Easy Peasy Spiedies

I love spiedies. They are a cultural dish in the Southern Tier of New York State. All the fairgrounds and regattas offer them… oooo the smell of them would drive us mad.

Spiedies are very easy to make, and they are inexpensive (well, more inexpensive than best wrinkle cream!); I usually buy my meat in bulk when it’s on sale, so that helps cut costs. A bottle of spiedie marinade is about $1.75 here.

Easy Peasy Spiedies
serves 10

3 pounds beef, cut into large cubes
1 red pepper, cut into bite-sized chunks
1 green pepper, cut into bite-sized chunks
1 yellow pepper, cut into bite-sized chunks
1 white onion, cut into bite-sized chunks
3 cloves elephant garlic, cut into chunks (optional)
1 bottle “Original State Fair” Salamida Spiedies marinade (available at grocery stores, or online at Spiedie.com)
Bamboo or metal skewers

Prepare the ingredients:
In two large plastic zippy bags, distribute the ingredients evenly. Seal the bag. Flip the bag over the coat the contents with the marinade. Place the bags in a large bowl. Refrigerate for at least 24 hours.

Prepare for grilling:
Stab the meat and vegetables onto the skewers. Don’t overpack the skewers; I generally add three chunks of beef, four peppers, an onion slice, and a garlic clove. The food will shrink as it cooks, so press the food close together.

Set on the grill and cook on low. My grill is a little exuberant, even on low setting; it took the entire platter only 20 minutes to cook thoroughly.

Serve with flat bread, olive oil or Greek salad dressing, feta cheese, and fresh kale. YUM!!

List of Good Recipe Apps for IPod and iPhone

I recently blogged about the very cool apps I’ve found for my new iPod Touch. Well, I found a great website that offers a list of the Top Ten Best Free iPhone and iPod Touch Recipe Apps. It looks really good, and I thought you cookers out there with iPods or iPhones may gleam something useful. I’m still getting used to using my iPod. I haven’t taken it to the store yet or anything, but I’m sure it will be very helpful. I hope to spend some time exploring what’s out there in App-Land for the iPod, as far as cooking and shopping go. A lot of apps are free, which is terrific. I’m really loving my iPod. It is a terrific organizer– I have my calendar, email, shopping list, recipes, music, contacts, IM account, weather, news, and more. All in one little gadget! I love it. I have to figure out how to send cell phone text messages through it (there’s even an app for that). I’m finding that there are apps for everything!! I also love the Amazon and Buy.com mobile apps– while I am out, I can do price checks with stuff online, and see what’s a better price. PLUS I can research products like allergy bedding and other exciting stuff while I am at the stores. It’s soooo coool!!!

OK OK I’m raving a little too intently. LOL. If you’ve been wanting an electronic organizer/mp3 player, get an iPod Touch! They are so amazing. Really.

Terrific iPod Apps for the Kitchen

I got an iPod. I LOVE IT I LOVE IT! I’ve been wondering about getting one for the longest time, and I finally did. It’s really an amazing little tool. I use it for EVERYTHING now. I’ve been wanting an organizer like this for a long, long time.

The coolest thing I discovered is Apps. OMG I love apps!!! I spent some time last night sifting through the lists of apps, and found some really spectacular ones. Before I list some of the top apps I found, let me explain why they are so cool to me. Maybe I’m the only one this happens to, but I am ALWAYS losing that little piece of paper with the grocery list. It drives me bananas. I tuck it in my purse or pocket… maybe it falls out when I pull out my keys or wallet?? I don’t know, but I am always losing that blasted list. WELL, I found an app that stores grocery lists. It also keeps regular To Do lists, it has a diary, and a travel journal. I love it. It’s called the Awesome Note Lite app. It’s terrific. No more lost grocery lists!!!

iPod also has great recipe apps, loads of them.

So far, I have downloaded the Betty Crocker Recipes App and the All Recipes.com app. I haven’t had a lot of time to try them out yet, but so far, I love them. When I am at the store and need to think of another recipe– or if I see a certain ingredient on sale– I can look up a recipe and get the stuff for it. Wow, it’s totally cool.

There are tons and tons of apps, for everything it seems. I saw stuff for conversions, too (metric always has me stumped), and loads of stuff. I wouldn’t be surprised if they had an app for treatment for hemorrhoid, sheesh! Anyway, iPod is SO COOL!!! It will greatly simplify my life. What took me so long to get it?!

Four Foods On Friday 114

LOL. I have to laugh at the Four Foods On Friday topic… it’s about fast food, and that is what we seem to be eating much of these days, while we renovate the kitchen! :S

* Who makes the best hamburger/cheeseburger?
* Who makes the best french fries?
* Who makes the best shake?
* Who makes the best chicken?

Oh yeah, break out your best fat burning supplement, folks…. you deserve a break today! LOL

So. I’ll answer the questions.

THEY ALL MAKE THE BEST!! YUM YUM YUM YUM!!! *maniacal laughter*

Wow, lol. Excuse that crazy burst, there. Yeah, I’m tired. I actually don’t like fast food very much. It all tastes the same to me: salty and greasy. I do get a craving for hamburgers from time to time, though…

1. Seriously, I don’t know. I guess I do prefer the grilled burger of Burger King than the greasy fried burger of McDonald’s.
2. Wendy’s. They never salt them, though. They should salt them. Maybe they don’t because it’s a polite gesture for folks watching their salt intake. But if people are REALLY watching their salt intake, the LAST thing they should be doing is ordering saltless fries, holy cow! Go get a salad, and let us have our salty fries.
3. Beats me. I don’t like milkshakes from those public dispensers, they seem…. ikky. Wendy’s Frosty is good, it’s less of a slimy milk mixture and more like ice cream.
4. I have no idea.

So. I wonder what the topic will be next week. LOL

How Do You Cook….. ??

… when you have no kitchen?!

In case you don’t follow my other blogs, I’m renovating my 1855 home. This year, we’re tackling the kitchen and the dining room… and I’m having a problem cooking. For one, after ripping apart plaster and lathe in 80-degree heat all day, I just don’t *feel* like standing in the garage (where we have our “temporary” kitchen) cooking a meal. Then, there’s the cleanup. Ugh ugh ugh. I’m finding us eating takeout food (like pizzas, or deli sandwiches from the grocery store), and I hate that. It’s so expensive, it’s not healthy eating, and it’s fattening meals! If this keeps up, we’ll all be stuck on an hcg diet or something, whoa. lol.

ANYWAY. How do you cook like this? I have the grill, but I’m just so tired after a long day of work. It’s quite the enigma… I’m happy munching on dry Frosted Mini Wheats and an apple… but the others want meals. Hmmmm….

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