440 smart recipes

Buttermilk chive biscuits: tender flaky biscuits with chopped fresh chives baked at 425°F for tall, golden tops. Ready in 45 minutes from start to plate.

Red pepper bread machine loaf studded with sweet bell peppers, onion, and parmesan. Dump, press start, and walk away. Italian-inspired flavor with zero kneading required.

Italian dressing variations: customize a base Italian vinaigrette with anchovies, bacon, Parmesan, tomato puree or red wine to create five distinct dressings from one starting point.

Classic Nestle Toll House chocolate chip cookies with butter, brown sugar, semi-sweet morsels, and chopped nuts. The original back-of-the-bag recipe that started it all.

A fast Chinese wok stir-fry of shrimp with crunchy mung bean sprouts, sliced onion, and soy sauce. Just 6 ingredients and 25 minutes from start to plate. Simple, satisfying, and light.

Bulgur onion bread made easy in the bread machine, with nutty cracked wheat and savory minced onion baked into a hearty, chewy loaf. Just load the pan and press start.

Anytime cake doctors up boxed chocolate cake mix with mashed banana and rum extract for a moist, lower-sugar loaf. Ready in 20 minutes start to finish, no eggs or oil needed.

Baked scallops in white Zinfandel wine with garlic, onions, and crumbled cracker topping. An elegant yet effortless seafood dish ready in just 15 minutes from start to finish.

Light angel food cake rolled with a tangy lemon cream filling made from sweetened condensed milk and whipped topping. A stunning no-fuss dessert that starts with a box mix.

Puffy sour cream drop cookies topped with cinnamon sugar before baking. Soft, cakey, and lightly golden around the edges. Simple pantry ingredients, 30 minutes start to finish. Makes 18.

So to start off with the first post, I decided to make a meal that screams of comfort food. Whilst it does take a bit of a while to get the meal done, once you take that first bite, heaven couldn’t seem closer if you were Adam trying to touch God’s finger in the “Creation of Adam” fresco created by Michaelangelo. The meal I speak of is Cottage Pie. There is much debate as to what exactly a cottage pie is and how it is different to a Shepherd’s pie...I don’t know. The dominant theory is that Sheperds pie uses lamb mince, whilst a cottage pie uses beef mince. I don’t know about you, but the term “Sheperds Pie” does not get my tastebuds going quite as well, so I prefer the term cottage pie. Besides, comparing the price of ground (mince) beef to ground lamb, a student would pick up the beef mince in a heartbeat without even so much as glancing at the lamb in the meat section. This cottage pie that I made is full of flavour, and just makes you want to cuddle up next to a fire and watch TCM movies all day either by yourself, or with a significant other. Here is the recipe:

Broiled orange roughy topped with bright citrus sauce made from orange juice, lemon, and nutmeg. This quick weeknight fish dinner takes 40 minutes from start to finish.

Irish coffee muffins made with real Irish whiskey, Kahlua coffee liqueur, and heavy cream baked into a tender, boozy breakfast treat. Just 30 minutes start to finish.

Swirled pink cherry and dark chocolate batters baked in a bundt pan and drizzled with chocolate glaze. A stunning marble cake that starts with a box mix.

Semi-homemade marble cake with swirls of cinnamon and melted chocolate, drizzled with a glossy cinnamon-chocolate glaze. Starts with a pound cake mix for easy baking.

Crispy multigrain toast loaded with thin-sliced ham, ripe tomato, and bubbly melted cheddar. This open-faced breakfast melt takes just 8 minutes from start to plate.