61 surprise recipes

Easy Spam triangles: hand-pie pockets filled with Spam, smoky Gouda, diced apple, and onion dip in flaky pie pastry. Retro party appetizer with surprising flavor.

Five-spice-rubbed roast beef served with a homemade spiced blackberry ketchup, sweet, tart, and gently fiery with cinnamon, ginger, and cayenne. An elegant roast with a surprising fruit condiment.

San Antonio chile verde with simmered chicken breast, green chiles, tomatoes, and cumin. A Tex-Mex stew brightened with cilantro and a surprising splash of soy sauce for depth.

Mayflower meat loaf rolled with ground turkey and mixed vegetables inside, seasoned with thyme. A lighter stuffed meat loaf with a colorful vegetable surprise.

Single-serving broccoli rice soup made with leftover rice, cooked broccoli, and a surprising hint of apple. Serve chunky or puree it smooth. Ready in about 10 minutes of active cooking.

A vintage cream pie with boysenberry syrup filling in a vanilla wafer crust, crowned with toasted meringue. Old-fashioned, fruity, and surprisingly quick to make.

Hidden Kisses cookies with chocolate kisses wrapped in buttery pecan shortbread and rolled in powdered sugar. A snowball cookie with a melted chocolate surprise inside.

Definitely a lazy way to make a crab stew, but I was surprised by how great it came out, and it was so quick and easy too.

Checkerboard clam crunch: crispy pan-fried clam patties bound with Rice Chex cereal and egg, topped with sour cream. A retro mid-century appetizer with surprising texture.

Stir-fried scallops and apples combine sweet sea scallops with crisp apple chunks, celery, and bright lemon juice. A 5-ingredient seafood appetizer with surprising sweet-savory contrast.

Ham rolls with grapes and tomato cream sauce is an elegant little main: thin ham rolled and warmed, then napped in a silky strained tomato cream studded with wine-poached green grapes. Bistro flair, surprisingly simple.

Passover bagels made with matzo meal instead of flour, using a choux-style dough of boiled water, oil, and eggs. Kosher for Pesach and surprisingly chewy inside with a crisp crust.

Bay Head cream cheese spread with curry powder and garlic, mounded and topped with sweet Chinese duck sauce. A 5-minute cocktail party appetizer with surprising sweet-savory complexity.

Whole trout stuffed with crab meat, mushrooms, green pepper, and herbed stuffing mix, cooked in the microwave in just 30 minutes. A surprisingly elegant weeknight fish dinner with minimal cleanup.

Leeks, wild mushrooms, and green beans sautéed in sherry with a bright finish of orange zest and apple cider vinegar. A low-fat, 20-minute side dish with surprising depth.

Pan-browned pork chops baked in a luscious cream cheese and Parmesan sauce until fork-tender. Rich, savory, and surprisingly simple, this is a one-dish dinner that never disappoints.