Recipes with water

Homemade potato gnocchi with tomato-porcini sauce, shaped with a fork and served with butter and Parmesan. A classic Italian technique for pillowy hand-rolled dumplings.

New England clam chowder, home-style: minced clams, potato, milk, butter and crisp bacon over a sauteed onion base. A simple, no-cream version that's pantry-friendly and ready fast.

Pete's white pizza skips the red sauce for a basil-pine nut pesto base topped with wine-balsamic sun-dried tomatoes, sweet roasted garlic, pine nuts, and melty Fontina, on a homemade cornmeal crust.

Silky cream of greens soup made with fresh spinach, watercress, and lettuce blended with potatoes and heavy cream. A vibrant green soup with nutmeg and white pepper.

Poulet a la Diable (deviled chicken) pan-seared and simmered in a double-mustard vermouth cream sauce. A classic French bistro dish for two that's on the table in 40 minutes.

Brown rice almond pilaf with raisins, chicken bouillon, and toasted slivered almonds. A nutty, one-pot side dish with stovetop and microwave instructions included.

Quick flour-and-water gravy made from braised turkey cooking liquid. A simple two-minute pan sauce to serve over leftover braised turkey.

Burmese-style coconut rice with grated coconut, cinnamon, turmeric, curry powder, cloves, and bay leaves stirred into cooked rice. A fragrant, warmly spiced side dish ready in 30 minutes.

Cranberry-orange gelatin salad mold with red wine, fresh orange puree, and cranberry sauce. A jewel-toned retro side dish for holiday tables.

Serve this Thai twist on pizza as is or with optional toppings, such as thinly sliced basil, cilantro, chopped peanuts and/or crushed red pepper on the side.

Gado gado is the Indonesian salad of stir-fried cabbage, bell pepper, and bean sprouts drizzled with a warm peanut sauce spiked with garlic, shallot, cumin, and lemon. Vegetarian one-bowl meal.

Apricot couscous with dried apricots and cardamom, made in the microwave in under 10 minutes. A fragrant, fruity side dish with just five ingredients.

Chocolate bar brownie sundaes layer fudgy toffee-studded brownies with Heath-bar vanilla ice cream and a homemade caramel sauce. A make-ahead, three-part dessert where every component is built from scratch.

Buttery almond shortbread thumbprint cookies filled with raspberry jam and finished with an almond-scented glaze drizzle. Classic Christmas cookie that freezes for three months.

Awesome cinnamon rolls built on a soft, sponge-started yeast dough, rolled tight with cinnamon sugar and baked over a brown-sugar-and-butter layer that turns into a sticky caramel bottom. A big-batch bakery classic, made from scratch.

Layered zucchini potato salad: creamy mashed-potato base stacked with crisp-tender zucchini, corn, and cherry tomatoes. A cool, make-ahead potluck salad that travels well and holds its layers.