Recipes with water

Try making this healthy variation of chicken stock that can be used to make soups and stews.

Hot and sour shrimp soup built on a quick homemade broth simmered from the shrimp shells, with tender chayote, mushrooms, fresh lemon juice for the sour bite, and chili paste for the heat. A bright, light take on the takeout classic.

Double-crust blackberry pie with a flaky shortening pastry and a simple sugar-and-flour-thickened filling. The kind of late-summer fruit pie that lets the berries do the talking.

Mexican T Punch blends tequila with cold tea, pineapple juice, honey, lime, cinnamon, and aromatic bitters. A batch cocktail with warm spice and tropical citrus.

Classic French apple tarte Tatin with Granny Smith apples caramelized in a skillet and topped with buttery homemade pastry. A stunning upside-down dessert with deep golden caramel.

Retro curry-style ground beef skillet with tomatoes, apple, raisins, coconut, and chutney cooked with rice in one pot. A mild, sweet-savory Indian-inspired weeknight dinner.

Halloween popcorn crunch: popped corn, pumpkin seeds, dried cranberries and banana chips coated in hard-crack vanilla caramel. The fall snack mix that puts caramel corn to shame.

Beer-battered hush puppies with cornmeal, self-rising flour, and chopped onions. Beer adds lightness and tang. Drop in hot oil, fry until crisp for pub-style cornbread bites.

Louisiana chicken gumbo with ham, okra, fresh oysters, and file powder, slow-simmered for two hours and served over rice. An authentic Cajun one-pot meal.

Greek beef saute: sliced sirloin with onion and red pepper in a red wine demi-glace spiked with orange zest and oregano. Restaurant flavors on the table in 25 minutes over couscous or rice.

Triple-layer chocolate-glazed cheesecake with a chocolate cookie crust, a dark chocolate layer, a brown sugar pecan layer, and a classic cream cheese layer, all topped with warm chocolate glaze. A show-stopping celebration dessert.

Sweet and savory beef stew simmered in apple cider with dried apricots, raisins, mushrooms, and a lemon slice. A North African-inspired one-pot meal served over rice or potatoes.

Indian chicken pies with flaky lard-and-margarine pastry wrapped around garam masala-spiced chicken, mushrooms, and corn. Handheld curry-pot pies worth the weekend effort.

Chili-glazed tofu over asparagus and rice with a sweet-salty soy-ginger sauce. A 30-minute one-skillet vegetarian dinner using boil-in-bag rice to clear weeknight dinner in under half an hour.

Pressure cooker beef stew with stewing beef, potatoes, peas, carrots, and stewed tomatoes, ready in about 30 minutes start to finish. The slow-Sunday classic in weeknight time.

Peaches and cream bread machine loaf: dried peaches and peach yogurt fold into a soft, lightly spiced bread with cinnamon and nutmeg. Sweet enough for breakfast toast, savory enough for sandwiches.