Recipe Sifter

Southern fig cake with a pint of fresh or preserved figs blended into a buttermilk batter spiced with cinnamon and allspice. Moist crumb, sweet-tart fig flavor in every bite, finished with chopped nuts.

Lighter chocolate cake with oats, egg whites, skim milk, and fresh orange: 50% less fat but loaded with chocolate chips and bright citrus zest for moist, tender sheet cake.

Corn casserole with creamed corn, beaten eggs, crushed soda crackers, evaporated milk, and chopped peppers, celery, and carrots, topped with melted cheddar and paprika. A Midwest potluck staple.

European-style apple cake presses a rum-spiked shortbread base into a sheet pan, then tops it with grated tart apples, raisins, nuts, and cinnamon sugar. A sliceable, freezable bar-style cake.

Vegetarian curry with black-eyed peas, kidney beans, sautéed bananas, and apple in a spiced yogurt sauce. Served over rice with peanuts and cilantro.

Savory cheese cookies with sharp cheddar, butter, and crisp rice cereal. Rolled into balls and fork-pressed flat. A crunchy, cheesy appetizer or snack that bakes in 10 minutes.

Individual baked corn custards with green onions and a crispy Parmesan breadcrumb topping. Scaled for two, low-calorie, and elegant enough for a dinner party side.

A creamy vegan cheesecake made with blended tofu on a crunchy granola crust, topped with a fresh strawberry sauce. Dairy-free, egg-free, and naturally sweetened. Serves 8.

Tender crepes filled with crab, mushrooms, and scallions in a white wine cream sauce, baked until heated through and broiled golden. French-inspired elegance in 45 minutes.

Deep dish pizza with a no-yeast cottage cheese crust, seasoned tomato sauce, mozzarella, and Romano. A lighter, Weight Watchers-friendly pizza ready in 45 minutes.

Soft, golden drop cookies loaded with flaked coconut and brightened with fruit juice and fresh orange zest. Sweetened with sugar substitute, these diabetic-friendly cookies come together in 40 minutes with no mixer needed.

Filled devil dogs are homemade chocolate sandwich cookies with a fluffy cooked-flour cream filling. A nostalgic copycat of the classic Drake's snack cake, soft, cocoa-rich, and bakery-fresh.

Garlic fettuccine with broccoli and walnuts tossed in a seasoned lemon-basil butter sauce. A quick 30-minute pasta dinner that pairs well with a fresh spinach salad.

Georgia peach shortcake with cinnamon-brown sugar biscuit layers, pecan pieces, sliced ripe peaches, and almond-flavored whipped cream. Southern summer dessert at its peak.

German vegetable medley with asparagus, peas, carrots, cauliflower, and kohlrabi in a light cornstarch-thickened sauce. A classic Leipziger Allerlei-style vegetarian side.

Grandma's oatmeal bread for the bread machine with rolled oats, honey, and dark molasses. Soft, slightly sweet, and full of old-fashioned oat flavor.