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Welcome to Spike's & Jamie's "Spike’s Good Eatin’ Recipe Collection Archives"!!  Here we store all the back issues of the original "Spike’s Good Eatin’ Recipe Collection" and of the "Spike’s Jewish Good Eatin’ Recipe Collection". These newsletters were written by Spike (Jann McCormick) and published by Jamie from 2000 until Spike's death in 2008.  Spike loved to cook and share her cooking with those she loved.  Sharing her recipes was the next best thing.

[Spike’s Jewish Good Eatin’ Recipes]  [Spike’s Good Eatin’ Recipe Collection]

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[] I never send jokes. Now I can’t say that any more, because I have some to share with you that are really neat. Jamie sent them to me, and I don’t know where she got them. Maybe she will share that information with us. []

MONA LISA'S JEWISH MOTHER:
"After all that money your father and I spent on braces, that's the biggest smile you can give us?"

COLUMBUS' JEWISH MOTHER:
"I don't care what you've discovered, you still could have written!"

MICHELANGELO'S JEWISH MOTHER:
"Can't you paint on walls like other children? Do you have any idea how hard it is to get that junk off the ceiling?"

NAPOLEON'S JEWISH MOTHER:
"All right, if you aren't hiding your report card inside your jacket, take your hand out of there and show me."

ABRAHAM LINCOLN'S JEWISH MOTHER:
"Again with the hat? Can't you just wear a baseball cap like the other kids?"

GEORGE WASHINGTON'S JEWISH MOTHER:
"The next time I catch you throwing money across the Potomac, you can kiss your allowance good-bye!"

THOMAS EDISON'S JEWISH MOTHER:
"Of course I'm proud that you invented the electric light bulb. Now turn it off and get to bed!"

PAUL REVERE'S JEWISH MOTHER:
"I don't care where you think you have to go, young man, midnight is past your curfew."

And, of course, these two, who really did have Jewish mothers:

ALBERT EINSTEIN'S JEWISH MOTHER:
"But it's your senior picture. Couldn't you do something about your hair?"

MOSES' JEWISH MOTHER:
"That's a nice story. Now tell me where you've really been for the last forty years."

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[] Chef Herschel, of Aish HaTorah in Jerusalem, provided some soup recipes for his readers this month. This site (www.aish.com) makes them available to all. I will put in a few here, along with his introductory commentary. []

GREAT SOUPS FOR EVERY OCCASION.
by Chef Herschel, Aish Ha Torah, Jerusalem

Whenever I am asked to cater a party, whether it's a Sheva Brachot, an engagement party, a Bar/Bat Mitzvah or even a wedding, I always suggest that soup be part of the menu. When people see or smell a good soup, they come running.

When I serve buffet style, the soup can be hot and ready to eat whenever people arrive. Therefore arrival time is not so critical, and if my preparations of the rest of the food are not exactly on time, the soup fills the gap.

Along with the soup, I serve a bread bar; it is a certain winner when entertaining. Assorted breads, large and small, thin and tall, with a cutting board or two and a couple of knives. Add some herbed butter and you're all set.

What else do you really need? Sweet and spicy nuts, a treat no one will expect.

Oftentimes to make a good soup, the recipe calls for stock. I have included recipes for vegetable stock and chicken stock. To be honest with you, I will add soup mix in place of stock. May God please forgive me. The main reason people avoid soup mix is MSG. As far as I am concerned, unless you are allergic to MSG, there is nothing to worry about. So to make really great soup, add as much stock or soup mix to complete the creation as needed. Enjoy! Chef Herschel

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CHICKEN STOCK
Active time: 20 minutes. Start to Finish: 12 hours (including chilling)

1 (3 1/2 to 4 1/2 lb.) whole chicken, cut into 8 pieces
2 celery ribs, cut into 2-inch lengths
2 carrots, quartered
2 medium onions, left unpeeled, trimmed and halved
6 fresh parsley stems (without leaves)
1 bay leaf (not California)
8 black peppercorns
4 qts. cold water
1 1/2 teaspoons salt

Bring all ingredients to a boil in an 8- to 10-quart heavy pot, covered. Reduce heat and gently simmer, partially covered, until chicken is tender, about 3 hours.

Remove chicken and reserve for another use. Pour stock through a fine-mesh sieve lined with triple thickness of cheesecloth into a large bowl and discard vegetables. Cool congealed stock, uncovered, and chill, covered, then scrape congealed fat from chilled stock.

Cook's Note: Stock can be chilled 3 days or frozen 1 month.

Makes about 10 cups.

