Recipes with margarine

Spiced pear cake with oats, brown sugar, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, and cinnamon. Soaked oats add moisture and a hearty, rustic texture to every slice.

Olive cheese balls with cheddar cheese dough wrapped around pimento-stuffed green olives and baked golden. A make-ahead party appetizer that freezes well.

Sour cream brunch cake with a cinnamon-pecan-brown sugar swirl baked in a tube pan. A tender, rich coffee cake with two layers of crumbly, spiced filling throughout.

Six flavored popcorn ideas: strawberry, cappuccino, blue cheese, curry-cumin, chili, and Tabasco. One base recipe, six seasoning combos mixed into melted butter.

Quick baked mac and cheese made with cream of cheddar soup, a touch of mustard, and crispy bread crumb topping. Bubbly, cheesy comfort in 40 minutes flat.

Five ingredients and zero fuss: angel hair pasta tossed with canned tomatoes, diced ham or pepperoni, and a mountain of melted mozzarella. This is the weeknight dinner that gets a 5-star rating from the whole family.

Flourless Passover chocolate almond torte with bittersweet chocolate, ground almonds, and a rich chocolate-butter icing. Kosher for Pesach with no wheat flour.

Mini apple pies use refrigerated biscuit dough as a fast pastry shortcut. Each rolled biscuit wraps a tablespoon of cinnamon-sugar apple-raisin filling and bakes in muffin cups. Ten warm hand pies in 15 minutes.

This three-layer coconut cake starts with a yellow cake mix shortcut, then gets loaded with shredded coconut, crunchy walnuts, and a from-scratch cream cheese frosting with toasted golden coconut on top. Ready in about an hour.

Soft, golden drop cookies loaded with flaked coconut and brightened with fruit juice and fresh orange zest. Sweetened with sugar substitute, these diabetic-friendly cookies come together in 40 minutes with no mixer needed.

Fettuccine Alfredo lightened up with skim milk and cream cheese, finished with garlic-bloomed butter and a thick blanket of Parmigiano-Reggiano. Silky, garlicky, and surprisingly rich.

Old-fashioned currant pound cake with mace, lemon extract, and 9 eggs folded in as stiffly beaten whites. No leavening needed. Dense, buttery, and studded with dried currants.

Four-layer no-bake candy bar dessert with chocolate-butterscotch, peanut butter nougat, salted peanuts, and gooey caramel. Homemade Snickers bars in a 13x9 pan.

This silky chilled carrot vichyssoise blends sweet carrots, leeks, and potatoes with a whisper of dill and nutmeg. A refreshing cold soup that's ready to chill and thrill.

Pasta with herbed ricotta, toasted pine nuts, tarragon, lemon zest, and parsley tossed into a creamy no-cook sauce. A 30-minute vegetarian pasta dinner with a bright, lemony ricotta coating on every strand.

Paintbrush sugar cookies decorated before baking with egg yolk paint in bright colors. A fun roll-and-cut cookie with almond extract, great for kids and holiday baking.

Eccles cakes pack currants, mixed peel and warming spice inside flaky rough puff pastry, glazed with milk and crunchy caster sugar. Classic Lancashire teatime pastry from northwest England.

German vegetable medley with asparagus, peas, carrots, cauliflower, and kohlrabi in a light cornstarch-thickened sauce. A classic Leipziger Allerlei-style vegetarian side.

Flaky tuna and broccoli pie in a homemade cornmeal crust with creamy Parmesan filling seasoned with dill. A budget-friendly dinner that feeds six from pantry staples.

Crunchy French toast dredges egg-soaked bread in cornflakes, wheat germ, and ground pecans for a crispy, nutty breakfast crust. A high-fiber upgrade on the brunch classic.

Old-fashioned sugar cookies with a dual-sugar dough of granulated and powdered sugar, flattened with a sugar-dipped glass. Tender, crackly-topped, and buttery.

Bean and rice burgers blend mashed beans with brown rice and whole-wheat flour for a hearty vegetarian patty. High-fiber, customizable with potatoes, bran, bulgur, or grated carrots.

Flaky, golden borekas filled with cheesy mashed potato or garlicky spinach, brushed with egg wash and topped with sesame seeds. A beloved Israeli and Sephardic pastry that's worth every fold.

French apple cake topped with Granny Smith apples, a brown sugar-cinnamon crumble, and a glossy apricot glaze. A bakery-worthy dessert with a tender crumb.

