2,317 four four recipes

Santa's Thumbprint cookies with oats, brown sugar, and chopped nuts rolled on the outside, filled with jelly. A festive holiday cookie recipe that makes 3 dozen.

Prawn pate with minced shrimp, cream cheese, butter, sour cream, and a kick of hot sauce. A smooth, no-cook seafood spread served on hot toast triangles as an elegant appetizer.

Filled tortillas are make-ahead pinwheel appetizers, flour tortillas spread with spiced cream cheese, jalapenos and black olives, then rolled, chilled and sliced into bite-size rounds. Crowd-pleasing party finger food.

Grissini al finocchio, Italian fennel seed breadsticks made with beer in the yeast dough. Baked crisp on wire racks for an all-around crunch. Makes 60 sticks.

Slow cooker beef daube braised in white wine and brandy with shallots, ham, orange peel, and Provencal herbs. A French stew made effortless in a crockpot.

Curried egg and artichoke dip, a quick chunky party dip with chopped hard-boiled eggs and artichoke hearts in a curry-spiced sour cream and mayo dressing. No-cook appetizer ready in 10 minutes.

Tender sirloin cubes and sliced mushrooms baked under golden puff pastry with beef broth. This British-style steak and mushroom pie is a hearty, savory main dish worth every minute of prep.

No-bake blueberry pie with sweetened condensed milk, sour cream, and lemon in a crumb crust. Just chill and serve for a creamy, fruity dessert that's foolproof.

Maple syrup shortbread bars with a buttery shortbread base topped with a brown sugar, maple syrup, and toasted walnut layer. A two-layer cookie bar that's part shortbread, part praline.

Classic German beef rouladen with thin round steak spread with Dijon mustard, rolled around bacon and onion wedges, then braised in beef broth with a flour-thickened gravy.

Grilled pork tacos with tropical papaya and pineapple mixed into the filling, folded with Monterey Jack cheese, and baked until golden. Served with fresh papaya salsa for a sweet-savory taco night.

Red eye chicken: pan-fried chicken breasts rubbed with paprika, white and black pepper, and cayenne, then finished with a quick roux-based tomato pan gravy. A fast, fiery weeknight chicken dinner.

Chili tostados with crispy fried flour tortillas topped with refried beans, red beans, shredded lettuce, guacamole, and chopped tomatoes. A loaded Mexican open-faced taco.

Easy crab rangoon mixes crab meat with cream cheese, sour cream, and garlic powder, then deep-fries the parcels in wonton wrappers until golden. The classic takeout appetizer made at home in 30 minutes.

Layered noodle casserole with ground beef, tomato sauce, and a triple-cheese filling of cream cheese, sour cream, and cottage cheese. Old-school comfort food.

Crab Newburg shortcut using cream of shrimp soup, a quick roux, and a splash of sherry over a pound of crab meat. Serve over hot waffles for a retro brunch twist.