Pizza Meatloaf

This was a delicious creation born from ingenuity and what was on hand in the fridge Sunday night, plus some creativity from my 9-year-old son. It won raves and a guarantee to be repeated soon.

Pizza meatloaf

One pound ground chuck
1/2 cup pizza sauce, divided
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon chopped garlic
2 slices bread, crumbled
2 tablespoons barbecue sauce
1/4 cup mozzerella cheese, grated

Mix all ingredients together, except 1/4 cup pizza sauce and the grated mozzerella cheese. Shape into a loaf and place in a 9x13x2 casserole. Cover with the remaining pizza sauce. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes. Remove meatloaf from oven and add grated cheese; return to oven for 5-10 minutes so cheese melts. I served this with white rice and green beans -- it was terrific.

Beef stew, revisited

I mixed up a pot of beef stew early this morning, based loosely on the recipe I posted here earlier this year. Take a look at my: Burgundy beef stew. This morning, I substituted rose wine for burgundy, steak sauce for worcestershire, and threw in a handful of thyme sprigs that are making the house smell divine.

Bottom line? Cooking is about experimentation. Try what you like. Substitute what you have. Improvise. But keep trying. I am so glad dinner was handled before 8 a.m. Now on to other challenges....

Chicken and vegetable soup

Certainly I love using my slow cooker year round, but as the weather turns colder I especially enjoy making soups. This recipe is a healthy option; its packed with vegetables -- both fresh and canned -- and I used chicken breast tenderloins, which are low in fat and high in protein.

Chicken and vegetable soup

8-10 chicken breast tenderloins
14.5 ounce can green beans, drained
14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes
15.25 ounce can corn, drained
2 stalks celery, diced
1 cup diced carrots
2 potatoes, diced
4-5 cups water, or chicken stock
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Salt and pepper to taste



Dice all the fresh vegetables (potatoes, carrots and celery) and place them in a 6-quart slow cooker.

You'll go from this... to this...

I used Yukon gold potatoes, which are my husband's favorite. They have a beautiful golden color and are buttery when cooked. Then add the canned vegetables, water or stock and the dried seasonings.

Next, cook the chicken breast tenderloins in a small amount of oil (about 1 teaspoon) over medium heat. Brown the tenderloins slightly, then let them cool.

Don't these look yummy? I let these tenderloins rest on the cutting board for about 5 minutes, then diced the chicken meat and added it to the slow cooker.

Stir to blend all the ingredients, then cook on low for about 8 hours. This soup was delicious (I ate three bowls!). Yield is about 10-12 cups. Plenty of leftovers to enjoy today.

Best-ever grilled chicken, improvised

Life happens. Things break. Some days the chicken you want isn't available at the store. The propane runs out. The grill won't work.

All those things happened about 10 days ago when we aimed to make my recipe for Best-ever grilled chicken. No chicken thighs at the store (we bought breast tenderloins). Two days later when we aimed to put them on the grill, the grill refused to cooperate. At first, we thought the tank was out. Then, we figured it might be that the ancient, rusty grill may have given its all.

But nearly everyone in America has one of these, right?

We had marinated the breast tenderloins for about two days.

Then got them on the hot grill.

Close the lid and grill the tenderloins for about 7 minutes.

Because the grill cooks from the top and bottom, you will get beautiful grill marks on both sides.

I'll not tell you that the indoor method is as great as grilling outdoors, but it was still pretty fine. And nothing tops this marinade. As the weather is turning colder, consider this method. It's delicious, I promise.

Super simple pork roast

Maybe this recipe should be called "souper" simple pork roast, since all it really needs is condensed cream of mushroom soup. This offering is a favorite of my children and one of the easiest recipes you can conjure up. I used a half pork picnic because a full picnic is too large too fit in a 6-quart slow cooker.

Super simple pork roast

Half pork picnic (or other pork roast); approximately 4 pounds
One can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup water
Chopped parsley to garnish

Recipe will serve 6-8.

I used a half picnic and put it in the slow cooker while it was still frozen. This is one of the things I love about using the slow cooker -- no need to defrost.

Mix the can of condensed cream of mushroom soup with a half-cup of water.

