Entrees
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Creamy Potato Soup
A simple hearty classic with all of our favorite ingredients. I would say this is perfect for cooler weather, but I think I will reach for this throughout the year.
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Grilled Suya
A co-worker from Africa sent me some videos/pictures from a trip back home where the street vendors were grilling up various varieties of Suya. From what he has told me this is great with many different types of proteins, I will try out some chicken next time.
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Ultimate Sandwich
This sandwich is a combination of a BLT, a grilled cheese and a fried egg sandwich. It is also the sandwich featured on the movie Spanglish as the "Late Night BLT with Fried Egg and Cheese".
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Hot Brown Turkey Sandwich
When you can't quite decide what you want, this may be a good option. A hearty open-faced sandwich has all the key ingredients: bacon, gravy and a little turkey on simple slice of bread.
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Cheesy Croissant Casserole
This breakfast casserole is a showstopper. A variety of textures and flavors are followed up by a rich buttery melt in your mouth goodness.
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Chicken Enchiladas
This dish comes together quickly and has intense creamy flavors that make it an awesome item for a quick get together or a small family meal.
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Baked Potato
The classic baked potato with a soft interior and slightly crispy outside.
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Braised Beef Short Ribs
We often have short ribs since it is a quick way to throw together a meal for Sunday dinner. With minimal effort you end up with a very tender dish that is a cross between steak and roast.
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Smoked Pork Ribs
Your patience will be rewarded with many tender and delicious rib bones to feast on after making these awesome ribs.
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Tuna Salad
A simple staple to whip up when you need something quick or to pack for a picnic. Perfect for crackers, wraps, sandwiches or plain.
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Merrick Family Chili
There have been minor tweaks to this chili over the years, however this is the chili that has consistently placed me in the top 3 at many chili contests, including a few wins.
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Pasta with Garlic and Oil
A surprisingly simple and quick dish that produces a flavorful take on spaghetti. It has a little bit of heat and quite a bit of garlic, both friends of mine.
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Fried Potatoes and Onions
One of the few dishes I remember my grandpa making, however I wasn't brave enough to try them back then.
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Zucchini Tian (Tian de Courgettes au Riz)
My favorite way so far to eat zucchini, shredded zucchini casserole with cheese and rice. The only thing missing is an episode of Julia Child making it in the background.
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Chicken Pot Pie
The base of this recipe is good enough to eat on its own as a soup. If you add a crust you have pot pie, toss in some biscuits and now you have chicken and dumplings. Don't be afraid to simplify and use a rotisserie chicken and pre-made pie crusts from the grocery store.
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Chicken Parmesan Meatballs
Chicken parm is one of our favorite hot sandwiches as well as one of my favorites to order at Italian restaurants. This recipe is much easier than pounding out chicken breasts and produces an excellent crisp meatball.
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Chicken Tikka Masala
For many people Chicken Tikka is the first dish they are introduced to for Indian food, and for good reason. It is flavorful and has a lot of familiar tastes. It isn't usually spicy and doesn't have ingredients people haven't heard of. For me, it continues to be my favorite Indian food and this recipe is my favorite to date.
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Smoked – Pulled Pork
Pork shoulder is a very forgiving and cheap meat to start with if you are new to smoking. During a long cook it slowly transforms to an incredible tender feast for many people to enjoy.
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Sous Vide Pork Carnitas
This recipe doesn't get much easier. Super tender carnitas that can be started the night before and ready within 20 minutes for dinner. Add guacamole, cilantro, cheese, sour cream, rice and salsa and you have a full Chipotle bowl at home.
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Sous Vide & Smoked Beef Brisket
My love for brisket has only recently come about. A local BBQ restaurant started to offer a full-cut brisket option so I decided to give it a try. It is so tender and juicy, reheats well and is probably my favorite smoked meat to date.
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Cottage Pie
Cottage pie is the beef version of the more well known version of Shepherd's Pie which is served with lamb. This entree is pretty quick to prepare, easy to add a variety of vegetables to, and the leftovers reheat well. It is quickly becoming one of my favorite entrees lately.
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Chicken and Sausage Gumbo
This recipe came to me highly recommended from a friend and it has now been added to our regular rotation of meals. It is a little time consuming, I have reworked the recipe some to reduce the time, but it makes quite a bit of food so you can take a few days off and eat leftovers.
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Cheddar Ranch Turkey Burgers
These two extra ingredients will ensure that turkey burgers will be in regular rotation during the grilling season. The cheese oozes right out and each bite is loaded with flavor.
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Pepperoni Garlic Knots
These doughy knots cooked in the cast iron skillet, end up being like a deep dish pizza appetizer with individual pieces each wrapped in flavor.
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Pizza Dough
This simple recipe makes a dough that can be used for pizza, breadsticks, garlic knots, calzones etc. Simple, tasty and fool-proof.
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Cilantro Lime Rice
Made famous by Chipotle, this super simple rice is a hit with the family. We make our own burrito bowls, quick nachos or add as a side with steak tacos.
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Mongolian Beef
I didn't have high expectations for this dish, I have tried similar recipes and have never been impressed. However, this one is a keeper, and it is simple.
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Summer Vegetable Casserole
This rainbow of color is sure to spruce up your table and provide a change of pace compared to a regular vegetable spread. When done properly the layer of cheese makes this smell like a delicious pizza.
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Crispy Roasted Sweet Potato Spiral
I made these unconventional Sweet Potatoes for Thanksgiving and hope to keep them in a regular rotation. If not only for taste, but for presentation.
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Macaroni & Cheese
Warning, this isn't a mac and cheese made for children. This will take much longer than the stuff from the box, but the taste is much better and there are some good techniques to practice.
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Loaded Smashed Potato Skillet
My wife loves potatoes more than any other food. She even named her cat Tater. This recipe is often requested and I can't blame her.
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Quinoa and Black Beans
One of our favorite dishes that features Quinoa. This dish also reheats pretty well and makes for a healthy addition to the lunchbox.
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Shredded Buffalo Chicken
While this isn't one I particularly love, everyone else does. Me and Buffalo sauce aren't really friends. Quick and easy, great for a large group - and it's cheap!
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Pork Chops with Sweet and Sour Peppers
This was one of our first recipes to try out from the Home Cooking Cookbook, and while it is a little more intensive, it produces great results. The techniques learned here we have used for other dishes.
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Spicy Drunken Chicken
After falling in love with the Drunken Chicken at Yats, I had to find something similar. This recipe is super simple and lasts for quite a few meals and scales nicely for larger groups like a board game night.
