Recently Ella asked what a chicken nugget was and in one of those parenting moments when you realize so many things all at once, I thought about how sheltered she is, how lucky she is, how proud I am of the choices we are able to make and also, how sad that she doesn’t get [...]
Meatloaf This is my mom’s recipe. As a little girl I loved the leftover meatloaf sandwiches more than the meal itself. 2 pounds ground beef 1 cup oatmeal or breadcrumbs 1 cup tomato juice or 2/3 cup milk 1 large egg 3 tablespoons ketchup 1 tablespoon dried onion 1 tablespoon dried parsley Salt and pepper to [...]
When I was testing waffle recipes for the column, Jon and I had an assembly line going. Me making batter, him cooking the waffles. Click over to the Portland Press Herald to find recipes for Potato Cilantro, Chili Chocolate, Mocha or Coconut Orange Chocolate Waffles. Peanut Butter Banana Waffles 1 ripe banana, mashed 1/2 cup [...]
The word “casserole” conjures up images of canned cream of-fill-in-the-blank soup from my childhood. I grew up in the Midwest, in a household that watched the price of milk and bought in bulk when it went on sale, which meant that we were no stranger to casseroles of the tuna variety and others. While my [...]
Fresh apple cider has a very short shelf life and even changes flavor over a few days. It is possible to use cider that’s beginning to ferment, “cider that tastes like ginger ale” as my daughter describes it, in your cooking such as with the below recipe. The other possibility is to make apple juice, [...]
Pork Loin with Cranberry Port Sauce You’ll need to start this the day before (for the pork marinade). 3 pounds boneless pork loin 3/4 cup chopped fresh parsley 3 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary 3/4 cup chopped fresh sage 2 teaspoons salt 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1/4 cup olive oil Combine all the ingredients except [...]
Beef Ragu with Fennel and Orange 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 pounds stew beef ¼ cup flour 1 teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper 1 teaspoon paprika 1 large onion, diced 1 cup diced fennel 2 large carrots, diced 3 stalks celery, diced ½ green pepper, diced 6 cloves minced garlic 2 tablespoons fennel [...]
Roasted 5-Herb Chicken If you are in a hurry, you can cut the chicken through the breastbone and lay it flat on a cookie pan. It will reduce the cooking time by about 45 minutes. 1 whole roaster chicken 2 tablespoons Herbes de Provence 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon fresh pepper 1 teaspoon paprika 2 [...]
Skirt, hanger or flank steaks are all wonderful cuts of beef for broiling, sautéing or grilling. All are thin cuts from the belly of the steer and have a coarse, loose grain that absorbs marinade well. I like these steaks for a number of reasons, not the least of which is you can get away [...]
As the weather turns to the cosy-sweater-and-maybe-a-scarf variety, I find myself looking to the dining room table rather than the picnic table as a place to entertain friends. It’s no longer warm enough to eat outside, but we can still bring the brilliant leaves-in-full-color glory to our tables with pumpkin, beets, squashes and leeks. The [...]
