Recipe Sifter

Sour cream raisin and nut pie cooks in a double boiler with tangy sour cream, plump raisins, cinnamon, clove, and chopped nuts, topped with a torched meringue. Old-fashioned prairie pie classic.

Boudin blanc de Liege, a delicate homemade white pork sausage. Lean pork and fat pureed silky with eggs, Port and aromatic spiced milk, dotted with currants, poached gently then browned in butter.

Chiles rellenos con queso stuffs roasted green chiles with Monterey Jack, dips them in fluffy egg batter, and fries to golden puffs. Topped with a spiced cinnamon-clove tomato sauce.

Rich cappuccino pound cake with cocoa, honey, sour cream, and warm spices like cinnamon and cloves. Finished with a Kahlua coffee cream glaze that takes it over the top.

Soft, spiced rhubarb drop cookies with warm cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove, plus walnuts, raisins, and a kick of crystallized ginger. A clever way to use up springtime rhubarb stalks.

Spiced bran muffins with molasses, ginger, cloves, walnuts, and golden raisins. Made with whole wheat flour, egg whites, and yogurt for a lighter, healthier take.

Granny Smith apple crumble with raisins and apple cider, topped with a cinnamon-oat whole wheat crumble. A rustic fall dessert that's bubbling hot in under an hour.

Loved the idea of adding brewed coffee to the gingerbread batter, and it worked so well. The flavour was amazing.

Grandma's jam cake, a Southern Appalachian heirloom spice cake folded with fruit jam, raisins, nuts, and warm cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. Old-time celebration cake for caramel icing.

Russian honey bread loaded with dried apricots, dates, raisins, and walnuts, warmed with cinnamon and clove. A bread machine quick bread with the rich, spiced sweetness of an old-country tea cake.

Classic ginger snap cookies with molasses, cinnamon, and cloves. Crispy edges with signature crinkled tops. Big batch recipe makes about 10 dozen small cookies.

Dark molasses gingerbread cake with cinnamon, ginger, and cloves baked in a ring mold and served warm with lemon whipped cream. Dense, spicy, and deeply flavored.

Whole-wheat sourdough applesauce cake bakes up moist and tender in a tube pan, with cinnamon, allspice, and clove warming a tangy starter-and-applesauce batter. A bundt-shaped keeper for fall.

Low-fat spiced bran muffins with molasses, honey, ginger, cloves, golden raisins, and walnuts. Made with egg whites and nonfat yogurt instead of butter and whole eggs.

Greek semolina honey cookies (melomakarona): torpedo-shaped orange and cinnamon cookies soaked in a warm honey-cinnamon syrup and dusted with sesame or walnuts. Traditional Christmas tradition.

Slow-simmered beef stew with chili powder, cinnamon, and cloves gives this chuck wagon classic a warm Southwestern kick. Potatoes and carrots round out a hearty one-pot supper.