Homemade chicken stock from backs, necks, and gizzards simmered with celery, carrots, onion, and parsley. The from-scratch base for soups, gravies, and braises. Freezes for months.
Burmese-style coconut rice with grated coconut, cinnamon, turmeric, curry powder, cloves, and bay leaves stirred into cooked rice. A fragrant, warmly spiced side dish ready in 30 minutes.
Papaya tomatillo relish with cinnamon, cayenne, brown sugar, and dried currants. Serve hot or cold with lamb, pork, or curries. Keeps 3 weeks refrigerated.
Flour-coated chicken livers cooked in butter with white wine, ketchup, and onion using the microwave. A quick 25-minute liver dinner with a tangy wine sauce, served over rice.
Low-fat country potato patties with shredded boiled potatoes, onion, celery, green pepper, and whole wheat flour. Griddle-cooked with no added oil or butter.
Mexican cheese dip made in the microwave with cheddar, jalapenos, garlic, tomatoes, and a quick roux for thickness. A from-scratch queso dip ready in about 10 minutes, no Velveeta needed.
Summer risotto loaded with chicken, prosciutto, mushrooms, peas, sweet peppers, and tomatoes, finished with Romano cheese. A one-pot Italian rice dinner ready in 30 minutes with fresh seasonal flavors.
Smoked beef short ribs slow-cooked over mesquite or hickory with a red wine and tomato barbecue sauce. Bone-side down for 2 hours of real charcoal smoke flavor.
Gado gado is the Indonesian salad of stir-fried cabbage, bell pepper, and bean sprouts drizzled with a warm peanut sauce spiked with garlic, shallot, cumin, and lemon. Vegetarian one-bowl meal.
A simple, yet scrumptious salad that can accompany any meal you prepare for dinner.
Mexican-Italian fusion lasagna with hot Italian sausage, chili powder, ricotta, cheddar, and jalapenos layered between flour tortillas instead of pasta sheets.
Layered zucchini potato salad: creamy mashed-potato base stacked with crisp-tender zucchini, corn, and cherry tomatoes. A cool, make-ahead potluck salad that travels well and holds its layers.
Quick microwave chili con queso dip with sharp cheddar cheese spread, fresh tomato, and green chiles. A Tex-Mex chip dip ready in under 10 minutes.
Broken spaghetti twirls through a sesame-poppy seed dressing with crisp cucumbers and red onions for a pasta salad that feeds a crowd.
Smoked mackerel cheese log blended with cream cheese, horseradish, lemon, and celery, rolled in crushed almonds and parsley. A Maritime Canadian appetizer for crackers.
Microwave chicken breasts over rice with dried beef, celery, onion, pine nuts, and parsley. A one-casserole dinner cooked entirely in the microwave in about 20 minutes.