155 start recipes

Sybil Carter's homemade barbecue sauce starts with bacon drippings and builds layers of tangy tomato, brown sugar sweetness, mustard bite, and hot pepper heat. Doubles easily and keeps in the fridge for weeks.

Swiss cheese potato bread from the bread machine, with potato flakes for a soft, moist crumb and melted Swiss for nutty, savory flavor. Just add everything, press start, and bake a tender golden loaf.

Sourdough starter from scratch in two days using water, active dry yeast, sugar, and flour. The fast-start version that skips the wild-yeast wait, refresh with flour and water as you use it.

Tender beef short ribs get a head start in the microwave, then hit the grill for smoky, charred edges and sticky honey-chili glaze. Ready in under an hour with a quick ketchup-based barbecue marinade.

Outrageously oatmeal bread is a soft, lightly sweet bread machine loaf with rolled oats, a spoon of applesauce, and a drizzle of honey. Dump everything in, press start, and wake up to a tender sandwich loaf.

My hearty soup starts with a homemade stock simmered low for hours, then strained and skimmed clean before a load of vegetables, pasta, and pulled meat go in. A from-scratch, stick-to-your-ribs bowl made the old-fashioned way.

This simple fruit salad works at the start of the meal or as a dessert. The fruit is lightly glazed with either a simple syrup or agave syrup. Ginger, a bit of lemon, and some savory thyme which pairs amazingly with summer fruits accents the tartness of the berries and the sweetness of the stone fruit.

Creamy cranberry sherbet whips fresh cranberries with evaporated skim milk and gelatin into a tart, frosty scoop. A low-calorie holiday dessert with rosy color and fluffy texture.

Banana ginger bran muffins with ground and crystallized ginger, oat bran, ripe banana, and a tart lemon glaze. A double-ginger muffin with whole wheat flour and high fiber.

Red tomato marmalade simmers fresh tomatoes with cider vinegar, sugar, salt, and pickling spices into a tart-sweet preserve. Old-fashioned condiment that pairs beautifully with ham, cheese, or sandwiches.

Make creamy homemade yogurt without a yogurt maker, just milk, a spoonful of live yogurt as a starter, and your oven with the light on as a cozy incubator. Lightly sweetened with vanilla, set in hours.

Smoked chicken soup with chipotle peppers and basmati rice for a spicy, smoky one-pot meal. Simple ingredients, bold Southwestern heat in every spoonful.

Tropical Venezuelan sparkling wine punch bursting with passion fruit, citrus slices, and bubbles. Mix, chill, and serve this festive tisana over ice for easy entertaining.

Gooseberry curd made with fresh gooseberries, eggs, butter, and sugar cooked to a silky custard. A tart, floral fruit curd for filling tarts, tartlets, or spreading on scones.

Paksiw na isda, the Filipino vinegar-poached fish with bangus, ginger, bitter melon, and eggplant. A tart, clean-flavored one-pot that tastes better after aging two days in the fridge.

Homemade low-calorie cranberry concentrate with lemon, simmered and strained into a tart syrup. Refrigerate or freeze in cubes for instant cranberry drinks all season long.