From Scratch

For decades foodies turned their noses up at the slow cooker, one of the most popular countertop appliances in America. Some of the disdain was justified, when so many recipes were nothing more than a hunk of protein topped by a couple cans of cream of mushroom or cream of chicken soup — or both. […]

Oh, I know. It sounds bizarre. So did Coca-Cola ham till I tried it.
This appeared in my Epicurious Healthy Dinners widget a few weeks ago. Braising is one of my favorite cooking methods, especially for economical cuts of beef, and running across nice chuck roasts on sale made this especially thrifty.
I don’t mind admitting I had my […]

I was attracted to this hearty stew the moment I saw the recipe, but it was 100 degrees (38C) when it was published last summer in a New York Times article about Senegalese food in Harlem. Now that it’s about 90 degrees colder, it was a perfect time to try it.
And I am bowled over […]

This is a make-life-simple recipe. It’s not haute cuisine by any means but it is comfort food with a twist or two.
The simplicity comes from its preparation in a microwave; the twists are a combination of spicy flavors more often associated with Tex-Mex and then making it into fast-cooking individual meatloaves.
It’s quick and easy as […]

This is big-flavor delicious. In addition to the ingredients here, a little white wine and chicken broth round out the picture. The bonus is it’s simple enough that anyone, including novices, can put a lean, impressive main course on the table.
Beautiful blood oranges are in season and I had a couple in the fridge when this […]

For many, Christmas dinner means a rib roast. The last several years foodies generally have been in two camps about preparing it: blast it with a high temperature or give it a slow roast at a low temperature. I’ve remained stuck in the tried-and-true 325 degree camp; I don’t make expensive rib roasts often and prefer […]

We’re all so busy this time of year. I know I’m not the only one who can’t always bear the thought of an hour or more in the kitchen after a long go-go day. Neither microwave meals nor fast food are part of my life, so jam-packed days leave me with only a few options, ranging […]

Someone who saw the Coca-Cola Ham recipe here sent me a recipe for pork chops using Coke. She said it’s a week night favorite and popular in the South and, best of all, fast. You can count the ingredients on one hand.
It looked intriguing but awfully sweet, with Coke in the sauce and brown sugar on […]

The temperature doesn’t have to drop much for me to think of beef stew. Depending on which appliance you use, the cooking time for this flavorful meal in a bowl will be either 10 minutes or 8-10 hours. Either way, it’s carefree.
It’s a pressure cooker recipe but I’ve also made it in the slow cooker […]

 
Some weekends I just like to cocoon, listening to music, reading and dozing off whenever my body and mind want to. My slow cooker is my best friend on those days, enabling me to start a meal with minimal prep and leave it alone.
This is a favorite for those times. It came about when my […]

For many, Labor Day weekend will bring a final flurry of outdoor cooking and often, that means steaks. When I think of the finest Prime beef I’ve ever bought at retail only one name comes to mind: Lobel’s. It’s on Manhattan’s Upper East Side and this will describe it for you:

Jackie O bought her meat there
So […]

Someone who is just beginning to cook emailed me and asked, rather shyly, if I have a “real” recipe for pork chops, not just a mention of pork brined in a few ingredients, as in yesterday’s rice timbales post. I replied with this recipe, which produces moist and flavorful chops, as long as they’re not overcooked.
Since […]

This a curried ground meat dish from South Africa, and although there are other spellings of the name, this is the way it came to me years ago. I’ve made it with lean ground beef and with ground chicken but really prefer it with lamb, which I’ve used here. I usually cut the recipe in […]

I’ll take a real chef over a “personality” any day, so I’m not too fond of The Food Network’s current crop of popular shows. Many of the chefs are gone or diminished, but every now and then I run across Tyler Florence. I always watch if I have time. He’s a chef who hasn’t forgotten […]

Even here in The Little Snowball it’s finally warm enough for outdoor cooking. For most people I know, that means steaks on the grill and their uniquely wonderful taste. Still, for many beef lovers a steak is only perfect with steak sauce and why not? Who wouldn’t want a filet topped with high fructose corn syrup, salt, […]