618 better recipes

Cold macaroni and pea salad with sweet red peppers, dill pickles, and pimentos in a creamy mayo dressing. Classic potluck side dish that's better the next day.

Traditional Trinidad coconut bread made with fresh grated coconut, evaporated milk, and a sugar-sprinkled crust. A Caribbean staple that's even better toasted for breakfast the next morning. Makes 2 loaves.

Homemade fig newton bars with fresh fig filling inside a cinnamon-laced brown sugar dough, folded like a letter and baked golden. Better than store-bought.

Easy to prepare, and this German potato salad is very flavorful and tasty. Make it a day ahead, let it marinate in the refrigerator overnight, it tastes even better next day.

Shchi is a traditional Russian cabbage and sauerkraut soup with beef brisket, marrow bones, porcini mushrooms, and root vegetables. A deeply layered pot that tastes even better the next day.

Carrot cake bread: a tender carrot quickbread baked in two 9-inch pans, made with olive oil, cinnamon, grated carrots, and chopped pecans. Better the next day, optional orange-butter icing.

A French-Caribbean lamb stew from Martinique and Guadeloupe, simmered with Colombo curry powder, ginger, garlic, boniato or potato, and calabaza squash. Make-ahead friendly and even better the next day.

Sloppy joes simmered low and slow with ground beef, tomato soup, brown sugar, dry mustard, and a hit of Worcestershire. A crowd-sized batch that gets better the longer it cooks.

Vegetarian barley-vegetable soup: pearl barley simmered in tomato broth with carrots, celery, onions, and green beans, finished with fresh dill. A hearty meatless pot that gets better on day two.

Antipasto pasta salad with salami, provolone, garbanzo beans, olives, and mushrooms in a lemon-garlic-basil dressing. A make-ahead party dish that gets better as it chills.

Italian braised lamb and potatoes with pecorino cheese, red capsicum, and garlic simmered in stock until fork-tender. A make-ahead casserole that tastes even better the next day.

A make-ahead layered pasta salad loaded with kidney beans, corn, bell peppers, and a creamy taco-seasoned dressing. This Southwestern pasta salad feeds a crowd and tastes even better the next day.

Vegetarian chili with soybeans and wheat berries instead of traditional kidney beans. Simmered with fresh tomatoes, jalapeno, red bell pepper, and warm spices. Better the next day.

Hearty Shaker bean soup simmered with a ham bone, navy beans, tomatoes, carrots, and spinach. A rustic American heritage recipe that feeds 12 and gets better every hour it cooks.

Sicilian caponata with sauteed eggplant, olives, capers, and a sweet-tangy vinegar sauce. A rustic Italian appetizer or side that tastes even better the next day.

Championship chili layered with chicken broth, pork chops, flank steak, green chiles, and beer. A Texas-style three-meat bowl that's better the next day.