

This week, the ladies of a local sorority made my job super easy. After their annual "Taste and Tell" dinner, they sent me in the recipes served at the dinner. (I would encourage any of you who have a recipe you'd like me to try to e-mail me. Remember, it should be fairly quick, easy and inexpensive to make.)

As I sifted through the dozen recipes, trying to decide which one I wanted to make, a couple stood out. They all sounded good, but I didn't want to do a dessert (that's next week) and I really only had about an hour on this day to shop for the ingredients and prepare the recipe.

I pulled out Judy Hornaday's corn dip from the pile first because, just by reading the ingredients, I knew it would be simple and I knew my co-workers would devour it.

Then another recipe struck my fancy for the simple sake of curiosity. What in the world is Japanese fruit pie? It looked easy, and I wanted to try this one, too.

One was savory, one sweet, and both were a cinch to make. I am thrilled to report that this week there's no chopping required!

The corn dip features Pepper Jack cheese and Mexican corn, which gives the appetizer a great little kick to it. Baked with Parmesan cheese and mayonnaise makes it melt in your mouth.

Also, it makes a lot, so it would be great to bring to a party where there are a lot of people.

Once we had our fill of savory, I brought out the Japanese fruit pie, which I put in the oven immediately after the dip was done baking, submitted by Isabel Pewitt.

While waiting for the pie to bake, sorority member Barbara Morgan came into the office and told me she thought the Japanese fruit pie was delightful when she tried it at the dinner.

It smelled great and looked good, too, when I pulled it out of the oven.

Isabel's directions say to let it cool before serving. Of course, patience is not one of my strong points and out of eager anticipation to try the pie, I cut into it too early and it didn't really hold as well as I'd have liked for the photo.

Nonetheless, it tasted great, even though I am not a huge fan of raisins, one ingredient in the pie. I would say this pie is in the same family as pecan pie or chess pie, but the raisins and coconut really make it unique.

Just don't be like me ... resist the urge to cut into it until it cools down!

The remaining recipes featured at the Beta Iota Epsilon Sigma Alpha's Taste and Tell are featured on page 4B of this section.

Corn dip (T-G Photo by John Philleo) [Click to enlarge] [Order this photo]

Corn Dip

16 oz. Pepper Jack cheese

1 can Mexican corn

1 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

Melt cheese in microwave. Add corn, mayonnaise and Parmesan cheese to the melted Pepper Jack. Mix and bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes.

Japanese Fruit Pie (T-G Photo by John Philleo) [Click to enlarge] [Order this photo]

Japanese Fruit Pie

1 stick margarine

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 cup coconut

1 Tablespoon vinegar

2 eggs

1/2 chopped pecans

1 cup sugar

Melt margarine on stove and cool. Add the rest of the ingredients, mix and put into an unbaked pie crust.

Bake at 325 degrees for 40 minutes.

This pie is best served warm, not hot. Also, it freezes well. Just thaw it out and heat before serving.

-- Sadie Fowler is lifestyles editor at the Times-Gazette. Her columns, Sadie Says and Simply Delish, run every Sunday. If you would like to submit a recipe, contact Fowler at sfowler@t-g.com or 684-1200 ext. 214.