Grilling is “OK”

We usually use the grill all summer long every summer, just because I don’t like the oven heating up the house…. but we are grilling more frequently now that I couldn’t use my oven even if I wanted to. I used to LOVE grilled food, but it has kinda lost it’s charm for me. The men love the grilled food, so I do mostly recipes they like. I dislike using the grill, because tiny grease droplets splatter all over me. My glasses are always splattered with the grill grease (YUK), not to mention my face, hair, and clothing. It’s disgusting and I’m practically in need of best acne treatments after a summer in front of the grill. Am I the only one who has grill grease splat problems? I’ve never heard anyone mention it before…

Well, anyway, I’m trying to come up with more ideas than the “hamburgers and hot dogs” stuff for the grill. I tried this teriyaki marinade on the chicken recently.

It was “OK.” I was surprised that it didn’t turn out better– it was Ken’s brand Teriyaki marinade. It was too sweet and not tangy enough. Still, very palatable.

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!!

Four Foods For Friday #112

We have another One Question Quiz, and interesting one.

What can you make with meat or poultry, rice, cheese and a vegetable?

Hmmmm. I’m not very fond of rice or chicken. And while I like cheese, I am fussy about my cheese (only Mozzarella, Swiss, and American). So this one has me as stumped as if making photo birth announcements or something. Uhhhh….

Well, I guess I like Turkey Divan. Boring, I know. Turkey is poultry! It’s a pretty bland dish, though (which is why I dislike casseroles and why I dislike rice and chicken). Last time i made Turkey Divan, I made it this way:

Turkey Divan

4 cups diced leftover turkey
6 slices Swiss cheese
1 bag frozen broccoli florets
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup canned roasted red peppers, drained and diced
4 leaves kale, washed and sliced into strips
4 cups rice, cooked

Throw broccoli in the microwave to thaw.

In a large casserole dish, place the turkey on the bottom. Add the kale and peppers, then the broccoli. Add the broth. Layer with the cheese.

Pop in the oven until heated through (about 30-35 minutes).

Serve with rice.

The kale and peppers spruce up the blandness of the turkey and rice, and help to sneak in a few added vegetables.

Yam Ham Scalloped Potatoes

As a kid, I hated yams. So I haven’t had yams in over 30 years. I figured I’d try them now. I used to hate onions and peppers as a kid, and now I like them; maybe I’d like yams?

NOPE.

YUK BLEACH YUK! I still hate them.

That’s probably not a very smart way to start out a new recipe post, but I do blog about foods I don’t like. I love to experiment with my foods, and this was one of those experiments in which I did not like the results. However, the Hubs and the boys of the house liked this recipe. Funny! I’m glad they liked it, encouraged, even. Not that I’ll ever make it again…

Anyway, I thought I’d post it here in case one of you readers out there is a yam maniac who can’t get enough of the stuff. Yep, this one’s for you! Me, I’d rather sell used booksthan make this again. But to each his own.

OK enough whining– here it is. Don’t blame me if you don’t like it! You have been warned! lol

Yam Ham Scalloped Potatoes
serves 6-8

2 or 3 large yams, peeled and diced into bite-sized pieces
3-4 cups ham (I use turkey ham), cut into bite-sized pieces
1 large can Cream of Mushroom soup
2-3 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Pepper

Lay the yams and ham into a casserole dish.

Combine the Cream of Mushroom soup, cheese, and pepper; stir well. Pour on top of the yams and ham, and with a spoon, stir up just a little. Cover the dish with foil and place in an oven set to 350 for an hour. Uncover the dish and cook for another half hour.

It was “OK” with fresh bread, shredded cabbage, and carrots. I ate it. But I still didn’t like the yams!

The Super Speedy Spiedie Wrap

This recipe has probably been invented before. As I was making it, I gloated that perhaps I was concocting something new, but then the realization hit me that spiedies are really, really popular, and people have been making wraps for thousands of years (hello, falafel!)… so maybe I’m having a delusion of grandeur.. but these are SO GOOD!!! I threw these together today for lunches. This is perhaps the easiest and fastest recipe, ever. These would be great for dinner, too, with lots of fruit and finger veggies (like olives, carrots, chickpeas, etc).

One other note: the Salamida Brothers Spiedie marinade is crucial to the recipe. It is STUPENDOUS stuff. The Salamida dudes sent me a free bottle to blog about it (ta daa), but I’ve been using Salamida since I was 15 years old, living in Southern New York where spiedies are a regional dish. The marinade is not expensive, and I only used half a bottle for this recipe (I could have used even less, I discovered). But if you want a wrap that will send people to your feet, kissing them in gratitude, use the Salamida stuff. You won’t regret it! Here in New York, it’s every where at the grocery stores (no grocery store would dare not sell it, there’d be riots!), but if your local area does not have it, you can order online here. And if you place an order, use the discount code SAUCE3 at Spiedie.com, you will get 15% off your order! Coupon code is good until April 1st.

Here goes:

Super Speedy Spiedie Wrap
serves 6

2 to 3 pounds of beef, trimmed of fat
1 large white onion, sliced thickly
sliced red pepper
kale, destemmed and washed
Salamida Brothers Spiedie Marinade

Slice the beef. Thinner is better– I did mine a little too thickly.

Slice the onions(s) (thick slices is better).

Put the meat and onions in an air-tight container. Dump in enough Salamida marinade to cover everything. Stir well. Cover the container and refrigerate, anywhere from 12 to 72 hours.

Take out the meat and onions from the container, and place in a large saucepan. Do not add water or oil to the saucepan! Set the pan on medium-high and allow the meat and onions to sizzle. Discard any remaining marinade.

Allow the meat to cook, about 7-10 minutes. The onions will soften but should not get mushy.

Slice some red peppers and kale and set on a dish. Set some flat bread in a dish. When the meat is done, pile it into a prepared wrap and DEVOUR.

Additional yummies to add to the table for wraps can be: lettuce, spinach, feta cheese, marinated olives, marinated garlic cloves, green peppers, chickpeas, sliced American cheese, and etc. You can do so much with this recipe. It makes a terrific healthy dinner, and it only takes 10 minutes to cook!!! I love it. I think this will be my new favorite recipes. I am “into” kale very much these days. I have always liked it, but I recently realized that it can be purchased at my local grocery store. Yum! It’s SO healthy for you– it’s not exactly a wonder-working adult acne cure, but it has calcium, iron, and protein. I’m going to be growing it fresh on my garden this year, to use as a supplement for my salads.

And by the way, if you don’t want to use beef, you can also use chicken or pork with the Salamida Spiedie marinade. Salamida also makes a nice marinade for chicken, too, which is superb. I am going to be making these all summer long. Yay!

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