Tag: oregano

Categories
Appetizer Crockpot Side Dish Snack

Your guests will go hog wild for this amazing bean dip

Frijoles puercos, or “piggy beans,” are made with five pork products, along with some fresh veggies and plenty of cheese. It’s good on tacos or other dishes or just as a bean dip, served with tortilla chips.
Frijoles puercos, or “piggy beans,” are made with five pork products, along with some fresh veggies and plenty of cheese. It’s good on tacos or other dishes or just as a bean dip, served with tortilla chips.

It’s the time of year that Joey’s bowling team comes for their end-of-season cookout at our house.

That means Joey throws something on the grill or smoker, and I figure out some tasty sides and desserts to make them all happy.

The guys are always gracious enough to put up with new experiments from me every year, and when Joey decided he was going to do pulled pork tacos this year, I knew I had a bean dip that needed to be made.

It’s one of those recipes that is absolutely terrible for you, so you only make it when you can spread it out amongst a ton of people and spare yourself the leftovers.

This comes from creator Arnie “ArnieTex” Segovia. He has a cookbook out, and he makes his own seasonings, so you can buy his if you don’t want to measure out what I have below. You can find the video where he make it at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18tlP5AM5YQ. I added chicken broth, sussed out the seasonings and added extra chipotle peppers to my version below.

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Frijoles Puercos

Frijoles puercos, or “piggy beans,” are made with five pork products, along with some fresh veggies and plenty of cheese. It’s good on tacos or other dishes or just as a bean dip, served with tortilla chips.
Course Appetizer, Side Dish, Snacks
Keyword bacon, bean dip, chicken broth, chicken stock, chili powder, chipotle peppers, chorizo, cumin, fresh jalapenos, garlic powder, hot dog, Monterrey jack cheese, onion, oregano, pickled jalapenos, pinto beans, pork rinds, restaurant bean dip, Roma tomatoes, salt pork, white onion, yellow onion

Ingredients

  • 2 cups dry pinto beans rinsed
  • 7 cups chicken stock or broth
  • 2 teaspoons garlic powder
  • 2 teaspoons cumin
  • 2 teaspoons chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 10 ounces chorizo divided
  • 4 ounces salt pork diced
  • 2 strips bacon diced
  • 1 hot dog diced
  • 6 to 8 pork rinds broken into smaller pieces
  • 1 small white or yellow onion roughly chopped
  • 2 Roma tomatoes roughly chopped
  • 2 fresh jalapenos roughly chopped
  • 7 ounces chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
  • 3 ounces pickled jalapenos
  • 8 ounces Monterrey jack cheese freshly shredded

Instructions

  • Add the beans, chicken stock, garlic powder, cumin, chili powder, oregano, salt and pepper to a large crockpot, and stir to combine.
  • Turn the heat on high and let cook for about 30 minutes.
  • Once the stock is heated through, add four ounces of the chorizo and all of the salt pork, bacon, hot dog and pork rinds to the crockpot, and give it another stir.
  • Cover and cook for another 30 minutes.
  • Add in the onion, tomatoes and fresh jalapenos and continue to cook on high for another three hours or until the beans, meat and vegetables are all cooked through.
  • When the beans are almost done, add the rest of the chorizo to a skillet and saute until it is cooked through, breaking it apart as you do. Add the cooked chorizo, along with the chipotle peppers in adobo and pickled jalapenos to the crockpot and stir. Turn the crockpot to low or warm.
  • Now, using an immersion blender (or a regular blender, going in batches), blend the entire mixture until it is completely smooth.
  • When no more chunks remain, stir in the cheese, and keep stirring until it is completely melted. Serve with tortilla chips or along with your favorite Mexican dishes.

I was told I made a friend look at restaurant bean dip totally differently after knowing what all was in these beans. That tells you two things: one, these were definitely restaurant-quality and super delicious, and two, bean dip is decidedly not a health food.

It’s not very spicy, despite including the jalapenos and chipotle peppers, and the combination of the fattiness of the pork, along with the fresh veggies and beans is fabulous. Frijoles puercos translates to “piggy beans,” and that’s pretty much what it’s made out of and how you feel when you enjoy it.

And, thank goodness, I was able to load up leftovers and send most of the remaining bean dip off with others to be enjoyed, so Joey and I didn’t have to worry about raising our collective cholesterol through the roof.

It’s great to have friends; it’s even better when they help you eat something that’s a bit over the top.

This first appeared in print May 14, 2026.

Spice Up Your Life is a weekly newspaper column written by Lindsey Young in south central Kansas. If you are interested in sponsoring this column, please contact us through the “Contact Lindsey” link at the top of the page.

Categories
Crockpot

Get your mojo going with this citrus-forward pork recipe

Slow cooker mojo pork has a bright flavor, thanks to plenty of fresh citrus, that makes it the perfect dinner over some yellow rice and black beans.
Slow cooker mojo pork has a bright flavor, thanks to plenty of fresh citrus, that makes it the perfect dinner over some yellow rice and black beans.

