Fresh strawberry pie with whole berries standing in glossy cooked syrup. The cornstarch glaze sets clear and ruby-red around the fruit, then whipped topping finishes the slice. Diner-style summer pie.
Double chocolate bar cake with melted milk chocolate, cocoa, and sour cream batter, filled and frosted with whipped chocolate cream. A light, airy three-layer stunner.
Butter-free pecan sugar cookies with brown sugar, honey, cinnamon, and allspice. Chewy with warm spice flavor and ground pecans in every bite.
Rhubarb ripple is an old-fashioned cobbler style dessert with tart baked rhubarb, a cinnamon stick, and a pecan-studded biscuit top. Rustic, deeply pink, and ideal with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.
West African-style pepper soup with stewing beef, green chili peppers, potatoes, and tomatoes in a thyme-scented broth. A spicy, hearty one-pot soup served over rice.
Schwaemme, a traditional German cream sauce with king boletes and chanterelles, finished with parsley and lemon. Serve over potato or bread dumplings for a classic Bavarian side.
Handy pastry dough: make-ahead pie crust with egg and vinegar that keeps two weeks in the fridge. Makes five balls ready to roll for pies, quiches, or turnovers on short notice.
Roll-and-cut sugar cookies painted with egg yolk food coloring before baking. A fun decorating activity for kids with a crisp, golden result every time.
Ritzy chocolate-covered nuts are candied slivered almonds with a crackly sugar shell, roasted to toasty perfection and dipped in melted chocolate. A three-ingredient homemade holiday candy for gift tins.
Savory green beans with mushrooms, basil, and lemon juice cooked entirely in the microwave. A quick, no-fuss vegetable side dish ready in under 20 minutes.
Sesame cheese crackers with cheddar, toasted sesame seeds, soy sauce, and cayenne in a buttery dough rolled thin and baked crisp. Homemade crackers with an Asian-cheddar twist.
Caramelized onion and rosemary pizza on a homemade food processor dough with Parmesan and a splash of red wine vinegar. A focaccia-style flatbread in 35 minutes.
Garlic bubble loaf made from soft yeast dough balls dipped in garlic-paprika butter, layered in a loaf pan, and topped with sesame seeds. Pull-apart and golden.
Sour cream apple pie with a cinnamon-spiced shortbread crust and a buttery walnut streusel top. McIntosh apples bake into a custardy filling that sets up creamy under the crunchy walnut topping.
Sunny cocoa drop cookies are light chocolate-orange cookies made with corn oil spread and sour cream, then finished with a glossy cocoa drizzle. Lower-fat drop cookie, four dozen per batch.
Shoo fly pie with a gooey molasses bottom and spiced brown sugar crumb topping. This Pennsylvania Dutch classic uses cinnamon, mace, ginger, and cloves for warm, deep flavor.