Pumpkin Empanadas: Easy Baked Mini Hand Pies

These mini pumpkin empanadas are brushed with a buttery, warming aromatic coating are fun and super easy to bake (not fried) using pre-made sheets of pie dough and a spiced pumpkin filling.

Albondigas Matzo Ball Soup (Vegetarian Recipe)

Albondigas soup made with matzo balls. Two popular soups together as one – a Jewish-deli Sonoran-Mexican combination.

Jovie’s Unforgettable Christmas Eve Ramen

In the movie Elf, Jovie forgets her plain bowl of ramen to find Buddy the Elf. Here are simple add-ins to make packaged ramen unforgettable.

Sonoran-Style Carbonara with Mushrooms

Witchy carbonara made with black pasta, purple basil, and exotic mushrooms inspired the by the modern gothic visuals in Tim Burton’s television show, Wednesday.

Cranberry Brie Crostini with Sparkling Sugared Cranberries

Visually stunning sugared cranberries are a study in contrast. The tart, dark berries which appear to have been encrusted in tiny jewels, add a magical quality to these brie crostini.

Sonoran Peking Goose Tacos Recipe

Recipe for Sonoran-style goose tacos inspired by Peking Duck. These goose tacos are served on flour tortillas with hoisin sauce, salsa macha, cabbage, carrots and scallions. Food photography for this recipe is shortlisted for the 2025 World Food Photography Awards in the Food Influencer category.

Cadillac Margarita Recipe with a Sonoran Chile Rim

Cadillac margarita recipe that’s handcrafted using less sugar, freshly squeezed juice, high-end tequila and Grand Marnier. Add a slice of jalapeno to make it spicy.

Baguette Breakfast Casserole with Canadian Bacon, Eggs, and Gruyere

Canadian bacon, eggs, herbs, and cheese baked inside slices of crusty baguettes. A visually stunning breakfast casserole that is elegant, yet quick and easy to prepare.

Sonoran Cowboy (Charro) Caviar

Super-lucky flavorful Sonoran Charro Caviar made with black-eyed peas, bell peppers, serrano chiles, and onions, served on tortilla chips.

Sonoran Green Chile Tamale Pie with Molé Cómodo

Sonoran-style vegetarian tamale pie recipe made with a creamy green chile and masa base and a rich, quick molé made with peanut butter, tahini, and cocoa.

Chipotle Lime Grilled Corn Recipe

Recipe for a lighter version chipotle lime grilled corn on the cob from the Sonoran Arizona-Mexico borderlands cookbook author Jackie Alpers

Cara Dutton’s Pot Roast Braised in Irish Stout Beer

Pot roast with carrots and potatoes braised in Irish Stout beer is similar to recipes brought to the American West by Irish settlers. Inspired by the Yellowstone 1923 TV series. Use as the base for Cara Dutton’s Irish Pasties recipe.

Grilled Octopus Recipe Inspired by Yellowstone

Recipe for Mediterranean diet grilled octopus served with scallions, romaine and fresh tomatoes in a light citrus vinaigrette from The Unofficial Yellowstone Cookbook by Jackie Alpers.

Extra Spicy BBQ Wings Inspired by Yellowstone

Extra spicy BBQ hot chicken wings recipe either grilled or made in the airfryer. Choose your own eating adventure with spice levels varying from hot to dangerously-hot.

Wild Mushroom and Onion Soup with Acorn Flour

Recipe for wild mushroom and caramelized onion soup thickened with acorn flour and topped with broiled Gruyère. Inspired by Sonoran regional traditions.

The Unofficial Yellowstone Cookbook Resource & Gift Guide

Shop for products from the Yellowstone TV series as seen in The Unofficial Yellowstone Cookbook by Jackie Alpers. This comprehensive list includes ingredients featured in the cookbook, cookware and plates and glassware used as props on Yellowstone, 1883 and 1923, and cooking resources.

Western Americana Mixed Nut Brittle

Inspired by ingredients local to the Northwestern U.S. this crunchy, spicy, sweet mixed nut brittle is perfect for holiday gifting. Walnuts, hickory nuts, and hazelnuts are grown in Montana where the television series Yellowstone is set

Cara Dutton’s Butte Pasties

Traditionally made with leftover Sunday pot roast, Butte pasties are a beloved Montana via Ireland tradition to this day.

Montana Whiskey Mule Cocktail Recipe

The Montana Whiskey Mule cocktail is made with whisky and sarsaparilla and served in a copper mug.

