Here’s the Recipe for That Delicious Peanut Butter Pie

Dear SOS: I would love to have the recipe for peanut butter pie served at Woody and Eddy’s restaurant in Pasadena. It’s like a rich cheesecake. Super delicious.

--ISABEL

Dear Isabel: You can say that again. Actually you can freeze it for a frozen dessert or leave it soft in all its creamy glory.

WOODY AND EDDY’S PEANUT BUTTER PIE

1 cup crunchy peanut butter

1 cup sugar

1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 teaspoons melted butter

1 (8-ounce) package frozen whipped topping, thawed

Chocolate-Graham Cracker Crumb Crust

Shaved chocolate

Peanuts

Mix peanut butter, sugar, cream cheese, vanilla and butter thoroughly until creamy. Fold in whipped topping. Pour into Chocolate-Graham Cracker Crust. Refrigerate overnight.

Garnish pie with additional whipped topping, reserved chocolate-graham cracker crumbs, shaved chocolate or peanuts. Makes 1 (9-inch) pie.

Chocolate-Graham Cracker Crumb Crust

2 cups graham cracker crumbs

1/4 cup melted butter

2 ounces grated bar chocolate

Combine crumbs, butter and chocolate until well mixed. Reserve 1/4 cup for garnish. Press remaining crumbs into bottom and sides of 9-inch pie plate. Chill.

Dear SOS: During the past few years you have published a recipe for red and green pepper sauce on angel hair pasta as served at Camelions in West Los Angeles. I’ve lost the recipe and would appreciate it if you would replace it since I have a bunch of peppers prepared in the freezer, not realizing the recipe was gone.

--KEN

Dear Ken: You can start thawing the peppers. It is a lovely recipe.

CAMELIONS’ ANGEL HAIR PASTA WITH RED AND GREEN PEPPERS

1 pound angel hair pasta

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 tablespoons olive oil

8 sun-dried tomatoes, packed in oil, finely chopped

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley, leaves only

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 sweet red peppers, roasted, peeled and cut julienne

2 green peppers, roasted, peeled and cut julienne

Salt, pepper

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Cook pasta in boiling salted water until just tender. Drain.

Meanwhile, melt butter in saucepan. Add olive oil and heat. Add tomatoes, basil, parsley, garlic and peppers. Saute until heated through. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Add to drained pasta and toss to mix well. Top with Parmesan cheese. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Dear SOS: Please help. I have tried all the recipes for fresh fruit pie glaze and all of them have been runny. I would like my strawberry pie glaze to look like that served at Marie Callender restaurants.

--VERLINDA

Dear Verlinda: Why don’t you try this strawberry pie glazed with the help of gelatin to keep it from running.

GLAZED STRAWBERRY GELATIN PIE

1 (3 1/4-ounce) package vanilla pudding and pie filling mix

1 baked (9-or 10-inch) pie shell

1 (3-ounce) package strawberry gelatin

1 cup boiling water

3/4 cup cold water

2 cups sweetened sliced fresh strawberries

Prepare pie filling mix as directed on package for pie. Pour into cooled pie shell. Chill 1 hour.

Dissolve gelatin in boiling water. Add cold water. Chill until slightly thickened. Add strawberries and spoon carefully over pie filling. Chill until firm, at least 3 hours. Makes 1 (9-or 10-inch) pie.

Dear SOS: I had minced vegetables in lettuce cups at the Mandarin in Beverly Hills and I can’t stop thinking about these delicious appetizers. They were complex and spicy. Do you think you could get the recipe for me?

--HUNGRY READER

Dear Hungry: What a perfect summer appetizer for guests to assemble themselves on a patio or at pool-side. Have the filling, lettuce and oyster sauce ingredients out and allow guests to help themselves. Keep tabs on the serving area, which can become messy in no time at all. We have the Mandarin restaurant’s recipe for the “Chinese tacos” using squab, but by eliminating the squab all together from the recipe, you’ll have the vegetable lettuce cups.

MANDARIN LETTUCE CUPS

Oil for frying

1/4 (8-ounce) package rice noodles

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 1/2 teaspoons sesame oil

Dash sugar

Dash white pepper

4 squab, boned (reserve bones and skin for soup or stock)

4 ounces dried black mushrooms

1 (3- or 4-ounce) can water chestnuts

3 to 4 green onions

1 ounce Virginia or other baked ham

1 tomato, cut in wedges

1 head iceberg lettuce

Cilantro sprigs

Oyster Sauce, optional

Pour oil to depth of 1-inch in wok or large skillet. Heat until hot. Add noodles and fry until puffed, but not golden, about 1 to 3 seconds. Remove at once from wok, drain on paper towels and set aside.

Combine soy sauce, Worcestershire, sesame oil, sugar and pepper in small bowl. Set aside.

Mince squab flesh. Soften mushrooms in warm water 5 minutes, then drain. Mince mushrooms, water chestnuts, green onions and ham.

Heat 1/2 cup oil in wok or skillet. Add minced squab and ham and saute 1 minute. Add half soy sauce mixture and saute until squab is done, about 1 minute. Remove from wok. Set aside.

Add mushrooms and water chestnuts to wok. Saute 30 seconds, then add remaining sauce mixture. Saute 30 seconds longer. Remove from wok and add to minced squab mixture. Next, saute green onions 30 seconds. Add to minced squab mixture.

Cut off 1/4 of lettuce head at stem end. Plunge larger portion in cold water to help leaves open. Remove individual leaves, reserving curled inner portion for other uses.

Crush fried noodles and place on serving platter. Make well in center, and spoon in squab mixture. Garnish with tomato wedges and cilantro sprigs. Arrange lettuce cups on separate platter.

To serve, spoon heaping 1 or 2 tablespoons squab mixture in center of each lettuce cup. Fold in halves like taco, using Oyster Sauce for drizzling or dipping. Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Oyster Sauce

1 tablespoon soy sauce

2 tablespoons bottled oyster sauce

Dash white pepper

Dash sugar

Combine soy sauce, oyster sauce, pepper and sugar.