Quick Bite: 11 Simple-Prep Crowd Pleasers

Stir all ingredients together in a small bowl until well combined. Chill until ready to serve. Shop Smart Any variety of green or black olives works, except those marinated or packed in seasoned oil. Hit up the olive bar at the grocery store for quality olives at a good price and the freedom to buy only the amount you need.

Pulse sun-dried tomatoes and garlic in a food processor until coarsely chopped. Add remaining ingredients and process until fully incorporated. Serve at room temperature.

Preheat oven to 400°F. Mash goat cheese, herbs, and lemon juice together in a small bowl. Separately, mash the bread crumbs with butter to form a crumbly paste. Halve tomatoes lengthwise and scoop out pulp and seeds. Lay tomatoes cut-side down on a baking sheet lined with foil. Drizzle lightly with olive oil. Turn tomato halves over, coating bottoms with any excess olive oil on foil, and sprinkle salt and pepper over insides of tomato cups. Lightly pack each tomato with goat cheese mixture so it mounds over the top. Sprinkle bread crumb topping evenly over tomatoes, and roast for 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Time Saver This recipe comes together in a flash, as most of the amounts can be easily eyeballed to minimize measuring. Tip: You can substitute an herbed chèvre log and skip the fresh herbs.

Allow beef to come to room temperature (approximately one hour) before roasting. Preheat oven to 425°F. Make five slits on the top of the roast, scoring only the fatty layer and not the beef underneath. Combine remaining ingredients in a small bowl. Pat a thin layer evenly over the top and sides of roast. Transfer beef to a pan fitted with a roasting rack and cook for 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F and continue cooking for 70 to 80 minutes more, or until thermometer inserted in the center reads 130°F (for medium rare). Transfer roast to a cutting board and allow it to rest for 20 minutes before carving. (Internal temperature will rise five to 10 degrees during resting.) Time Saver Have your grocery store butcher bone and truss (bind with string) your roast. Boneless roasts take less oven space, cook faster, and are easiest to cut than standing (or bone-in) roasts. Serving Size Generally, each pound of boneless roast requires 15 minutes to cook and yields two servings. Use this formula to adjust the recipe to your number of guests.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook until softened (about two minutes). Add garlic and cook for one more minute, stirring so garlic doesn’t burn. Add rice and stir to coat. If using white wine, add it to the mix to deglaze the pan and let liquid evaporate. (Skip this step if not using wine.) Ladle in chicken broth a small amount at a time, stirring constantly until all of the broth is absorbed before adding more. Continue cooking, maintaining a slow boil until all the broth is incorporated and rice is al dente. Remove from heat and stir in parmesan. Season to taste with white pepper. Let sit until cool enough to handle, or spread in a single layer on a sheet pan and refrigerate for 10 minutes. Heat a thin layer of olive oil in a nonstick skillet, enough to just coat the bottom of the pan. Working one at a time, portion and mold risotto into one-inch balls and lightly dredge in cornmeal, pushing down to form a flat cake. (If risotto is not sticky enough to hold together, you can stir in a few teaspoons of cornmeal to help bind the rice.) Gently drop cakes into pan and cook each side until golden brown, about one to two minutes per side. The cakes can warm in the oven for up to 30 minutes before serving time. Time Saver: Risotto cakes can be cooked and refrigerated one day in advance. Before serving, heat for 10 minutes in a 350°F oven.

In a small saucepan, combine the cherries, preserves, and water, and then cook over medium heat until cherries are softened, about five minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Stir in sour cream and set aside. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. In a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and vanilla, scraping down the bowl after each addition. Alternating in thirds, add the flour and cherry mixtures to the mixing bowl on low speed until just incorporated. Portion the batter into paper-lined muffin pans, filling each cup three-quarters of the way. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until pick inserted in center comes out clean. Leave in the pan for a few minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely before frosting. Whip the cream and confectioner’s sugar together. Right before serving, finish each cupcake with a generous dollop of the topping and garnish with a fresh cherry. Sweet Treat This cupcake—rich chocolate and tart cherry topped with sweetened cream—mimics a Black Forest Torte. We made it kid-friendly by skipping the traditional kirsch (cherry brandy).