Hot Oyster Snack Crackers

This is a snack recipe that was widely circulated on a number of foodie websites. It appears to have originated from Hidden Valley’s website. After trying a revved-up sample from a friend who put her own kick on it, I’ll share my version. I cannot stop eating them.

Ingredients:

1 packet (1 ounce) Hidden Valley® Original Ranch® Salad Dressing & Seasoning Mix
1 16oz. bag premium Oyster crackers
1 cup canola or XV olive oil
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. ground cayenne pepper
Dash of Lawry’s seasoned salt, to taste
Dash of El Yucateca XXX Habañero hot sauce, to taste

Directions:

Whisk the canola oil, dressing mix and dry spice ingredients in a bowl until blended. Add the hot sauce to taste and stir well. Preheat your oven to 250° F. Pour the canola oil seasoning over the crackers in a larger mixing bowl and fold carefully until the crackers are well coated. Place evenly on a cookie sheet and warm in the oven for 15-20 minutes until just golden. Remove and serve.

Serves 6-8

Caper Spread for Smoked Salmon

This is amazing paired with smoked salmon. Some people shred the salmon and mix it in with the spread. I feel this kills the presentation. Let the fish take center stage by adding it chunked on a cracker with this spread as a flavorful base.

Ingredients:

1 8oz. package cream cheese
2 tbs. capers, drained and left whole
2 tbs. minced red onion
1 tbs. minced fresh parsley
2 tbs. fresh-squeezed lemon juice
1 tbs. mayo (add if you need the spread to be more creamy)
Fresh ground pepper to taste
fine chopped fresh dill weed (optional)

Snack crackers

Directions:

Beat the cream cheese with the lemon juice and mayo until desired consistency is achieved. Add the capers, red onion, parsley and pepper.

Fold in until combined. Let stand in the fridge covered for about an hour.
Spread on crackers and sprinkle with the chopped dill, then top with chunked smoked salmon.

Serves 6-8

Cowboy Salsa

Here’s a fantastic mild salsa that everyone can enjoy. The avocados are amazing in this recipe. A big thanks to my friend John for sharing.

Ingredients:

1 can Shoepeg corn
1 can black-eyed peas
1 can black beans (optional)
1 avocado, chopped
2 Roma tomatoes, chopped
2/3 cup cilantro, chopped
2/3 cup green onion, chopped

For the Dressing:

1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 tsp. (to taste) cumin
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
3/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

Directions:

Combine ingredients and let sit covered in your fridge for one hour before serving.
Serve with lime-flavored tortilla chips.

Serves 6-8

Mike’s Bluegill-Battered Fish

This recipe takes me back thirty-five years to my childhood in northern Wisconsin. My grandmother would fry up 60 fresh-caught bluegill fillets in a large black cast-iron skillet for the family. There is no better home-cooked meal – period. I hope you enjoy this special recipe as much as I do.

Ingredients:

10-20 bluegill fillets, cleaned and rinsed in cold water
1 quart vegetable oil
8 oz. buttermilk
2 eggs, beaten
1-1/4 cups flour
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. fresh-ground black pepper

Directions:

Preheat a 5-quart cast-iron dutch oven over medium-high with the vegetable oil. The oil will be ready for deep-frying when a drop of water sizzles on contact.

Place the buttermilk and egg in a wide, shallow baking dish. Whisk thoroughly. Place the bluegill fillets in the dish and coat evenly.

Prepare a two-quart plastic food storage bag with the flour, salt, pepper, garlic powder and paprika. Shake well.

Shake off the fillets and add to the bag, about eight at a time. Coat evenly and transfer to the dutch oven; frying in batches. Deep fry until just lightly golden-brown. Ensure that the bluegill fillets are not overcooked. Using a Chinese spider strainer, remove and transfer to a heated platter with paper towel to absorb the excess frying oil.

Serve immediately with lemon wedges and tartar sauce.

Serves 4-6.

Mike’s Grilled Chicken and Green Chili Enchiladas

Here’s a great, savory enchilada recipe featuring grilled chicken and my special Tequila marinade. You can find the canned Hatch chilis in most southwest markets – otherwise order them online.

