Homemade meatball soup with bow-tie pasta, chickpeas, spinach, and mushrooms in a basil tomato broth. Italian comfort in a bowl that feeds the whole family.
Oatmeal coconut cake with a soft cinnamon-spiced crumb and a broiled brown-sugar coconut-nut topping that bubbles into a chewy caramel crown. Lazy Daisy-style, the way grandma made it.
Hearty whole grain bread loaded with oats, wheat germ, bran, and chopped pecans. This rustic loaf delivers nutty flavor and dense texture with a crunchy sunflower seed topping.
Cajun shrimp pasta salad loaded with boiled shrimp, hard-boiled eggs, elbow macaroni, black olives, and dill pickles. A crowd-sized cold salad built for potlucks and family reunions.
A layered no-bake caviar pie built in a springform pan: egg salad base, chopped scallions, whipped cream cheese and sour cream, crowned with black and red caviar. The ultimate make-ahead appetizer for holiday entertaining.
Healthy start muffins built on a homemade whole-wheat-and-bran muffin mix, soaked All-Bran cereal, prunes, pumpkin seeds, cinnamon, and molasses. The high-fiber breakfast that actually tastes good.
Pineapple chiffon cake layered with chocolate cookies and a light-as-air gelatin mousse. A no-bake, low-calorie dessert with bright tropical flavor and lemon zing.
Harvey Wallbanger cake made with orange cake mix, Galliano liqueur, vodka, and orange juice, topped with a boozy powdered sugar glaze. A retro cocktail-inspired dessert from the 1970s.
Vegetarian ratatouille lasagna layers Provencal vegetables with ricotta, mozzarella, marinara, and bechamel between tender noodles. Meatless, hearty, feeds six.
Applesauce whole wheat zucchini bread is a healthier loaf sweetened by crushed pineapple and applesauce instead of sugar or oil. Whole wheat flour and optional walnuts add fiber and crunch.
Belgian cheesecake with a chewy oat-and-brown-sugar crust and a creamy cream cheese and cottage cheese filling. Less sweet and lighter than American-style cheesecake.
City chicken is a Depression-era classic of cubed beef, pork, and chicken stacked on skewers shaped like drumsticks, dredged in egg-milk and flour, then slow-baked until fork-tender. Old-school Pittsburgh comfort.
Rolled calzone stuffed with pesto, ham, capicola, provolone, roasted red peppers, and pepperoncini. Homemade herb pizza dough baked golden and sliced into pinwheels.
This recipe is a tradition in my husband's Swedish family. It makes enough cookies to feed the Swedish Army.
Individual cheesecake cups wrapped in flaky crescent roll dough, filled with almond cream cheese, and topped with warm amaretto cherry sauce. Ready in 45 minutes.