Grilled curry chicken rice salad layers yogurt-marinated chicken strips over curried rice with bell pepper, snow peas, raisins, and peanuts. Cool Indian-inspired main for hot weather.
Whole-wheat oatmeal raisin cookies with walnuts, brown sugar, and quick oats. Chewy fiber-rich version of the classic, baked from a quick one-bowl batter.
Classic cheese pierogi filling made with cottage cheese or farmer's cheese, eggs, butter, and sugar. A traditional Polish-style sweet cheese filling with optional raisins and cinnamon.
Shortcut oatmeal cookies using yellow cake mix as the base, loaded with oats, raisins, chopped nuts, and cinnamon. Soft, chewy, and foolproof.
Boston brown bread steamed in coffee cans with cornmeal, rye flour, whole wheat, buttermilk, molasses, and raisins. Dense, moist, and slightly sweet with no oven required.
Eastern European poppyseed strudel with a buttery yeasted dough rolled around poppy seed filling, raisins, walnuts, and honey. The traditional makowiec for Christmas and Easter tables.
Quick apple scones with chopped apple, sweet raisins, and warm cinnamon. Built like a pie crust with vegetable shortening and apple juice, no dairy required, ready in 30 minutes.
Turkey picadillo, the lighter take on the Cuban classic, simmers ground turkey with tomatoes, raisins, green olives, and capers for a sweet-salty-savory skillet dinner. Ready in about 30 minutes over rice.
Mother's Day baked apple-cinnamon French toast assembles overnight, then bakes into a puffed, custardy casserole with dried apples, raisins, and warm spices. Zero morning-of stress.
Vegetable and rice stuffed pumpkin: a whole pumpkin roasted as an edible bowl, packed with basmati rice, chestnuts, apples, apricots, and vegetables. A stunning vegetarian Thanksgiving centerpiece.
Apple pound cake loaded with chopped apples, pecans, and raisins spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg. A moist oil-based tube cake baked low and slow until golden.
Applesauce snack cake starts with a box cake mix boosted with applesauce, warm spices, raisins, and nuts for a moist, spiced sheet cake. A semi-homemade shortcut that tastes fully from scratch.
Halloween candy corn bars layer chopped chocolate cookies, salty pretzels, and raisins under a white chocolate drizzle, then top with candy corn and Halloween sprinkles. A no-bake bark-style treat kids can help make.
Unyeasted fruit and nut bread made with whole wheat, rye, and roasted barley flour, studded with raisins, sunflower seeds, dried apricots, and chopped nuts. Dense, hearty wild-fermented hippie loaf.
Chicken mole poblano with a rich sauce of cocoa, almonds, raisins, sesame seeds, and warm spices. Browned chicken simmers in a complex blended mole and served over rice.
Persimmon pudding cake, a moist autumn loaf with ripe persimmons, brandy, warm spices, raisins, and walnuts. Served with a brandy ricotta topping for fall holiday gatherings.