On the day of this writing, I paid $2.89 for a 1 pound chub of (terribly fatty) breakfast sausage (which we already use in spaghetti sauce), while the price of bulk Italian sausage was nearly $6 per pound. This isn’t as good quality as the Italian sausage, but it’s a lot cheaper and is a reasonable substitute in my Instant Pot Zuppa Toscana.

I used to frequently order a Greek salad topped with gyro meat or shawarma at a hole-in-the wall restaurant in the Phoenix East Valley, but there are no Greek restaurants within an hour of where we live now. So, I have to make my own. The only thing I actually had to figure out was the dressing, which is a simple vinaigrette. Also, bumping into the idea of pita croutons was a happy accident. Everything else is just assembly.

I love the fruit pizza concept in all of its variations, and this version is the right size for a summer treat to use up an evening’s raspberry picking.

We have some raspberry canes that produce prodigiously each summer. In addition to what we eat fresh and freeze for later, I frequently use them in cobbler. But when I have a few apples that need to be used (usually because they’re bruised and being avoided by the kids), I can throw in some fresh raspberries and whip this up. It pairs great with vanilla ice cream as a summer treat.

Recently, the kids started requesting clam chowder. We hadn’t made it in years, but I had no objections. It’s simple and quick, and not too expensive, especially since I use whole milk instead of heavy cream. It’s also great for cold days.

When I find that the kids haven’t been eating the sandwich bread, I make a batch of French Toast to use it up. Though, if I have too many heels in the mix, French Toast Casserole works better to prevent picky eaters from avoiding them.

The older I get the lazier I get. I used to make butter chicken from scratch, but now I just buy a rotisserie chicken and use the meat from that. It works great, and takes a lot less time. But this is still a somewhat involved process requiring a fair number of specialty ingredients.

It’s common for us to make this in addition to Texas sheet cake for gatherings, to have an alternative to chocolate. It also pairs well with vanilla ice cream.

This is the recipe we frequently use for family gatherings. It pairs great with vanilla ice cream.

My youngest daughter requested this dish for dinner for her birthday, so I figured I’d better get the recipe recorded. It used to be a regular in our house, but I haven’t made it in years. It’s our variation of the Pioneer Woman recipe, based on our family’s tastes and my preferences for ease of preparation. I usually start with a rotisserie chicken, remove all of the meat, and then simmer everything else remaining in a large saucepan to make the broth for the pasta.

Toad in the Hole is a classic British dish that consists of sausages baked in Yorkshire pudding batter. Any uncooked pork dinner sausage can be used, though the traditional choice would be English bangers. Unfortunately, finding them in the US has proven a challenge. In this case, I used the Irish Garlic sausages I found just before St. Patrick’s Day. The onion gravy is what really makes this dish, anyway.

Each year we follow our longstanding tradition of making corned beef and cabbage for St. Patrick’s Day, but I need to record just how I do that before I forget (again). This covers all the bases, plus a few extras, and it makes a lot of leftovers. But it does take a large Instant Pot (8 quart). All you need to add is Irish soda bread and Kerrygold Irish butter to complete your feast.

As Marti Gras came around again this year, I wanted something lighter than gumbo or jambalaya. I used to eat oyster po’ boys in Provo, Utah (of all places), and I’d once had a shrimp po’ boy in Phoenix. So I decided to give it a shot, but it had to be simple and easy. This meets that requirement, taking less than 30 minutes start to finish. I wouldn’t call it authentic, but it tastes great. The shrimp was frozen from a bag, the condiments from store-bought, squeeze bottles, and instead of a baguette, I used steak rolls from Walmart.

We used to make this all the time, but when I was recently asked to bring it to a “breakfast for supper” family meal, I couldn’t come up with the recipe. I found one online that was as close as I could remember, and tweaked it just a bit. At least now I know where to find it!

When I lived in the Phoenix East Valley, I used to order P.F. Chang’s Chicken Lettuce Wraps (especially for takeout) on a pretty regular basis. This is a pretty close approximation of that dish, with a lot more vegetables. When I’m willing to put in the effort to make it myself.

My wife used to occasionally make monkey bread for breakfast on holidays, but she hasn’t done so for a number of years. When I came across this recipe from Chef John, I decided to make it to go with Thanksgiving dinner this year, instead of yet another pie.

My daughter-in-law makes these rolls for many of our family dinners. Since they can’t be with us this Thanksgiving, I asked for the recipe so we can still have them. However, I changed the proportions to fill a full sheet pan instead of a 9x13 pan, and I’ll probably make 2 of those. They’re so good!

This is probably a bit stronger in the curry direction than most soups of this type, but hey, I like curries.

My mother and sister swear by this recipe. I’m just exstatic that it doesn’t require me to peel the tomatoes. Peeling tomatoes sucks. And peaches. Removing thin skin from soft fruit is awful, and having to dip them in boiling water to do so is even worse. Good ridance!

I love wings, but I hate deep fat frying. While not as crispy as the real thing, these wings are a good substitute. The air fryer renders the fat out of the skin, and the wings are still juicy and flavorful. The sauce is a simple buffalo sauce, but you can use any sauce you like.