Recipe Sifter

Low-fat gingerbread made with whole wheat flour, applesauce instead of oil, egg whites instead of whole eggs, and buttermilk for a moist spiced cake with no added fat.

Homemade graham crackers from-scratch with whole graham flour, brown sugar, and a long overnight chill. Crisp, lightly sweet wholewheat crackers ready for s'mores, pie crusts, or straight-up snacking.

Hand print sugar cookies traced from paper cutouts of each family member's hand. Refrigerated dough shortcut, decorated with icings and candies. Memory-keeper recipe.

Simple pan-fried trout rolled in flour and cooked golden in oil. Just 3 ingredients and 8 minutes for crispy, flaky mountain-stream trout the way it was meant to be eaten.

Smoked chicken drumsticks rubbed with a triple-pepper blend, paprika, thyme, and garlic, then slow-smoked over wet wood until juicy and tender. A barbecue classic with serious heat.

Jack-o-lantern cookie pops made with spiced molasses dough cut into pumpkin shapes on lollipop sticks, decorated with tinted ornamental frosting. A fun Halloween baking project for kids.

Light chocolate cake made without eggs or butter using skim milk and cocoa powder. Topped with a fluffy whipped cocoa frosting for a lower-fat treat that still satisfies.

Chewy mini chocolate chip bars made with nonfat yogurt and egg whites instead of butter. Lower in fat but still loaded with brown sugar chewiness.

Mom's homemade apple pie pairs a flaky shortening crust with canned apple filling for a from-scratch taste in half the time. Brushed with milk and dusted with sugar, the top crust bakes up golden and crackly.

This sorbet, based simply on commercially canned pears, can be enhanced with the flavor of eau-de-vie de poire (pear liqueur) or, if preferred, with fresh lemon juice.

Radiant chicken bake layers floured browned chicken with green chilies, tomatoes, carrots, and lemon slices, then oven-braises for an hour. Southwest-style one-casserole family dinner.

Honey bran muffins made in the microwave with All-Bran cereal, buttermilk, and honey. Keep the batter in the fridge and microwave fresh muffins in under 3 minutes anytime.

Traditional German rose hip soup (Hagebuttenssuppe) made from dried rosehips simmered until soft, strained, and finished with Madeira wine, almonds, and lemon juice.

Rotisserie barbecued leg of pork spins a whole leg over coals, basted with a brown sugar, mustard and clove glaze for a sticky-sweet crust over hours of slow rotation.

This recipe is delicious but might be too barbaric for some.

Homemade honey mustard made from scratch with dry mustard powder, honey, apple cider vinegar, and turmeric. A creamy condiment that keeps refrigerated for up to a month.