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VEGETABLE STOCK
Active time: 20 minutes. Start to Finish: 12 hours (including chilling)

1/2 lb. portabella mushrooms, caps and stems cut into 1-inch pieces
1 lb. shallots, left unpeeled, quartered
1 lb. carrots, cut into 2-inch pieces
2 red bell peppers, cut into 1-inch pieces
6 fresh flat-leaf parsley sprigs (including stems)
5 fresh thyme sprigs
4 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup dry white wine
2 bay leaves (not California)
1 cup canned crushed tomatoes
2 qts. water

Preheat oven to 425º F.

Toss together mushrooms, shallots, carrots, bell peppers, parsley and thyme sprigs, garlic, and oil in a large flameproof roasting pan. Roast in middle of oven, turning occasionally, until vegetables are golden, 30-40 minutes.

Transfer vegetables with slotted spoon to a tall narrow 6-quart stockpot. Set roasting pan across 2 burners, then add wine and deglaze pan by boiling over moderate heat, stirring and scraping up brown bits, 2 minutes. Transfer to stockpot and add bay leaves, tomatoes, and water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, 45 minutes. Pour through a large fine sieve into a large bowl, pressing on and discarding solids, then season with salt and pepper. Skim off fat.

Cook's Note: Covered and chilled, stock can keep for one week, or frozen for 3 months.

Makes about 2 quarts.

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BABY CARROT AND VEGETABLE SOUP
(HEARTY 20 MINUTE SOUP)
When I long for the homey feeling of old-fashioned vegetable soup with barley, but I have little time to chop ingredients or to cook, this is the soup I prepare. I combine baby carrots and other frozen vegetables with bulgur wheat or rice, which cook in 15 minutes. I add diced onions and sometimes sliced mushrooms. The result is a healthy, hearty, warming soup in no time. And it's even fat free! If your market carries several sizes of bulgur wheat, choose the larger size.

Naturally, if you have some already cooked brown or white rice or barley in your refrigerator, you can substitute about 1 cup of it for the bulgur wheat. Your soup will be ready even faster. Chef Herschel, Aish Ha Torah, Jerusalem

1 medium onion, diced
3 celery stalks, diced (optional)
3 1/2 cups vegetable or chicken broth
2 cups frozen baby carrots
2 cups frozen mixed vegetables
1 cup sliced mushrooms (optional)
1/2 cup bulgur wheat or rice
1 tsp. dried dill
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
salt and freshly ground pepper
cayenne pepper to taste

In a large saucepan combine carrots, onion, celery, broth and 2 1/2 cups hot water. Cover and bring to boil. Cook, covered, over medium-low heat 3 minutes. Add carrots and mixed vegetables and return to a boil. Add mushrooms, bulgur wheat or rice, dill and thyme. Cover and simmer over medium-low heat for 15 minutes or until bulgur wheat or rice and vegetables are tender. Season to taste with salt, pepper and cayenne pepper. Serve hot.

Makes 4 servings.

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ROSEMARY CHICKEN and ROASTED VEGETABLES
Swanson®

3-lb. whole broiler-fryer chicken
1 tbsp. margarine, melted
4 medium red potatoes, quartered
2 cups fresh or frozen baby carrots
2 stalks celery, cut into chunks
12 small white onions, peeled
1-1/2 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary or 1/2 tsp. dried rosemary leaves,
crushed
1 cup Swanson(R) Chicken Broth
1/2 cup orange juice

BRUSH chicken with margarine. Place chicken and vegetables in roasting pan. Sprinkle with rosemary. Mix broth and orange juice and pour half of broth mixture over all.

ROAST at 375 degrees F. for 1 hr.

STIR vegetables. Add remaining broth mixture to pan. Roast 30 min. or until done. Serves 4.

TIP: To quickly peel onions, pour boiling water over onions and let stand 5 min. Then slip off skins.

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[] Here is a wonderful pie. You can also top your favorite coffee cake recipe with sliced or chopped apples and cranberries. []


CRANBERRY APPLE PIE

pastry for 9-inch two-crust pie
1 3/4 cups sugar (1 3/4 to 2 cups)
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups sliced peeled tart apples (about 3 medium)
2 cups fresh or frozen (thawed) cranberries
2 tablespoons margarine or butter

Heat oven to 425F. Prepare pastry. Mix sugar and flour. Arrange half of the apples in pastry-lined pie plate. Top with cranberries. Sprinkle sugar mixture over cranberries. Top with remaining apples. Dot with margarine. Cover with top crust that has slits cut in it; seal and flute. Cover edge with 2- to 3-inch strip of aluminum foil to prevent excessive browning; remove foil during last 15 minutes of baking.

Bake 40 to 50 minutes or until crust is brown and juice beings to bubble through slits in crust. Serve warm with ice cream if desired. Yield: 8 servings.

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[]Jamie and I wish you all the best of health, longevity, and prosperity, along with serenity, for 2003, and forever after. []

Shalom, from Spike the Grate and Jamie the Webmistress

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