Onion casserole with butter-cooked sliced onions in cream of chicken soup with mushrooms and paprika, topped with buttered croutons and melted cheddar and Parmesan. A fast, savory side dish.
Cinnamon pear tart with a rustic whole wheat crust, warm spices, and juicy sliced pears. A free-form galette for two that's simple enough for any weeknight dessert.
No-bake chocolate nut cake layered with graham crackers. A creamy cocoa filling with cashews or almonds sets firm in the fridge. No oven needed.
Lemons are available year round with a peak season in the summer. Choose specimens that are firm, smooth, brightly colored, heavy for their size, and devoid of any blemishes or green splotches, a sign of underripeness.
A clever diet quiche with a fiber-rich bran-egg crust and a silky blended tofu filling loaded with asparagus, mushrooms, and onion. Low-calorie, low-fat, and high in protein. No pastry dough needed.
Semi-homemade chocolate cake with a gooey caramel, roasted peanut, and milk chocolate chip layer baked right into the center. Starts with a box mix and six ingredients. Tastes like a giant chocolate turtle bar in cake form.
Toffee-coated popcorn with pecans and mixed dried fruit, baked until crunchy. A homemade caramel corn snack mix cooked to hard-ball stage for a crispy, buttery shell.
Jumbles are old-fashioned filled sandwich cookies, two rolled rounds enclosing a smear of grape jelly with three peek-a-boo windows cut into the top. Vintage pantry treat.
Quickie beef stroganoff with tender chuck steak strips, earthy mushrooms, and tangy sour cream sauce over buttered noodles in under an hour.
COMMENT: What makes this dessert so irresistible? As it bakes, a pudding sauce forms beneath the cake layer. Cocoa-based and made without eggs, its an old-fashioned treat that should be served with a dollop of whipped cream or vanilla ice cream and a big spoon.
Huevos rancheros with fried eggs on corn tortillas topped with refried beans, Monterey Jack, and fresh salsa with avocado and jalapeno. A 10-minute Mexican breakfast.
Old-fashioned oatmeal icebox cookies made with brown sugar, lard, butter, and buttermilk. Slice-and-bake dough that chills overnight for thin, crispy oat cookies.
Cake flour muffins with nutmeg, rolled in melted butter and cinnamon sugar while warm. They taste like old-fashioned cake doughnuts in muffin form.
Classic cocoa layer cake with a tender crumb from the creaming method, ready for your favorite frosting. Swap water for coffee to deepen the chocolate flavor. A reliable two-layer cake in under an hour.
Two-layer peanut butter and chocolate marshmallow fluff fudge. A classic stovetop candy with a soft peanut butter base topped with a rich cocoa layer, cut into squares when set.
Light cream of pea soup combines pureed green peas with a quick white sauce of butter, flour, and milk. A simple vegetarian soup ready in 40 minutes with pantry staples.