I’ve said before that trying to figure out measurements while Joey cooks is pretty much a herculean feat.

He’s a man who always measures with his heart. And, boy, does his heart love our spice cabinet.

That’s perfectly fine with me, though, because he is great at combining flavors, and he’s also the person you want in the kitchen when you know the dish you made still needs “something,” but you can’t quite figure out what that is.

That’s enough compliments for him, though, because as I mentioned last week, he and I decided to have a face-off on who could prepare the best pork butt, and the recipe I’m sharing this week is the one he decided to try.

The good news is I was hovering behind him, writing down measurements as he cooked so that you can re-create it, too.

This was a combination of a recipe from the website “AllRecipes.com,” which you can find at https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/281144/slow-cooker-mojo-pork/ and from an Instagram creator, Nicole Nelson McLaughlin, who posts under @nicolemcmom. Plus, Joey had some adjustments of his own, of course.

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Slow Cooker Mojo Pork

Slow cooker mojo pork has a bright flavor, thanks to plenty of fresh citrus, that makes it the perfect dinner over some yellow rice and black beans.
Course Main Course
Keyword bay leaves, cilantro, cumin, fresh cilantro, fresh garlic, fresh lime, fresh oranges, garlic powder, lime juice, lime zest, minced garlic, orange juice, orange zest, oregano, pork butt, pork shoulder, yellow onion, yellow rice

Ingredients

  • 4- pound pork butt roast
  • 1 large yellow onion thinly sliced
  • zest from two large oranges
  • zest from two large limes
  • 3/4 cup orange juice freshly squeezed
  • 1/2 cup lime juice freshly squeezed
  • 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1/4 cup fresh cilantro chopped, plus more for serving
  • 8 to 10 cloves garlic minced
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 4 teaspoons dried oregano
  • 2 teaspoons cumin
  • 2 teaspoons onion powder
  • 2 teaspoons garlic powder
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • prepared yellow rice for serving
  • 15- ounce can black beans rinsed, for serving

Instructions

  • If there’s quite a bit of fat on your pork butt, you may want to trim and discard some of it (leave a little—fat is flavor).
  • Add the pork butt to a crockpot, and then sprinkle the rest of the ingredients around it. (You can stir a bit to combine things, if you want, but it’ll combine as it cooks, too.)
  • Cook, covered, in your crockpot for seven to eight hours on high or four to six on low until the pork is cooked through and easy to shred.
  • Discard the bay leaves.
  • Shred the pork in the crockpot, and serve the shredded pork and onions on top of the yellow rice and black beans. Top with some of the juice from the crockpot, as well as some fresh cilantro.

The delicious smell of this recipe just completely took over our kitchen. The citrus came through in a really pleasant way to highlight the pork and give it some brightness.

We just ate this in bowls over the rice and beans, but you could put this into tortillas, too, if you wanted to or scoop it up with tortillas chips.

So, I do think our pork butt competition fully ended in a tie. But the good news is that we ended up with two very different kinds of leftovers over the next week or so.

And I definitely had to refill several of my spice containers afterwards, but that’s the price of a great meal.

This piece first appeared in print April 30, 2026.

Spice Up Your Life is a weekly newspaper column written by Lindsey Young in south central Kansas. If you are interested in sponsoring this column, please contact us through the “Contact Lindsey” link at the top of the page.

Categories
Main Dish

This classic casserole is entering a new school of ‘tot’

Chicken alfredo tater tot casserole puts an Italian twist on a classic casserole concept. It’s a creamy, delicious dinner that’s easy to make and easy to customize.
Chicken alfredo tater tot casserole puts an Italian twist on a classic casserole concept. It’s a creamy, delicious dinner that’s easy to make and easy to customize.

Back before my married days, one of my favorite dishes to make for myself was a big nine-by-13-inch pan of good, old-fashioned tater tot casserole.

Of course, being one person, that also meant I was dedicating one meal a day for the next week to eating plenty of leftovers.

I’m a sucker for leftovers, though, so while that might have driven some of you crazy, I always loved it.

When Joey and I married, I learned that he wasn’t against a tater tot casserole. It was just on his “it’s fine” list of foods, so I don’t make it too often these days. (Plus, with needing to try a new recipe every week, sometimes the old favorites take a backseat to something experimental.)

That means, when I found a recipe that is a big twist on tater tot casserole this week, you know I had to give it a try.

This comes from the blog “Inspire Spire.” You can find the original post at https://inspirespire.com/2025/07/18/chicken-alfredo-tater-tot-casserole-recipe/. I added extra seasonings and some veggies and mushrooms in my version.

