Recipes with milk

Biskuitstreifle, a traditional German soup garnish of light baked egg-and-flour strips. A sponge-like savory dough cut into thin batons, dropped into broth just before serving for body and bite.

Canadian Nanaimo bars with a cocoa graham cracker base, custard buttercream filling, and a semi-sweet chocolate topping. A classic no-bake three-layer dessert bar from British Columbia.

Funnel cake: classic state-fair fried batter poured through a funnel in a spiral pattern, fried golden, and dusted with powdered sugar and cinnamon. The Pennsylvania Dutch carnival treat.

Blackberry and raspberry muffins with a pecan brown sugar streusel topping. Lemon zest in both the batter and the crumble adds a bright citrus note.

Light, puffy souffleed crepes made with beaten egg whites folded into a classic crepe batter. Cook in a crepe pan or bake as a flat souffle, then fill with fruit, brandy, or vanilla.

A simple lemon-scented butter cake split in half, layered with vanilla pudding, fresh berries, and clouds of whipped cream. Old-school German Erdbeertorte energy with minimal effort.

Variation: Peas, hard-cooked eggs, artichoke hearts, olives, pimientos or many other foods may be used in place of the mushrooms. Swiss, Muenster, Monterey Jack, Tilsit. Mozzarella or any other cheese may be substituted for the Cheddar cheese.

Potato and porcini mushroom gratin baked in cream with shallots, finished under the broiler. A rich, earthy French-style side dish with deep mushroom flavor throughout.

Twinkie cake with strawberries layered with Jello, vanilla pudding, and whipped topping. A no-bake icebox cake that uses Twinkies as the base and chills overnight into a creamy, fruity dessert.

Granny Smith applesauce tarts with golden hot-water pastry shells filled with honey-sweetened, lemon-brightened chunky applesauce. A lighter, old-fashioned dessert.

Blue cornmeal crepes made with eggs, milk, and clarified butter for a thin, tender wrapper with earthy corn flavor. Fill with salsa, crabmeat, or your favorite stuffing.

Pineapple Dream: light no-bake dessert mousse with pureed pineapple and cottage cheese set with gelatin, topped with toasted coconut. Tropical-tasting low-calorie treat for eight.

Chocolate espresso bread pudding with currants, croissants, and bittersweet chocolate. A grown-up dessert with deep coffee and chocolate notes, soaked overnight for the richest custard.

Chocolate oatmeal pie with coconut, rolled oats, and chocolate chips in a corn syrup custard, baked in a press-in oil crust. A chewy, fudgy Southern-style pie with crunchy texture.

Smoked hamburgers cooked low and slow in a water smoker with 8 seasoning variations. From savory herb to chili cheese to sesame, one basic burger mix becomes a week of different flavors.

Chocolate parfaits layer creamy chocolate pudding, tangy sour cream, crushed chocolate graham crackers, and whipped topping in individual glasses. A no-cook kid-friendly dessert ready in 15 minutes.