64 special recipes

Layered cabbage casserole with ground beef, bacon, sauerkraut, rice, and spaghetti sauce baked low and slow for 3 to 4 hours. A hearty, hands-off one-dish dinner.

Garden Special is a big-batch vegetable relish with green tomatoes, lima beans, cabbage, corn, cucumbers, and peppers in a sweet brown sugar and vinegar brine.

Spinach lasagne with sauteed mushrooms, tomatoes, garlic, and fresh wilted spinach folded into a three-cheese filling. A vegetarian Italian lasagna with no jarred sauce needed.

Vegetable pilau with turmeric brown rice layered over spiced green beans, peas, and carrots, baked and topped with toasted almonds. A fragrant vegan Indian rice dish.

Soft, melt-in-your-mouth sugar cookies made with both butter and oil for extra tenderness. Pressed flat with a sugar-dipped glass and baked golden. Makes 6 to 7 dozen.

Classic stuffed green peppers filled with ground beef, oats, onion, celery, and basil in tomato juice, baked and served with a creamy mushroom sauce. Old-fashioned comfort food.

No-bake peanut butter cookies with just four ingredients: sugar, corn syrup, peanut butter, and Rice Chex cereal. Ready in 30 minutes with zero oven time.

Rich meal suitable as supper time treat or as side dish.Not for those watching calories! Loaded with cheese and cream but absoultely delicious.

A big beef rump roast braised low and slow with dried pinto beans, green peppers, and onions in a tangy tomato-vinegar sauce with brown sugar and thyme. Feeds 10 hungry folks.

Special lard-based pastry dough for tourtieres (French-Canadian meat pies). A flaky, tender crust that rolls out easily and handles beautifully. Makes enough for multiple pies.

A quick Thai wok-fried chicken with crispy garlic, red chillies, oyster sauce, fish sauce, tamarind, bamboo shoots, and fresh coriander. Bold flavor in 30 minutes.

Lobster Monte Carlo plates grilled lobster and shrimp over vegetable risotto with asparagus and portobello, finished in lemon butter sauce. A restaurant-style Mother's Day dinner for two.

Texas-style pecan pie with a secret cornmeal addition for texture, both light and dark corn syrup for depth, and vanilla butternut extract. Gooey, crunchy, and piled with whipped cream.

Smooth, naturally sweet baby food puree blending tender carrots with brown rice. Freeze in ice cube trays for single-serve portions packed with vitamins and fiber.

This is really healthy and is a great way to lose weight.

Chewy brown sugar drop cookies loaded with crushed Special K cereal and chopped walnuts. This retro recipe makes 5 dozen crispy-edged, buttery little bites that vanish fast.