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Chicken Alfredo Tater Tot Casserole

Chicken alfredo tater tot casserole puts an Italian twist on a classic casserole concept. It’s a creamy, delicious dinner that’s easy to make and easy to customize.
Course Main Course
Keyword Alfredo sauce, baby bellas, basil, bell pepper, chicken, easy casserole, fresh mushrooms, garlic powder, mozzarella, onion, onion powder, oregano, parmesan, red pepper flakes, shredded chicken, tater tots, yellow onion

Ingredients

  • 1-2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 medium yellow onion diced
  • 1 small bell pepper diced (any color)
  • 1/2 cup diced mushrooms I used baby bellas
  • 2 cups cooked chicken shredded
  • 15 ounces alfredo sauce
  • 2 teaspoons garlic powder
  • 2 teaspoons onion powder
  • 2 teaspoons dried parsley
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 32 ounce bag frozen tater tots
  • 1 cup shredded mozzarella
  • 1/2 cup shredded parmesan

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Prepare a nine-by-13-inch baking dish by spraying it with cooking spray, and set it aside.
  • Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, bell pepper and mushrooms, and saute until everything is cooked through.
  • Add the chicken, alfredo sauce, and seasonings to a bowl and mix it well. (If your alfredo sauce is already seasoned the way you like, you don’t need to add all the extras. Just follow your heart.)
  • Evenly spread the chicken mixture into the bottom of your prepared pan.
  • Cover the top with a single layer of tater tots, and then top evenly with the cheese.
  • Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until the cheese is lightly browned on top.

This was creamy and delicious, and the leftovers were fabulous. I will say that if you put a little extra cheese on it like I did, you might want to layer that under the tater tots so they get nice and crispy.

I definitely made this more complicated than the original, which honestly just included the sauce, chicken, tots and cheese, but I couldn’t resist adding the extra veggies and mushrooms to the mix, and they were really good.

I think Joey secretly knew I was trying to trick him into moving tater tot casserole up on his list with this twist, but he just has too many other meals he likes a lot more. He did like it, though.

Regardless, if I’m ever going to be at home by myself for several days, I might need to opt for this new tater tot casserole to sustain me through the week.

This piece first appeared in print March 12, 2026.

Spice Up Your Life is a weekly newspaper column written by Lindsey Young in south central Kansas. If you are interested in sponsoring this column, please contact us through the “Contact Lindsey” link at the top of the page.

Categories
Main Dish

‘Tuscan’ play at this shrimp pasta game

Creamy Tuscan shrimp features Italian seasonings, alongside pasta, mushrooms and more. It’s a great, filling dish for a cold night.
Creamy Tuscan shrimp features Italian seasonings, alongside pasta, mushrooms and more. It’s a great, filling dish for a cold night.

A few weeks ago, as one of my officemates, who shall remain nameless, glanced at my column, he remarked, “You’re really on a pasta kick right now, aren’t you?”

“Yeah,” I told him. “I’m always on a pasta kick.”

I mean, it’s kind of a silly question. Pasta is amazing.

So, despite the judgement from the peanut gallery, I made yet another pasta dish this week—well, actually I added pasta to a dish—and it was delicious. It was perfect for an evening meal on a cold day.

This comes from the blog “Salt & Lavender.” You can find the original post at https://www.saltandlavender.com/creamy-garlic-shrimp-with-sun-dried-tomatoes-and-basil/. I added mushrooms, onion, and pasta, as well as extra seasonings in my version.

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Creamy Tuscan Shrimp

Creamy Tuscan shrimp features Italian seasonings, alongside pasta, mushrooms and more. It’s a great, filling dish for a cold night.
Course Main Course
Keyword 30-minute meal, baby bellas, baby spinach, basil, fresh garlic, fresh mushrooms, fresh spinach, heavy cream, lemon juice, linguine, minced garlic, onion, oregano, parsley, pasta, shrimp, spaghetti, sun-dried tomatoes, yellow onion

Ingredients

  • 8 ounces spaghetti or linguini
  • 2-4 tablespoons butter
  • 1 small yellow onion
  • 8 ounces fresh mushrooms sliced (I used baby bellas)
  • 1 teaspoon flour
  • 6 to 8 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon dried parsley
  • 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes oil drained
  • 1 pound raw shrimp peeled and deveined
  • 2 cups fresh baby spinach packed
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Prepare your pasta according to the package directions.
  • While it cooks, melt two tablespoons of butter in a large saute pan over medium heat. When it’s melted, add in the onion and mushrooms, and saute until the onion is cooked through. (If the veggies soak up all the butter, you might add a tablespoon or two more to make sure there’s a little fat in the pan for the next step.)
  • Stir in the little bit of flour and add the garlic, sauteing until the garlic just becomes fragrant and the flour is all absorbed.
  • Stir in the cream, lemon juice, basil, oregano, parsley and sun-dried tomatoes, being sure to incorporate any browned bits stuck to the bottom of the skillet.
  • Let the mixture come to a low simmer, and let it cook for two minutes.
  • Add the shrimp, letting them cook in the sauce for about five minutes or until they’re cooked through.
  • Finally, stir in the pasta and spinach, stirring to wilt the spinach into the sauce, and add salt and pepper to taste.