Sour Cherry and Juniper Gin Cocktail Inspired by Yellowstone

A cocktail recipe from The Unofficial Yellowstone Cookbook author Jackie Alpers for Gin & juice – Yellowstone Style! With ingredients local to the Dutton family ranch. Drinks from the Yellowstone Bunkhouse: The Red Domino Cocktail.

The Bee’s Knees Gin Cocktail

The Bee’s Knees is a prohibition era, honey-sweetened gin cocktail featured in the speakeasy scene in Yellowstone’s 1923.

Tortilla Snowflakes

Sweet and sparkly tortilla snowflakes – an edible version of the popular Mexican folk art, papel picado which will brighten any winter holiday table.

Spicy, Smoky Mashed Potatoes & Sausage Gravy

Spicy Sonoran mashed potatoes recipe made with a chile broth technique that flavors the potatoes and gravy. Butter-rich. Featured on Eat This Not That.

Mexican Street Corn Cups (Elote en Vaso)

Recipe for Elote en Vaso, Mexican street corn in cups. Pan fried corn kernels tossed in a creamy sauce seasoned with chile and lime. From the Taste of Tucson Cookbook by Jackie Alpers.

Coctel de Camaron: Sonoran Mexican Shrimp Cocktail Recipe

This easy Sonoran style Mexican shrimp cocktail with crisp cucumber, creamy avocado, red onion and hot sauce is ready in about 5 minutes.

Parmesan Crisps with Caviar and Crème Fraîche

Festive enough for New Year’s Eve, this pretty appetizer only takes about 5 minutes to make. Bacon infused caviar adds a unique smokiness that will intrigue your guests and is fairly inexpensive, but any decent quality caviar will do. The one-ingredient parmesan crisps are a savory, no-carb alternative to blini.

Homemade Sprinkles

Learn how to make homemade sprinkles in custom colors using the royal icing method. From the author of the Sprinkles cookbook.

Chelada Recipe and How It Differs from a Michelada

This super-refreshing citrus beer cocktail is served in a chile and salt rimmed glass over ice. It’s kinda like a beer margarita. I love it because it’s a big drink that lasts a long time and it has considerably less sugar and calories than a margarita.

Skillet Stuffing Shakshuka With Thanksgiving Leftovers

Recipe for Shakshuka made with leftover Thanksgiving stuffing. Be sure to make extra-extra stuffing for Thanksgiving so that you can make my Skillet Stuffing Shakshuka the next morning with the “leftovers”

Buffalo Chicken Rumaki Bites

This modern Buffalo-style chicken rumaki recipe updates the Polynesian appetizer served at tiki parties in the 70s.

Sonoran Street Corn Hot Dogs (Elote Hot Dogs)

I’m pretty sure I invented the Elote Dog when I first developed this recipe for The Food Network in 2018. Since then Elote Hot Dogs, inspired by Sonoran-Mexican Street Corn have become a sensation with hot dog enthusiasts all over the word coming up with their own version. Here’s my recipe for hot dogs topped with elote, mayo, lime and spices and served in a bolillo roll.

Cincinnati Chili-Cheese Nachos: Cincinnachos!

Ohio meets Arizona! Cincinnati chili cheese nachos. “Cincinnachos” are the best of everything for snacking season. Cincinnati Style Chili, tortilla chips, kidney beans, cheddar cheese, raw onions and jalapenos.

Savarin Chantilly: French Bundt Cake with Apricot Glaze

Savarin, a rich airy cake soaked in a simple syrup and topped with apricot glaze and whipped cream. It’s traditionally served as a feast-day dessert in France. This is her recipe. It’s a little more complicated than the recipes I usually post, but I think it’s worth the effort.

Chocolate Coffee Paletas: Mocha Pudding Pops

Looking to kick start a hot summer day? These chocolate and coffee frozen pudding pops are just the ticket.

Sprinkles Fairy Bread Sandwiches

Make any day a celebration! Just barely sweet, these sparkly sandwiches make a fun breakfast surprise, after-school snack, or party food.

Inspired by Robert Louis Stevenson’s poem “Fairy Bread” from A Child’s Garden of Verses, fairy bread is a popular treat at children’s parties in Australia, New Zealand, and other little pockets of the world.

This recipe is from my book Sprinkles!: Recipes and Ideas for Rainbowlicious Desserts. The photograph is previously unpublished

Postmodern Art Popsicles

What is the nature of art? Can it exist in popsicle form? Is it still art after the popsicle has been eaten? How does the process of melting affect the piece? These are some of the questions that I pondered while creating, and then ingesting this popsicle. made it from diamond shaped sprinkles in primary colors and Sno-Caps candies.

Holidays and Entertaining