Recipe Sifter

Homemade pickling spice blend with mustard seeds, allspice, coriander, cloves, ginger, and cinnamon. Mix once and use all canning season for pickles, relishes, and brines.

Layered shrimp appetizer with a cream cheese and sour cream base, spiced chili-horseradish cocktail sauce, and fresh shrimp on top. A retro party dip that always disappears first.

A no-bean Southern chili built on three cuts of beef, beer, and an avalanche of spices including cardamom, saffron, ginger, and a whole cinnamon stick. Bold, complex, simmered for hours.

Homemade spicy seasoning mix with chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, oregano, and red pepper flakes. A DIY taco-style blend with no salt or fillers added.

Slow-simmered ground beef chili with a surprise twist: sliced pepperoni stirred in with kidney beans for smoky, spicy depth. Serve over rice with melted cheddar on top.

Beef satay skewers with a homemade curried peanut dipping sauce. Sirloin cubes broiled on bamboo skewers and served with a rich, spicy peanut butter sauce.

Thai peanut pork chops stir-fried in a creamy peanut butter, honey, and soy sauce with ginger, cucumber, and green onions. Marinated for 30 minutes, cooked in 10.

French potato salad dressed with olive oil, white wine, white wine vinegar, shallots, and tarragon instead of mayonnaise. A light, tangy, no-mayo alternative served warm or at room temperature.

Breakfast spiced pork casserole layers ground pork seasoned with fennel and garlic over cubed bread in a lightened egg-substitute custard. Assemble the night before, bake in the morning.

Chicken mole poblano with a rich sauce of cocoa, almonds, raisins, sesame seeds, and warm spices. Browned chicken simmers in a complex blended mole and served over rice.

Killer shrimp: fiery herb-and-garlic broth with rosemary, thyme, fennel, and red pepper, simmered long then poached shrimp added at the end. Eaten with your fingers and plenty of bread.

Vegetable lasagna roll-ups: noodles wrapped around a three-cheese, spinach, eggplant, and white bean filling, baked in a robust red wine tomato sauce. Individual vegetarian lasagna portions, no layering.

Creamy Thai-style coconut chicken soup with lemongrass, galangal, fish sauce, and enoki mushrooms. A fragrant, spicy bowl inspired by tom kha gai that's ready in about an hour.

Cajun smothered round steak braised low and slow with the holy trinity of onions, bell peppers, and celery until fork-tender. Serve sliced over rice with all that pot gravy.

A quick weeknight pasta with turkey sausage, briny black olives, garlic and tomatoes, with a kick of red pepper. Tossed with a splash of pasta water so the sauce clings to every strand.

Grilled alligator tail steaks marinated in milk with rosemary, red pepper flakes, and cayenne. A Cajun-style grill recipe that tenderizes this lean, mild meat.