Marinades, glazes and rubs are a great way to flavor an otherwise simple meat or poultry dish. Just marinate your protein it in the refrigerator for a few hours, or a whole day. Forget it until it’s time to cook.

See also Marinated Flank Steak.

Rubs are even better if you are short on time. A rub is exactly as it sounds: something that you rub on the meat. Likewise, a glaze is brushed on just prior to cooking.

Now, depending on how you plan on cooking a piece of meat and how much flavor you are looking for, you might choose to use any of these. A marinade will pack a good amount of punch, since the flavor is soaked into the meat. A glaze can be even bolder since it tends to be thicker and stays with the meat. A rub can actually be the lightest, since a lot of the flavor will cook away leaving hints of taste.

In my house, we use a lot of rubs due to the ease of preparation and application. After a long day of being a full time writer and mommy, sometimes I just don’t have the patience to craft an elaborate meal. In those times, rubs like these are my savior:

Country Steak Rub
Serves 2

1 tsp salt
1 tsp Italian seasonings
1 tsp paprika
¼ tsp garlic powder

Combine ingredients in small bowl.

To use: Sprinkle generously on both sides of meat and massage in. Cook as normal.

Sweet and Spicy Steak Rub
Serves 2

1 tbsp course (sea) salt
½ tsp pepper
¼ tsp marjoram
¼ tsp savory
¼ tsp sugar
¼ tsp basil

Combine ingredients in small bowl.

To use: Sprinkle generously on both sides of meat and massage in. Cook as normal.

Marinades:

• Red Wine Marinade
• Blood Orange-Citrus Marinade
• Ginger-Soy Pork Chops Marinade

About a month ago, my husband began challenging me when we were in the grocery store. He likes to buy boxed mashed potatoes, crocks of macaroni and cheese and other pre-made foods.

Meanwhile I like to make everything fresh. Knowing goes into the food I eat is a big deal for me. If I’m the one cooking the food, then I don’t have to worry about partially hydrogenated oils and high fructose corn syrups sneaking their way into my food.

So anyway, one day he picked up a container of Country Crock Cheddar Mashed Potatoes and said, “Well if you can make this from scratch then I’ll stop buying these things.” It was as if the sky had opened up and I was peeking into Heaven.

Spending $5 or whatever it is for a little plastic thing with dehydrated potatoes and all sorts of preservatives really irritates me. I told him of course I could make that and, in fact, I could make it better.

And guess what? I did!

Cheesy Smashed Potatoes
serves 4-6

4 medium red potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 cup cheddar
¼ cup milk
½ tsp chili powder
salt and pepper to taste

Boil potatoes until tender when pricked by a fork. Drain

In large bowl, smash potatoes against sides with a fork until no solid potatoes remain. Stir in cheddar and milk and mix until creamy. Add additional milk one tablespoon at a time if the consistency is too pasty.

Stir in chili powder, salt and pepper until well mixed.

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More Recipes for Delicious Potatoes:

Super Easy Low-Fat Oven Fries Recipe

Oven Baked Sweet Potato Fries Recipe

Cheddar Bacon Twice Baked Potatoes

I get reminiscent every so often about all the good food I ate while studying at Barnard College in New York. My friends really opened my eyes to some great ethnic foods that I might not have sampled otherwise.

There was Zula, the Ethiopian restaurant that has since closed, where my friends and I would share great vegetarian dishes and eat until we were stuffed. Then, we’d order rum cake to top it off. I was so sad to learn that it had closed. I really want to locate another Ethiopian restaurant since that ranks among my favorite food.

Then there was Mill Korean at 2895 Broadway. Fortunately that is still there, and still serving the streaming Bi Bim Bap in a hot stone crock. I have never tried anything else there because that was just so delicious with the red chili sauce stirred in. If I remember correctly, that was the first restaurant my roommates and I went to when I started school at Barnard in the Spring 1999 semester.

I would be remiss to forget Saigon Grill, located at 1700 2nd Avenue on the Eastside and at 620 Amsterdam Avenue on the Westside. Their chicken satay with peanut sauce is to die for. Served over rice noodles, I just cannot get enough of it.

Of course, Che Bella at 1215 Amsterdam Avenue makes a good pizza. And Wrapp Factory at 2857 Broadway makes a mean (and large) wrap. (Update 8/2008: Wrapp Factory has closed.)

It’s 3:42 p.m., and Will is playing in his Exersaucer. I am busy trying to write and send out some queries. There is a pound of defrosted chicken awaiting cooking. I took out the chicken yesterday without any sort of plan for what to do with it, but now it’s time to whip it into dinner.

I do this a lot…choose a main ingredient without a plan. But it usually works out pretty well. I’ve made some great beef roll-ups, some savory chicken fettuccine Alfredo and a memorable London broil. I’ve gotten to know my spices pretty well and have experimented with various cooking methods with positive results.

But no experimentation is without failures. My biggest failure to date was probably my first attempt at country fried steak with gravy. The gravy, specifically, was awful, disgusting and inedible. Instead of being a smooth, creamy milk gravy it was a thick, overcooked gelatinous blob. Who wants to eat Jell-o gravy??? Needless to say, I won’t be using that particular recipe again.

Another major failure was attempting to marinate with red wine vinegar. I cut it with orange juice and even a touch of sugar but it was just too much. I was trying to create something tangy with hints of wine and sweetness. But vinegar in large portions is just vinegar and not a suitable marinade. Trust me…my eyes still water remembering the scent that lingered in my house for days after.

Today I’m feeling like a bit of spinach and love how chicken tastes when sauteed in butter.

Chicken Florentine
serves 3-4

Anyway, I missed my breads, sweats and especially fruits and vegetables. As a result, Atkins never became a lifestyle for me. But not all that came from my experience was negative. In fact, some of it was down right fantastic.

For instance, I created some really fantastic new meals like my Reuben-inspired corned beef skillet. It’s a great comfort food that I modified just a bit to make it even tastier. Here’s the recipe:

Corned Beef Skillet
serves 1

Layer corned beef luncheon meat on the bottom of a greased 6” skillet (I like to use just a dash of olive oil to grease it). Cover and cook at medium heat for 1 minute.

Drizzle maple syrup over corned beef. Cover and cook for 1 minute.

Cover corned beef with sauerkraut (Silverfloss is my favorite brand, it has a great authentic German taste). Top with two slices of deli cut Swiss cheese. Cover and cook for 1 minute.