Sweet-and-Hot Cinnamon Applesauce

Red Hots—that's right, the candies—add both sweetness and heat to this applesauce.

Ingredients

• 3 cups prepared applesauce
• 8 Red Hot candies

Instructions

• Combine applesauce and Red Hots in medium saucepan. Cover and cook over low heat, stirring often, until candies have completely dissolved and applesauce has turned light pink, about 15 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Sloppy Joes

Be careful not to cook the meat beyond pink in step 1; if you let it brown at this point it will end up dry and crumbly. The meat will finish cooking once the liquid ingredients are added. Serve, piled high on a bun, with your favorite pickles.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped fine
• 1/2 teaspoon table salt
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 pound 85 percent lean ground beef
•   Ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar
• 1 cup tomato puree
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
• 4 hamburger buns

Instructions

• 1. Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add onion and salt and stir until coated with oil. Reduce heat to medium, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is soft, about 10 minutes (if onion begins to burn after 5 minutes, reduce heat to low). Add garlic and chili powder and cook, uncovered, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add beef and cook, breaking up meat with wooden spoon, until just pink, about 3 minutes.
• 2. Add 1/4 teaspoon pepper, brown sugar, tomato puree, ketchup, water, and hot sauce. Simmer until Sloppy Joe sauce is slightly thicker than ketchup, 8 to 10 minutes. Adjust seasonings. Spoon meat mixture onto hamburger buns and serve.
• Make Ahead
• If you find yourself with leftover Sloppy Joes or just feel like making a double batch, the meat mixture freezes well for up to one month. To return the meat mixture to its original consistency, you may need to add a little water when it is reheated.

Wacky Cake

This moist cake gets even better when served with vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup natural cocoa powder
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon table salt
• 5 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup water
•   Confectioners' sugar

Instructions

• 1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Coat 8-inch-square baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.
• 2. Whisk flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, and salt together in pan. As shown in photo 1, make 1 large and 2 small craters in dry ingredients. Add oil to large crater and vinegar and vanilla separately to remaining small craters. Pour water into pan (photo 2 below), and mix until just a few streaks of flour remain (photo 3 below). Immediately put pan in oven.
• 3. Bake until toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, about 30 minutes. Cool in pan, then dust with confectioners’ sugar. (If tightly wrapped, cake will keep for 3 days at room temperature.)

Crispy Potato Pancakes

At the supermarket, you can find frozen shredded hash browns near the frozen french fries. Serve these crisp pancakes with sour cream and/or applesauce.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 5 cups frozen shredded hash-brown potatoes
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 large egg
• 2 scallions, chopped fine
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1/2 teaspoon table salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
•   Cooking spray

Instructions

• 1. Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 475 degrees. Coat rimmed baking sheet with vegetable oil.
• 2. Place hash browns and butter in large microwave-safe bowl. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and microwave on high power until butter is melted and hash browns are defrosted, about 5 minutes. Remove plastic wrap, stir well, and let cool.
• 3. Whisk egg, scallions, cornstarch, salt, and pepper together in medium bowl until thoroughly combined. Add to hash-brown mixture and stir until incorporated. Divide mixture into 10 equal-sized balls and set aside on large plate.
• 4. Place oiled baking sheet in oven and heat until oil is just beginning to smoke, about 6 minutes. Remove baking sheet from oven and, working quickly, place potato balls on hot baking sheet. Spray each ball with cooking spray, then press each one into 1/2-inch-thick disk using metal spatula (spray back of spatula with cooking spray if potato balls start to stick). Bake until potato pancakes are golden brown on bottom, about 10 minutes. Flip pancakes over, press down using metal spatula, and bake until crisp and golden brown on second side, about 8 minutes more. Place pancakes on plate lined with paper towels and let drain briefly. Serve.

