Susan's Corn Muffins: tender corn muffins enriched with sour cream and butter, studded with Mexicorn and chopped bacon. Savory-sweet, breakfast-ready, makes a dozen.
Chocolate-filled ravioli cookies are sweet pasta-shaped pillows with a crushed chocolate-walnut filling, sealed with fork tines and brushed warm with honey. The Italian-American holiday cookie that doubles as edible art.
Pecan orange coleslaw with fresh oranges, shredded cabbage, and chopped pecans in a sweet lemon-mayo dressing. A bright, crunchy no-cook side dish.
Szechuan-style spicy pork stir-fry with green peas, carrots, and ginger in a savory oyster and soy sauce. Served over steamed rice for a quick weeknight dinner.
Fig ginger cake with boiled dried figs, corn syrup, warm spices, and chopped nuts baked in layers and topped with ginger icing. A vintage spice cake with jammy fruit throughout.
L. J's chili with overnight-marinated beef, tomatoes, mushrooms, crushed chilis, and peppers simmered open-pot for four hours. A bold, slow-cooked chili with a distinctive reduction technique.
Cantonese-style asparagus beef stir-fry with thin-sliced flank steak, snappy asparagus and a punchy black bean sauce. Cornstarch-velveted meat stays tender, garlic-infused oil delivers aromatic depth.
Mock apple pie made with soda crackers instead of real apples, using cream of tartar, cinnamon, and nutmeg to mimic apple flavor. A Depression-era classic that fools almost everyone.
Khichadi cooks basmati rice and moong dal with cinnamon, cloves, mustard seed, and asafetida, then folds in toasted nuts, coconut, currants, and garam masala. Ayurvedic Indian comfort one-pot.
Silky cocoa creme is a light chocolate mousse made with ricotta, cocoa powder, and whipped topping, set with gelatin. A low-fat molded dessert served with strawberries.
Mini cherry cheesecakes baked in a muffin tin over a vanilla wafer crust, topped with glossy cherry pie filling. Creamy individual portions, make-ahead, and no springform pan required.
Kinome-ae is a classic Japanese dish pairing dashi-simmered bamboo shoots with a vivid green miso dressing colored with spinach paste. Finished with fragrant sansho pepper powder.
Chocolate mint pinwheel cookies with a two-tone spiral of vanilla and mint-chocolate dough, sliced thin and baked crisp with a melted chocolate coating on the bottom.
Fudgy one-bowl peppermint brownies made with real unsweetened chocolate, drizzled with white chocolate, and topped with crushed candy canes. A festive holiday brownie.
Mexican chocolate chiffon pie with Kahlua coffee liqueur, whipped cream, and toasted almonds in a baked pie shell. A silky, no-bake gelatin-set filling chilled overnight.
Low-fat pumpkin raisin cake made with egg whites, no butter, and pumpkin pie spice. Served with a strained yogurt cream sauce for a lighter fall dessert.