Recipe Sifter

Cheese and chile squares, a baked appetizer of cottage cheese, Longhorn cheddar and Monterey Jack layered with green chiles and a tabasco-spiked egg custard. Cuts into 24 crowd-ready bites for parties.

Parmesan-crusted chicken breasts pan-fried and topped with a rosemary mushroom tomato sauce. A quick Sicilian-style skillet dinner served over pasta in 40 minutes.

Divine Southern decadence cake: chocolate wafer and toasted coconut crust, dense fudgy chocolate-cashew filling with espresso and hazelnut liqueur, finished with whipped cream and chocolate curls.

Greek stifado: slow-braised beef chuck in red wine, tomatoes, onions, thyme, rosemary, and cumin, finished with crumbled feta. A rustic Mediterranean stew with deep, herb-saturated flavor.

Vegan pumpkin cookies are dairy-free, egg-free, and packed with raisins and nuts. Soft, cake-like, warmly spiced with cinnamon, and held together by mashed pumpkin instead of butter or eggs.

Create-a-casserole: a customizable baked pasta with your choice of meat, tomato sauce, and cheese. A flexible pantry dinner that uses up leftover cooked beef or chicken in 30 minutes of oven time.

Polish-style fried onion seasoning: finely chopped onions browned with flour in oil, finished with a knob of butter. The make-ahead golden flavor base for Polish soups, dumplings, and gravies.

Mustard chicken stir-fry: chicken marinated in a tangy Dijon, soy, ginger and garlic blend that doubles as a glossy pan sauce, stir-fried with snow peas, red pepper and green onion. A fast, East-meets-West weeknight dinner.

Curried parsnip fritters pan-fried in butter until golden brown. Boiled parsnips pureed with eggs, flour, and curry powder, then served with rice and gravy. A parsnip-hater's conversion recipe.

M&M's chocolate macadamia chewies are soft, chewy drop cookies loaded with shredded coconut, buttery macadamia nuts, and mini M&M's baking bits. A tropical-meets-candy-shop twist on the classic chocolate chip cookie.

French seafood stew (matelote) with canned salmon, prawns, mussels, white fish, and mushrooms simmered in cider-stock broth with basil and lemon: hearty mixed seafood soup.

Anginares me anitho: Greek artichokes braised with spring onions, fresh dill, and lemon, then finished with a silky avgolemono egg-lemon sauce. The springtime Athenian classic.

Louisiana chicken gumbo with stewing hen, andouille sausage, oysters, and file powder built in a cast iron pot. Browned-hen fond, holy trinity, and oyster liquor give this gumbo serious depth.

Hearty asparagus and hard-boiled egg casserole in a creamy mustard sauce with mushrooms and crushed cheese crackers on top. A retro-style vegetable bake that's pure nostalgic comfort.

Asparagus spears wrapped in ham slices and baked under a homemade cheddar cheese sauce with dry mustard. A retro-style ham and asparagus roll-up that makes a satisfying weeknight dinner in about 35 minutes.

Mini bacon cornbread muffins baked with real bacon fat, then piped with a spicy honey cream cheese and chive frosting. A savory bite-sized crowd-pleaser for parties.