Recipes
Prep time: 30-45 minutes
Merlin's Favorite Sloppy Joe
American, Main DishSloppy joes are traditionally kind of cheap tasting and overly salty and overly sweet, and messier than necessary. These sloppy joes have a bit of a tex mex flavor to them from the chili powder, and everyone in the house has to remind themselves that they're full, lest they go back for more. They're savory enough to make the adults happy while still being a fun food with a good texture for children.
See recipe » Prep time: 30-45 minutes
Merlin's Favorite Sloppy Joe
American, Main DishSloppy joes are traditionally kind of cheap tasting and overly salty and overly sweet, and messier than necessary. These sloppy joes have a bit of a tex mex flavor to them from the chili powder, and everyone in the house has to remind themselves that they're full, lest they go back for more. They're savory enough to make the adults happy while still being a fun food with a good texture for children.
See recipe » 
Prep time: 30-120 minutes
Chewy Sugar Cookies
DessertI like my sugar cookies to be moist and chewy so that they melt in your mouth. This turned out to be basically the perfect sugar cookie for me. Covered with cinnamon sugar it's a marvelous snickerdoodle.
See recipe » Prep time: 30-120 minutes
Chewy Sugar Cookies
DessertI like my sugar cookies to be moist and chewy so that they melt in your mouth. This turned out to be basically the perfect sugar cookie for me. Covered with cinnamon sugar it's a marvelous snickerdoodle.
See recipe » 
Prep time: 120 minutes
Stuffed Acorn Squash
Main Dish, Pork, VegetableUmami from the mushroom and spicy italian sausage blend to jazz up acorn squash in a single dish meal that is its own dish!
See recipe » 
Prep time: 90 minutes
Pressure Cooker Braised Short Ribs
Beef, Main DishA pressure cooker provides a fast way to perform a braise that would ordinarily take several hours and the braising liquid turns into a delicious pasta sauce
See recipe » Prep time: 120-180 minutes
Roasted Butternut Squash Bisque
SoupGinger and cinnamon highlight this velvety soup.
See recipe » Prep time: 15 minutes
Brine jerk
This should be enough to brine about a dozen chicken breasts.
Mix well, making sure salt is dissolved. Flatten the chicken breasts. Put the chicken in and put something heavy on it to make sure it stays submerged. Brine overnight.
See recipe » Prep time: 30 minutes
Merlin's Cajun Prawns
Main Dish, ShellfishCombine all spices in a small bowl.
Melt butter in a skillet on high. When butter is mostly melted, drop in prawns and cover with spices. Stir-fry prawns for 3-4 minutes or until done. Remove from heat. Serve.
Optionally, double the butter and toss with noodles such as linguine.
See recipe » Prep time: 15 minutes
Chicken spice mix
Chicken, Main DishMix well and put in a shaker.
Cover one side of chicken with a spice mix. There's no salt (the brine has plenty). Place that side down on the grill and repeat on other side. Grill 3-4 minutes per side.
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