Q: We still miss the Rascal House! For two decades, we would travel from California, stay in a Sunny Isles motel and eat all of our meals there. We especially miss the salt sticks. Several times, we brought some home with us, and asked professional bakers how to do it. They had no idea how to duplicate the texture or the flavor. We also miss the coleslaw. It was a vinegary-style slaw, the kind grandma used to make in Brooklyn. Any help you could give us in obtaining the recipes would be greatly appreciated.

Robert

A: There are legions of us who miss the old-school, New York-style delicatessens -- Rascal House, Wolfie's, Corky's and Pumperniks -- that once were a staple of Miami Beach. I've been working on a recipe for the salt sticks, but haven't quite gotten it right, so hope someone with knowledge of the original recipe will provide some insight. In the meantime, here's a recipe for coleslaw, which Herald columnist Lucy Cooper furnished in 1983 after the Rascal House turned down our request. I've adapted it slightly. You may also want to add shredded carrot.

Q: I used a recipe from the box of Mueller's lasagna noodles that included tomato sauce. Everyone loved it. Of course, I threw the box away. Has anyone heard of this recipe?

K.G., Macon, Ga.

A: There have been many variations of the basic lasagna recipe on the noodle box, but this one, dating to 2005, is a keeper. You don't boil the noodles first, so it's easy and quick. Vary the taste by adding other vegetables such as sliced zucchini or carrots, for example, or make it vegetarian by omitting the meat.

BAKE-OFF FAVORITES

The mailbox continues to spill over with favorite recipes from Pillsbury Bake-Offs. ``I am an almost 75-year-old cook who has raised three sons and has always enjoyed cooking and trying new recipes,'' writes Dean Grimsley, who sent the pecan pie bar recipe here, the 1971 grand prize winner. They ``are most delicious and easy to make. I have taken them to numerous church activities. This recipe is 39 years old and has earned a place in my recipe box.''

SLEUTH'S CORNER

Q: I am looking for the recipe for a very popular cookie in Elyria, Ohio, called a Links Pink. It is a vanilla butter cookie with a shiny pink frosting. It was made by a bakery on Lake Avenue for many years. I remember ordering cookies for Halloween one year. I was told they took orders for 800 dozen cookies for just this one holiday.

Linda

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