Recipes with vegetable shortening

Sweet and sour meatballs in pineapple-soy glaze with green pepper, served as a party appetizer or weeknight main over rice. Classic American-Chinese retro plate.

Chocolate peanut butter cookies loaded with peanut butter chips and chopped peanuts. A fudgy cocoa dough with a double dose of peanut crunch in every bite, baked in under 10 minutes.

Homemade yeast cinnamon rolls swirled with brown sugar, cinnamon, and raisins, then finished with a coffee-spiked confectioners' glaze. Soft, pillowy from-scratch rolls with a grown-up twist on the icing.

Pistachio and white chocolate cookies with brown sugar, butter-flavored shortening, and toasted pistachios. Chewy or crisp by choice, the classic holiday cookie tin upgrade.

Friendship-starter prune cake spiced with cinnamon and studded with chopped walnuts and stewed prunes. A moist, sourdough-tinged sheet cake from the Amish friendship-bread tradition.

Pistachio-almond biscotti drizzled with dark chocolate: crunchy, twice-baked Italian cookies packed with two kinds of nuts. Coffee's best friend and a gift-tin classic.

Crazy chocolate cake made with no eggs, no butter, and no milk. Vinegar and baking soda create the lift in this one-bowl Depression-era recipe that bakes up surprisingly moist and rich.

Southern Coke cake made with Coca-Cola in both the chocolate batter and the boiled cocoa-pecan frosting. Marshmallows in the batter melt into gooey pockets as it bakes.

Classic oatmeal cookies with plumped raisins, chopped walnuts, and warm cinnamon. An old-fashioned drop cookie with chewy centers, soft edges, and pantry-staple ingredients.

Sourdough silver dollar hotcakes with an overnight fermented batter, baking soda for lift, and a tangy flavor no regular pancake can match. Makes 30 mini pancakes.

Chocolatetown special cake is a rich cocoa buttermilk layer cake with tender crumb and deep chocolate flavor, frosted with buttercream. A Hershey's classic.

Lemon chicken casserole with browned breast pieces baked under lemon slices, brown sugar, and chicken broth. A sweet-tart baked chicken dinner with caramelized lemon glaze, served over wild rice.

Soft applesauce spice drop cookies with cold coffee, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, raisins, and nuts. One batch makes 7 dozen with just a 7-minute bake time - a holiday baking staple.

Plantation-style catfish fillets: crisp pan-fried catfish served over garlicky sauteed spinach and tomatoes, finished with parmesan and a pass under the broiler. A Southern supper with Creole flair.

Eye Love Mom cookies are peanut butter thumbprints filled with raspberry jam and decorated with chocolate eyes and royal icing. Crafty Mother's Day cookies kids can help decorate.

Grilled pork country ribs with unique egg marinade that forms a caramelized crust. Served with foil-packet potatoes cooked right on the grill.