Free Recipe Collection No. 15 Extra

from: Spike's and Jamie's Recipe Collection

Many of these recipes have not yet been added to the recipe web site, so you are getting a "sneak peak" of future additions. We hope you enjoy these recipes. Spike's comments are in { brackets }. If readers wish to make requests or ask questions, it is okay to send us an e-mail.

Shalom, from 

Spike the Grate & Jamie the Webmistress

Onward:

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GRILLED CHICKEN SKEWERS

1/2 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into narrow strips
1/2 lb bacon slices
1/3 cup lemon juice
1/3 cup honey
1 1/2 tsp Lawry's Lemon Pepper
1/2 tsp Lawry's Seasoned Salt

Thread chicken strips and bacon slices onto wooden skewers that have been soaked in water for several hours (keeps them from burning). In shallow dish, combine remaining ingredients. Add prepared skewers; cover and refrigerate 1 hour or overnight. Grill or broil 10 to 15 minutes, basting with marinade, until chicken is cooked through and bacon is crisp. 2 servings

Note: A marinade drained from the meat can be used as a baste, ONLY IF you allow the meat to cook on the grill for at least 5 minutes after the last application. 

{{If you run out of charcoal or gas for your grill, these can always be done in the oven. It would be best if they were placed on a broiler-pan grill, so as to prevent horrid nasty oven-floor cleanup later. Honey and bacon fat, burned on repeatedly, make a terrible mess. A year later, when one tries to clean it, it is rather like mortar. In the alternative, if it were to combust, the firemen would chastise you in the presence of all your neighbors who gathered 'round to gloat and pretend that they really care.}} 

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SPINACH DIP

1 pkg (8 oz) cream cheese
1 cup sour cream
1 pkg (10 oz) frozen chopped spinach, thawed, well-drained
1 can (8 oz) water chestnuts, drained and chopped
1 cup chopped red bell pepper
1 envelope (1 oz) ranch salad dressing mix

Beat cream cheese with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Blend in sour cream. Add remaining ingredients, mixing until blended. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Serve with assorted cut-up fresh veggies. 

Note: To drain frozen spinach well, hold the thawed spinach over the sink and squeeze it with your hands. Then put the spinach on a double layer of paper towels and enclose the spinach inside. Twist the towels until all the liquid is expelled.

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FRUIT ANTIPASTO PLATTER

1 fresh pineapple, sliced into thin wedges (or a can of wedges, drained)
2 medium firm bananas, sliced diagonally and dipped into pineapple juice
2 oranges, peeled and sliced
1/2 cup Vidalia onion, sliced thinly, or, if not available, use red 
onion
1/2 lb sharp cheddar cheese, cut into 1-inch cubes
2 jars (6 oz each) marinated artichoke hearts, drained and halved
green or red leaf lettuce
1/2 cup Italian salad dressing
1 cup salad shrimp (optional)
several crab legs (optional)
1 can chilled pitted olives (optional)
small cup of toothpicks or cocktail picks

Arrange pineapple, banana slices, orange slices, onion slices, cheese cubes, olives, seafood, and artichoke heart halves on a lettuce-lined platter. Garnish with orange zest and fresh herbs, if desired. Put small bowl of dressing and cup of picks into the center of the platter.

{{Spike may warn the other musicians in the readership that guitar picks will not suffice for the serving of antipasto.}}

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BUTTERFLIED SHRIMP PARMESAN

{{Spike thinks that word should be "butterflew" but the spell-checker doesn't like that, either.}}

1 1/2 lbs large shrimp
1 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
1/4 cup Italian-seasoned dry bread crumbs
2 tbsp unsalted butter
3/4 cup chopped red bell pepper
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions
1 tbsp minced garlic (or to taste) [some people despise garlic!]
1/8 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (or to taste) [that, too]
1/3 cup minced fresh parsley
6 tbsp milk

Peel the shrimp, leaving the tails intact. Butterfly each shrimp by cutting it along the outer curved edge almost all the way through. Open the shrimp up like a book and remove the dark vein. In a small bowl, toss the cheese with the bread crumbs and set aside.

In a large nonstick skillet, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the bell pepper, green onions, garlic, and red pepper flakes, and cook for 5 minutes or until soft. Add the shrimp and sauté for 5 minutes or just until the shrimp turn pink and opaque. Stir in the parsley.

In a small saucepan, bring the milk just to a boil, then stir into the shrimp mixture. Stir in the cheese mixture, and cook until the cheese is melted. Serve immediately.

{{Spike thinks that green beans with chopped almonds would make a nice accompaniment. Some pasta, such as wide noodles, buttered, would be good with it, also.}}

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BROWNIE BARS

1 pkg double fudge brownie mix
2 eggs
1/3 cup water
1/4 cup cooking oil
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Topping:
1 pkg (8 oz) of cream cheese, softened
2 eggs
1 lb (3 1/2 cups) confectioners' sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease bottom of 13 x 9 x 2 inch pan. Line with foil, so that the ends of the foil extend past the ends of the pan, so that you can lift out the baked brownies, thereby avoiding the criss-cross lines on the pan from the efforts that guys make to cut the brownies. 

{{They have to make sure we know how strong they are!}}

For brownies: Combine brownie mix, fudge packet from mix, 2 eggs, water, and oil in a large bowl. Stir with spoon until well blended - about 50 strokes. Stir in pecans. Spread in pan.

