12 marry recipes

Hearty cornbread loaf with yogurt and sunflower oil baked in a loaf tin. Optional cheddar cheese makes this a savory side that slices like bread.

A moist chocolate chip cake made with instant mashed potatoes, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Baked in a 13x9 pan with a powdered sugar finish, it travels beautifully to any potluck or picnic.

Sen. Barry Goldwater's slow-simmered beef chili with dried pinto beans, tomato paste, chili powder and cumin. Five hours of low-and-slow cooking for deep, smoky flavor.

Senator Barry Goldwater's no-frills chili recipe with ground beef, dried pinto beans, tomato paste, chili powder, and cumin. Five hours of low, slow simmering for deep, honest flavor.

A unique and delicious bulgur recipe made with sweet bell peppers and zucchini.

Nancy Reagan's pumpkin pecan pie marries two Thanksgiving favorites in one shell. A pumpkin custard sweetened with dark corn syrup hides under a layer of toasty pecans. Holiday pie that ends every debate over which to bake.

Make the rosemary and garlic olive oil in advance, which gives the oil enough time to marry all the herby and garlicky flavors. Brush the casserole dish and the surface of the dough with the rosemary and garlic infused oil, sprinkle the parmesan cheese on top before baking. It comes out cheesy, moist and tasty.

Apple molasses pecan pie marries two Thanksgiving classics into one. Sliced apples and toasted pecans bound in a brandy-spiked molasses filling, finished with a buttery lattice crust.

Brunch pizza topped with soft scrambled eggs, melted mozzarella and fontina, and cold smoked salmon with chives. An elegant weekend project that marries pizza technique with lox-and-bagel flavors.

Plump sweet raisins marry well with turkey meat, the pork mince adds richness and moistness and the generous quantity of fresh herbs lifts this stuffing out of the ordinary.

Caribbean shrimp and black bean salad tossed in a salsa-honey vinaigrette with celery, red onion, and cilantro. A no-cook, make-ahead summer salad ready after a two-hour chill to let the flavors marry.

Light pumpkin praline cheesecake: low-fat cottage cheese stands in for cream cheese, wheat germ replaces graham crumbs in the crust, and pumpkin pie spice carries the flavor. Topped with maple-drizzled pecans.