Peggy's Home Cooking

SO easy. SO good. SO moist.

I was at the market doing the weekly shopping and saw a “spatchcock” chicken on display, all ready to go. For $18. Right next to it was a chicken likely out of the same hatch, unmolested, for $9. Hey, I’ve got scissors.

It’s rather a pain to remove the chicken’s backbone, but a decent pair of kitchen shears makes it an easy task. One day I’ll buy some. I used a pair of blister-pack Walmart scissors to pretty good effect. Just cut down either side of the backbone and remove it. Then place the chicken breast side up and give it a good whack with the heel of your hand ( or a rolling pin!) to flatten it.

I marinated the bird in Ken’s “House Italian” dressing (also touted as a marinade) for about an hour in a gallon plastic bag, in the ‘fridge.

I fired up the big Weber as the tiny one is, well, just tiny. The chicken was grilled skin-side down for about ten minutes, and turned. After another ten minutes, it was flipped again. I continued to turn it at five minute intervals until the breast measured about 160F.

Another recipe dredged from the annals of history. Along with my grandmother’s recipe for doughnuts, this old favorite was found as Peg was rifling through one of her old recipe books. It’s one of very few recipes her mother, Evelyn, ever wrote down.

• 1 C Minute Rice
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 egg, slightly beaten
• 2 t grated onion
• 2 t salt
• 2 1/2 C tomato juice, divided
• 1/2 t sugar
• 1/4 t pepper

Reserve 2 C of tomato juice and sugar. Combine other ingredients. Form into 18 equal-sized meatballs. Place meatballs in a skillet. Mix the sugar and remaining tomato juice, and pour over meatballs.

Bring to a boil, then reduce heat. Simmer covered for 15 minutes, basting occasionally.

Peg and I don’t eat a whole lot at a time, and we’re headed away for holiday, so I needed to make a small batch of scalloped potatoes for dinner. We always add ham, and I had one on hand.

• Two medium potatoes
• 3 T butter, divided
• 2 T flour
• 2 C milk
• 1/2 t pepper
• 1 t salt
• 1 C cubed ham

Peel and pare the potatoes thinly.

Melt the butter and flour to form a roux, cooking slightly. Whisk in the milk, add salt and pepper, and bring the mixture to a boil until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Spread 1T butter around the inside of a one-quart casserole.

Place a thin layer of white sauce in the bottom of the casserole. Alternate adding potatoes, cubed ham, and white sauce to fill the casserole.

Cover with foil and bake at 350F For 50 minutes. Uncover and bake another 30 minutes…

We like to serve ham and green beans with it.

(2025 update) I tend to make this about three times a month, and I don’t really use a recipe – I just make it by muscle memory. I currently bake for about 30 minutes under foil, and then another 70 minutes uncovered. The flavor of the crust that develops in that extra time is extraordinarily tasty.

Peggy signed us up for meatballs for the annual W1GZ Holiday Party. W1GZ is the call sign for the Montachusett Amateur Radio Club. Peggy and I are both hams.

So, anyway, Peg did a search and found “The World’s Best Meatballs” from a clever lady named Kristen. Well, never one to leave well enough alone, we slightly modified the recipe ( we wanted a less “Italian” meatball than Kristen was offering) by removing the Parmesan cheese and the garlic, and opting for half beef/half pork in the meat department.

Herewith, I guess we can call them “John’s Best Meatballs”, because they did turn out quite nicely. In fact, I’m doing this post as someone asked for the recipe!

Preheat oven to 450F and grease a large rimmed cookie sheet.

• 1 # ground pork
• 1 # ground beef
• 1/2 C breadcrumbs (I used panko)
• 1/4 C milk (any %)
• 1/4 C chopped parsley
• 1 C beef broth, divided (1/4 C in meatballs)
• 1 egg
• 1/2 T salt
• 1 t pepper
• 1 t oregano (one might argue removing this would make it even less “Italian”)
• 1/4 t crushed red pepper flakes

Combine all but the ground meats in a large bowl, mixing well to form the panade, which will bind the meatballs.

Add the meats and mix until just combined, but not over mixed, which can toughen the meat texture.

Portion and roll meatballs about 1″ in diameter, spacing them closely on the cookie sheet. I use a small portioning scoop to make the work go faster and get better consistency than I manage on my own.

Pour the remaining 3/4 C of beef broth in the cookie sheet, and bake the meatballs for about 25 minutes, turning once halfway through.

The Hawaiian Meatball conclusion

This recipe came from Taste of Home and called for frozen store-bought meatballs, but hey, we can make those, right?

• 1 20 ounce can unsweetened pineapple chunks
• 1/2 C packed brown sugar
• 1/4 C cornstarch
• 1/2 C cider vinegar
• 2 green peppers, cut into 1″ pieces
• 1 10 ounce jar maraschino cherries, drained
• 1 recipe of “John’s Best Meatballs”
• salt and pepper to taste

Reserve the pineapple juice. Add enough water to make two cups. Place the juice, brown sugar, cornstarch and vinegar into a saucepan. Mix well, then heat gently to a boil; cook until the sauce thickens.

Combine the meatballs, peppers, pineapple, and sauce in a slow cooker. Cook on medium until the peppers are tender, mix in the cherries, and serve over white rice if desired.