This was creamy and full of flavor. Adding all the extras meant that it wasn’t an overly saucy dish, but there was enough to give everything a good coating.

If you’re not much of a shrimp fan, just leave it out, and then serve this with some grilled chicken. It would be an excellent combination, too.

And yes, if you’re feeling like the pasta is a bit much, just leave it out, too. Just don’t tell me. I’m still on that kick.

This piece first appeared in print Jan. 1, 2026.

Spice Up Your Life is a weekly newspaper column written by Lindsey Young in south central Kansas. If you are interested in sponsoring this column, please contact us through the “Contact Lindsey” link at the top of the page.

Categories
Main Dish

Everyone will polish off their plates with this sheet pan meal

A Polish sheet pan dinner is easy to make in short order, with fresh cabbage and onions, along with frozen pierogi and smoked sausage. It’s all topped off with a freshly made beer cheese sauce and some bacon to make a real crowd-pleaser for supper.
A Polish sheet pan dinner is easy to make in short order, with fresh cabbage and onions, along with frozen pierogi and smoked sausage. It’s all topped off with a freshly made beer cheese sauce and some bacon to make a real crowd-pleaser for supper.

While watching random cooking shows over the years, I picked up the advice from several chefs that if you’re cooking with wine, you should choose a bottle you would actually want to drink, or it isn’t worth using in your recipe.

I have never heard the same advice for beer.

I have used some of the lowest quality, icky beers I’ve ever tasted in baking and cooking over the years, and it’s never seemed to mess up the recipe. In the end, the breadiness of the beer remains, and whatever bitter nonsense that was there before seems to evaporate.

That was the case for this week’s recipe, as well, as I used a cheap domestic lager to create some darn good beer cheese sauce.

The recipe I tried comes from the Instagram account “foodcreationsforyou” by Ryan Pauly. You can look him up there; he has a ton of recipes. I added lots of extra seasonings and also an onion into my version below.

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Polish Sheet Pan Dinner

A Polish sheet pan dinner is easy to make in short order, with fresh cabbage and onions, along with frozen pierogi and smoked sausage. It’s all topped off with a freshly made beer cheese sauce and some bacon to make a real crowd-pleaser for supper.
Course Main Course
Cuisine Polish
Keyword 30-minute meal, bacon, basil, beer, beer cheese, cabbage, chicken broth, cream cheese, easy dinner, frozen pierogi, garlic powder, lager, onion, onion powder, oregano, parsley, pierogi, rope sausage, sharp cheddar cheese, smoked paprika, smoked sausage, yellow onion

Ingredients

Ingredients

  • 1 small head cabbage chopped
  • 1 small yellow onion sliced
  • 14 ounces smoked sausage sliced into bite-sized pieces
  • 16- ounce package frozen pierogi
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
  • 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • Olive oil to coat ingredients

Beer Cheese Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup lager- or ale-style beer
  • 1/4 cup chicken broth
  • 4 ounces cream cheese cubed
  • 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese freshly shredded
  • 1 teaspoon cornstarch
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 4 slices bacon cooked and chopped, divided

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 425 degrees and prepare a large, rimmed baking sheet by lining it with aluminum foil or parchment paper.
  • Dump the cabbage, onion, sausage, pierogi and spices onto the sheet, and drizzle olive oil over everything. Mix with a spoon or with your hands until the oil and spices are well distributed over all the ingredients.
  • Bake for 30 minutes, stirring once halfway through, until everything is cooked through and the pierogi are lightly browned.
  • While the sausage mixture cooks, add all of the beer cheese ingredients, except for the bacon, into a small pot and heat over medium heat, stirring regularly until the cheese mixture is melted and well combined. If you want a looser sauce, add a bit more chicken stock to the mixture.
  • Add in two of the chopped slices of bacon and remove it from the heat or set it to low.
  • For serving, scoop the sausage mixture into a bowl and top it with the beer cheese and more bacon.

This was a great dinner for a cooler evening, and the leftovers reheated well, too. There was also a decent amount of the cheese left over that we used up with other meals. It would be amazing with a freshly baked soft pretzel.

The meal itself had a great combination of flavors, from the smoked sausage to the roasted cabbage and onions and the pierogi. The beer cheese and bacon on top were excellent, and I was glad to once again prove that you can buy some pretty cheap, awful beer and end up with an excellent, delicious meal.

This piece first appeared in print Nov. 6, 2025.

Spice Up Your Life is a weekly newspaper column written by Lindsey Young in south central Kansas. If you are interested in sponsoring this column, please contact us through the “Contact Lindsey” link at the top of the page.

Categories
Main Dish Soup

Turmeric-based veggie soup will help you feel golden

For a great low-calorie and vegan meal, vegetable noodle soup packs a ton of flavor with lots of delicious spices and fresh vegetables.
For a great low-calorie and vegan meal, vegetable noodle soup packs a ton of flavor with lots of delicious spices and fresh vegetables.