Oven Fried Fish

Haddock, cod, or even thicker cuts of catfish work well in this recipe. If you have homemade cornbread on hand, use it.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 6 ounces store-bought cornbread (one 3 1/2-inch square piece)
• 3 slices hearty white sandwich bread, quartered
• 2 teaspoons dry mustard
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 4 thick skinless whitefish fillets, each 3/4 to 1 inch thick and 6 to 8 ounces
•   Lemon wedges

Instructions

• 1. Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Pour oil onto rimmed baking sheet and tilt to evenly distribute oil.
• 2. Pulse cornbread in food processor to coarse crumbs. Transfer crumbs to large bowl. Pulse bread to fine crumbs. Transfer 1 1/2 cups bread crumbs to bowl with cornbread; discard remaining bread crumbs. Toss crumbs with mustard, thyme, garlic powder, cayenne, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Drizzle butter over crumbs and toss until coated.
• 3. Place flour in shallow baking dish and buttermilk in second shallow baking dish.
• 4. Place oiled baking sheet in hot oven and heat 10 minutes while preparing fish (don’t leave in oven for more than 10 minutes or oil will smoke). Pat fish dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Dip one fillet into flour, shake off excess, coat well with buttermilk, then dredge in crumb mixture, using hands to firmly pack crumbs onto all sides of fish. Transfer breaded fillet to large plate and repeat with remaining fillets.
• 5. Place breaded fish on preheated baking sheet and bake until coating is crisp and fish is cooked through, 12 to 14 minutes. Serve with lemon wedges.

Boston Cream Cupcakes

Bake the cupcakes in a greased and floured muffin tin rather than paper cupcake liners so the chocolate glaze can run down the sides of the cooled cakes.

Ingredients Pastry Cream

• 1 1/3 cups heavy cream
• 3 large egg yolks
• 1/3 cup sugar
•   Pinch table salt
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch plus 1 additional teaspoon
• 2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 2 pieces
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Cupcakes

• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus additional for dusting muffin tin
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon table salt
• 1 cup sugar
• 12 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), softened but still cool, cut into 12 pieces
• 3 large eggs
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Chocolate Glaze

• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup light corn syrup
• 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

• 1. For the pastry cream: Heat cream in medium saucepan over medium heat until simmering, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, whisk egg yolks, sugar, and salt together in medium bowl. Add cornstarch and whisk until mixture is pale yellow and thick, about 15 seconds.
• 2. When cream reaches full simmer, slowly whisk it into yolk mixture. Return mixture to saucepan and cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until thick and glossy, about 1 1/2 minutes. Off heat, whisk in butter and vanilla. Transfer pastry cream to small bowl, press plastic wrap directly on surface, and refrigerate until cold and set, at least 2 hours or up to 2 days.
• 3. For the cupcakes: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray muffin tin with cooking spray, flour generously, and tap pan to remove excess flour.
• 4. With electric mixer on low speed, combine flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar in large bowl. Add butter, one piece at a time, and combine until mixture resembles coarse sand. Add eggs, one at a time, and mix until combined. Add milk and vanilla, increase speed to medium, and mix until light and fluffy and no lumps remain, about 3 minutes.
• 5. Fill muffin cups three-quarters full (do not overfill). Bake until toothpick inserted in center of cupcake comes out clean, 18 to 20 minutes. Cool cupcakes in pan 5 minutes, then transfer them to rack to cool completely.
• 6. For the glaze: Cook cream, corn syrup, chocolate, and vanilla in small saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly, until smooth. Set glaze aside to cool and thicken for 30 minutes.
• 7. Prepare and fill cupcakes as shown in photos 1 through 4. Refrigerate until just set, about 10 minutes. (Cupcakes can be refrigerated for up to 2 days; bring to room temperature before serving.)

Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

This recipe easily doubles. Make sure to cool the baking sheets between batches.

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cups old-fashioned oats
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon table salt
• 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened but still cool
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 ounces milk chocolate, melted and cooled
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup pecans or walnuts, chopped

Instructions

• 1. Adjust oven racks to upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Place 1 cup oats in food processor or blender and process until well ground, about 30 seconds. Transfer to large bowl and stir in flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
• 2. With electric mixer, beat butter and brown sugar together on medium-high speed until well blended and lumps are gone, about 1 minute. Scrape down sides of bowl. Add egg and vanilla and beat until light and fluffy, about 30 seconds. Add melted chocolate and beat until incorporated, about 20 seconds. Add flour mixture and beat on low speed until just incorporated, about 15 seconds. Add remaining 3/4 cup oats, chocolate chips, and nuts and beat on low speed until evenly distributed, about 10 seconds.
• 3. Roll 2 tablespoons of dough into balls and space 2 inches apart on baking sheets. Bake, rotating and switching position of pans halfway through baking time, until cookies are cracked and set on top but look moist within cracks, 14 to 18 minutes. Cool cookies on baking sheets on wire racks for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely. (Cookies can be stored in airtight container for up to 5 days.)