19 no winner recipes

Eat heartily, accompanied by much loud Italian conversation. In fact, I typed this accompanied by much loud Italian conversation. My parents were here, and both were shouting instructions over my shoulder. They disagreed about the arrangement of the lettuce - my mother said that the hole in the middle of the platter was necessary; my father insisted that it wasn't, saying you can just dump the tuna on top of the lettuce. I finally had to give up on this reply until they went home. So now, in the peace and quiet of the aftermath, I've finished it. Hope you had a wonderful holiday.

Quick limoncello skips the weeks of steeping and shakes together fresh lemon juice and zest, simple syrup, and vodka for a bright Italian after-dinner sipper ready in under an hour. No patience required.

Slow cooker turkey and tomato pasta cooks everything in one pot, including the dry fusilli. A no-fuss weeknight dinner that uses up leftover turkey and pantry staples.

Five-ingredient camp tuna and rice cooked in one skillet with canned tuna, quick brown rice, and dried veggies. A no-fuss, high-protein trail dinner ready in 25 minutes.

A one-dish cod casserole with sliced red potatoes, broccoli spears, and white sauce, topped with seasoned breadcrumbs and baked until golden. Uses frozen fish straight from the freezer for a no-thaw weeknight dinner.

Chilled cream of cucumber soup with sour cream, fresh dill, and parsley. A cool, refreshing summer starter that's better made the day before. No fuss, no stove time after dinner.

Pork chop and acorn squash foil packet dinner with butter, brown sugar, and honey. Sealed up tight and baked into a single-serving meal. Six ingredients, no dishes to wash.

Layered confetti macaroni casserole with whole wheat pasta, cottage cheese, zucchini, yellow squash, peppers, and tomatoes. No-boil casserole, healthy weeknight dinner.

Orzo tossed with rehydrated sun-dried tomatoes, mushrooms, onions, and fresh basil. No-oil pasta sautéed in chicken broth instead of butter. Ready in 25 minutes for an easy weeknight dinner.

Peppered London broil seared in a dry pan with a flour crust, served with lime-marinated red onions and a kick of Tabasco. A bold, no-oil steak dinner for two.

Microwave Irish coffee combines strong black coffee, Irish whiskey, sugar, and floated whipped cream for the classic warming after-dinner drink. Made in under 3 minutes with no special equipment.

One-pot pork chop supper with potatoes and carrots simmered in tomato soup with Worcestershire and caraway seeds. A complete skillet dinner with almost no cleanup.

Spicy spaghetti salad tosses kamut pasta with navy beans, tomatoes with green chilies, bell pepper, scallions, cilantro, and cumin. A vegetarian, no-cook-after-boiling dinner.

One-pan venison dinner with browned venison chops, potatoes, carrots, onion, and celery simmered together in a single pot. A hearty, no-fuss wild game meal for two.

Galia melon in port wine with honey and pomegranate seeds is an elegant, no-cook fruit dessert. Just four ingredients for a light, boozy finish to a dinner party that looks as stunning as it tastes.

Orange roughy with basil and peppers is a light microwave fish dinner for two: mild white fillets steamed over julienned red bell peppers and onions with fresh basil and lemon. Ready in 25 minutes with almost no fat.