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FAIRBANKS — As the country song so cleverly says, “Why didn’t I think of that?”

The formula is brilliant: hit the road and write a cookbook about each state, collecting the best recipes from already published books. What fun!

It’s a crazy business idea that worked for two Mississippi women, Gwen McKee and Barbara Moseley, who have traveled to every state and have the cookbooks to prove it.

I wouldn’t have been tempted to delve into their “Best of the Best from Alaska Cookbook” if I had thought the writers just sat at their computers in air-conditioned offices in the South, soliciting input from across the continent and beyond via the internet, but they actually did travel the state in 2002, meeting with cookbook collectors and chefs, and sampling local dishes not only at restaurants but at people’s dinner tables.

For two decades, McKee and Moseley traveled from Maine to Hawaii (and of course Alaska) in search of great recipes. Along the way the two Brandon, Miss., grandmothers, came to be known as “the cookbook ladies.” They chatted with cooks, book publishers, restaurant owners, church women and Junior League members to find the true flavor of each state. In the process, they uncovered thousands of recipes and discovered that people across the nation share their passion for food.

While in Alaska, the ladies stopped by Juneau, Sitka, Ketchikan, Seward and Anchorage. They attended the state fair in Palmer where they were amazed by a 90-pound head of cabbage.

No place was too obscure for these culinary sleuths. Their Web site (www.quailridge.com) states that in Nikiski they discovered Ann Berg, after finding her Grannie Annie cookbooks in a gift shop in Kenai. In the end, 33 of her recipes landed in the Best of the “Best of Alaska Cookbook,” including one for Alaskan enchiladas, called Alaskaladas, made with mooseburger.

“Oh wow, what a compliment to me,” Berg says on the women’s Web site. “They are the friendliest people.”

Over 50 cookbooks are represented in the book, which is a delightful collection of nearly 400 recipes, along with scenic photos, cute illustrations, historical tidbits and fun trivia facts.

A handful of Fairbanks books are among the mix, including Leicha Welton’s “Alaska’s Gourmet Breakfasts,” Adela Batin Jackson’s “Best Recipes of Alaska’s Fishing Lodges,” the Fairbanks Association of B&B’s “Favorite Recipes from Alaska’s Bed and Breakfasts,” “Pioneers of Alaska Auxiliary No. 8 Favorite Recipes,” and Karen Cauble’s “33 Days Hath September.”

“Best of the Best from Alaska Cookbook” is available at Gulliver’s Books. It is published by Quail Ridge Press, Brandon, Miss. Recipes reproduced with permission of Quail Ridge Press.

Nancy Tarnai is a local freelance writer. She can be contacted at ntarnai@alaska.net.

Cranberry Apple Nut Bread

3 eggs

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 cup vegetable oil

3 cups diced Granny Smith apples

1 cup milk

1 cup chopped walnuts

3 cups flour

1 1/2 cups cranberries (Alaska low-bush)

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 tsp. baking soda

Mix liquids together in one bowl and dry in another. Gradually add dry to liquid until mixed, and beat on low speed for 3 minutes. Stir in apples and nuts. Last, fold in cranberries. Spoon into sprayed loaf pans (any size) to about half full. Bake at 350 degrees for about 1 hour, or until browned, and bread pops back when touched. Spoon glaze over top, if desired. Yields 16 servings.

Glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar

2 Tbs. lemon juice

(from Alaskan’s Lazy Daze B&B, North Pole, “Favorite Recipes from Alaska’s Bed and Breakfasts)

Back Country Wild Rice Smoked Salmon Salad

1 cup wild rice

1 cup brown rice

1 red pepper, chopped

1 pound smoked Chinook salmon, cubed

3 cups plus 2 Tbs. water

1 cup chopped walnuts

1 yellow bell pepper, chopped

lettuce leaves

Dressing:

2 Tbs. red wine vinegar

1 tsp. soy sauce

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. grated lemon peel

1 tsp. black pepper

4 green onions, chopped

1 tsp. marjoram

1 large clove garlic, minced

Rinse the rice under running water. Bring the salted water to boil in medium saucepan. Add rice and stir. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until the rice is plump and tender, 35 to 45 minutes. If any liquid remains, drain it off. Cool slightly in a large bowl. Stir together the dressing ingredients and toss the dressing together with the rice. Chill. Add peppers, salmon and walnuts and serve in lettuce cups. Serves 4 to 6 people.

(from “Alaska Cooking: Featuring Skagway”)

Alaskaladas

1 to 2 pounds ground mooseburger or 3 chicken breasts, cubed in small pieces

1 onion, chopped

1 cup cubed Mexican Velveeta

1 Tbs. minced garlic

1 tsp. garlic salt

2 cans cream of mushroom soup

1 tsp. ground cumin

1 can stewed diced tomatoes

6 to 8 corn tortillas, divided

1 cup sour cream

1 8-oz. can chopped green chiles (do not drain)

paprika

mozzarella cheese

Brown meat, onion and garlic in saucepan. In large bowl place soup, tomatoes, sour cream, green chiles and Velveeta. When meat is almost cooked through, stir in garlic, salt, black pepper and cumin. Add meat mixture to soup mixture and stir until will blended.

Soften tortillas in small amount of hot vegetable oil in cast-iron skillet. Drain on paper towels and place 3 to 4 tortillas in oblong casserole dish. Spoon half the mixture onto the tortillas. Place the rest of the tortillas over the mixture and spoon remaining mixture on top. Top with shredded mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle top with garlic salt, pepper and paprika. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until bubbly and brown on top. Let set 15 minutes before serving with a nice green salad and a tall glass of cold limeade… lime sherbet for dessert or key lime pie.

(from “Grannie Annie’s Cookin’ at the Homestead”)

Potato Caramel Cake

2 cups light brown sugar

1 tsp. salt

4 eggs, separated

2 tsp. baking powder

2/3 cup shortening

1 tsp. cloves

1 cup sweet milk

1 tsp. cinnamon

3 squares chocolate, melted

1 tsp. nutmeg

1 cup hot potatoes, riced

1 cup chopped nuts

2 cups pastry flour, divided

Cream together the light brown sugar, egg yolks and shortening. Add milk, melted chocolate (beaten in while hot) and hot riced potatoes. Reserve 1 cup flour for nuts. Add remaining flour, salt, baking powder and spices sifted together; fold in the floured nuts. Beat egg whites until stiff; fold into mixture. Pour into 3 greased and floured layer cake pans, and bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Make filling.

Filling:

1 cup thin cream

2 cups brown sugar

1 1/2 cups butter

1 tsp. vanilla

Cook cream, butter and sugar together until it forms a soft ball in cold water; remove from heat, add vanilla and beat until creamy. When cool, spread between cake layers and on top.

(from “Alaska Gold Rush Cook Book”)