Ingredients:

4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pounded flat
1 28oz. can Hatch® whole mild green chilis
2 cups chicken stock using, in part, the reserved liquid from the canned chilis
1 medium Spanish onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, mashed
1/2 cup cilantro leaves, washed and trimmed of stems
2 tsp. ground cumin, from toasted seed
1 tbs. dried Mexican oregano leaf
2 tsp. dried ground coriander
1 tbs. chipotle powder, or to taste
1 tsp. salt, or to taste
1 tsp. fresh ground black pepper

1/2 cup chopped fresh scallion
8 oz. package shredded Monterey Jack cheese
6 10″ flour tortillas

—For the Marinade:
2 oz. Tequila
1/2 cup fresh-squeezed lime juice
1/2 cup XV olive oil
4 cloves crushed garlic
Salt and pepper to taste

Garnish with Mike’s fresh guacamole, salsa verde and sour cream

Directions:

Ensure the chicken breasts are thawed and pounded flat. This will help the marinade penetrate the meat – they will also grill more evenly. Prepare the marinade ingredients in a mixing bowl and whisk until blended. Place the chicken and the marinade in a Ziplock storage bag, seal and refrigerate at  least six hours, but best overnight.

Prepare a charcoal grill with enough coal for a medium-hot fire. When coals are white-hot, level them and place the chicken directly over the center of the grate. Grill until lightly charred and cooked through – turning once. Remove and place on a cutting board to cool.

Prepare the enchilada sauce by pulsing the canned whole green chili in a food processor until chunky. Bring the chilis up to a low simmer on your stove top in a heavy pot. Add the stock or chili liquid, the chopped onion, garlic and the spices and simmer for about an hour, partially covered. Stir occasionally.

Shred the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Add to the pot with the cilantro and warm through, ensuring that the liquid is reduced, cooking for an additional 15-30 minutes, if necessary.

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Prepare a 9×13″ baking dish with a little cooking spray. Divide up the enchilada mix into the six tortillas, wrap tightly and place in the baking dish with shredded Monterey Jack cheese and scallion on top. Cover with the remaining chili sauce. Bake uncovered in the oven for about 30 minutes or until melted and slightly browned on top. (As an option, you may lightly brush the outside of each tortilla with a little olive oil and toast in a skillet before baking.)

Serves 6

Grilled Beef Kabobs with Rogan Josh Marinade

This recipe is a summer favorite in our house. We usually grill corn first and then cook the kabobs after re-stoking our 22″ Weber® charcoal kettle grill. The Rogan Josh seasoning from Penzey’s® spices adds unbelievable Middle-Eastern flavor.

Choose the best Angus sirloin cut of beef you can find if preparing the kabobs by hand. Our supermarket has them pre-made on skewers for convenience.

Ingredients:

4 assembled kabobs on skewers including 1.5″ cubes of Angus sirloin, green and red pepper, red onion and zucchini.

–For the Marinade:
2 cups bottled lemon juice, from concentrate
1/2 cup XV olive oil
1 tbs. Penzey’s® Rogan Josh seasoning
1 tbs. liquid smoke
2 tbs. Worchestershire sauce
4 cloves crushed garlic
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Prepare the marinade in a mixing bowl and whisk to incorporate. Place the kabobs and the marinade in a deep 9×13″ baking dish, ensuring that the kabobs are evenly coated. Cover tightly and marinate in your fridge for at least six hours, but best overnight. Rotate the kabobs every few hours so they marinate evenly.

Prepare a hot fire on your Weber® 22″ grill. When coals are white hot, level them and place the kabobs directly over them. If you remove the kabobs from the fridge and let them warm up a bit before grilling they will not stick to the grate. The olive oil and lemon juice will flame up when it contacts the hot coals. This is normal and will add great seared flavor.

Reserve the marinade in a dish. Cover the grill and cook the kabobs for about three minutes a side, basting with the reserved marinade and rotating the kabobs evenly for a total of about twelve minutes. The beef should firm up and the juices will run clear when ready. DO NOT brush on the marinade during the last few minutes of cooking time, due to the raw meat juice coming back in contact with cooked meat.

