From Scratch

Most people enjoy barbecued ribs but there are potential deterrents: not everyone can cook outdoors and ribs can become a project, what with starting them indoors in the oven or a pressure cooker and moving them outdoors to the grill. Marinate them before cooking and we’re looking at a meal that makes us wait most […]

Like most people, when I think of vindaloo I think of a hot dish, one of the hottest on the menu, and one that needs a long and low stay in the oven. This vindaloo is different on both counts. It’s dinner on the table in well under an hour and it’s as mild — […]

This moist bone-in pork roast, with a reduction made from apple juice, is a perfect recipe when you want a main course that’s OMG delicious but requires little work. When carved at the table, it’s impressive too.
It’s the dish I referred to in Opportunities to Stretch a Food Budget and it’s one of my favorites. The pork gets […]

This will be on my Easter table along with the divine roasted asparagus in the photo. Their flavors complement each other well. I’ve made Coca-Cola Ham for years but decided to try something new and this fits the bill. Its gives the ham a more complex taste, less sweet, and there’s a perfect amount of glaze for a […]

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. […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

About a decade ago, a cyberpal who is a very good cook raved about making ham with a Coca-Cola glaze, as she was about to do for Easter. It was a popular method, she assured me, even though word of this hadn’t reached me in Manhattan. I was a bit skeptical, but she’d never shared […]