Every time I use turmeric in a recipe, I remember back to the time I ruined the one and only manicure I’ve ever had while using it in a delicious Jamaican recipe.

Knowing it has the ability to stain everything, I have been diligent about wearing an apron when cooking with it ever since (although I’m still very willing to sacrifice my nails for the cause).

This week’s recipe featured turmeric, so I paid careful attention to what I was doing while stirring, watching the broth turn a beautiful yellow color.

I managed to get through the cooking process completely unscathed.

But then, when I sat down with my steaming bowl of soup, I realized that my capacity to make a mess went beyond the kitchen and into the dining room as I managed to spill it directly down my shirt.

So typical.

But also so worth it.

This recipe comes from the blog “Munch Meals by Janet.” You can find the original post at https://munchmealsbyjanet.com/2020/11/09/vegan-vegetable-noodle-soup/. I added extra seasoning, broth and ingredients in the version below.

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Vegetable Noodle Soup

For a great low-calorie and vegan meal, vegetable noodle soup packs a ton of flavor with lots of delicious spices and fresh vegetables.
Course Main Course, Soup
Keyword bay leaves, carrots, celery, fresh garlic, garlic powder, minced garlic, onion, oregano, pasta, potatoes, turmeric, vegan, vegetable broth, vegetable stock, vegetarian, yellow onion

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 medium yellow onion diced
  • 4 ribs celery diced
  • 4 large carrots diced
  • 6 to 8 cloves garlic minced
  • 6 to 8 cups vegetable broth
  • 4 teaspoons oregano
  • 2 teaspoons garlic powder
  • 2 teaspoons turmeric
  • 2 bay leaves
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 large potatoes cubed
  • 16 ounces pasta something tubular; I used cavatappi

Instructions

  • In a large stockpot or Dutch oven with a lid, heat the oil over medium heat.
  • Add the onion, celery and carrots, and saute until everything is softened.
  • Add the garlic and saute for a couple minutes, just until it’s starting to be fragrant, and add in six cups of broth, oregano, garlic powder, turmeric, bay leaves, salt and pepper, potatoes and pasta, and stir to combine.
  • Cover the pot and raise the heat slightly. Let the soup come to a gentle boil.
  • Lower the heat to keep the soup at a simmer, and leave the lid on for 14 to 15 minutes or until the pasta is cooked through and the potatoes are fork tender. Add more salt and pepper, if desired.
  • Fish out the bay leaves and discard them, and then serve.

This had so much flavor. The turmeric added an earthy, peppery flavor, and the combination of all the vegetables in the broth made it an excellent, hearty dinner.

And luckily, my stain treatment managed to slay the turmeric, and my shirt is good as new.

Next time I pull that bottle off my spice rack, I’ll have to remember that I don’t just need my apron—I might need to get a bib, too.

This piece first appeared in print Sept. 25, 2025.

Spice Up Your Life is a weekly newspaper column written by Lindsey Young in south central Kansas. If you are interested in sponsoring this column, please contact us through the “Contact Lindsey” link at the top of the page.

Categories
Main Dish

Nothing about wine-braised ribs falls short

Braised short ribs are seared to perfection before being slow cooked in the oven with lots of vegetables and seasonings, along with wine and beef stock, to create a rich sauce.
Braised short ribs are seared to perfection before being slow cooked in the oven with lots of vegetables and seasonings, along with wine and beef stock, to create a rich sauce.

I am generally pretty useless when it comes to remembering the different cuts of meat.

If I’m ordering a steak, I know that a t-bone will have, well, a t-shaped bone in it, but I forget which cut has the best marbling or is the leanest, etc., etc.

But after this week’s experiment, I now understand a new one: the beef short rib. And I also know that I really enjoy eating them.

If you’re like me and have no idea what a short rib is, the easy answer is that it’s literally a short piece of rib.

According to a post from the Lake Geneva Country Meats website, short ribs come from the area between the chuck section of a cow (where we get chuck roasts and a variety of steak cuts) and the rib section. The pieces aren’t big enough for steaks, so they get to be their own cut.

They’re extremely flavorful and are a favorite of a lot of chefs. And now me, too.

The recipe I tried comes from the blog “Good Food Baddie” by Capri Lilly. You can find her original post at https://goodfoodbaddie.com/red-wine-braised-short-ribs/. I added extra seasoning in my version below and changed some of the directions around.

