Readers took a creative approach when invited to submit recipes using Twinkies. From left to right are PB&J Twinkies, an Orange Twinkcycle and Twinkie hot dogs. Photo by John Locher. Twinkies can be a quick substitute for other ingredients, as in the aptly named Lazy Man's Twinkie Pineapple Downside-Up Dessert. The Orange Twinkcycle combines orange gelatin, whipped topping, an orange slice, sprinkles and -- of course -- Twinkies.

The Las Vegas Review-Journal and Hostess products have a little something in common, it seems. When both put out calls for recipes using Hostess Twinkies, an amazing array flowed in.

Hostess' effort commemorated the 75th anniversary of the Twinkie last year. Ours is in honor of the release of the resulting collection, "The Twinkies Cookbook: An Inventive and Unexpected Recipe Collection."

In both cases, it seems, the recipes are a mixture of the good, the bad and, yes, the ugly. Even some of the creators aren't particularly enthusiastic about the recipes. Kim Schriver, who submitted the Twinkie hot dog recipe, somewhat sheepishly noted that it tastes "kind of like a very sweet corn dog (not really)," and is "odd but edible." Schriver is, coincidentally, the winner of the first (and only) prize drawing for a case of Twinkies.

Here's a bit of Twinkie trivia to whet the appetite: The iconic cake was created by one James A. Dewar, who was working as a Hostess bakery manager in Chicago and decided to dream up a treat to use the shortcake pans that went unused most of the year. Today, Chicago remains the city with the highest per-capita Twinkie consumption.

But not just Chicagoans love Twinkies, as the following recipes show.

ORANGE TWINKCYCLE

4-serving-size box of orange gelatin

Small container of whipped topping

4 Twinkies

Rainbow sprinkles

4 orange half-slices

Prepare gelatin as directed on box; refrigerate until firm.

After gelatin is set, layer it in parfait glasses with whipped topping and sliced Twinkies, alternating layers to the top of the glass.

Top with whipped topping, sprinkles and an orange slice.

Serves 4.

-- Recipe adapted from Charlene Tingler

LAZY MAN'S TWINKIE PINEAPPLE DOWNSIDE-UP DESSERT

9 Twinkies

1 small can pineapple slices in juice (drain, reserving juice)

4 maraschino cherries

2 tablespoons brown sugar

Unwrap Twinkies and place in a single layer in the bottom of an 8-by-8-inch baking pan or dish.

Place pineapple rings on top of Twinkies. Place a cherry in the hole in the center of each pineapple slice.

Cook reserved pineapple juice and brown sugar in a small saucepan over low heat, just until bubbly. Drizzle over Twinkies.

Refrigerate for 2 hours. Cut into pieces and serve.

Top with whipped topping or vanilla ice cream, if desired.

Serves 4 to 6.

-- Recipe adapted from Jackye Wilson

PB&J TWINKIES

5 Twinkies

Peanut butter

Jelly or jam (any flavor)

Plain potato chips

Cut Twinkies in half lengthwise. Spread peanut butter on one side and jelly on the other.

Crush potato chips and sprinkle over both halves. Place halves together, giving the Twinkie sandwich a squeeze -- not too hard!

Wash down with a cold glass of milk.

Serves 5.

-- Recipe adapted from Johnathan Jensen, age 10

TWINKIE HOT DOGS

1 hot dog

1 Twinkie

Cook hot dog in microwave for 45 seconds. Slice end of twinkie off (make a very small slice, just so filling is exposed), and push hot dog into Twinkie.

To make it easier to insert the hot dog, slightly hollow out the Twinkie with a paring knife. And for ease in eating, insert a Popsicle stick into the hot dog.

Serves 1.

-- Recipe from Kim Schriver

TWINKIE "PINEAPPLES"

10 rosemary sprigs

10 Twinkies

Light-brown decorator icing

Sliced almonds

Place a sprig of rosemary in the end of each Twinkie. Then squeeze thin lines of icing diagonally across Twinkie in both directions. Place almond slices in the diamonds created by the icing lines, to give the Twinkie the appearance of a pineapple.

