Velvety mashed potatoes made with sour cream and chives! Scallions also work well if you do not have chives on hand. 

The marinade is prepared in minutes, and the meat can marinate in the refrigerator for up to 12 hours. For a quick and easy dinner, I prepare the marinade in the morning before work then throw them on the grill when I get home. 

Honey, vinegar, garlic, ginger, oil and soy sauce are blended and then poured over flank steak. The meat sits in this tangy marinade overnight in the fridge, and emerges flavorful and very tender. Grill, slice, and serve. 

These peanut butter bars taste just like peanut butter cups. 

Spiced up with chili sauce, cumin, garlic and chili powder, these quick and easy black bean burgers will make you forget all about frozen, packaged veggie burgers. They're great on the grill or baked in the oven. 

When white rice is slowly baked with milk, sugar, raisins, and nutmeg, it is transformed into this delicious custard-like pudding. 

This comforting dessert is a wonderful way to end any meal. As a girl, I always waited eagerly for the first heavenly bite. Today, my husband likes to top his with a scoop of ice cream. #151; Sandra Melnychenko, Grandview, Manitoba 

A chuck roast is cooked with barley and bay leaf in a slow cooker before it is cubed and added to a soup pot of simmering vegetables in a beef broth. 

Meaty beef soup bones are combined with vegetables, a removable spice bag, barley and 12 cloves of garlic in this simple-to-prepare soup which needs 8 hours to cook in a slow cooker. 

The recipe for this rich and tangy Russian soup calls for wild mushrooms and three types of meat cooked in a highly seasoned beef stock with kalamata olives, marinated mushrooms, capers, and dill pickles. 

I got this recipe for beef soup while in Karaganda, Kazakhstan to adopt our little girl. It's good day one, but even better the second day. My husband loves it with brown bread. 

These are authentic Russian piroshki filled with ground beef and onion, seasoned with dill weed and deep fried. You could also add a little cheese in the filling as you are making them. They also may be baked. 

Thin layered blini with melted butter.. a true Royal Russian breakfast! Best eaten with sour cream, jams and honey. 

Grated beets, bacon, polish sausage and lean beef chuck are cooked in a piquant broth in this red soup loaded with vegetables. 

These unique cookies are baked in muffin cups, giving them a perfectly round shape. I sometimes omit the pecans and decorate the cookies for holidays. 

There were nine children in our family and Mother had to stretch the budget, so she made these often for dessert. I loved them when I was a child, and they're still a special treat. In fact, I've never met anyone who doesn't like these cookies. They're so simple and quick to make. 

I've baked many batches of different cookies through the years, but family and friends tell me these are the best. The simple buttery flavor appeals to all. 

Delicious dainty drop cookies made with buttermilk. 

Pure comfort food for a crowd. This macaroni salad with all the fixings - celery, corn, green onion and hard-boiled eggs - has a terrific, creamy dressing that clings to every bite. Makes twelve servings. 

A variation on potato salad - delicious!