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Braised Short Ribs

Braised short ribs are seared to perfection before being slow cooked in the oven with lots of vegetables and seasonings, along with wine and beef stock, to create a rich sauce.
Course Main Course
Keyword beef broth, beef stock, black pepper, cabernet sauvignon, carrots, celery, dry red wine, fresh garlic, jalapenos, minced garlic, onions, oregano, parsley, short ribs, slow cooking, smoked paprika, thyme, tomato paste, yellow onion

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
  • 3 pounds bone-in short ribs
  • 1 medium onion diced (I used yellow)
  • 4 large stalks celery diced
  • 4 carrots diced
  • 2 to 4 jalapenos diced
  • 24 to 30 cloves garlic about two large heads, minced
  • 4 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1 tablespoon dried parsley
  • 4 teaspoons fresh ground pepper plus extra for seasoning the meat
  • 2 teaspoons salt plus extra for seasoning the meat
  • 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
  • 2 teaspoons dried rosemary
  • 2 teaspoons dried thyme
  • 750 ml dry red wine I used cabernet sauvignon
  • 3 to 4 cups beef stock or broth

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  • Heat the oil over medium heat in a large Dutch oven or pot with a lid. Meanwhile, sprinkle the short ribs on all sides with salt and pepper, to taste, and once the oil is hot, sear each rib on all sides. You will have to do this in batches.
  • Remove seared ribs to a plate on the side.
  • Add the onion, celery, carrots and jalapeno to the pot, and stir regularly, sauteing until the vegetables are starting to soften. Add in the garlic and saute for another couple of minutes, just until it starts to be fragrant, and stir in the tomato paste, parsley, pepper, salt, smoked paprika, rosemary and thyme. Continue stirring for about two minutes, letting the tomato paste brown slightly and incorporate with all the vegetables.
  • Pour in the wine, making sure to scrape the bottom of the pot to get all of the browned bits incorporated.
  • Raise the heat to bring the mixture to a boil, and then lower it back to medium and simmer, stirring regularly, until the wine mixture reduces by about half. (This will take anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes.)
  • Pour in three cups of beef stock, and stir to combine. Return the ribs to the pot. You’ll want to make sure the meat is covered in liquid, so if it isn’t quite covered, add the other cup of the beef stock and supplement with some water until they are.
  • Let the liquid come back up to a simmer, put the lid on the pot and put it in the oven for about three hours or until the meat is falling off the bone.
  • For serving, the recipe author suggests straining out and discarding the vegetables, but we served ours as a part of the meal. Be sure to remove the bones, and then serve the meat, along with the sauce from the pot. We served ours over mashed potatoes.

This was heavenly. I love a good pot roast, and this was one step above that. The deep flavors of the wine paired perfectly with the tomato and beef to create a rich, fabulous dinner.

We ended up halving the recipe when we made it, so I was pretty bummed it was a single serving meal. I would have loved to have some leftovers.

But now that I am firmly aware of what a short rib is, I’ll be on the lookout for it in our local grocery store and butcher shop. This is definitely worthy of a permanent place in the recipe box.

And hopefully, by the next time I end up at a steakhouse, I can educate myself on the difference between a filet and a strip, too. If not, I may just have to order the chicken instead.

This piece first appeared in print Sept. 18, 2025.

Spice Up Your Life is a weekly newspaper column written by Lindsey Young in south central Kansas. If you are interested in sponsoring this column, please contact us through the “Contact Lindsey” link at the top of the page.

Categories
Main Dish

Cajun pasta shapes up to be an excellent, quick dinner

Creamy Cajun sausage pasta is made with a cream cheese sauce and plenty of fresh onion and bell pepper to create a satisfying meal that is also reheats really well for leftovers.
Creamy Cajun sausage pasta is made with a cream cheese sauce and plenty of fresh onion and bell pepper to create a satisfying meal that is also reheats really well for leftovers.

I recently watched a video that explained why there are so many different shapes of pasta out there.

I always assumed it probably had a practical purpose and it wasn’t just because of ancient pasta makers’ boredom and creativity. And it does. If you’re wondering, it all comes down to the sauce.

Have a thinner sauce? Use a thin pasta.

Have something thick and meaty? Use a wider pasta.

It’s all about making sure that whatever pasta you choose is a good vehicle for whatever you’re pouring over top of it.

I thought about that video when I grabbed ingredients for this week’s recipe. Its only direction was to use “pasta,” but knowing that it would have plenty of sausage and veggies, along with a thick, cheesy sauce, I wanted to choose something that could stand up to all of that.

After looking over the choices at our local grocery store, I landed on bowties. Why not? They’re wide and they’re fun—perfect for a spicy pasta dish.

This recipe is from the blog “Skinny Spatula.” You can find the original post at https://skinnyspatula.com/cajun-sausage-pasta/. I increased the amounts of several ingredients in my version below.

