Recipe Exchange: 3 courses for a delicious dinner

Margaret Warr, News Journal correspondent

Doris Melton shares the ultimate lemon sour cream pound cake made with fresh lemon juice and topped with a light lemon glaze. Her friend makes this cake every year for her mother’s birthday. She raves that this cake is one of the best she has ever tasted.

The baked chicken breasts with jalapeno peppers dish makes cooking easier. Melton fills each breast with the rich flavors of cheese and jalapenos secured with bacon. This moist and juicy chicken is served with rice salad. She says this rice salad is a better accompaniment than potato salad.

Rice Salad

1 cup converted rice

2 cups mayonnaise

2 cups diced celery

1 medium onion, finely chopped

4 teaspoons mustard

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 red apple, diced

4 boiled eggs, chopped

8 radishes, sliced

1 cucumber, pared and diced

Cook rice according to package directions. Transfer to bowl. Cover and chill.

Add mayonnaise, celery, onion, mustard and salt to chilled rice; mix well. Cover and chill.

Stir in remaining ingredients before serving.

Baked Chicken Breast with Jalapeno Peppers

6 to 8 boneless chicken breasts

Jalapeno peppers, fresh

1 (6-ounce) package shredded Pepper Jack, jalapeno jack or sharp Cheddar cheese

1 pound bacon

Salt & pepper, to taste

Prepare chicken breast with meat mallet until flat (do not over pound, breast should be thick enough to be wrapped). Halve jalapeno peppers, remove seeds and veins. Place desired number of jalapeno peppers and 1 ounce cheese in each chicken breast and fold. Wrap each breast with bacon strip and secure with toothpick.

Place on baking sheet and bake at 375 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes. Check for doneness. Salt and pepper.

May be cooked on grill instead of baking, if desired.

Lemon Sour Cream Pound Cake

3 cups sugar

3 cups all purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup butter, softened

1 (8-ounce) carton sour cream

6 large eggs, room temperature, beaten

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Place ingredients in 4-quart mixing bowl in order. Beat at low speed with heavy-duty mixer for 1 minute, pausing to scrape down sides. Beat at medium speed 2 minutes. Spoon batter into greased and floured 10-inch tube pan.

Bake at 325 degrees for 90 minutes or until test done. Cool cake in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes; remove from pan and cool completely.

For the lemon glaze

1 cup powdered sugar

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon grated lemon rind (optional)

Stir together until smooth. Drizzle over cool cake.