1.5 cups good vodka, 1 pint fresh raspberries, sterilized lidded glass jar - let it hang out in a cool dark place for one to two weeks.

These raspberry hand pies are my husband’s favorite. They’re easy-to-hold pocket pies filled with raspberry jam from a jar. I like to make the crust with a tip I learned once using vodka in the recipe ...

As for other ingredients that really don't "need" to be there, take red velvet cake for example: it doesn't need to be red, but without all that food coloring, would it feel just as delightful?

After wading my way through the Frida Kahlo book, which is heavy on the art side for a Philistine like me but still very readable, and the latest Harry Potter tome (lifting that is better than using ...