Old-fashioned chocolate cake with crushed peppermint stick candy folded right into the batter. A tender cocoa layer cake with a cool, pepperminty crunch. Straight out of a mid-century church cookbook.
French pear fondant tart with chunks of unpeeled pear baked into a tender egg-rich batter. Rustic country dessert sometimes called clafoutis aux poires.
Greek lamb and artichoke stew finished with a silky avgolemono egg-lemon sauce, scented with fresh mint. A spring Easter classic from the Mediterranean table.
Impossible ham quiche skips the crust and still bakes up golden and puffed. Eggs, sour cream, and flour form their own self-crusting base around ham, monterey jack, and sauteed mushrooms. Retro weeknight winner.
Simple Irish soda-style bread with butter, raisins, and no yeast. Creamed butter and sugar give it a tender, cake-like crumb. Just mix and bake.
Mushroom turnovers in a cream cheese pastry with a sauteed mushroom-cream filling and optional sherry. An elegant make-ahead appetizer that freezes well before baking.
Mushroom turnovers in a cream cheese pastry with a sauteed mushroom-cream filling and optional sherry. An elegant make-ahead appetizer that freezes well before baking.
Teriyaki pot roast braised low and slow in honey, soy sauce, dry sherry, and ginger with a curry-dusted sear. Fork-tender beef served over rice with homemade gravy.
Classic mushroom bisque with sauteed mushrooms in a butter-cream roux with dry mustard, chives, and a splash of sherry. Rich, velvety, and ready in 25 minutes.
Old-fashioned Christmas fruit cake with boiled raisins, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. No eggs or butter needed, just cold water and shortening for a dense, spiced holiday cake.
Drunken pioneers pasta: wagon wheels topped with sauteed peppers and onions in a quick red wine and beef-stock sauce with basil and rosemary. Pantry weeknight pasta in 25 minutes.
Vienna crescent cookies with butter, sugar, flour, and ground almonds or pecans, dusted in powdered sugar. Buttery, melt-in-your-mouth Christmas cookies in 4 ingredients.
A three-layer creamy coconut cake with whipped cream and walnut filling, draped in cream cheese frosting and showered in shredded coconut. The Sunday dinner showstopper.
Savory curry crepe batter made with chicken broth, curry powder, and butter in a blender. A spiced twist on French crepes that pairs with chicken, vegetables, or chutney fillings.
Stewart's Salad is a layered retro Jell-O salad with sugar-free lemon jello and pineapple, a fluffy cream cheese middle, and a golden pineapple-juice custard topping. A diabetic-friendly potluck classic.
White chocolate macadamia nut brownies drizzled with a white chocolate cream sauce. Rich, buttery blondies with a fudgy center and crunchy macadamias in every bite.