15 special recipes

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.

Low-calorie cottage cheese plate with fresh vegetables or tropical fruit, a hard-boiled egg, and rye crisp crackers. A high-protein, no-cook light lunch on a bed of lettuce.

Cream cheese party dip with ketchup, French dressing, and grated onion blended smooth. A retro five-minute appetizer for chips and crackers with a tangy, creamy kick.

Cherry pie with a tapioca-thickened tart cherry filling, brightened with almond extract, lemon, and a whisper of cinnamon and clove, all tucked under a flaky shortening double crust.

No-bake Special K cookies with peanut butter, corn syrup, and sugar. Just five ingredients, ready in 20 minutes, and they freeze beautifully for make-ahead treats.

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.

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.

Koulourakia, Greek special occasion cookies made with olive oil, cinnamon, brandy, and sesame seeds. Egg-free, dairy-free, and hand-shaped into traditional forms.

Special Easter bread made with whole wheat breadcrumbs, candied citron, and orange zest in a bread machine. This sweet, fruit-studded loaf has Old World charm.

No-bake Special K cereal cookies made with peanut butter, sugar, corn syrup, and crispy rice cereal. These crunchy, sweet clusters come together on the stovetop in under 15 minutes with just a handful of pantry staples.

A slow cooker whole chicken braised with sliced apples, beer, oyster sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil, and orange peel. Set it in the morning and dinner's ready by evening.

Barb's special sweet bread dough Part I. A laminated yeasted dough folded with butter in three turns, the master base for danishes, kringles, and filled pastries. Family recipe from 1850s tradition.

Barb's Special Sweet Breads Part 2 (Weinerbrod) recipe

Barb's Special Sweet Breads Part 3 (Spandauer) recipe

Spiral sweet bread rolls filled with almond butter and plump currants, topped with vanilla cream icing and toasted almonds. These elegant French-style snails are a stunning addition to any brunch spread.