Bring a bubbling dish of beef, macaroni, and cheese to the dinner table. Mushrooms and bell pepper round out the tomato sauce in this oven-baked family meal.

Put bell peppers at the center of dinner with a filling of beef, rice, Parmesan, and parsley. They bake in tomato sauce, giving you a main dish and a sauce to spoon over each serving.

Have apples to use up? Fold them into a buttery cake with vanilla and a little rum. A dusting of powdered sugar is all it needs before slicing and serving.

Make room for a pasta bake with three cheeses and a hearty tomato sauce. Ziti or penne works well here, and a short rest after baking makes the casserole easier to serve.

Bring a bowl of pineapple, berries, kiwi, and citrus to the table. A cooled orange-and-lemon dressing ties the fruit together, with brown sugar and vanilla adding a little sweetness.

Freeze watermelon now and turn it into an icy dessert when you're ready to serve. A food processor breaks the frozen fruit into a spoonable texture, with no added sugar in the basic recipe.

Bake blueberries under a butter-and-cinnamon crumb topping, with lemon in both layers. Fresh or frozen berries work; frozen fruit needs a little longer in the oven.

Layer strawberries, soft whipped cream, and broken meringues into individual dessert glasses. Toasted almonds add crunch, and the dessert is best assembled close to serving so the meringues keep their texture.

A sugar cookie crust makes a simple base for this fruit-topped dessert. Spread it with lightly sweetened cream cheese, then add berries, kiwi, or mandarin oranges. Choose a mix of fruits you enjoy and slice the finished pizza into wedges for serving.

Sweet corn, milk, and crushed ice come together in this chilled Filipino dessert. Each serving is assembled in a glass or bowl, with room for a scoop of ice cream or a crunchy cereal topping. Stir the layers together just before eating.

Keep frozen strawberries and limeade concentrate on hand for a blended cocktail that comes together quickly. Tequila and orange liqueur balance the fruit, while crushed ice gives the drink its frozen texture.

This pasta salad combines bowties, black beans, corn, tomatoes, and cheddar with a creamy barbecue dressing. Add crisp bacon if you like, then serve it alongside grilled dishes or pack it for a picnic in a cooler.

Pesto adds basil flavor to this quick skillet dish without a long ingredient list. Cook the shrimp, toss them with pesto, and finish with fresh tomatoes. Serve with bread to enjoy the sauce, or spoon the shrimp over cooked pasta.

Layers of vanilla ice cream, cookies and cream, chocolate fudge, and cookie crumbs make this frozen cake a dessert worth planning ahead for. The ice cream base needs no ice cream machine. Assemble the cake the day before serving so it has plenty of time to freeze.

Prepared pound cake keeps this layered dessert simple to assemble. Strawberries and blueberries add fresh fruit, while lemon yogurt and white chocolate pudding mix flavor the cream filling. A clear serving bowl shows off the layers.

A rectangular baking sheet gives this berry pie room for a flag design. Strawberries fill the striped section, blueberries fill one corner, and pastry cutouts finish the pattern. Let the pie cool before cutting so the fruit filling has time to settle.

Dill pickle juice seasons the potatoes while they are still warm, adding tang throughout the salad. Celery, onion, and herbs bring texture and freshness, and a mayonnaise-and-Dijon dressing ties everything together.

A skillet and a short ingredient list are all you need for this steak dinner. After cooking the meat, use chicken broth to lift the browned bits from the pan, then add balsamic vinegar and butter to finish the sauce. Slice the steak across the grain before serving.

Turn a few pantry staples into a batch of warm churros. Finish them with cinnamon sugar and bring them to the table while they're freshly made.

Blend fresh fruit with yogurt for a frozen treat you can prepare ahead. Leave a few small fruit pieces for texture, or blend everything smooth. Plain yogurt gives the popsicles a tangier flavor, while vanilla yogurt adds sweetness.