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Creamy Cajun Sausage Pasta

Creamy Cajun sausage pasta is made with a cream cheese sauce and plenty of fresh onion and bell pepper to create a satisfying meal that is also reheats really well for leftovers.
Course Main Course
Keyword 30-minute meal, bowtie pasta, cajun seasoning, cream cheese, fresh garlic, grated parmesan cheese, ground sausage, minced garlic, onion, oregano, parsley, quick dinner, red bell pepper, red pepper flakes, spicy sausage, tomato paste, yellow onion

Ingredients

  • 16 ounces pasta
  • 1 pound ground sausage
  • 1 medium onion diced (I used yellow)
  • 1 red bell pepper diced
  • 4 to 6 cloves garlic minced
  • 3 tablespoons Cajun seasoning
  • 1 tablespoon dried oregano
  • 1 tablespoon dried parsley
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 8 ounces low-fat/fat-free cream cheese
  • 1/3 cup parmesan freshly grated
  • red pepper flakes to taste (optional)
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Boil the pasta according to the package directions. Reserve two cups of the pasta water when you drain it.
  • Heat a Dutch oven or stockpot over medium heat. Add in the sausage, onion and bell pepper, and saute, breaking apart the sausage as you go, until the sausage is cooked through and the vegetables are soft.
  • If there are pools of grease in the pan, spoon as much of it out as you can before the next step.
  • Add in the garlic, Cajun seasoning, oregano and parsley, and saute until the garlic becomes fragrant.
  • Stir in the tomato paste, along with one cup of the reserved pasta water.
  • Stir in the cream cheese until it’s completely melted. Do the same with the grated parmesan.
  • Dump in the pasta, and stir everything to coat it well. Add more pasta water if the sauce isn’t as loose as you’d like, and add red pepper flakes (if desired) and salt and pepper, to taste.
  • Serve immediately.

I used hot ground sausage for this, and I ended up adding quite a few red pepper flakes, too, which gave this a fabulous kick. It was creamy and flavorful. And the leftovers were awesome. They reheated really well.

And the bowtie pasta was great for this. A rigatoni or ziti would have been good, too, but there’s something about the fun pasta shapes that I really like.

There’s no reason your dinner can’t be practical and pretty all at the same time.

This piece first appeared in print Aug. 21, 2025.

Spice Up Your Life is a weekly newspaper column written by Lindsey Young in south central Kansas. If you are interested in sponsoring this column, please contact us through the “Contact Lindsey” link at the top of the page.

Categories
Main Dish

You’ll ‘loaf’ this lightened-up classic dish for dinner

It isn’t a fancy meal, but turkey meatloaf is a lighter version of the down-home classic, and with some added garlic, onions and herbs, it makes for a tasty dinner.
It isn’t a fancy meal, but turkey meatloaf is a lighter version of the down-home classic, and with some added garlic, onions and herbs, it makes for a tasty dinner.

There are a few dishes that feel specifically American.

Meatloaf is one of those, despite it also being the butt of many sitcom jokes over the years.

According to an article by Erica Martinez for “Food Republic,” meatloaf has been on recipe cards since the 1870s, but it may be even older than that.

“[F]ood historians believe that the concept of meatloaf has been in existence since the fifth century, when medieval Europeans would dine on a dish made of diced meat scraps combined with fruit, nuts, and spices,” she writes.

Regardless of its origins, I still think we can claim it as our own here.

Unfortunately, it needs to be a “sometimes food” for most of us, considering its higher fat content, which is why this week’s recipe, which subs in ground turkey, is a great meatloaf to try.

This comes from the blog “Recipes by Lucy.” You can find the original at https://www.recipesbylucy.com/turkey-meatloaf-2/. I added extra garlic and seasonings in my version. I also rounded up the amount of ground turkey to two pounds, since I thought that made more sense.

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Turkey Meatloaf

It isn’t a fancy meal, but turkey meatloaf is a lighter version of the down-home classic, and with some added garlic, onions and herbs, it makes for a tasty dinner.
Course Main Course
Keyword basil, black pepper, catsup, dijon mustard, fresh garlic, ground turkey, ketchup, light recipe, meatloaf, minced garlic, onion, oregano, panko, parsley, tomato paste, Worcestershire, yellow onion

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds ground turkey
  • 3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
  • 1/4 cup yellow onion finely diced
  • 4 to 6 cloves garlic minced
  • 2 rounded teaspoons dried parsley
  • 2 rounded teaspoons dried oregano
  • 2 rounded teaspoons dried basil
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1 egg
  • 1/3 cup ketchup
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a loaf pan with parchment paper (hang some over the edges for easier removal), and set it aside.
  • In a large bowl, combine the ground turkey, breadcrumbs, onion, garlic, parsley, oregano, basil, pepper and salt.
  • In a small bowl, beat the milk and egg together with a fork or whisk until they are well combined, and pour those into the bowl with the other ingredients. Mix with a large spoon or your hands until everything is just incorporated. (Don’t over mix, or you could end up with a less-than-awesome texture.)
  • Add the meat mixture into the prepared loaf pan, and spread it out evenly.
  • Prepare the glaze in a small bowl by adding the ketchup, tomato paste, dijon mustard, and Worcestershire sauce. Stir until it is well combined.
  • Spread about half of the glaze mixture over the top of the meatloaf, and put it in the oven to bake for 45 minutes.
  • Spread the rest of the glaze on top, and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes or until the internal temperature of the meatloaf reaches at least 165 degrees.
  • Let the meatloaf sit for five to 10 minutes before carefully removing it from the pan, slicing and serving.

