Recipe Sifter

Carrot raisin cheesecake blends warm spices and shredded carrots into a creamy graham-crusted cheesecake topped with citrus cream cheese frosting. Carrot cake meets New York cheesecake in one springform pan.

Chilled orange-carrot soup with ginger and leeks, pureed smooth and thinned with fresh orange juice. A refreshing cold soup garnished with orange slices and mint.

Flaming bananas (bananas Foster) pan-fried in brown sugar and margarine, then flambeed with rum. A dramatic tableside dessert that's impressive to serve and simple to make.

German chocolate pies: two pies at once, gooey cocoa-pecan-coconut filling in flaky shells. One to eat now, one to freeze. A Southern dessert for holidays and church suppers.

Lamb ring filled with creamy spinach bakes a tomato-spiked ground lamb meatloaf in a ring mold, then fills the center with sour cream and cream cheese spinach. A retro centerpiece dinner for four.

Baked polenta with Parmesan and Swiss cheese, layered casserole-style for golden, bubbly edges and a creamy cornmeal center. Italian-American comfort food at its rustic best.

Quick focaccia dough with bread flour, active dry yeast, and a touch of milk powder for soft tenderness. A simple Italian flatbread base that rises in about an hour and bakes into a golden, dimpled loaf.

Sorrel and haricot bean soup with a lemony, herbaceous flavor from fresh sorrel leaves, blended beans for body, and soy milk for creaminess. Vegan-friendly and deeply savory.

Chocolate-filled fruit oatmeal bars: a buttery brown-sugar oat crust with a rich melted chocolate, condensed milk, raisin, and coconut filling. Sheet-pan bars for crowds and cookie swaps.

A lighter cheesecake made with blended cottage cheese instead of cream cheese, finished with a tangy yogurt topping. Higher in protein, lower in fat, and easy to make sugar-free.

Santa cookie wreath, a festive gingerbread ring shaped from boxed mix, ringed with holly-leaf cookies and finished in melted candy coating. A fun edible centerpiece for the holiday table.

Stuffed shells florentine with jumbo pasta shells filled with spinach, mushrooms, cottage cheese, and garlic, baked in marinara. Lighter Italian comfort food.

Creamy potato and egg casserole layers boiled potatoes, sliced hard-boiled eggs, and onions under a homemade bechamel, then crowns it with buttery breadcrumbs. Old-school comfort food that bakes into a golden, bubbling family-supper dish.

Classic no-bake oatmeal cookies with cocoa, peanut butter, and coconut. Drop, cool, eat: a stovetop drop cookie with chewy oats and chocolate-peanut butter flavor.

Hashbrown casserole with frozen hash browns, sour cream, cheddar cheese, and cream of chicken soup topped with buttery corn flake crumbs. A classic potluck side dish baked for an hour.

Flourless chocolate espresso torte with a pound of semi-sweet chocolate, Kahlua, and 8 eggs baked in a water bath. Dense, fudgy, and intensely rich.