We have a Bosnian Sutch that makes feeding a crowd super-easy. Throw in different cuts of meat, vegetables, tins of tomatoes, garlic, herbs from the garden and a few pinches of smoked paprika, cover with coals, and a few hours later we have a one-pot dinner.

No family celebration happens in our household without cheesecake (and Champagne!). It had to be baked, NY-style and quite often I make two. Here's the recipe from by book, We Love Food. 

You can tell by the splatter marks on this page what an essential recipe butter cake is for my family.

Most cakes start here and I swap out the recipe depending on what fruit/ingredients I have to hand.