Shirley's Recipes

Smart and Delicious!

Zucchini Cheese Casserole

This is a hit with any vertical poultry dinner, Game Hens, Chicken, Turkey other and other Meats or Fish.  The natural juices of the poultry makes this a dish spectacular.

  • 3 cups finely grated zucchini (Be sure to keep skin on)
  • 3 Medium size, usually makes 3 cups, 
  • 1 Cup Panko Crumbs
  • 1 Cup grated cheddar cheese (or cheese of your choice)
  • 2 Beaten Eggs
  • 2 Shallots
  • Spanek seasonings to taste:  (take this dish to any country with our blends.  Have fun and accent the chicken the same way.  I suggest the Garlic blend with any other mixtures, 1/2 teaspoon of each to start)

Combine the above ingredients and put in a well buttered casserole pan and pat down to make firm.

Bake @ 350 for 1 hour.... Feeds about 6 people.

** I usually double this recipe **.  When you do so... Bake @ 350 for 1 ½ hour.

Let it stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Spanek’s different seasoning blend.
Its your passport to the world's flavor. Travel the world with us.


Easy Creamed Chicken

Here ‘s a great recipe with that juicy left over Vertical Chicken.   Present in puff pastry shells or small round loafs.

  • Cook 1/4 cup minced green pepper in 1 Tbs. butter/margarine till tender.
  • Stir in 1 can condensed cream of chicken soup and 1 can cream of celery soup (10 1/2 oz. size each) plus 1/2 Cup milk.
  • Heat to boiling, stirring constantly.
  • Add 1/2 teaspoon of Garlic blend and 1/2 teaspoon of American Blend.  Mix gently.
  • Add 2 Cup diced cooked chicken and 2 Tbs. pimento.

You can even add cooked peas, then heat thoroughly.

Serve over pastry puffs or heat up and cut out the center of small round bread rolls.  Sprinkle accent of garlic seasoning inside Shell and/or bread roll, and after filling/sprinkle of American blend on top for color effect, a perfect close......Everyone loves this one!  Denis' favorite.

Spanek’s different seasoning blend.
Its your passport to the world's flavor. Travel the world with us.


Mama Spanek's Baby Food

Prepares baby food for weeks ahead!

  • Cook a Spanek chicken - following the normal instructions.
  • Let it sit for 30 minutes.
  • Debone the entire chicken, discarding the skin and bones.  (Save the carcass and freeze for soup or making sauce later - That's the thrifty in me. :))
  • Parboil some cut up carrots and new potatoes.
  • Puree the chicken in a food processor to a fine mix.
  • Empty into a stainless bowl.
  • Puree the parboiled carrots and potatoes.  50/50 blend.  You want a fine mix - not too runny!
  • Mix in the veggie blend into the pureed chicken with a spoon.
  • Fill up some ice cube trays with the mix.  Your mix should fill 2 to 3 good dozen ice cube trays.
  • Put the filled up ice cube trays in the freeze.
  • After freezing, pop out the frozen mix!  Put into ziplock-type freezer bags - about 4 cubes per small freezer bag.
  • Put all the small bags in a large ziplock-type freezer bag.  Put back in the freezer.
  • To heat up the bags, you can either microwave or put in soft boiling water.
  • Your delicious healthy baby food can be ready at any given moment.

Having raised three children myself, I came up with this technique in lieu of canned/bottled baby food.  You can do the same recipe with lamb, beef, fish or whatever.  You'll want to choose a quiet Saturday morning!  Not hard to find these days.

Store bought baby food never has the same taste or nutritional value that homemade baby food has that you have made with love.  If you need any additional information please contact me.  Shirley @ 408 446-3000.

Spanek’s different seasoning blend.
Its your passport to the world's flavor. Travel the world with us.


Eggs - Sunnyside Up

A Dessert Surprise, "A Real Good One and Easy to do."
I was blessed to have spent time with Master Chef Maurice Cazalis from Chartres, France back in the early 90’s .  Here’s a fun family dessert recipe to try and enjoy with the kids.  The Recipe Creation comes from the 1981 kids' show called:  "Cooking without Heat".
"Les Oeuf Plat en surprise"

  • One large can of halved Apricots in Heavy Syrup at least 12 halves.
  • 12 sponge cake pieces (ladyfingers). 2 packs to be safe.
  • 7 ounces of fresh whipping cream or canned whip cream will do in a hurry.
  • 2/3 of a cup of granulated sugar if mixing your own whipped cream.
  • 1 –1 ½ teaspoon of vanilla Extract. (Optional).
  • Coconut flakes to be ground up.
  • Chocolate bars with nuts to grind up (Your choice)
  • One large frying pan that you cook normal eggs in with a handle 8-12” in Diameter.

Open and strain out the apricot halves, reserving the syrup aside.  Pour some of the syrup ¼” into the bottom of the frying pan. Dry the apricot halves individual and place them all on separate plate pit side down.  (Light paper towel sponging will do the trick, set aside).  Arrange the ladyfingers tightly onto the whole bottom of the frying pan.  Be sure to completely cover the bottom of the pan with the ladyfingers, so it has a cake like feel inside the whole pan.  Flip the ladyfingers over so both sides absorb a bit of the Apricot juice and then pour a bit more on top.  Not too much just enough to have a moist cake feel, just don’t over soak.  

Mix up your whip cream.  If you make fresh cream the homemade way add the vanilla sugar to it … if you’re using pre-made in can sprinkle a little bit of the vanilla onto the cake itself.  Or mix it into the cream separately.  No need to add sugar as can cream already has it.

