Chilled orzo pasta salad with fresh corn, smoked chicken, red pepper, and basil in a sweet-spicy rice vinegar and lime dressing. Topped with toasted pine nuts.
Chicken mole poblano with a rich sauce of cocoa, almonds, raisins, sesame seeds, and warm spices. Browned chicken simmers in a complex blended mole and served over rice.
Spicy shrimp kabobs marinated in a sweet-heat glaze of apricot preserves, honey, hot sauce, and fresh herbs. Grilled until just white throughout for tender, juicy results.
Red beans and rice from the Pink Adobe restaurant with ham hock, tomato sauce, Tabasco, and sausage. Soaked overnight, simmered for hours, with mashed beans stirred back in for creamy richness.
Homemade pickling spice blend with mustard seeds, allspice, coriander, cloves, ginger, and cinnamon. Mix once and use all canning season for pickles, relishes, and brines.
Spiced lentil casserole with brown rice, cabbage, peas, and turmeric baked in vegetable stock. A hearty vegan one-dish meal with Indian-inspired spices including asafetida.
Chilled tomato salsa over hot angel hair pasta with red and yellow peppers, basil, garlic, and a hit of romano. Italian summer technique that needs zero cooking for the sauce. Ready in 20 minutes.
Lean pork breakfast patties made with ground pork loin, bran flakes, apple juice, fennel, and rosemary. Broiled sausage patties with Italian-herb flavor and less fat than store-bought.
Layered shrimp appetizer with a cream cheese and sour cream base, spiced chili-horseradish cocktail sauce, and fresh shrimp on top. A retro party dip that always disappears first.
Barbara Tropp's China Moon chili-lemon oil infused with Szechuan peppercorns, red pepper flakes, ginger, and bright lemon zest. Homemade Chinese-inspired condiment for drizzling on noodles, dumplings, or grilled meats.
Chicken cacciatore baked in a crushed Roma tomato sauce with white wine, fennel seed, cinnamon, coriander, and red pepper flakes. A lighter, oven-baked Italian hunter's chicken.
A quick vegetarian linguine in a simple stewed-tomato sauce with basil, garlic, and a kick of red pepper flakes. Pantry-friendly and on the table in about 15 minutes for an easy weeknight dinner.
Cheesy spicy oven fried chicken coats skinless pieces in a parmesan, cornmeal and red pepper crust, then bakes crisp without a drop of frying oil. Lighter than the skillet version.
A quick weeknight pasta with turkey sausage, briny black olives, garlic and tomatoes, with a kick of red pepper. Tossed with a splash of pasta water so the sauce clings to every strand.
Spicy Spam kabobs grilled with pineapple chunks wrapped in snow peas and red bell pepper, marinated in a lemon-thyme-oregano sauce with red pepper flakes. Served over rice for a fun, retro cookout meal.
Chicken in silky almond sauce with yogurt, cardamom, coriander, and slivered almonds pureed into a rich Mughlai-style gravy. A fragrant Indian chicken korma that improves overnight.