Recipes with water

Green chili with pork shoulder, diced green chilies, and canned tomatoes. A New Mexico-style chili verde browned in lard with no beans and loads of pepper flavor.

Crockpot beef stroganoff casserole with ground beef, mushrooms, and sour cream over elbow macaroni. A slow cooker comfort meal with a red wine gravy base.

Sesame fried trout coated in a crunchy sesame seed and bread crumb crust, pan-fried until golden and flaky. A simple 30-minute fish dinner with nutty, toasted flavor.

Roll-out molasses cookies with eggs and cream of tartar that chill overnight before baking into soft, pillowy rounds. The baking soda foams in the molasses for extra lift and tender texture.

Broiled peanut chicken kabobs with crunchy peanut butter, ginger, lemon, and red pepper glaze on skewered chicken breast and onions. Served over rice.

Sopa de tortilla, the authentic Mexican tortilla soup: a tomato-onion-garlic broth infused with mint, finished with fried corn tortilla strips and cheese. Ready in 40 minutes, pantry-friendly.

Sopa de tortilla, the authentic Mexican tortilla soup: a tomato-onion-garlic broth infused with mint, finished with fried corn tortilla strips and cheese. Ready in 40 minutes, pantry-friendly.

Turkey Waldorf salad with diced turkey breast, apples, celery, and raisins tossed in a yogurt-apricot-Dijon dressing. A lighter post-Thanksgiving leftover riff on the classic Waldorf.

Whole wheat oatmeal bread machine loaf sweetened with honey, apple juice, and orange juice concentrate. A hearty, no-knead bread with added vital wheat gluten for rise.

Meringue berry pie features an almond Pavlova-style shell holding vanilla ice cream, mixed fresh berries, and a homemade raspberry sauce. Crisp on the outside, marshmallow soft inside, with summer fruit on top.

Schweines mit Bodabire und Aepfel is a rustic Swiss-German pork stew braised with potatoes, tart apples, and turnip in its own juices. Just eight simple ingredients.

Easy butterscotch poppy seed cake made with yellow cake mix, butterscotch pudding mix, and a generous helping of poppy seeds. Moist, rich, and done in 35 minutes.

Cheddar braids are rich, egg-heavy yeast bread studded with sharp cheddar, brushed with egg wash, and topped with celery seeds. A stunning braided loaf with a brioche-like crumb.

Sugarplum black forest torte stacks four thin chocolate buttermilk layers with a fudgy chocolate-almond filling and almond whipped cream. A nutty twist on the classic, with toasted almonds in every bite.

Crazy cake mixed right in the baking pan with no eggs, no butter, and no milk. Cocoa, vinegar, and oil create a surprisingly moist chocolate cake from Depression-era ingenuity.

Hot pepper and garlic spaghetti pulls heat and flavor straight into the pasta water. Chili and garlic blended into the cooking liquid season the noodles from the inside out. Tossed with olive oil and parsley. Five ingredients, twenty minutes.