Salsa
2 red bell peppers (green peppers work best but I use red as Tim can not eat green peppers)
1/2 pound jalapeno peppers or as many as you like for heat
1 lb sweet onions
1 lb tomatoes
1/4 tsp garlic minced
1 tsp cilantro or parsley chopped
1 tsp salt
1/8 cup vinegar
juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Wash, stem and chop vegetables.
Mix all ingredients in a large bowl.
Cover and chill for 1 hour.
Serve with your favorite chips or crackers
This is a quick and simple appetizer to prepare when having guest.
Shrimp Stuffed Mushrooms:
6 slices your favorite thick sliced bacon
12 large fresh mushrooms about 1 pound
1/4 pound peeled, deveined cooked shrimp
1/2 cup finely shredded sharp cheddar cheese
2 cloves garlic finely minced
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/8 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
In a large skillet cook bacon. Bacon should be cooked but not crisp so cook for about 3 minutes each side.Drain bacon on paper towels. Pour out the excess fat from the skillet; set aside.
Cut 4 of the bacon slices into 3 equal pieces. Chop the 2 remaining slices of bacon; set aside. Clean mushrooms; remove the stems;set them aside. Chop the shrimp; set aside.
In a mixing bowl combine the chopped bacon,chopped mushroom stems,shrimp,cheese,garlic,pepper and Old Bay. Fill the mushroom caps with mixture.
pre heat the skillet to medium. Top each mushroom with a piece of the cut up bacon; place the mushroom in the skillet. Cover; reduce the heat to low . Cook for about 15 minutes or until the mushrooms are tender.
I hope ya’ll give this a try. Let us hear from you.
This is another recipe I learned while married to my Ex Husband as he was from Israel. My boys and their friends sure loved them as kids.
Israeli Cucumber Pickles :
12 to 16 small cucumbers, about 5 inches long
4 large cloves of garlic cut in half
1/8 teaspoon coriander seed
2 bay leaves, crushed
1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
1/4 teaspoon mustard seed
1 dried red hot pepper
1 1-inch piece of crystallized ginger
1/2 stick cinnamon
6 cardamom pods
4 cups of water
1/2 cup distilled apple cider vinegar
3 Tablespoons coarse, kosher salt
2 1-quart jars
Slice the cucumbers into 1/4-inch pieces and discard the ends.
Place the cucumbers in two wide-mouthed quart jars.
Combine all of the spices and lightly crush with a mortar and pestle or the back of a spoon.
Bring the water to a boil in a stainless steel, glass, or enamel saucepan.
Add the vinegar and salt and stir with a rubber spatula until the salt dissolves. Add spices simmer for 5 minutes.
Pour the hot liquid evenly into the jars.Try to make sure spices are divided evenly between the jars.
Let the mixtures cool on your counter for about one hour and then seal them with the jar lids. Shake the jars upside down 2 times to combine the spices with the liquid.
Place the jars in a closet or another cool dark place for 2 days. During this time the pickles will soften and be preserved by the saline solution, and the flavors will all meld beautifully.
Serve and enjoy. The boys and their friends would eat them right out of the jar. They wouldn’t stop till the jar was empty.