For topping: Beat cream cheese in large bowl at medium speed with electric mixer until smooth. Beat in 2 eggs, sugar, and vanilla extract until smooth. Spread evenly over brownie mixture. 

Bake at 350 F. for 45 to 50 minutes, or until edges and top are golden brown and shiny. Cool completely. Refrigerate until chilled. Cut into 48 bars.

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GRILLED CHICKEN CAESAR SALAD

1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup Grey Poupon mustard
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp grated lemon peel
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts
5 cups torn Romaine lettuce
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 cup cherry tomato halves (or diced large tomatoes)
1/2 cup prepared seasoned croutons
1 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

In small bowl, whisk together oil, mustard, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, lemon peel, garlic, sugar, and pepper. In non-reactive bowl, pour 1/4 cup mustard dressing over chicken breasts, turning to coat. Cover and chill at least 1 hour. Chill remaining dressing until serving time.

Remove chicken from marinade; discard marinade. Grill or broil chicken breasts for 10 to 15 minutes or until no longer pink in center, turning once. Diagonally slice chicken breasts into strips.

In large bowl, combine lettuce, chicken, mushrooms, tomatoes, and croutons. Toss with reserved dressing; sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and serve.

{{Spike is a bit dubious about eating something named after a comedian or a Roman emperor. Heated French bread or Sourdough bread would be good with this salad. This entrée salad, served with bread and perhaps a cup of consomme, would be a nice summer dinner.}}

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{{Here is another recipe from my 1890 Fannie Farmer Cook Book:}}

MARSHMALLOW GINGERBREAD

1/2 cup shortening
1 cup molasses
1 egg
2 1/3 cups flour
1 3/4 tsp soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ginger
1 cup sour milk (1 tbsp lemon juice or vinegar in measure; add milk to 
make 1 cup. Let it set for 15 minutes)
marshmallows

Melt shortening (Fannie says you can even use chicken fat!) and add molasses, egg (well-beaten), sifted dry ingredients, and sour milk. Beat vigorously, turn into a buttered and floured dripping pan and bake in a moderate oven (probably 350) for 25 minutes. Remove from pan, cut in half crosswise, and put marshmallows on top of one half, layering the other half on top. Put into oven and let stand for 3 minutes. Watch carefully! {{A modern oven may be hotter than a wood oven.}} Remove to serving dish, cool slightly, cut into squares and serve with sweetened whipped cream.

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PAELLA-STUFFED SNAPPER

Stuffing:
1/2 lb chorizo sausage links, chopped
1 large onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 Serrano chilies, seeded and chopped (WEAR GLOVES)
2 tbsp butter
2 cups cooked rice
1/2 cup slivered almonds, toasted
1/4 cup snipped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup tomato sauce
1/4 tsp ground saffron
1 package (6 oz) frozen cooked medium shrimp

Fish:
6 to 8 pound red snapper, cod, or lake trout, cleaned and dressed
lime juice
1/4 cup butter, melted
2 tbsp lime juice
lime wedges

Prepare paella stuffing: Cook sausage, onion, garlic, and chilies in butter in 10-inch skillet over medium heat, stirring frequently, until sausage is done, about 10 minutes; drain. Stir in remaining ingredients.

Heat oven to 350 F. Rub cavity of fish with lime juice; fill with paella stuffing. Close opening with skewers, lace with string. Place in large ungreased broiler pan (without rack), or in shallow roasting pan.

Mix butter and 2 tbsp lime juice. Bake fish uncovered, brushing with butter mixture occasionally, until fish flakes easily with fork, about 1 1/2 hours. Serve with lime wedges.

{{A green salad would be nice with this. Honeymoon salad ("lettuce alone") is good, with a little ranch-style dressing. In the alternative, chilled cucumber spears, celery sticks, olives, and either ranch-style dressing or spinach dip would be good. Heated garlic bread (French or sourdough) comes to mind, as well.}}

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DILLED BARLEY VEGETABLE SOUP

1 can (15 oz) red beans, drained
1 pkg (10 oz) frozen whole kernel corn
1/2 cup medium pearl barley
1 can (14 1/2 oz) stewed tomatoes
2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
1 cup chopped onion
1 medium carrot, coarsely chopped
1 stalk celery, coarsely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp dried dillweed
1/4 tsp pepper
1 bay leaf
5 cups vegetable broth or chicken broth

Place all ingredients into the crock-pot (solids and herbs first, then broth). Cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours, or on high for 4 to 5 hours. Discard bay leaf.

{{Spike, being an omnivore, would like some beef in this soup. It would be a great way to use the leavings over from a roast that is too bad to eat and good to throw away (translate to "not enough for all of us but too much to discard"). It could be sliced thinly or diced, or even shredded.}}

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SEVEN UP SALAD

1 1/2 cup crushed pineapple, drained, juice reserved
1 cup hot water
1 small pkg lime flavor Jell-O
1 pkg (8 oz) cream cheese
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp vanilla
7 oz lemon-lime soda

Drain pineapple, reserving juice. Add enough hot water to juice to equal 1 cup. Bring to a boil.

Pour into blender and add Jell-O and cheese. Blend on medium speed about 2 minutes. Add sugar, vanilla, and soda. Blend on high speed for 1 minute. Add pineapple and blend on low speed for 1 minute.

Pour into dish or mold and chill for 5 hours. Serves 6

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Thank you for your attention. See ya next time!

SHALOM FROM SPIKE & JAMIE

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