Recipe Sifter

Pounded-thin chicken breasts coated in seasoned flour, egg wash, and a Parmesan breadcrumb crust, pan-fried until golden and crunchy. German-style schnitzel made with chicken. Squeeze lemon and dig in.

Shrimp linguine with a quick cream sauce of Swiss, blue, and parmesan cheeses, fresh tomato, garlic, and oregano. Restaurant-style seafood pasta on the table in 30 minutes.

Sausage-stuffed mushrooms: caps filled with hot Italian sausage seasoned with fennel and red pepper, bound with a creamy bechamel, studded with olives and topped with Parmesan, then baked until bubbling and browned. A standout party appetizer.

Salmon manicotti stuffed with pink salmon, broccoli, and cottage cheese, baked in a creamy lemon-dill sauce with Parmesan. A lighter take on stuffed pasta.

Low-cholesterol salmon quiche made with egg whites, cottage cheese, and canned salmon, plus green pepper and scallions in a flaky crust. Heart-smart brunch protein without yolks.

Here is a kind of throw together recipe I came up with: If you are entertaining you can garnish with fresh parsley and serve with a caesar salad, garlic bread and a nice chablis. The vegetables can vary. I've used mushrooms, spinach, cauliflower etc. Grouper works well with this because it has a lot of flavor. I've used fresh tuna and halibut but prefer grouper.

With a true Italian taste, this savory dish is perfect for a romantic dinner for two at home.

Creamy Arborio rice risotto with butter, olive oil, chicken broth, and Parmesan. A hands-off oven method that skips the constant stirring and delivers the same velvety results.

Crumbled Italian sausage simmered with plum tomatoes and heavy cream, tossed with farfalle. A rich, 30-minute Italian pasta that hits the table fast on busy nights.

This braised onion sauce is rich and buttery, so you don't need much when tossing it with pasta.

Smoky puréed black bean soup loaded with cumin, coriander, chili, and eight cloves of garlic. Finished with brandy and topped with Parmesan and fresh cilantro.

Buttery angel hair pasta tossed with crisp-tender broccoli, golden fried elephant garlic, red pepper flakes, and Parmesan. A quick weeknight pasta that's ready in 30 minutes.

Vegetarian white lasagna layered with grated butternut squash, silky leek bechamel, Parmesan, and toasted pine nuts. Feeds a crowd and tastes even better the next day.

Golden, puffy calzones stuffed with three cheeses, prosciutto, fresh tomatoes, and garlic. Crispy crust, molten filling, and ready in about an hour. Better than delivery.

Beef carpaccio: paper-thin raw filet mignon slices with a lemon-caper-mustard sauce, marinated mushrooms, and shaved Parmesan. The iconic Venetian appetizer.

From-scratch Chicken Divan with homemade herb broth sauce, sherry, broccoli, and Parmesan. No canned soup needed in this lighter, more elegant take on the American casserole classic.