Spiedies

Spiedies (spee-dees) are a marinated meat sandwich that originated in a town called Binghampton, NY, right next to the PA border.  (For you "Office" fans, I noticed that Scranton, PA isn't far from there).  Anyway, a friend of mine recently made these and they were really good.  And so versatile.   We  marinated the pork over night in a vinaigrette with lots of herbs in order to produce a flavorful moist meat. Then we cooked it on the grill and ate it from a hoagie bun.  It was the perfect summer dinner.   I'm grateful to my friend for introducing them to me.  I think they will become a regular in our dinner rotation.

Click here for printable recipe.

Post by: Jen

Ingredients:

1 c olive oil

3/4 c red wine vinegar

1/8 c sugar

1 onion, minced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1 1/2 tsp thyme

1 1/2 tsp marjoram             OR 2 Tbsp Italian Seasoning (same thing as these four ingredients)

1 1/2 tsp basil

1 1/2 tsp oregano

2 lbs meat cut into 1" chunks (chicken, pork, turkey, or lamb)

skewers, soaked in water if they are wooden

Hoagie buns

Directions:

Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl except for the meat and buns.  Mix well. (as you can see, my friend and I actually doubled the recipe to feed a crowd)

 Reserve aside 1/4 c of the marinade (to use later when serving)

 Cut up your meat into 1 inch chunks that can be skewered later.

Place the marinade (NOT the reserved marinade) and the meat in a gallon zip baggie and knead it so that all the meat is covered.  Place in a bowl (just in case) and put in the refrigerator overnight.

The next day... 

If you are using wooden skewers, place them in a pan of water for at least 1/2 hour before grilling.  (That way they won't catch on fire!)  Thread your meat onto skewers.  Grill over med high heat.  Turn after about 5-8minutes.  They should cook about 10-15 minutes.  ( or less depending on how hot your grill is)

 Remove from grill when the meat is cooked through (juices run clear)

 Place the meat on the skewer inside a hoagie bun.

 While holding the meat in place with the bun (kind of acting as your hot pad), remove the skewer from the meat, while leaving the meat in the bun.

 You can line the bun beforehand with lettuce or tomatoes.  Drizzle a little bit of the reserved marinade over your meat in the bun if you desire. Eat right away while the meat is hot and juicy.

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Breakfast Kabobs

I found a blueberry muffin mix in my cupboard recently and I was thinking of ways I could put it to  use.  I love things mini and I thought this would be a great way to use the muffins and the fruit in my fridge.  It's so simple and you can use any fruit you like.  I even had children asking if they could make their own kabob with muffins and fruit.  (Just hope that your boys don't poke each other with a skewer.)  This is not only for breakfast, but could be good at a brunch, a tea party, after school snack, or a healthy dessert.

Click here for printable recipe.

Post by: Jen

Ingredients:

1 box blueberry muffin mix PLUS ingredients listed on the box (milk, oil, eggs)
cut up fruit that you can skewer (bananas, strawberries, cantaloupe, grapes, etc...)

skewers
mini muffin baking pan

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees (or as directed on box).  Spray mini muffin tins or line with mini muffin liners.
Prepare the muffin mix as directed on the box. OR use your favorite blueberry muffin recipe.

Scoop muffin batter into mini muffin pans.  Only about 2 Tbsp is enough.  Mine may have been filled too much.  If you fill the tins 1/2 way, then you should be able to get about 3 dozen out of the box mix.

 Bake for 10-15 minutes.  Mine actually took 12 minutes.  Remove from oven and cool on cooling rack.

 Meanwhile, cut up your fruit into bite sized cubes.  I wish I had some grapes.  Those are perfect skewer fruit.

Slide fruit and muffin(s) onto the skewer.  There is no order.  It's however you want to do it.  Get your kids involved and they can help do this as well.  Depending on the fruit (whether it will brown quickly or not) serve either immediately or place in the fridge for later.

 A healthy snack to have anytime of the day!

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