10,000 butter recipes

Simple red beans and rice with canned kidney beans, sauteed onion, celery, and garlic simmered together. A quick USDA-style version of the Louisiana classic, ready in under an hour.

A rich creamy chowder with corn and sausages -- This chowder is a variation on a family recipe from an old roommate of mine. (She makes it without the sausage, and with more water). It goes very well with most seafood.

British-style gingerbread men with golden syrup, butter, and warm ginger. Crisp edges, chewy centers, decorated with currants for classic holiday cookies.

Ham-stuffed biscuits pack diced ham, sautéed onion, garlic, and a rich cream sauce into warm, flaky buttermilk biscuits. A retro appetizer that turns brunch or cocktail hour into a crowd-pleaser.

Chocolate spritz cookies made with melted semi-sweet chocolate chips in the dough, pressed through a cookie press and topped with red cinnamon candies. Makes about 7 1/2 dozen.

Pork, ham, and shrimp jambalaya is a Louisiana-Creole rice dish layering sausage, cubed ham, and shrimp in a tomato-thyme broth. Three-protein one-pot meal with deep Southern roots.

Filo shrimp puffs with spiced shrimp, coconut, ginger, and turmeric wrapped in flaky filo pastry triangles and baked golden. A crispy, aromatic appetizer with Southeast Asian flair.

Greek almond pipes (Flogheres): crisp phyllo rolls stuffed with cinnamon-scented almonds and orange, soaked in hot honey syrup. A traditional Greek holiday pastry.

Scotch mock apple pie: a Depression-era trick that uses soda crackers, lemon juice, and warm spices to taste exactly like apple pie. No apples required.

No-bake peppermint fudge pie layered into a chocolate wafer crust, with a creamy marshmallow filling studded with crushed peppermint candy. A holiday classic with cool, minty crunch.

Monterey fondue is a make-ahead egg and cheese strata layered with buttered bread, corn, green chiles, and Monterey Jack. Refrigerate overnight and bake until puffy and golden brown.

Macadamia nut fudge made the old-fashioned way with a candy thermometer, two kinds of chocolate, marshmallows, and buttery macadamias in every square.

Chicken and dumpling casserole with a savory broth base, green peas, and fluffy Bisquick dumplings baked on top. Hearty comfort food that feeds a crowd in under an hour.

Jewish rugelach with a flaky cottage cheese dough, apricot jam, cinnamon-sugar, walnuts, and currants rolled into golden crescents. A holiday cookie jar essential for Hanukkah or Christmas.

Pizza crust topped with mashed potatoes, sauteed spinach, two cheeses, and onion rings. All the flavors of a pierogi on a crispy pizza base. A creative comfort food mashup the whole family will fight over.

Cereal killer cookies: chewy oatmeal cookies loaded with almond brickle chips for buttery toffee crunch in every bite. The big-batch cookie that vanishes off the cooling rack.