35 second recipes

Make glace fruit at home with this classic four-day method, slowly saturating apples, peaches, cherries, or citrus peel in sugar syrup until candied and leathery. The spent syrup becomes a fruit-flavored pancake syrup.

Chili bean soup made from scratch with dried pink beans, stewed tomatoes, and chili seasoning. Half the beans get mashed for body, the rest set aside for a second meal.

Bite-sized baked egg cups loaded with cheddar, Monterey Jack, green chiles, and cumin. Makes 30 mini appetizers that disappear the second they hit the table.

Homemade strawberry jelly from fresh berries, sugar, and liquid pectin. Crush, strain through a jelly bag, boil hard for 30 seconds, and you've got jewel-bright jelly ready to jar.

Let's have a cup of blue margaritas to give it a change, the bright color and refreshing taste will definitely want you to ask for second cup.

While Schwartz describes the name for this Israeli dish as slightly pretentious, he notes that it won a cooking competition and found its way onto the menus of five star hotels. He recommends serving it over a bed or bulgur pilaf.

5-second banana breakfast smoothie with skim milk, nonfat yogurt, and protein powder. Blend it, grab it, and sip your way through the morning rush. Zero cooking required.

Homemade puris, Indian deep-fried puffed bread made with whole wheat and white flour. The dough rests for an hour then fries into golden, airy pillows in seconds.

Creamy mango salad dressing with orange juice, garlic, soy sauce, and curry powder. Oil-free and low-fat, blended smooth in seconds. A tropical, Indian-inspired dressing with natural sweetness.

Deep-fried Camembert dredged in mustard-herb flour and a spicy bread crumb crust with chili powder and cayenne. Crackling-crisp outside, molten cheese inside. A 30-second appetizer.

Halloween face paint mixes cornstarch, water, cream, and food coloring into a homemade non-toxic costume paint. Skin-safe, kid-friendly, and ready in seconds for trick-or-treat night.

Microwave meringues made with just egg white and powdered sugar in under 15 minutes. No oven needed. These two-ingredient meringue cookies puff up light and crisp in 90 seconds flat.

Lighter sour cream substitute made from cottage cheese, lemon juice, and skim milk blended smooth in seconds. A low-fat dollop for baked potatoes, dips, and tacos with the same tang.

Five-second banana breakfast smoothie with skim milk, nonfat yogurt, and optional protein powder or chocolate syrup. Blend it, grab it, and get out the door. Morning fuel that actually tastes good.

Beer float made with chocolate ice cream and a 12-ounce pour of beer in a tall glass. Two ingredients, ready in 30 seconds, and the strangest dessert-drink you'll ever love.

Classic pina colada blended with light rum, pineapple juice, cream of coconut, and crushed ice until foamy. A tropical cocktail that takes 30 seconds in the blender and tastes like a Caribbean beach.