Serves 10.

-- Recipe adapted from Paula Herwig

TWINKIE SHORTCAKE

Fresh or frozen strawberries (or other fruits in season, such as peaches, raspberries or blueberries)

4 Twinkies

Ice cream or whipped topping, if desired

Cut fruit into bite-sized pieces and sprinkle over Twinkies. Add ice cream or whipped topping, if desired.

Serves 4.

-- Recipe adapted from Stefanie Schmidt

CRUNCHY PEANUT BUTTER TWINKIE

1 Twinkie

Crunchy peanut butter

Chocolate morsels

Spread crunchy peanut butter over the entire unwrapped Twinkie. Then push chocolate morsels into Twinkie.

Refrigerate and serve.

Variation: Freeze Twinkie, dip in melted chocolate and then roll in crushed pecans. Refrigerate and serve.

Serves 1.

-- Recipe adapted from Ethan Gray, age 8

TWINKIES SPLIT

9 Twinkies

2 to 3 large bananas

Chocolate syrup

Chopped walnuts

Unwrap Twinkies and place side-by-side in an 8-by-8-inch square pan or dish. Slice bananas over Twinkies. Drizzle with chocolate syrup and sprinkle with chopped walnuts.

Serves 6 to 8.

-- Recipe from Alice Peters

TWINKIE CAKE

1 box (10) Twinkies

1 4-serving-size package instant vanilla pudding, prepared according to package directions

2 cups sliced fresh or frozen strawberries

1 small container whipped topping

Extra berries for garnish (optional)

Line 8-by-8-inch glass baking dish with the Twinkies. Pour on the cold pudding. Add a layer of strawberries, then one of whipped topping.

Refrigerate.

Note: To reduce calories, use low-fat Twinkies and whipped topping, prepare pudding with skim milk and don't sweeten the strawberries.

Serves 6 to 8.

-- Recipe from Lou Wojtas

RUBY ANN'S TWINKIE TRAILER TREAT

10 Twinkies

2 cups powdered sugar

2 tablespoons warm water

1/3 cup orange juice concentrate, undiluted

2 tablespoons margarine, melted

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Crumble the Twinkies and place in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish, distributing them evenly. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients. Mix well until all of the lumps are gone. Carefully pour the mixture over the Twinkies, being sure to cover them completely. Cover and bake 8 to 10 minutes and serve.

Note: "If you get company that pops in, and you know you've got to first give 'em something to eat before you can get 'em to leave, just make this dish, but skip the bakin' part. It's just as good cold!"

Serves 8 to 10.

-- Recipe from Ruby Ann Boxcar

BUBBA'S BATTER-FRIED DELIGHTS

12-ounce package pancake mix

6 Twinkies

Chocolate chips

Oil, for frying

Powdered sugar

Whipped cream

Chocolate syrup

Prepare pancake batter as directed on package. Stuff Twinkies with chocolate chips. Dip in pancake batter.

Lightly oil a frying pan and heat until hot. Add Twinkies and brown on all sides, turning as necessary.

Place on cookie sheet. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve with whipped cream, powdered sugar and chocolate syrup.

Serves 6.

-- Recipe adapted from Christopher Merkley

TWINKIE TRIFLE

12 Twinkies

1 pound sliced fresh strawberries

8-serving-size package vanilla pudding, prepared as directed

Strawberry jam

Strawberry syrup

Large container whipped topping

Slice 6 Twinkies lengthwise and place in a large glass bowl. Layer with strawberries, pudding, jam, syrup and topping, repeating until all ingredients are used, ending with whipped topping on top.

Chill until firm (usually overnight).

Serves 10 to 12.

