I made a fun dish last week. Pizza Lasagna. It’s a genuine kid pleaser and as Tony the Tiger says, it tastes “Great”. But really, how can you go wrong? Lasagna? Pizza?  Both winners and this combination is as well. You make it as you would lasagna, just switch a few ingredients. Start by boiling the lasagna to al dente. I much prefer original rather than oven-ready lasagna. I can better … [Read more...]

I’m thinking about publishing a cookbook called “If It Ain’t Easy.” That’s because, if it ain’t easy, I don’t cook it. There are too many easy and simple foods to cook and enjoy without going off the deep end. And if a recipe calls for weird or exotic ingredients, I’ll let the chefs at Ivy Inn handle those recipes. Simple foods are usually best. One of my recent “If It Ain’t Easy” experiments … [Read more...]

It’s fall, for sure, and time to make soup. I tried a new recipe last night and it was as stunning as a sugar maple in full, fall foliage. Best yet, it’s as easy-as-pie to assemble. It’s so simple, I hesitate to share this recipe, but it was – I believe – the best Vegetable Beef Soup I’ve ever made. Here’s how. It’s a crock pot recipe, so it’s not time sensitive. Put it on sometime in the … [Read more...]

I am convinced that if you only ate chicken as a meat source, you would waste away into nothing. Every time I eat chicken (but with no pasta, rice, or breads), I lose weight. Chicken is good, but you can easily tire of it. When you reach the point that you want to pull a couple eggs out of the refrigerator and sit on them, you know you’re eating too much chicken. I recently came across a … [Read more...]

  Remember when you were a kid and someone asked, “Which piece of chicken do you want?” A drumstick, right? We loved drumsticks when we were young, then gradually evolved to thighs, breasts, and wings – like Hot Wings at a sports bar. But you know what? Drumsticks are still as good as ever, they are easy to eat, they are inexpensive, and quite versatile when it comes to … [Read more...]

  You can make good tuna salad with a couple cans of ordinary tuna fish. Or you can make Killer Tuna Fish Salad with StarKist Solid White Albacore in Vegetable Oil. The difference is like a Kia compact compared to a Mercedes Benz Convertible Roadster. There is really no comparison. Regular tuna fish, usually packed in water, is less than a buck for a small can, which is why many use … [Read more...]

Kroger’s sends me coupons about once a month. Usually, it’s for something like 50c off a dozen eggs, or $1.00 off if you buy 2 cheeses or maybe 50c off on three avocados. But often, they offer a free box of Betty Crocker Cake Mix for Special Customers. The Cake Mix is not really a big deal since it’s only about a buck-fifty for a box, but I usually take advantage and take a free box home. This … [Read more...]

Wow! Were they ever good. Last weekend, I did some grilled rainbow trout in a mustard sauce, and it was as good as it gets. I wanted a seafood dish for company, but not crab cakes and not salmon. In the past, I had cooked rainbow trout on the grill with good results, so I decided to go with that if I could find some fresh trout. I went to Whole Foods, my first stop for good seafood, and they … [Read more...]

  About once a month or so, I’ll buy a package of pork tenderloins - the little guys that come two in a pack. They weigh about a pound each. We like to marinate them and cook them in the oven at 400 for about 30 minutes, or until the inside reaches 145, then let it rest. Well and good, but one of those two tenderloins is more than enough for just the two of us. So, you can either freeze … [Read more...]

  In Lexington BBQ country, if you served up some white cole slaw to go with your BBQ sandwich, you would be tarred and feathered then tarred again. Everyone, including Andy Griffith, Gomer and Aunt Bee, know that the only slaw that goes with BBQ is Red Slaw, often called Lexington Slaw. The spicey slaw really goes with lots of southern-style foods including catfish and fried chicken. … [Read more...]