Mollettes are Mexican open-faced toasts stacked with warm refried beans, melty cheddar or Monterey Jack, and a spoonful of salsa on toasted french rolls. A party-ready appetizer that disappears fast.

Peanut butter filled fudge cupcakes hide a cream cheese and peanut butter core inside rich cocoa cupcakes. Bake reveals a fudgy exterior with a soft, cheesecake-like peanut butter center.

Grilled pork tacos with tropical papaya and pineapple mixed into the filling, folded with Monterey Jack cheese, and baked until golden. Served with fresh papaya salsa for a sweet-savory taco night.

Dutch oven pot roast braised in beef broth, French onion soup, and Burgundy wine with rosemary, sage, and whole cloves. Fork-tender beef with carrots, potatoes, and onions. Sunday dinner classic.

Mini bacon cheese quiches in a tender cream cheese pastry shell, filled with crisp bacon, cheddar, Swiss, onion, and a custard of eggs and half and half. Make-ahead, freezer-friendly party bites.

No-bake chocolate peanut butter oatmeal cookies with coconut. Boil the sugar mixture for one minute, stir everything together, and drop on wax paper to set.

Lone Star chicken casserole bakes dredged chicken in a ketchup-Worcestershire beef gravy with potatoes, carrots, mushrooms, and baby onions. A hearty Texas one-pot Sunday supper.

Corn casserole with creamed corn, beaten eggs, crushed soda crackers, evaporated milk, and chopped peppers, celery, and carrots, topped with melted cheddar and paprika. A Midwest potluck staple.

A creamy vegan cheesecake made with blended tofu on a crunchy granola crust, topped with a fresh strawberry sauce. Dairy-free, egg-free, and naturally sweetened. Serves 8.

Sauteed shrimp in a rich cream cheese and Swiss cheese sauce with white wine, broiled under golden breadcrumbs. Serve this elegant French-inspired casserole over rice or pasta in under 45 minutes.

Creamy Gouda cheese soup with a splash of apple juice for subtle sweetness. This velvety 30-minute soup brings the classic cheese-and-apple pairing to your bowl.

Crunchy pecan biscotti with almond extract and vanilla, twice-baked until golden. Perfect for dunking in coffee and they store for up to 2 weeks.

Individual baked corn custards with green onions and a crispy Parmesan breadcrumb topping. Scaled for two, low-calorie, and elegant enough for a dinner party side.

One-dish macaroni and cheese casserole with kielbasa sausage and broccoli, topped with buttery crushed crackers. A family-friendly weeknight dinner using simple convenience ingredients.

Ham and noodle hot dish is the classic Midwestern church-potluck casserole with egg noodles, cubed ham, corn, green peppers, and cream-of-soup base, finished with a buttery corn flake topping.

Homemade bagels using hot roll mix, boiled then baked with an egg wash and poppy or sesame seeds. A shortcut method that still delivers chewy, golden bagels without a long rise.

A surprising vintage side dish: sliced cucumbers and Spanish onions layered with chili sauce and butter, baked until meltingly tender. Prove that cucumbers aren't just for salads.

Soft, cake-like apricot cookies with jewel-toned jam centers that bake up tender and light. Chopped dried apricots in the dough add chewy bits of fruit throughout each cookie.

Low-fat cranberry poppy seed loaf made with skim milk, egg substitute, and fresh lemon zest. A tender quick bread with tart cranberry pops and a subtle crunch from poppy seeds.

Homemade dog treats bake oatmeal, whole wheat flour, cornmeal, and bouillon into crunchy bone-shaped biscuits. No artificial preservatives, ready in 70 minutes.

Shrimp and crab enchiladas rolled in corn tortillas, smothered in a creamy sour cream-jalapeno sauce with Monterey Jack cheese. Feeds a crowd of 10 in under 45 minutes.

Portuguese fisherman's stew with white beans, whitefish, stewed tomatoes, and thyme. The fish poaches separately in lemon water to stay tender, then joins the hearty bean broth.

Georgia peach shortcake with cinnamon-brown sugar biscuit layers, pecan pieces, sliced ripe peaches, and almond-flavored whipped cream. Southern summer dessert at its peak.

Old-fashioned popcorn ring pressed into a mold and studded with spiced gumdrops, mini marshmallows, and whole pecans. A sticky-sweet caramel popcorn centerpiece for holiday gatherings.