This was pretty darn good. I felt like I could have thrown even more herbs in there, if I wanted to, but this meatloaf certainly didn’t lack flavor. The glaze was especially good.

It was also the perfect companion to some homemade mashed potatoes. It was definitely a great nostalgia meal. And, if you’ve ever been accused, as Rodney Dangerfield’s wife was, of making a meatloaf that was so bad that it glowed in the dark, then it’s time to try a new recipe.

Honestly, I think Dangerfield should have been happy his wife was making him such a time-honored recipe. No wonder that guy didn’t get any respect.

This piece first appeared in print June 26, 2025.

Spice Up Your Life is a weekly newspaper column written by Lindsey Young in south central Kansas. If you are interested in sponsoring this column, please contact us through the “Contact Lindsey” link at the top of the page.

Categories
Main Dish Soup

Think you can’t eat chili in summer? That’s your ‘poblano’

Chorizo poblano chili is a great meal year round. Featuring some robust spices like chili powder and paprika, along with a combination of chorizo, ground beef and fresh peppers, this chili is a hearty dish that is a real crowd pleaser.
Chorizo poblano chili is a great meal year round. Featuring some robust spices like chili powder and paprika, along with a combination of chorizo, ground beef and fresh peppers, this chili is a hearty dish that is a real crowd pleaser.

There is really only one part of winter that I like: getting to eat soup.

But then I realized one day that you really don’t have to reserve having a big bowl of soup, stew or chili to the cold months. Honestly, despite being a warm food, it’s not an awful summer meal.

You don’t have to heat up the kitchen with the oven, you generally get leftovers to put in the fridge for those days you spend all day in the yard and don’t want to cook, and there are plenty of fresh garden veggies around to include.

So, yeah, I’m on board with eating a hot bowl of deliciousness any time of the year.

Obviously, what I’m really after is justifying the fact that I’m sharing a traditionally warm-weather recipe with you in May, but I figure this is my column, and if you’re not impressed, you can just put it in your recipe box to try in the fall.

This comes from the blog “Abras Kitchen” by Abra Pappa. You can find the original recipe at https://abraskitchen.com/chorizo-poblano-chili/. I added extra spices in my version below.

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Chorizo Poblano Chili

Chorizo poblano chili is a great meal year round. Featuring some robust spices like chili powder and paprika, along with a combination of chorizo, ground beef and fresh peppers, this chili is a hearty dish that is a real crowd pleaser.
Course Main Course
Keyword chicken stock, chili powder, chorizo, cumin, diced tomatoes, fresh garlic, ground beef, jalapeno peppers, kidney beans, minced garlic, onion, oregano, paprika, poblano peppers, vegetable stock

Ingredients

  • 1 pound chorizo
  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1 large onion diced
  • 6 to 8 cloves garlic minced
  • 3 poblano peppers diced
  • 1 jalapeno pepper diced (remove ribs and seeds for a milder taste)
  • 2 tablespoons chili powder
  • 1 tablespoon cumin
  • 2 teaspoons oregano
  • 2 teaspoons paprika
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 15- ounce can kidney beans drained and rinsed
  • 2 15- ounce cans diced tomatoes
  • 1 cup chicken or vegetable stock

Instructions

  • Heat a large pot over medium-high heat.
  • Add the chorizo and ground beef, cooking until it’s browned and cooked through, and breaking it apart as you go.
  • Remove the meat with a slotted spoon to a plate over to the side.
  • Remove all but two tablespoons of fat from the pot. Add in the onions and peppers, and saute until they are softened. Add in the garlic and saute for a couple minutes until the garlic just starts to brown.
  • Pour in the beans and spices. Stir well, letting the spices toast a bit (about two minutes).
  • Add in the diced tomatoes, cooked chorizo and beef, and the chicken stock, and scrape the bottom of the pot to incorporate any stuck-on bits.
  • Bring the mixture to a boil, and then turn the heat down to a simmer, and let the chili cook for one hour, stirring regularly, until the liquid reduces to a consistency you like. Add more spices, as needed, and serve.

This was not nearly as spicy as I thought it would be. When I did the “add more spices” step, I added quite a bit more to really punch up the spice level, but it was probably perfect for quite a few folks’ palates.

Combining the chorizo with the ground beef gave this chili a bit more of a robust flavor that we really enjoyed.

And I’m sorry if I was too harsh with those of you who are in the “soup is only for winter camp” earlier. I was probably hungry. But after a big bowl of chili, I am definitely feeling much better.

This piece first appeared in print May 22, 2025.

Spice Up Your Life is a weekly newspaper column written by Lindsey Young in south central Kansas. If you are interested in sponsoring this column, please contact us through the “Contact Lindsey” link at the top of the page.

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