Recipe Sifter

Homemade kreplach with hand-rolled egg noodle dough folded into filled triangles and boiled in soup or salted water. A traditional Jewish dumpling made from scratch.

Osso bucco with veal knuckle braised in white wine and tomato paste with carrots, celery, garlic, and a lemon-herb flour dredge. Starts in a cold oven for hands-off cooking.

Oxtails braised in red wine with celery, leeks, carrots, and a French-style sauce made from the reduced braising liquid. Rich, fork-tender, and worth every one of the 4 hours.

Pfeffernusse-style German pepper cookies with white pepper, cinnamon, mixed spice, candied peel, and lemon zest. Small, puffy spice balls dusted in powdered sugar.

A fun take on breadsticks; baked rolls that use candied cherries twisted into the shape of a candy cane. Fun and lightly sweet, my kids adore them.

Basic beer bread with just five ingredients and no yeast. Flour, baking powder, beer, and a touch of honey make a dense, flavorful loaf with a crispy golden crust.

Scotch mock apple pie: a Depression-era trick that uses soda crackers, lemon juice, and warm spices to taste exactly like apple pie. No apples required.

Homemade butternut squash pasta dough made with roasted squash, hazelnut butter, and warm spices. No eggs needed. Shape it into any pasta you like and cook fresh.

Crispy Indian vegetable fritters (pakora) made with a spiced chickpea flour batter with cumin, coriander, turmeric, and cayenne. Dip potatoes, cauliflower, and peppers, then fry until golden.

Buttermilk bran muffins that we love for breakfast.

Low fat lemon pudding cake separates as it bakes into a tender sponge top and silky lemon-curd bottom. Light dessert with skim milk and only one tablespoon of fat.

Old-fashioned apple ring fritters: peeled apple slices dipped in a quick milk-and-egg batter, pan-fried in shortening until golden, and dusted with cinnamon sugar. A 30-minute dessert from grandma's kitchen.

Easy Bake Oven chocolate cake made from scratch with just six pantry ingredients. A simple homemade mix replacement so kids can bake without the store-bought packets.

No-knead batter bread studded with diced pepperoni, oregano, and garlic. This easy yeast bread requires no shaping, just mix, rise, and bake for a savory loaf with a soft, chewy crumb.

Browned chicken thighs braised in a Spanish-style sofrito of onions, garlic, tomatoes, paprika, and dried chilies, finished with chickpeas. A hearty one-skillet dinner.

Fat-free pumpkin muffins with grated carrots, raisins, pumpkin pie spice, and cinnamon. No butter, no oil, just pumpkin puree and eggs holding these light muffins together.