Fare Exchange: Tasty advice on cookies, chicken salad and schnitzel

Welcome to June 22 and its glories and goodies, some of which you will find below. We cannot name today's requesters, but the two of them continue to look for chocolate recipes, particularly a special-occasion dessert for a chocoholic friend.

The next question is, "Where can I find artisan breads locally or even by mail order? I am referring to the bread that is really good for you, made with excellent ingredients and no preservatives. Better still, I would like to know where to buy ingredients locally and how to make my own bread."

The broader request here is for real bread, real grain, and really healthful results. There are people in this area - I am picturing one in my mind right now - who know how to make magical bread that seems to really be the staff of life. The rest of us would benefit from your expertise. You know who you are

TASTY TOFFEE

Gail Alvis of Hixson answered the easy toffee call with a delicious recipe that is "the easiest four-ingredient recipe and everyone's favorite cookie."

Easy Toffee Graham Cracker Praline Cookies

Graham crackers (enough to cover rimmed cookie sheet)

2 sticks butter

1 cup light brown sugar

1 cup chopped pecans

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 12-by-18-inch rimmed cookie sheet with aluminum foil, leaving enough foil on edges so that you can lift it out later. Spray the foil with Pam.

Completely cover the foil with graham cracker squares.

Bring to a boil the butter and light brown sugar, stirring for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and add pecans to this mixture.

Spread the cooked butter-sugar-pecan mixture over the graham crackers, as much as you can to the edges. The mixture will continue to melt and spread to the edges when you put it in the oven.

Bake for 10 minutes. Cool completely. Break into odd pieces.

FOOD FEASTS

Margaret McNeil, experienced food blogger, is up next.

"I saw your request about feasts and wanted to share one that is very special to me. It wasn't a feast like the ones I cook at Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter but, for the young man it was prepared for, it was a taste of home when he was far away from home.

"My family hosted a foreign exchange student from Germany during the 2014-15 academic year. When he arrived, he'd given me a German cookbook as a present the first thing he wanted me to fix was schnitzel. Through trial and error we came up with a version that he - and my whole family - loves."

This version was featured on Ms. McNeil's blog, where she added a definition and the American cousin of this dish.

"A schnitzel is a thin slice of meat dipped in eggs, coated with bread-crumbs and fried, the German equivalent of American chicken-fried steak or country-fried steak."

Simon's Schnitzel

3 eggs, beaten

1 cup dry Italian breadcrumbs

1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 1/4 teaspoons Italian seasoning

1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder

1 (1 1/4 pound) pork tenderloin, cut into 8 pieces and pounded 1/4-inch thick

Beat the eggs in a bowl; set aside. In another bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning and garlic powder. Dip each piece of meat in the eggs and then coat both sides thoroughly with the breadcrumb mixture. Place meat on a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes. Turn meat over; bake 12 minutes more, or until thoroughly cooked.Makes 6 to 8 servings.

TENDER, JUICY

In the world of good-better-best chicken salads, juiciness gets high marks. And so Barbara Babb thought of this recipe, "one that I got many years ago that I tweak and change according to how many I am feeding. The following is what I came up with to make a juicy and tender chicken salad."

Marinated Chicken Salad

2 medium chicken breast halves

1/2 cup Italian dressing (any brand except fat-free)

1 cup mayonnaise

1 cup ranch style dressing

Approximately 24 red grapes, halved

1/2 cup celery, finely chopped

1/4 teaspoon Mrs. Dash seasoning

Place the chicken breasts in a plastic zip-lock bag and add Italian dressing; shake to coat the meat completely. Refrigerate at least 1 hour or overnight. Remove the meat from the plastic bag, discarding the marinade. Grill or broil the meat on low heat until the middle is no longer pink, approximately 12 minutes each side. Do NOT overcook. Remove from heat and immediately shred the meat and let cool completely. Meat can also be cooked in a pressure cooker for 8 minutes (the easiest way to do it).

After the meat has cooled, place it in a large mixing bowl and add the remaining ingredients. More mayonnaise and ranch dressing may be added if desired, but add in equal amounts.

This recipe can be adjusted to make larger amounts, according to your needs.

MAYO MELANGE

It's not surprising that the mayonnaise discussion continues on these pages. Mr. and Mrs. Sunday took the simple formula for mayonnaise and stirred in all kinds of variations.

"Mayonnaise seems so simple: just an emulsion of egg and oil with a little vinegar thrown in for stability and interest," they write. "The taste differences can be subtle (soybean oil vs. canola) or dramatic (all extra virgin olive oil) and can include which vinegar (apple cider, white ) you prefer. You can add a lot of other flavors to mayonnaise and a lot of people do: Both Kewpie (Japanese) and Miracle Whip add sugar and therefore are not truly mayonnaise by USDA standards.

"It all comes down to what you like. Since people are biased toward the familiar it can be hard to know what your tastebuds are telling you without a double blind taste test."

The Sundays suggest a lively taste test among the three main contenders: Duke's, Hellmann's and Miracle Whip.

I am positive I could spot Miracle Whip blindfolded, but not sure at all about Hellmann's and Duke's. Enter Marcia Kling, who wrote: "'I'm anxious to read what your readers have to say about Duke's Mayonnaise vs. other brands. Growing up in NY, my mother used only Hellman's so, of course, I've carried on that tradition for no particular reason except that I was reared to think it superior."

But when they are visiting family in Asheville, Raleigh and Charlotte, "all I hear is how wonderful Duke's is. In fact, every recipe I see in the Raleigh paper calls for Duke's only. What, I have often wondered, makes it so special? I hope your readers can educate me."

And we believe you can.

What next? Perhaps a lively argument between plain old yellow mustard and Dijon or brown. Now that is asking for trouble. Trouble or no trouble, please come back.