Easy

This pizza dough recipe can be made with storebought active dry yeast or fresh yeast. It makes enough for two 12-inch pizzas. For the best flavor and texture, be sure to stash the the dough in your refrigerator for at least 24 and up to 48 hours before using.

Got some burned bits? Great job! The natural sugars in the root vegetables, along with the brown sugar, will caramelize, giving you a little bitterness to counter all that sweetness.

If you don't have both spices, it's okay to omit one or the other.

I do love a good Bundt cake—they're just so elegant and beautiful! This easy melt and mix recipe is flavored with chai and pumpkin pie spice.

It just may be the perfect cocktail—especially when you can make it (and serve it) in bulk.

We're partial to the grenadine from Jack Rudy Cocktail Co.

The low oven temp and long bake time allow these nuts to take on rich flavor without burning.

Ancho chilies are dried Poblano chilies, and have an earthy, sweet flavor and mild heat level. This classic tortilla soup is a creative way to use leftover turkey—substitute 1 1/2 cups finely chopped cooked turkey for the chicken.

An exciting twist on green beans, this dish features an easy sauce made with vanilla, white wine and butter.

Sweet-tart apples, pungent blue cheese and crunchy pistachios make an irresistible combination in this fall salad.

Coarsely cracked Peppercorn Mélange is the key ingredient in the spice rub for this special-occasion beef rib roast. The seasonings flavor the meat and develop a spicy crust. Be sure to allow a 15-minute standing time before carving so the meat temperature will rise and the meat will carve more easily.

During the developing and testing process for this book, this dish became Hubby's new favorite. Totally unexpected—I was sure he'd steal a line from the kids and say, "Thank you anyway, but this is not my taste." (We taught them to say that instead of "Ooo, yick!") It's just not the usual stuff and spices he goes for, but apparently the combination was soooo his taste. And mine, too. It's one of those winner recipes that will make you dance around your kitchen. You may hug me now.

Maybe you forgot his or her birthday, or maybe you didn't forget, maybe you never even knew, but jeez, it's today, really? This cake won't work for a kid's birthday—that calls for more...of everything—but if you just got home, dinner isn't even made, and it turns out it is someone special's day, you just have to bust out a cake, and this one is all from the pantry and requires minimal gear and cleanup. Send him out for a pint of ice cream or suggest she use the shower first-this cake can be in the oven before your celebrant gets back. Thirty minutes later and it's out and cooling on the counter. Fair warning: this cake is like that guy who never moves out of his parents' house—born there, no matter how ready it seems, it falls to pieces when you try to get it out. Cut into wedges and lever them out individually, then cover your tracks with vanilla ice cream or plain or chocolate whipped cream.

I found this recipe while working with a lady who is gluten intolerant. At that time there weren't many recipes for her dietary needs and I wanted to make a special cake for her birthday. It's quite large, always popular and well suited for dessert. It's also great for Passover—a bonus!

This chicken takes about 10 minutes to pull together and then about a half hour of mostly hands-off time in the oven. In theory, you could time things so the chicken is ready as soon as the kids go to sleep. But if you can't for the life of you figure out a way to steal the few minutes needed for prep while the kids are awake, then just take care of step 1: Preheat the oven.

I love Jim Lahey's crust because it's thin, crispy, and so very reliable. I can't ever remember a night where it didn't work. When we're feeling healthy, we replace the white flour with whole wheat flour-if you want to be sneaky about it with the kids, you can start by just replacing half with whole wheat flour. We usually use one ball of dough for one dinner and then freeze the extra for another dinner later. To thaw, remove from freezer about two to three hours before using and work it with your hands if it's still stiff.