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Cookbook offers easy recipes that look like you worked all day

Everybody Craves | Meghan Rodgers
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'Fresh Tastes: From A Well-Seasoned Kitchen' cookbook by Lee Clayton Roper
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Italian Sausage, Spinach and Orzo Soup from the 'Fresh Tastes: From A Well-Seasoned Kitchen' cookbook
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Cajun Meatloaf from the 'Fresh Tastes: From A Well-Seasoned Kitchen' cookbook

Here's one way to spot a cookbook you'll actually use: Short lists of ingredients. And if you can get all of those ingredients at any well-stocked supermarket, chances are good you have yourself a keeper.

But don't be fooled. Easy, common ingredients aren't an advertisement for simple flavors. They're just an author doing her due diligence to make sure her recipes actually get used by home cooks. At least, that's what cookbook author Lee Clayton Roper says of her second cookbook "Fresh Tastes."

Roper says her mother was the motivation for "Fresh Tastes" and her first cookbook, "A Well-Seasoned Kitchen."

"She couldn't remember who the president was or what day of the week it was, but she could remember her recipes," Roper says.

"The first book started as a way for me to spend quality time with my mom. She was getting older and couldn't do the things she used to," Roper says. "But she always loved to entertain. My dad would bring people home from work all the time, and as us kids got older, we would show up with friends. So she had all of these quick and easy recipes of things you can make from items in your pantry because my mom had evolved to cooking like that, since the number of people showing up to dinner could change at any minute."

"Fresh Tastes" includes many more of her mother's recipes, but has a more modern influence, as well. Dining trends changed a bit in the years since her first book, and Roper became influenced by the fresh foods movement.

"We are all much more aware of where our food comes from, and we want to eat food that makes us feel good. That became the priority. Using basic cooking techniques and readily available ingredients to create simple and creative dishes."

"Fresh Tastes" comes with an online guide for how to make nearly all of the 170 recipes gluten-free (visit seasonedkitchen.com and click on Kitchen Guides).

Don't let Roper's pretty recipes convince you that they're complicated. Grilled Rosemary-Dijon Chicken Breasts, Roasted Root Vegetable Pot Pie and Spicy Pork Chops with Argentine Chimichurri Sauce are the kind of recipes you could impress your friends and family with on a weekend, yet still have time to make on a busy Tuesday.

But if impressing is your mission, Roper compiles menus with her "Fresh Taste" recipes to come up with spreads for events like "Mexican Fiesta Dinner," and "Concert in the Park Picnic."

Here are two recipes from "Fresh Tastes".

Italian Sausage, Spinach and Orzo Soup

Serves 8

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 pound uncooked Italian sausage, casings removed if necessary

2 cups chopped onion

1⁄2 to 1 teaspoon chopped garlic

2 teaspoons Italian seasoning

1⁄2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

2⁄3 cup dry white wine

7 cups chicken broth or stock

2 cups seeded and diced fresh tomatoes, or 1 (16-ounce) can diced tomatoes undrained

1 cup orzo pasta

5 cups packed shredded fresh baby spinach

3⁄4 to 1 cup (3 to 4 ounces) freshly grated Parmesan cheese

In a large stockpot, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and sauté until browned, breaking up meat with a spatula. Drain and discard oil.

Stir in onion, garlic, Italian seasoning and red pepper flakes and cook 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the wine; reduce heat to low and simmer, scraping up any browned bits from bottom of pan, until wine is almost evaporated. Stir in the chicken broth, tomatoes and orzo. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer about 10 to 12 minutes or until pasta is cooked.

Stir in spinach; cook about 3 to 5 minutes or until wilted. Ladle in to soup bowls and sprinkle with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

Tip: If using canned tomatoes, don't drain and reduce chicken broth about 1/2 cup.

Cajun Meatloaf

Serves 8

2 teaspoons salt

11⁄2 teaspoons fresh or 1⁄2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves

11⁄2 teaspoons freshly ground pepper

11⁄2 teaspoons paprika

11⁄4 teaspoons ground cumin

11⁄4 teaspoons ground nutmeg

3⁄4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

3⁄4 teaspoon ground white pepper

1 tablespoon olive oil

11⁄2 cups (1 to 2 onions) chopped yellow onion

11⁄4 cups (3 to 4 ribs) chopped celery

1 cup chopped (1 to 2 peppers) red bell pepper

1 medium jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely chopped

1 tablespoon chopped garlic

11⁄2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

11⁄2 teaspoons hot sauce

1⁄2 cup whole milk

1⁄2 cup tomato puree

2 teaspoons red wine vinegar

11⁄2 pounds lean ground beef

3⁄4 pound lean ground pork

1 cup fresh or panko breadcrumbs

3 egg whites

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 13- by 9-inch baking pan with foil.

In a small bowl, combine the salt, thyme, black pepper, paprika, cumin, nutmeg, cayenne and white pepper.

In a large heavy skillet or sauté pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, red pepper, jalapeño, garlic, Worcestershire sauce and hot sauce. Stir in the reserved spice mixture. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 6 minutes or until the mixture starts to stick to the bottom of the pan. Stir in the milk, tomato purée and vinegar. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 12 minutes or until the mixture is thick (reduce the heat if needed to prevent burning). Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

Add the beef, pork, breadcrumbs and egg whites to the cooled vegetable mixture; mix until well combined (I like to use my hands, which is why you need to cool the vegetable mixture). Scoop the mixture into the center of the prepared pan and shape into a loaf about 10- by 5-inches. Bake uncovered for 25 minutes. Increase the oven temperature to 400 degrees and cook an additional 20 to 30 minutes, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted in thickest portion registers 150 degrees. Let rest for at least 5 minutes before serving.

MAKE AHEAD: Meatloaf can be prepared but not baked earlier in the day, covered and refrigerated. Bring to room temperature before baking.