640 better recipes

Chilled pasta shells layered with basil pesto, spinach, Roma tomatoes, black olives, and shrimp. This make-ahead Italian pasta salad is a crowd-pleasing potluck star that only gets better as it sits.

This super carrot raisin salad is very good for dinner, very light and tasty, but you had better finish it at one meal, don't let it overnight, will be not fresh.

Homemade crunchy granola with rolled oats, wheat germ, coconut, nuts, and raisins baked in honey and vanilla. Better than anything from a box and your kitchen will smell like a bakery.

Potato fudge uses mashed potatoes as the secret binder in a chocolate candy rolled in coconut or walnuts. A Depression-era confection that works better than it has any right to.

Italian-style green bean salad tossed with thinly sliced onions, red wine vinegar, olive oil, basil, and Parmesan. A low-calorie make-ahead side dish that gets better the longer it chills.

Tender date loaf quick bread studded with plump dates and vanilla. This moist tea bread freezes wonderfully, slices like a dream, and tastes even better slathered with salted butter the next day.

Hearty low-fat vegetable soup with potatoes, zucchini, squash, carrots, pureed tomatoes, and kidney beans. Oil-free and loaded with garden veggies, this make-ahead soup tastes even better the next day.

An oat cookie topped with chocolate with a pecan half embedded into each cookie. Looks great, tastes even better! Surprise your family with these delicious treats made with pecans and rolled oats.

Easy kidney bean and corn salad tosses pantry staples with red onion, cilantro, salsa, and lime for a vegan, gluten-free side. Better the longer it sits, perfect for potlucks and meal prep.

A zesty homemade salad dressing with olive oil, two types of vinegar, Romano cheese, garlic, and a kick of hot sauce. Mixes up in 5 minutes flat and gets better as it chills.

I guess I will have to ditch the craft dinner, because this mac and cheese was actually so easy to make, and it was so much better than those boxed stuff. No comparison.

Glazed honey spice cookies with cinnamon, cloves, mace, and allspice, finished with a thin vanilla sugar glaze. Old-world cookies that bake up firm, keep beautifully, and taste better the day after baking.

Braising can turn a tough piece of meat into a tender, fall off the bone, comfort food. I can think of no better example than the classic dish osso buco, made from veal shanks.

A colorful salad of black-eyed peas tossed with wild rice, white rice, tomatoes, bell pepper, and corn in a fresh oregano-thyme vinaigrette. Feeds a crowd and tastes even better the next day.

No-cook black bean salad with diced cucumber, plum tomato, celery, slivered basil, orange zest, and lemon juice. A bright vegan side that gets better as it sits and doubles as a protein-packed lunch.

Pickled pink eggs tinted with beet juice and brined in a vinegar-pickling-spice mix with garlic and bay leaf. Classic pub-snack or potluck appetizer that gets better the longer it sits. Just six ingredients.