8 river recipes

Big-batch river-style chili with stewing beef, bacon, kidney beans, dried mushrooms, and serious heat from red pepper flakes and hot sauce. Simmered low and slow until thick and deeply flavored.

Pumpkin cake with a buttery yellow cake mix crust, spiced pumpkin custard filling, and crumbly streusel topping. Freezer-friendly and perfect for fall gatherings.

If you like "frijoles con chili con carne," add a small can of pureed tomatoes to pot and dish up over cooked kidney beans. Only a peasant would mix beans into a chili pot.

Grilled liver kabobs wrapped in bacon with bell peppers and onions, brushed with a tangy molasses-mustard-ketchup sauce. A bold cookout skewer.

Old-fashioned homemade liver bologna with beef liver, potatoes, bacon, and graham flour, boiled in cloth bags. A heritage charcuterie recipe from scratch.

Sauteed calves liver with avocado slices in a brown butter, lemon, and white wine sauce with thyme and parsley. An elegant, retro main course ready in 30 minutes.

Classic French chicken liver pate with cognac, cream, butter, and fine spices. Marinated in cream overnight, blanched four times, then processed silky smooth.

Pureed red lentil soup with bacon and leek, finished with cream and served with poached chicken liver dumplings. A refined European soup with old-world elegance.