86 best recipes

Hearty pinto bean soup simmered with smoky ham hocks, diced onions, celery, and tomato. Thick, warming, and ready in about 40 minutes for a budget-friendly weeknight supper.

A basic lentil salad that can make any dinner seem a bit different.

Fork-tender beef stew braised low and slow in beer with caramelized onions, tomatoes, and browned mushrooms. A hearty Dutch oven comfort meal that's worth every minute.

Mom's cocoa macaroons: chewy coconut mounds with a soft cocoa note, bound with whipped egg whites instead of condensed milk. A simple seven-ingredient drop cookie that makes four dozen.

Double frosted brownies stack a fudgy pecan brownie under a smooth vanilla pudding buttercream and a glossy chocolate glaze. Three rich layers, chilled until the frosting and glaze set firm and sliceable.

Easy crusty French-style bread with just five ingredients: flour, yeast, water, sugar, and salt. Baked with steam for a crackly golden crust and chewy interior.

Apple cranberry nut muffins packed with shredded apples, carrots, tart cranberries, and walnuts. Spiced with cinnamon for a moist, bakery-style muffin loaded with fruit and crunch.

Oatmeal cookies loaded with golden raisins and chocolate chips. Chewy, hearty, and ready in 30 minutes from start to finish.

Classic peanut butter cookies with the signature fork crisscross top, made with butter, equal parts brown and granulated sugar, and a full cup of peanut butter. Yields five dozen and freezes well.

Long, slow simmering of meat and herbs produces the base for this incomparable sauce.

Make-ahead brownie mix yields 12 fudgy brownies plus five mix-in variations: mint, coconut almond, raspberry hazelnut, cherry, and caramel pecan layered. The pantry shortcut you actually want.

There are no tomatoes, ketchup, or sugar in this recipe. All of those things caramelize and burn quickly, giving the meat a black color and nasty taste.

Hearty navy bean stew with browned Italian sausage, carrots, corn, and chicken broth, oven-baked in a Dutch oven until thick and bubbly. A cold-weather crowd-pleaser.

No-beat chocolate fudge with semi-sweet chocolate, marshmallows, walnuts, and candied cherries. Just stir, pour, and set. Makes three pounds of rich, smooth fudge for holiday gifting.

Beets and carrots are both earthy vegetables, roasting really help to enhance the great taste, tossed with light vinaigrette and peppery arugula, a tasty salad that goes well with any kind of main course.

This delicious and well-balanced one pot meal will for sure satisfy everyone around the dinner table with all the yumminess and goodness.