An American Favorite

By Andrew Hunter
For The Family Table, a blog for busy families

For better or worse, we all grew up with a tradition of meatloaf at the family table. Most of us endured a combination of beef and pork mixed with dried herbs, fresh onions if we were lucky, and a thick blanket of ketchup across the top, which was the loaf’s saving grace.

Marilyn and I figured that we would continue the tradition with Ben and Nick so that they might pass it down to their kids in 20 years. The boys like leftover meatloaf better than hot out of the oven. I’m not sure why, except they get to take meatloaf sandwiches in their lunchboxes.

The version below is a starter recipe, meaning if you haven’t made meatloaf before, try this version. It won’t be as good as your mom’s because no meatloaf ever is, but it’ll be your meatloaf, which will make it better. The variations below are for when you feel like an adventure in the kitchen and on your palate.

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Smoky Grilled Short Ribs

By Andrew Hunter
For The Family Table, a blog for busy families

When I fire up the grill, I put everything on it I can find in the fridge. Not because it’s lots of work to build a charcoal fire, but because it’s sacrilege to let that fire burn without infusing its smoky goodness into as much food as possible.

On this same kettle fire, I cooked chicken thighs that were pulled from the bone and used in sandwiches and on salads. I cooked burgers for the boys’ lunch, and I smoked tomatoes, onions, Poblano peppers and pineapple for some sauces and a fruity pico de gallo I was inspired to make.

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Oyster Po’ Boys

By Marilyn Hunter
For The Family Table, a blog for busy families

I was always told the best way to describe the difference between Creole and Cajun cooking is city food vs. country food. Some people say a Creole feeds one family with three chickens but a Cajun can feed three families with one chicken.

One thing’s for sure, the classic po’ boy, which began as a 5-cent lunch for poor boys, crosses all boundaries. Po' boys can be found on the menus of greasy spoons deep in the bayou to white-tablecloth restaurants in the heart of New Orleans. It’s delicious and very easy to make.

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Tempura Night

By Andrew Hunter
For The Family Table, a blog for busy families

One of the boys’ favorite dinners in Tokyo was an all-you-can-fry-and-eat tempura house … with a chocolate fountain for dessert, no less. Ben and Nick were more excited about the do-it-yourself dining than the menu.

After choosing skewers of chicken, beef, salmon, scallops, mushrooms, onions, potatoes and other deep fry-able treats, we dipped our fancy into bowls of ice cold tempura batter then into little cauldrons of hot fat nestled in the table tops. It’s the kind of place one should only ever go on vacation because otherwise it would form a calorie-heavy addiction.

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Mother’s Day Breakfast

By Marilyn Hunter
For The Family Table, a blog for busy families

I remember the first time I delivered a breakfast tray to my mom on Mother’s Day morning. I couldn’t have been more than eight years old. I don’t recall what I made, though I’m sure it was something simple. It certainly wasn’t a fancy tray of food, nor a gourmet one, but what I lacked in skill, I made up for in effort. I couldn’t remember ever seeing mom so happy.

Many years later, now a mom myself, I must admit I’m overjoyed to see my boys go out of their way to do the same.

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