Suzanne Calling

Do you have recipes that you've made for so long that you don't even think about the process, you just do them? Then someone asks you for the recipe and you have to think about measurements and steps and you respond 'Oh, that's an easy one, seriously, anyone can do it.' Except that they can't, because it's not something they do with regularity. It's like that for me and most Italian dishes, because I grew up watching mom and well, we're coming up on 34 or 35 years that I've been making some of these things. Which is probably why I made Baked Ziti for my class 'snack' the other night. It's quick (relatively), it's easy and it feeds a lot of people for next to nothing. First, the marinara. I know I've said it before, but I can't remember if I did on MomDot or here that each of my siblings has their own take on my mom's basic marinara recipe. The trick to a good marinara is to let it cook on low heat for a loooooooo...

I don't know the first time I had a pulled pork sandwich, but the first good one I had was in the summer of 1984, when Dad, Giggles and I were on vacation. The smoky flavor (that didn't come from a bottle of liquid smoke), the tangy barbeque sauce and the perfect bun. I was hooked. Since then, I've had my share of good 'Que and bad, but the purchase of the grill last year made me want to perfect my own 'que at home. I'm not there yet, but the most recent offerings I made on the grill were deemed so good by Chef that he insisted no barbeque sauce was needed. Whoa. I think the key to satisfaction from all three menfolk was the dry rub I used this time. Put a good one on a pork butt or picnic, let it sit and then grill for half the day, and your family will be raving, too. While you may not have the means to grill something low and slow at home for 6 or so hours, you can do the same in the oven. It won't have the smoke ring, but it will have ...

The regional sandwich you'll find in this neck of the woods are the very tasty Cuban sandwiches, usually just referred to as a Cuban. Originally created as something the workers could eat on the go as they went about their work in the fields, a Cuban contains pork loin, ham, cheese, lettuce mustard and pickles on a bread similar to crusty Italian bread. Then they're flattened and heated in a plancha (hot grill) and served up warm. We're not purists, though, preferring to ditch the pickles and sometimes even the mustard. When done just right, though, a Cuban is a thing of beauty. Today, inspiration struck. I made a wonderful 4 pound pork loin on the grill last night, which there is probably 3 pounds remaining. I've got all the other ingredients we eat AND this amazing barbeque sauce Ed calls Awesomeque. (Pssst, it's really this guy's Pig pucker sauce and dude, thanks for the recipe!) Why not make Gringos, since taking the pickles and mustard off the sand...

What kid doesn't like macaroni and cheese? Mine do, but there's a small problem: Game Teen can't have food dyes, so that good old staple of many American pantries is not found in ours. Still, the kid loves his macs and cheese and would love to have it three meals a day. So, I ended up making my own recipe and if you'd like, you can use one pot to cook the pasta, then make the cheese sauce and dump the strained pasta back in. If you're a purist, then by all means, use elbow macaroni pasta. We're not picky here-as long as it's got the cheese sauce, the kids are happy. Homemade Macaroni and Cheese 1 lb elbow macaroni 4 Tbsp butter 4 Tbsp flour 1 Tbsp salt 1 1/2 teaspoons salt 1 teaspoon curry powder 1 teaspoon granulated garlic 1 teaspoon onion powder If you want the color, 1/2 teaspoon turmeric or annatto 12 oz shredded cheddar (I use extra sharp or seriously sharp) **You can substitute swiss, gouda or another flavorful cheese. 2 to 3 cups milk 1 cup sour ...