I do a Mexican dish at least once every two weeks, and the entrees are easy – Burritos, Tacos, Mexican Casseroles, Tamales, etc. but I struggle sometimes with side dishes other than Refried Beans and a platter of tortillas and salsa. Last week, I tried something different. I did a Mexican Mac and Cheese. It was pretty good, but then how can you go wrong with Mac and Cheese? I made my Mac and … [Read more...]

There are 4 different cuts of ribs on a hog – Baby Back Ribs, Spareribs, St. Louis Cut Ribs and Rib Tips. They all come from the rib area, below the tenderloin and just behind the Picnic and Shoulder Butt sections. But there is a world of difference in the four cuts. Baby Back Ribs have become extremely popular with home chefs and at many restaurants. They are fairly tender, easy to cook and … [Read more...]

I have to brag a little. This week I made a dish that was so delicious that if I had ordered it at a fine Italian Restaurant, I would have left an extra tip. I did a Chicken Marsala that was fabulous. I try to cook and eat chicken as often as I can. It’s way healthier than beef and pork, but it’s sometimes a struggle to keep the menu fresh. I hadn’t done Chicken Marsala in a while and we still … [Read more...]

I made a fun dish last week. I made a BLT Mac and Cheese Casserole. One thing that encouraged me to experiment was our abundance of cherry tomatoes (the tomato part of the BLT). It fairly easy to put together and rib-sticking good. Here’s my take on BLT Mac and Cheese Casserole. For starters, boil a pound of elbow macaroni and drain. Next, stick a pound of bacon strips in a 375 oven till … [Read more...]

It’s a day I await – a celebration, in fact. The “First “Mater Sandwich of the Year” day. I rank it right up there with New Year’s Day and the Fourth of July. The actual day varies from year to year - depending on when that first plump tomato is picked from the vine. We have had cherry tomatoes and some smaller slicer tomatoes for a couple weeks, but on Monday, July 7th, one of my Better  Boy … [Read more...]

When you scramble eggs for breakfast, are they fluffy?  I never thought much about it until I saw a recent article, but no, my scrambled eggs were not fluffy. Good, but not fluffy. I followed the article’s suggestions and now I know how to make a nice batch of fluffy, scrambled eggs. The secret is cottage cheese. If you are cooking 4 scrambled eggs for two people, simply add 1/3 C of … [Read more...]

When I thumb through recipes, I look first for “easy”. If it’s hard and complicated, I let somebody else cook it.  It doesn’t have to be hard to put together to be good to eat. For example. I decided I wanted a Strawberry Pie, so I whipped up the easiest strawberry pie in the world. Here’s how. I happened to have a cup and a half of sliced strawberries on hand, and I put them to good … [Read more...]

When yellow squash comes in, it really comes in. Just a couple plants in a small vegetable garden can overwhelm a small household. I really like yellow squash. Fried with onions is my favorite cooking method, followed by squash slices dipped in an egg wash, coated with cornmeal and fried in a skillet. It’s also tasty in a casserole zapped in the microwave with onions or other … [Read more...]

I had an extra pack of hot dogs in the fridge, and we had just had hot dogs on the grill. I didn’t want to press my luck and try to sneak them in the menu again so soon (even though I could eat hot dogs three times a week). So, what do you do with extra hot dogs? Beans and franks, maybe? Not the most appealing entrée for sure. I decided to experiment. I made Pizza Dogs and they were … [Read more...]

I grill a lot. Steaks, burgers, dogs, chicken, shrimp, etc. One thing I had never tried, however, was pork bites. I decided to give them a shot and the dish turned out very well. I bought a pack of pork tenderloins (always 2 in a pack; don’t know why) and I cut one loin into bite size pieces. I marinated them in a BBQ sauce, put the bites on several skewers and grilled them over high heat. They … [Read more...]