This is the first in a new series of recipes I’m creating for the USO of Northern Ohio. The goal is to provide simple, tasty and economical meal ideas for our active duty military members and their families. These recipes don’t require fancy ingredients or equipment and can feed a family of four for $10 or less. Up first is Johny Marzetti. If you grew … Continue reading USO Johny Marzetti
#Sponsored My friends over at The Farm Stand in Norton, OH gave me some excellent beef and asked if I might cook up some new recipes. The recipe below is for an incredibly easy slow cooker pot roast using a beef chuck blade roast. If you live in Northern Ohio and haven’t been to the Farm Stand you are missing out. They feature local meat, … Continue reading Perfect Pot Roast
My first trip to New Orleans was in the mid 1990’s. I was just out of college and about $1 north of broke. The flight was terrible, the weather was terrible, the cheap hotel was worse than terrible but the food was amazing. I came home with an appreciation for hotels that didn’t have cigarette burns in the sheets and a lasting love of Cajun … Continue reading Naw’lins Style Red Beans & Rice in the Instant Pot
When you find an old typed recipe for red sauce in the family collection you have to give it some real consideration. When I saw this requires 6 hours of simmer time I knew I had the real deal. I’ve discussed red sauce with more than a few Italians over the years. Every good family has there own recipe for making it “right”, but the good ones have a few things in common.
Continue reading “Italian Red Sauce”
One of the simplest meals to prepare and often the first real meal many people learn to cook is spaghetti. All of the ingredients are readily available at any grocery store, even most dollar stores. It may be the least expensive meal you can whip up to feed a family of four (I’m excluding PB&J sandwiches and boxed mac and cheese from that equation). It is also a quick meal to fix in under 30 minutes.
Continue reading “Classic Spaghetti Dinner”
Warm, Creamy, Cheesy goodness. This is a great recipe if you have a little Easter ham left over and want to make some serious comfort food. I added a side of steamed broccoli and it was a complete meal. I used a sharp white cheddar for the sauce, but you could use a mild orange cheddar or any mild cheese and this would still be … Continue reading Ham and Potatoes Au Gratin
Cabbage rolls are one of my old school comfort foods. Seasoned rice and hamburger rolled up into cabbage leaves and simmered in a tomato sauce, delicious. As an added bonus it is an extremely economical meal. You can feed a family of 4-6 people for under $10.
Continue reading “Un-stuffed Cabbage”
Every time I’m in Miami I am reminded of my love of Cuban food. It isn’t fancy or spicy, but the flavors are savory and complex considering the simple ingredients. I’ve shared my guayaba y queso pastelitos recipe (delicious guava and cheese pastries) that can be found in many Miami cafes and ventanitas (walk up coffee windows).
Continue reading “Cuban Style Garbanzos and Sausage”
Corned beef and cabbage wasn’t something I ate growing up. We were middle class Lutherans from Ohio – we had meatloaf and pork chops and such. When I went off into the world I discovered corned beef in the deli and in delicious Reuben sandwiches (where I also acquired a taste for sauerkraut). It always seemed like one of those complicated foods that would be … Continue reading Slow Cooker Corned Beef and Cabbage
If you had told me two years ago I would be posting a recipe about tofu I probably would have laughed until I caused some sort of internal injury. I grew up a mid-west meat and potatoes boy. I had crossed paths a time or two with tofu in the 80’s and 90’s and I was not a fan. All of that changed a couple … Continue reading Tofu and Veggie Stir Fry with General Tso’s Sauce
