Recipe Sifter

One master cream soup recipe with a butter-flour roux and half-and-half, plus six variations: cauliflower, broccoli, cucumber, lima bean, spinach, and asparagus. Serve hot or cold.

Pull-apart bubble cake (monkey bread) with soft yeast dough balls dipped in butter and rolled in cinnamon sugar with pecans. A sticky, irresistible treat baked in a tube pan.

This old-school chocolate jimmy cake is studded with chocolate sprinkles and lifted with beaten egg whites for a tender crumb. Topped with creamy vanilla frosting, it's a Northeast classic worth reviving.

Try this new variation of dumplings made with ground beef, spinach and water chestnuts.

If you don't have a bread machine, there's no reason you can't make this sweet and scrumptious bread in that brand new crockpot you just received for Christmas.

Delicate, light and thin Swedish lemon cookie that is as light as an angel's wings.

A Southern cold-oven pound cake with both vanilla and butternut flavoring, baked low and slow in a tube pan. Dense, buttery crumb with a golden crust that needs no frosting.

Soft, cinnamon-spiced muffins made with real watermelon juice and pulp, studded with plump raisins. A unique breakfast bake that puts leftover summer watermelon to brilliant use.

If you're in a hurry, try this succulent pork dinner that can easily be made in your crockpot.

Lumberjack pancakes made with rolled oats and flour for thick, hearty flapjacks with real texture. Served with warm preserves instead of syrup for a filling breakfast that sticks with you.

Dalt's baked potato soup with diced potatoes, slow-cooked onions, half and half, and a clever potato-flake thickening trick. Restaurant-style copycat with crispy bacon scattered on top.

Chocolate cream cheese cupcakes, the classic black bottom cupcake: a moist eggless chocolate base topped with a chocolate-chip cheesecake filling that bakes right in. No frosting needed.

Lighter oatmeal raisin cookies with quick oats, brown sugar, and a quarter cup of butter. Egg substitute trims the cholesterol while keeping the chewy texture intact. Yields 36 lunchbox-sized cookies.

Golden pecan pie pours brown sugar, light corn syrup, and vanilla over toasty pecan halves in a flaky shell. A classic Thanksgiving pie with deep molasses sweetness and a glossy top.

Salmon casserole with egg noodles in a creamy Dijon mustard sauce, mixed peas and carrots, and melted Havarti on top. The Dijon cuts the richness for a brighter take on the classic salmon noodle bake.

Cream cheese chocolate chip cookies: a full block of cream cheese creamed with two butters for an extra-tender, slightly tangy cookie loaded with semi-sweet chocolate chips. Makes 4 dozen.