Recipes with spices

Mini pumpkin pie cookie cups with a cream cheese pastry shell, spiced pumpkin filling with rum and vanilla, and a crunchy pecan-brown sugar topping.

Berkshire apple pie with a dump-and-bake cake batter topping over cinnamon apples. No rolling pin needed for this rustic New England-style dessert.

Simple potato soup with onions, thyme, and a whole clove simmered for an hour and passed through a sieve with milk. A classic, no-frills comfort soup with just 6 ingredients.

Lentil chili with lean pork or ground turkey, tomatoes, celery, cumin, and chili powder. A high-protein, low-calorie one-pot meal simmered until thick.

Smoky black bean soup made from dried beans simmered with ham hocks, cumin, jalapeno, and vegetables, pureed smooth and finished with dry sherry and fresh lime juice.

Pull-apart cinnamon monkey bread made with refrigerated biscuits rolled in cinnamon sugar and baked in a bundt pan. Warm butter sauce soaks into every crevice for sticky-sweet breakfast bliss.

No-egg raisin cake with brown sugar, walnuts, cinnamon, and ginger baked low and slow. A Depression-era pantry cake that's moist, spiced, and surprisingly rich.

Spiced applesauce bread with whole wheat flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice. A moist, warmly spiced quick bread loaf with no butter needed.

Texiana shrimp and rice, Tex-Mex one-pot with green chiles, toasted cumin, oregano, and shrimp simmered into pilaf-style rice. Border-state weeknight seafood main with cilantro and scallions on top.

Cinnamon sugar cookie strips with a walnut crunch topping, pressed into a pan and baked until golden. A simple egg wash gives these crisp, buttery bars their signature shine.

Sour cream dip with diced carrots, chili powder, cumin, and Dijon mustard. A no-cook party dip with smoky spice and crunch that comes together in minutes.

Roast chicken rubbed with cinnamon, cumin, and coriander served with a spiced mushroom, parsnip, carrot, and hazelnut stuffing plus a sherry pan gravy.

Sesame shrimp toasts are crispy Chinese appetizers with minced shrimp, ginger, and five-spice pressed onto bread, coated in sesame seeds, and pan-fried until golden.

Poached mangoes in brown sugar and cinnamon syrup served over vanilla ice cream. A warm tropical fruit dessert that comes together in 30 minutes.

Cinnamon chocolate sheet cake with a boiled cocoa-margarine base, buttermilk batter, and chocolate cream cheese frosting. A Texas-style sheet cake with warm cinnamon spice throughout.

Pimiento sweet pickles made with 24 red bell peppers brined overnight and simmered in a spiced vinegar syrup with cloves, cinnamon, allspice, mace, and mustard seeds.

Cucumber mint raita with plain yogurt, grated cucumber, fresh mint, roasted cumin seeds, and cayenne. A cool Indian condiment ready in 10 minutes with no cooking.

Hasa vegetable soup with carrots, potatoes, tomatoes, fresh ginger, cumin, and a full cup of cilantro. A warming, ginger-forward vegetarian soup simmered low for an hour until the vegetables are tender.

Sweet oatmeal pie combines honey and dark corn syrup with cinnamon. Quick oats rise during baking to form a signature chewy crust on top.

Scotch apple pudding layered with sliced apples, rolled oats, cinnamon sugar, and skim milk, then baked until golden and bubbly. A low-fat British-style baked dessert.

Soft gingerbread cookies with separated eggs folded in for airy texture, spiced with ginger and cloves, ready in just 10 minutes of baking.

Crisp rolled molasses cookies with a full tablespoon each of cinnamon and ginger, dark molasses, lemon extract, and a splash of vinegar for tang. Thin and snappy.

Green chili stew with ground turkey, four cans of diced green chilies, zucchini, corn, and canned tomatoes seasoned with cumin and garlic. A hearty Southwestern one-pot stew ready in 45 minutes.

Hazelnut spiral cookies with a buttery shortbread-style dough rolled around toasted ground hazelnuts, sugar, and warm spices. Slice-and-bake elegance.

A spicy soup that can be served hot or cold. Fresh baked biscuits are a nice accompaniment.