Remove from the grill and serve immediately with seasoned rice or corn.

Serves 4

Mike’s Big Breakfast Skillet Potatoes

This is a Sunday favorite in our house – if you have a large skillet, this recipe will feed at least six people with plenty of leftovers. There is no substitute for a well-seasoned cast-iron skillet. The flavor of this recipe really shines when prepared in cast-iron.

Ingredients:

6-8 large cooking potatoes, washed and scrubbed with skins left on
2 ribs celery with greens, washed and fine sliced
1 large onion, peeled and rough chopped
Garlic powder to taste
1/4 tsp. ground dry thyme
1 tbs. dry parsley
1 tbs. dry chives
1 tbs. Penzey’s® ground smoked Spanish paprika
Salt and fresh-ground black pepper to taste
3 tbs. butter
2 tbs XV olive oil

Directions:

Prepare the potatoes and slice in planks, leaving the skins on, then quarter into matchsticks. Ensure they are sliced evenly. Preheat a large 12″ cast-iron skillet over medium low with a little cooking spray. Add 3 tbs. butter and the potatoes. Chop the onion and celery and add to the skillet. Level and let sit a bit to brown.

Prepare the spices and add to taste. Stir every ten minutes or so until evenly crispy brown. My wife likes them somewhat burnt on the edges. I add the olive oil after the potatoes start to brown so it doesn’t scorch.

When possible use fresh parsley and garden chives. If going this route, add a bit later during cooking so they don’t burn.

Remove from heat and serve with bacon and eggs. Serve with ketchup and hot sauce on the side, or all by itself.

Serves: 6
Cooking Time: 1.25 hours

Old-Fashioned Baked Apples

This ridiculously-simple recipe is a Swedish favorite from my grandmother.

Ingredients:

4 red apples – peeled, cored and cut into eighths
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 stick of butter (please do not use margarine – it will not turn out.)
1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Directions:

Preheat oven to 300°. Heat the butter over the stove top in a 2-quart cast-iron pot until melted. Mix in the brown sugar, apples and cinnamon.

Bake covered for 1 hour. Serve plain or with vanilla ice cream in small serving dishes.

Serves 4.

Mom’s American Potato Salad

Here is an American version of my Mom’s favorite potato salad. Add the Tastee® dressing and Miracle Whip® slowly until you get the proper balance.
Best left to sit in the fridge a few hours before serving.

Ingredients:

Scrubbed boiled potatoes with skins on (approximately 2 per person)
1/4 cup Tastee dressing, or to taste
3/4 cup Miracle Whip dressing, or to taste
Chopped onion to taste
4-5 hard boiled eggs
Salt and pepper to taste
Fresh chopped chives as garnish (optional)

Directions:

Boil the potatoes with skins on. Drain in cold water, then peel and slice. Place in a covered serving bowl.
Add the chopped onion, salt and pepper and stir until just mixed.

Add the Tastee dressing and Miracle Whip and carefully fold until potatoes are well coated. Adjust according to your taste preference.

Top with sliced hard-boiled eggs.

Serves 4-6

Irene’s “Best Ever” Noodle Casserole

This is a simple recipe from my grandmother, and dates from before WWII.  It is savory and easily prepared for a busy mid-week supper.

Ingredients:

1/2 lb. egg noodles – cooked al dente
1 medium onion – chopped
2 stalks celery – chopped
1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes with juice
1 7 oz. can mushrooms, stems and pieces with juice
1 10.5 oz. can tomato soup
Salt, pepper, paprika to taste
1 lb. ground beef
3 tbs. butter

Directions:

Saute the onion and celery in butter until just tender. Add the ground beef and cook until no longer pink. Add the tomatoes and mushrooms with their juices and the tomato soup. DO NOT add water.

Season and stir in the cooked noodles. Bake covered in a 5 quart covered dutch oven at 325° F. for 1 hour.
If the casserole looks like it has too much liquid, cook for an additional 15 minutes.

Serves 6-8