Nut Free

You can always buy barbecue sauce that's to your taste-there are so many kinds on the market now-but this is the one I've come up with over the years, and it's what we use when we make our barbecued St. Louis spareribs at Sweetie Pie's.

You can use any grain you like in these ooey-gooey, cheesy stuffed peppers.

Appalachian apple stack cake is communal cooking at its finest. Originally, each layer was baked at home by individual cooks, likely in cast-iron skillets, then brought together and assembled for church suppers and gatherings. Instead of the spongy cakes we're used to today, these layers are more like cookies—firmer, so they slowly soften beneath liberal applications of apple butter and cooked apples. This recipe stays mostly true to those principles. Instead of individually baking the layers one skillet at a time, though, use a cake pan to trace a pattern on parchment paper and trim circles of rolled dough to fit it. Bake two layers simultaneously (more if you have a convection oven). The edges of the cake layers won't be as perfectly neat as if you'd baked them in skillets or cake pans, but that's all right. This is a rustic cake.

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.

The secret to these ribs is the stunning glaze—these have great depth of flavor with a beautiful hit of sweetness and spice. Marinate them overnight for best results!

This light and brothy stew is just the thing for crisp autumn nights.

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.

Make sure the butcher cuts the marrow bone in half for you.

This cheesy, spicy flatbread is completely irresistible. Cook it on the grill until just lightly charred, and serve with ribs—it's great for mopping up all the delicious sauce.

Repeatedly folding and rolling the biscuit dough yields lots of flaky, individuated layers that pull apart neatly when you eat them.

Almost any fresh fruit (pears, apples, berries) can replace the figs.

Sweet and spicy pork belly lettuce wraps—served with a refreshing cucumber salad—are a cool, crunchy dinner for sweltering August nights.

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.

Editor's note: Ask your butcher to cut your whole duck into breast and leg parts for you. If you can't find amaranth, swap in another leafy green, like baby arugula or spinach.

How to pull off an elegant, effortless date night? Make the rich seafood broth the day before, then sear a couple pieces of fish and reheat the stew during the cocktail hour.

You can't beat the classics when it comes to desserts, and this is one of my best. Zesty, creamy and light-as-air, this cake is completely heavenly. It's impossible to stop at one slice!

Be on the lookout for collards with smaller, tender leaves. If using more mature bunches, cut into thin ribbons instead of tearing.

Sandwiching the puff pastry between two baking sheets ensures that the pastry rises perfectly even.

Even if you're not a huge fan of bitter greens, don't substitute regular lettuce here; the slightly sweet dressing will taste cloying without some sharp contrast.