Grilled eggplant slices brushed with a mint, cumin, and lemon oil, served with a cool mint-cumin yogurt sauce. A light vegetarian appetizer with Middle Eastern flavors.

Spicy fruit compote simmers dried fruit in port wine with cinnamon, cloves, and lemon, finished with fresh banana. A warming dessert or breakfast topping for yogurt, ice cream, or pancakes.

Holiday cheddar date cake bakes a tube of brown sugar batter loaded with shredded sharp cheddar, dates, pecans, candied cherries, and golden raisins. A surprising savory-sweet fruitcake that keeps for 6 weeks.

Poached chicken breasts cooked gently in an aromatic broth with carrot, onion, celery, and peppercorns, then left to cool in the pot for juicy, sliceable meat. The base for chicken salad, sandwiches, and casseroles.

Smoky chipotle black bean soup built from dried beans, cumin, oregano, and a bruised-cilantro bouquet. Finished with sherry, lime, and part-pureed for creamy-chunky texture.

Master Chef stewed chicken braises a whole bird with fire-roasted bell peppers, tomatoes, red wine, raisins, and olives for a Spanish-Portuguese sweet-and-savory stew. Finished with a flour-thickened gravy.

Red beans and rice cooked the proper way: dried kidney beans simmered with bay and bell pepper, then the bean stock cooks the rice along with sauteed onion, pepper, garlic, and cumin. Vegetarian, deeply savory, all in one pot.

Upside-down apple pie with a caramelized pecan and brown sugar base that becomes a sticky, nutty topping when flipped. Cinnamon-nutmeg spiced apples in a double crust.

Big-batch Texas-style chili with ground beef, cumin, coriander, and a dash of cinnamon simmered for hours in tomato sauce and juice. No beans, all meat, feeds a crowd.

Spiced rhubarb preserve with cinnamon, allspice, and apple cider vinegar simmered into a thick, tangy spread. A versatile condiment for ham glaze or biscuit topping.

Cinnamon candy apple Jello salad with applesauce and a cream cheese topping. A retro molded gelatin side dish with warm cinnamon heat and tangy lemon notes.

Summer pandowdy layers juicy nectarines and blueberries under a cream biscuit crust, then dowdies the top by pressing it into the bubbling fruit. Old-fashioned New England dessert.

Maple applesauce simmers peeled apples with cinnamon sticks and a splash of maple syrup. Just four ingredients, no added sugar beyond the syrup. Serve warm over potato pancakes or regular pancakes.

Hot oatmeal with raisins, cinnamon, and sunflower seeds, ready in 15 minutes. A no-sugar-added, diabetic-friendly breakfast topped with milk or yogurt for a wholesome start.

Pumpkin raisin nut cookies made egg-free with pumpkin puree as the binder, spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger, and packed with raisins and chopped nuts.

Hot-sauce chili simmers cubed beef chuck with green chilies, hot pepper sauce, chili powder, and cumin into a no-bean Texas-style chili. Two-stage cook for fork-tender beef.

Baked potatoes topped with spiced chicken strips in a cinnamon-paprika gravy with toasted almonds and raisins. A Moroccan-inspired loaded potato dinner.

Raisin cookies use a boiled-water cooking method that plumps the raisins into the sweet brown sugar syrup before baking. No eggs, no butter required. Frugal Depression-era cookie that still satisfies.

Stovetop oatmeal with cinnamon, plump raisins and toasty walnuts, finished off the heat so the oats turn creamy and soft. A filling, high-fiber breakfast bowl ready in about 10 minutes.

Peanut butter oatmeal chippers fold quick oats, peanut butter chips, and chopped pecans into a cinnamon-nutmeg cookie dough. A spice-warmed twist on the classic oatmeal cookie.

Orange cheesecake with a vanilla wafer-cinnamon crust, blended cottage cheese and cream cheese filling, topped with fresh strawberries and orange sections. Lighter than traditional cheesecake.

Low calorie oatmeal cookies made with oat bran, quick oats, apple juice, and just a touch of margarine. No flour, no butter, all the chew.

King cake for Mardi Gras, a sour cream yeast dough rolled with cinnamon-sugar butter, shaped into an oval ring, and decorated with purple, green, and gold sugars. New Orleans tradition at home.