20 litter recipes

Vegetarian penne pasta with crumbled feta cheese and sauteed bitter greens in olive oil. The feta melts into a creamy, tangy sauce without any cream needed.

This very rich cake from the West Indies is ideal for those who prefer not to ice their Christmas cakes.

Grilled fruit kabobs brushed with maple syrup, brown sugar, cinnamon, bitters, and red pepper flakes. Sweet, smoky, and spicy summer dessert ready in 30 minutes.

A killer no-bean Texas-style chili with coarse-ground chuck, beer, tequila, whiskey, and six whole jalapeños. Not for the faint of heart.

Here's a recipe for pumpkin soup. It comes from Jon Gatewood, the executive chef of Emma's restaurant in the Silas Griffith Inn in Danby, Vermont.

A wonderful venison chili that's loaded with flavour.

Halloween gag cookies rolled in Grape-Nuts and served from a clean litter box with a scoop. Chocolate and gingerbread dough logs shaped like, well, you know. Harmless fun.

A buttery, breadcrumb-based Christmas plum pudding rich with two kinds of raisins, currants, bitter orange marmalade, and warm spice. Steamed, aged, then flamed at the table and served with silky zabaione.

This is one of our favorites. I add more lemon (yes, with the rind!). It's sooo good! Not bitter. I looked online to find it because I misplaced my "Award winning recipes" cookbook in the move. I use vinegar instead of wine (about half the amount) because we don't stock wine.

Kransekake, a traditional Scandinavian tower cake made from ground almonds, powdered sugar, potato flour, and egg whites. A gluten-free celebration cake for Christmas and weddings.

Three-layer pecan fudge cake made with unsweetened chocolate in both the batter and frosting. Rich, dense, and loaded with chopped pecans throughout.

Rich, fudgy chocolate almond cake with a silky dual-chocolate glaze and fresh raspberries. A flourless-style showstopper that melts on the tongue with every dense, buttery bite.

Tuscan white bean stew with spinach, bitter radicchio, garlic, anchovy, and lemon. A quick Italian-inspired pasta topping that feels both hearty and fresh.

Spaghetti with sauteed curly endive, garlic, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar. A quick 30-minute Italian pasta with bitter greens and tangy-sweet dressing.

Spaghettini topped with breaded and fried eggplant strips, tomato sauce, and grated Parmesan. A crispy Italian-style pasta dish with salt-pressed eggplant for zero bitterness.

Homemade candied orange peel boiled five times to remove bitterness, then simmered in sugar syrup and rolled in sugar. A two-ingredient confection for baking or snacking.