This actually wasn’t the plan when I picked up some pork cubed steaks from the discount meat bin, but when I started poking around for recipe ideas for cubed steak I felt silly for never considering it! Also, it’s ridiculous how easy this was to make. So easy that I’m sure this will become a [...]

Bravado? Maybe a bit, but it’s true. My meatloaf, even when not in MEATCAKE! form, is the stuff of legend. Back when I made the MEATCAKE! I promised a recipe but failed to deliver. Today I give you my secret (modified from Mark Bittman’s recipe in How To Cook Everything). You’re welcome.

Since I started teaching in August, my 10-hour days plus my teaching schedule have made dinners at home generally boring and certainly nothing worth posting. Lots of repeats of previous favorite meals, that sort of thing. But I’ve decided to begin harnessing what time I *do* have to begin cooking meals ahead of time. As [...]

My dearest friend Tracy is not a shortcut chef. In fact, were I a superhero, she would be my nemesis. She bakes. From scratch. She makes sauces and breads and even makes her own damn brown sugar. But this is one of the many reasons I love her. Her food is always amazing and nobody [...]

One of the keys to keeping at-home cooking interesting is knowing how to put meals together, combining flavors in a variety of ways. Tonight’s dinner was grilled on my Mario Batali Grill Pan. For these great thinly cut pork chops I used Penzey’s Northwoods Fire, a nice smoky and spicy blend. I brushed the chops [...]

Tonight’s dinner was extremely average tonight, so I almost didn’t post it. However, it also included a brilliant discovery: Penzey’s Country French Vinaigrette herb blend is one of the best pork chop seasonings I’ve found!! It’s supposed to be a salad dressing blend, but I sprinkled a generous amount of the blend over the pork [...]

There’s something kind of great about bringing a lunch in to work and having people ask where you ordered it from. It happens a lot when I make stir fry, probably because the sauces I get are so aromatic. My trusted brand of sauces is Lee Kum Kee, available in Asian markets and some [...]

This super-simple glaze adds a really unique kick to pork chops or chicken. To make the glaze, I mixed 3 tbsp honey with 1 tbsp water and chopped up 3 chipotle peppers (seeds removed). That’s it. Seriously.
I made it with Near East brand Curry Rice, one of my favorite quick-side-dish brands. With a wide variety [...]

This favorite recipe is modified from a pretty well-known basic recipe using Lipton Onion Soup Mix, but it’s an easy winner when you want a comforting stew and you didn’t prepare things ahead of time.
I served this over some mashed purple potatoes acquired at the Oak Park Farmer’s Market. The result is a bit [...]