438 mellow recipes

Gift cake: a birthday sheet cake decorated to look like a wrapped present, with coconut "paper," strawberry preserves filling, and a gumdrop bow. Perfect kid's party centerpiece.

Honey Bun Cake starts with a yellow cake mix enriched with sour cream, layered with a brown sugar, cinnamon, and pecan swirl, then glazed while warm. A potluck favorite that tastes scratch-made.

Hawaiian cake starts with a yellow cake mix base topped with a cream cheese pudding layer, crushed pineapple, chopped nuts, maraschino cherries, and flaked coconut.

Baked sweet pepper wedges stuffed with tomatoes, pine nuts, garlic, and parsley, finished with breadcrumbs and olive oil. A vegan Mediterranean appetizer or side dish that bakes in an hour.

Lord Baltimore cake with three yellow cake layers, fluffy egg white frosting, and a filling of crumbled macaroons, pecans, and maraschino cherries. A Southern showstopper made easy with a cake mix shortcut.

Mashed ripe bananas swirl through vanilla cake batter with cinnamon-almond streusel in this bundt-style brunch coffeecake. Dust with powdered sugar for an elegant finish.

Tender rum-soaked bundt cake made with vanilla pudding mix and toasted walnuts. The rum-butter glaze seeps into every crevice for boozy, buttery bliss at potlucks.

A layered pineapple coconut poke-style cake starting with a box mix, topped with coconut milk cream cheese pudding, crushed pineapple, whipped topping, and shredded coconut. Potluck-ready and crowd-sized.

A cake mix coffee cake with a coconut cinnamon crumb swirl running through the center and crunchy nut topping, finished with a vanilla glaze. One pan, one hour, zero fuss.

Fruity gazpacho with blended tomatoes, peaches, apple, blackberries, cucumber, and yellow bell pepper in vegetable stock. A chilled summer soup with fresh fruit and no cooking required.

Unadulterated black bean soup with dried beans, ham hocks, red and yellow onion, pureed silky smooth and finished with dry sherry. A purist's approach with no spices masking the beans.

Grilled eggplant salad layered with yellow tomatoes, fresh mint, and a shallot-lemon vinaigrette. A stunning Mediterranean summer platter that pairs smoky grilled eggplant with cool raw tomato.

Pizza Presto on a Boboli shell loaded with pepperoni, sauteed peppers and onions, black olives, and two cheeses. A fast homemade pizza ready in 25 minutes.

Chicken piccata with pounded chicken breasts seared in butter, finished with sherry, lemon juice, and capers in a quick pan sauce. A weeknight Italian classic for eight in 40 minutes.

Wild rice and bulgur pilaf simmered in chicken broth with tarragon, onion, and parsley. A nutty, low-calorie whole grain side dish with two textures in every bite.

Maple nut bundt cake with swirled layers of cinnamon-sugar nuts baked into a pudding-enriched batter, then drizzled with maple-vanilla glaze. Starts with a cake mix but tastes from scratch.