-- Recipe adapted from Maria Krisher

PUNCH BOWL TRIFLE

3 boxes Twinkies (30)

2 boxes vanilla instant pudding, prepared as directed

2 large cans crushed pineapple, undrained

4 sliced bananas

1 quart strawberries, sliced

Large carton of whipped topping

Chopped nuts

In a large punch bowl, layer half of the Twinkies, half of the pudding, half of the pineapple, half of the bananas, half of the strawberries and half of the whipped topping. Repeat. Top with nuts.

Makes enough for a large crowd.

-- Recipe from Linda Robinson

TWINKIE LASAGNA

8 Twinkies

3 bananas

8 ounces raspberry jelly (heated, if necessary to make it easier to spread)

8 ounces sweetened shredded coconut (toasted in 350-degree oven for a few minutes)

Unwrap Twinkies and cut in half lengthwise. Arrange halves in bottom of an 8-by-8-inch square baking dish.

Slice the bananas into thin rounds and layer half of them on top of the Twinkies. Top with half of the raspberry jelly, spreading to the edges of the pan. Repeat the Twinkie layer with the other 8 halves, another banana layer and a second layer of raspberry jelly. Sprinkle the top with the shredded coconut to create the appearance of "cheese." Chill and serve.

Serves 6 to 8.

-- Recipe from Mary Hastings

SEVENTH HEAVEN TWINKIES DELIGHT

12 Twinkies

1/3 cup Amaretto

16 ounces whipped topping

1 quart strawberries, sliced

Chocolate syrup

Cut Twinkies in half and put half in bottom of deep bowl. Drizzle with half of Amaretto, then half of whipped topping, then half of strawberries; drizzle with chocolate syrup.

Repeat process. If you desire more layers, multiply all ingredients, ending with strawberries drizzled with chocolate syrup.

Serves 6 to 8.

-- Recipe from Maureen Mastracci

TWINKLING TURKEY

6 Twinkies, halved lengthwise

1 (14- to 18-pound) turkey

1 (8 1/2-ounce) package yellow corn muffin mix, muffins prepared and baked according to package directions and cooled on a wire rack

1 tart apple, peeled, cored and diced

1/4 cup honey

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Scrape the creme filling out of the Twinkies with a small spoon and reserve in a small bowl.

Cut the Twinkie pastry into cubes and spread in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until lightly toasted. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely. Decrease the oven temperature to 325 degrees.

Rinse the turkey. Crumble the muffins into a bowl, add the apple and toasted Twinkies and mix lightly. Loosely stuff the mixture into the turkey and truss the legs. Place the turkey, breast-side-up, on a rack set in a roasting pan. Roast the turkey for 12 to 15 minutes per pound, until the thigh temperature reaches 175 to 180 degrees and the juices run clear.

In a small bowl, combine the honey with the reserved creme filling and mix well. Brush the turkey with the honey mixture during the last 10 to 15 minutes of roasting time.

Remove the turkey from the oven and let stand for 20 minutes before carving.

Serves 15 to 20.

-- Recipe from "The Twinkies Cookbook"

TWINKIE SUSHI

4 pieces green fruit leather, sliced into 1-inch-wide strips

6 Twinkies, cut into 1-inch pieces

Assorted dried fruits, cut into small pieces

Assorted chewy fruity candies

4 to 6 pieces of dried mango, cut into strips

One at a time, wrap the fruit-leather pieces around the Twinkie pieces. Place the wrapped Twinkie pieces upright on a serving tray or in a bento box.

Place the dried fruits and candies into the creme filling. Garnish the tray with strips of dried mango to resemble pickled ginger. Serve with chopsticks, if you wish.

Serves 6.

-- Recipe from "The Twinkies Cookbook"

TWINKIE MILKSHAKE

2 Twinkies

2 scoops chocolate ice cream

1 cup milk

Whipped cream, for topping

In a blender, combine the Twinkies, ice cream and milk and process until smooth. Pour into a small glass and top with a dollop of whipped cream. Serve at once.

Serves 2.

-- Recipe from "The Twinkies Cookbook"