Spread the whip cream all over the top of the ladyfingers cake so that the cream covers the entire pan, with the whiteness of the cream spread around evenly again, about ¼” will do.

Once you have the cream spread down slowly place the apricot halves with the pit side down so it looks like you have just finished cooking up 8-10 eggs in the pan.  I usually choose the best 8 apricot half for the pan.  I have also done two small frying pans instead of one big one, thus doing 6 apricots in each pan for both sides of the table.

You might do one pan with a little rum accent or Grand Marnier before you put the cream down for adults, then a separate plain one for the kiddies. 

Grind up the Chocolate bar and put in a clean shaker so that it resembles pepper, and grind up the Coconut flakes to resemble Salt in a shaker.

Bring those to the table so people can sprinkle what looks like salt and pepper on the top of their portions. This adds a fun twist to the dining experience.

Refrigerate until dessert time and bring it out in the fry pans.  Your guests will think you’re serving fried eggs. This is a sensational fun presentation.  You don’t even have to cook or use any heat in the kitchen.  It’s a great recipe for Grandma or Mom and Dad to do with the younger kids and getting them involvement to the meal that night and /or for the guests coming.

Dessert tonight was prepared by the kids.

Maurice traveled with Denis in the 80’s And 90’s when he came to California to visit he shared this easy to do fun recipe he did on French TV during the “In the Cottage Kitchen with the Maurice.”  Every Saturday morning the Muppets would all travel through the woods to get to the Maurice’s cottage to see what kind of surprise he had in store for them that week, always had to be fun safe and easy to do.

Get your kids involved in the kitchen, this is one recipe that has a lasting impression on the kids and guests as well…I have served this recipe for years.  And to change it up, you can Slice the lady fingers in half, and add various jams and jellies to change up the flavor under the whipped cream.

Thank you again, Maurice. You were a great chapter in our lives, one of the best, Shirley


Spanek’s different seasoning blend.
Its your passport to the world's flavor. Travel the world with us.


Chinese Chicken/Coleslaw Salad

SERVES 8

  • 2 HEADS OF CABBAGE SHREDDRED (1 GREEN & 1 PURPLE FOR COLOR)
  • 1-CUP SHREDDRED CARROTS
  • ½ CUP CHOPPED GREEN ONIONS
  • 1 ½ CUP SALAD OIL
  • 1 ½ TABLESPOONS OF SESAME OIL
  • 3/4-CUP APPLE CIDER VINEGAR
  • 3/4 CUP WHITE SUGAR
  • 4 NISSIN TOP RAMEN NOODLE PACKAGES (ORIENTAL)
  • 4 NISSIN TOP RAMEN SEASONING PACKETS (THEY ARE INCLUDED IN THE NOODLE PACKAGES)
  • 3 BAGS (24 OUNCES) OF UNSALTED DRY SILVERED ALMONDS
  • ¼ CUP SESAME SEEDS (I DO A BIT MORE)
  • 3 CUPS SHREDDRED SPANEK VERTICAL ROASTED CHICKEN

COMBINE OILS, VINEGAR, SUGAR AND SEASONING PACKETS IN A BOTTLE WITH LID. MIX TOGETHER AND SHAKE TO BLEND CONTENTS TOTALLY. YOU CAN KEEP THIS IN THE FRIG AND MAKE AHEAD.

YOU MUST CAREFULLY BROWN (OR LIGHTLY TOAST) CRUMBLED RAMEN NOODLES, ALMONDS AND SESAME SEEDS IN OVEN @ 350 DEGREES. APPROXIMATELY 6-8 MINUTES. ** DO THEM INDIVIDUALLY AND PAY ATTENTION NOT TO BURN **

YOU CAN THEN STORE THE TOASTED INGREDIENTS IN A TUPPERWARE UNTIL READY TO MIX SALAD.

WHEN READY, TOSS CABBAGE, CARROTS, GREEN ONIONS AND CHICKEN WITH DRESSING TO COAT COMPLETELY. NEXT ADD DRY MIXTURE. DON’T TOSS TOO FAR IN ADVANCE, AS YOU WANT THIS SALAD TO BE CRUNCHY. YOU MAY NOT USE ALL THE DRESSING, SO TASTE AS YOU ADD TO THE SALAD.

Spanek’s different seasoning blend.
Its your passport to the world's flavor. Travel the world with us.


Pumpkin Cake

Serves 12

  • 4 eggs
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1-teaspoon ground cloves
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon ginger
  • ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1-cup salad oil
  • 1 can (1 lb) pure pumpkin

Frost with Cream Cheese Frosting (below)

1. In large bowl of electric mixer, let eggs warm to room temperature about 30 minutes.

2. Preheat oven to 350F. Sift flour with baking soda, salt, cloves, cinnamon, ginger & nutmeg.

3. At high-speed beat eggs with sugar until light & fluffy. Beat in oil & pumpkin to blend well. At low speed, beat in flour mixture just until combined.

4. Pour into an ungreased 9-inch tube pan. Bake about 1 hour, or until surface springs back when gently pressed with fingertip.

5. Cool cake completely in pan. With spatula, carefully loosen cake from pan: remove. Place on cake plate and frost.

Spanek’s different seasoning blend.
Its your passport to the world's flavor. Travel the world with us.


Cream Cheese Frosting

  • 1 box powdered sugar (16 ounces)
  • 1 cube butter (softened)
  • 2 6 oz. Pkg. cream cheese (softened)
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • Pineapple juice (about 5 tablespoons)

Blend ingredients together. Add enough pineapple juice to make spreading consistency.

Spanek’s different seasoning blend.
Its your passport to the world's flavor. Travel the world with us.