[bc-chris]

Originally Posted by FlamesAddiction

I do all the cooking in our household.

The specialty I make most of the time are cabbage rolls (Polish and Ukrainian varieties). Out of all the things I make, it's the one I am most proud of because my friends and sister usually get me to make them around holidays and they actually stand-up to the ones my mother and baba used to make. I learned through trial and error that you don't want a cabbage that is too hard or under ripe. It took a long for me to master it and figure out the perfect recipe. Dill is the secret ingredient, which I actually learned from Jenny Jones... lol. If you like Polish food, she has some great recipes.

I also make a lot of meat loaf. I like making meat load because it is really easy, versatile, and you can get a few good meals without needing to invest a lot of time. There are so many different combinations, but the process is pretty much always the same. I recommend this a lot of my younger friends who go out a lot to eat or are intimidated my cooking. I also make a lot of homemade hamburgers, usually with the left over meat that doesn't fit into the meat loaf. Again, dill is the trick.

A couple of times a month, I will also make a big pot of soup in the slow cooker. The one I make the most often is vegetable chowder with bacon.

For day-to-day, I typically stick to pretty easy stuff, like marinated pork chops and chicken. I am learned to make my own marinades with the most common ingredient being apple cider vinegar, sesame oil, pepper, honey, dark soy sauce, garlic, and Italian herbs.

I also make a Chinese style fried rice quite often, it's a good way to use up extra rice in the fridge before it goes bad.

A few time a year, if I can find ground lamb on sale, I make homemade ćevapčići. It's hard to find kajmak where I live though, but I have a stockpile in my freezer for now. I recommend Macedonian ajvar.

i've gotta ask about the meatloaf.... when you serve it, is it out of the pan, cut and serve? that's how my mom always used to do it. then in my restaurant days we'd make meatloaf, but the slices were grilled on both sides before being served - wow!! what a game changer - having that sear on both sides! on man! so good!