Pour it over the pork roast; my youngest one helped with this part. Cook for 8 hours on low. This recipe creates a great sauce that my children love with rice or potatoes. This is a super easy option for dinner that everyone will love.

Ham and navy bean soup

There are as many versions to this recipe as there are cooks. I love adding diced tomatoes that include diced chili peppers; it gives the recipe a bit of spice without any extra work. This recipe is super simple and inexpensive -- two great reasons to try it.

Ham and navy bean soup

2 cups dry navy beans; soak overnight in water to cover
3 carrots, peeled and chopped
One 14.5 ounce can of diced tomatoes with chilis
1 pound cooked ham, diced
1 teaspoon oregano
Water

Serves 8-10.


In the morning, drain and rinse the navy beans.
Dice the ham and carrots and place them in a six-quart slow cooker.

Drain the navy beans and add them to the slow cooker.

Then add the diced tomatoes.

Add three cans of water, rinising out the can that had held the tomatoes. Also add the oregano.

Cook for 8 hours on low. As with most heartier soups, I love to serve this soup with rice. This was dinner earlier this week. Simple and delicious.

Best-ever grilled chicken

I know this is a cocky title for a chicken dish, but I promise it will meet expectations. This is a recipe used in my family for more than 40 years on chicken and beef, and frankly nothing surpasses it. This isn't a slow cooker recipe, but you gotta have patience (at least three day's worth) to do this one right. It uses what our family calls the Don Farris marinade, for my brother's godfather. He developed the marinade after years of dining out with my parents and having a similar dish in a Norfolk restaurant. By trial and error, he developed the Don Farris blend.

His recipe is as follows:

Don Farris marinade

1/3 cup corn oil
1/3 cup orange juice
1/3 cup soy sauce
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon ground ginger
2 teaspoons brown sugar

Blend all ingredients and use it to marinate 10-12 chicken thighs or a london broil beef roast (his favorite) for about three days. Grill the meat over direct heat. For whole thighs, cook 45 minutes to an hour. For london broil, cook about 7 minutes per side, for medium rare. Slice thinly on the bias.

BUT.... Before you start mixing up the marinade to grill for the weekend, consider some modifications.

A third of a cup of oil is a lot of oil. This recipe originated in the 1960s, before people seemed to worry about eating so much oil. And my husband cannot eat garlic or onions. (I know, he is missing out on great pleasure in life.) And, here is the biggie: It took me more than 20 years of cooking on my own to break from cooking whole chicken thighs, like my parents. Buy the boneless, skinless thighs available in most grocery stores (or bone them yourself). Thighs are a juicy part that hold up well to grilling, but boneless thighs cook faster, reducing the chance for burning or drying out on the grill.

Here's my modified recipe:

Best-ever grilled chicken

10-12 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup soy sauce
3 tablespoons oil
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 teaspoons brown sugar

Blend the marinade ingredients to completely dissolve the sugar. Add the chicken pieces and cover. It's best to use a recloseable plastic container, or a large resealable plastic bag. Regrigerate for three days, turning the chicken each day. After three days it will look like this. (The smell is fantastic, even if the raw chicken isn't!)

Prepare a charcoal or propane grill for direct grilling.

Place the chicken thighs on the grill.

Don't crowd the grill. Leave a few inches of space between the pieces of meat. (Yes, I was grilling barefoot on Tuesday!)

Close the lid and let the heat do the work. After about 10 minutes, check the chicken and give it a baste.

Again, close the lid and let the heat do the work.

Here's what it should look like after about 15 minutes, or midway through cooking:

Pretty, huh? Just close the lid again and let it keep cooking. This will cut down on flareups (as will using skinless thighs and less oil in the marinade).

Getting close to being done here. Just baste again...

And make sure the pieces are cooked through. Total cooking time for boneless thighs should be about 30 minutes. If some pieces are cooking too quickly, move them to cooler parts of the grill. If some are too slow, move them to the hotter spots. After 30 minutes, remove to a platter and voila:

Best-ever grilled chicken. This is so delicious, you won't be able to stop eating. I made this a couple of weeks ago and my children were tearing off bits of the chicken and eating it while standing around the grill. Last night, my husband and I made it again. Yes, this plate is a memory already; we enjoyed it for dinner, lunch and dinner again. Seriously, try this one; it is a home run and it will become a favorite in your family.