I used to keep a couple jars of store-bought marinara sauce in the pantry until I found that making my own version was pretty easy, cost effective, and most importantly allowed me to use a single batch of a “base” sauce then transform it in many different ways. Sure, I could always take the store-bought […]
Base Marinara Sauce Read More »
This dish has all the flavors and “comfort food feel” of stuffed bell peppers, but–in my view–is easier to make. As an added bonus, it only uses one pot making for less clean-up. I have made this with ground beef and ground bison, but my favorite meat to use is ground turkey. In either case,
Stuffed Bell Pepper Casserole Read More »
This is a quick and simple way to make a salad dressing. This recipe results in a fairly small batch that is enough for around four side salads. Different vinegars and herbs may also be used. For example, red wine vinegar along with 1t of dried oregano is a slightly more “potent” version of this
Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing Read More »
There have been a few small modifications to the “home server” since Home Server – 2023 Edition was published. However, 2025 was a year for a big change which prompted this update. In the end, the core hardware for the main home server was migrated from almost 15-year-old technology to things that were more modern
Home Server – 2025 Edition Read More »
This is a quick tzatziki sauce that provides a nice, “crisp” taste to things. I mainly use it when making gyro meat, but also sometimes as a salad dressing. I like a bit of “bite” to the sauce, but if that is not your style, the lemon juice and vinegar may be omitted. The sauce
This dish has something of a Jekyll and Hyde component to it as if you taste it before adding the cream and butter at the end, it really transforms into a different animal after. It is also versatile as other things such as thawed frozen green beans–my pick–can also be added. In this picture, I
Using a slow cooker is currently my favorite way to make chicken stock. One of the challenges with making stock or chicken broth (technically, I think the “broth” recipe linked here is actually still stock since it uses bones) is keeping the liquid at the brink of a very slow boil (I aim for keeping
Slow Cooker Chicken Stock Read More »
This is currently my favorite way to cook a turkey for Thanksgiving. While it takes a bit of preparation, it cooks much quicker. Plus, the white meat can be cooked in a different pan from the dark meat. Since the white meat and dark meat cook at different rates and to different temperatures, having the
Deboned Turkey / Chicken Read More »
This is a versatile, tomato-forward meat sauce that freezes well. In the picture shown here, the meat is used on a tostada with some lettuce and sour cream mixed with lime juice and some water. It could also be used in tacos, burritos, scrambled with eggs, or even just put on a bun like a
This is a quick and basic way to make a meal using things that I usually keep in my pantry. I use a 9 x 5in loaf pan when baking this which makes a short loaf. Use a smaller pan if you want something taller keeping in mind that your baking time will probably increase.
