Recipe Sifter

Pinto bean bread, a soft yeast loaf made with mashed pinto beans for extra protein, fiber, and a dense, tender crumb. Rustic and surprisingly good for sandwiches.

Hearty oatmeal butterscotch muffins with rolled oats soaked in buttermilk, dark brown sugar, and a generous load of butterscotch chips. A make-ahead breakfast batch that yields 18 tender muffins.

New England clam chowder built the old way: littleneck clams steamed in their own broth, salt pork rendered for fat and cracklings, with potatoes, onions and a finish of cream. Smoky, briny, deeply Yankee.

Buttermilk cornmeal muffins with pure maple syrup, a crunchy walnut topping, and whipped maple butter on the side. Tender, sweet, and nutty with a golden crunch.

Microwave beer bread ready in 15 minutes with self-rising flour, a can of beer, and cornflake crumbs. No yeast, no kneading, no oven needed for this quick no-fuss loaf.

Crunchy bran muffins with a brown-sugar streusel topping over a moist, tender crumb. The bran cereal soaks in hot milk first, so these high-fiber breakfast muffins never turn out dry or gritty.

Italian macaroons made from almond paste kneaded with egg whites and sugar, baked into chewy, fragrant amaretti-style cookies. A short rest before baking gives them their crackly top and tender center.

Southern Japanese fruitcake: a 4-layer cake alternating plain butter cake with spiced pecan-and-raisin layers, bound by a thick lemon-coconut filling. A vintage Christmas dessert from the American South with a name that has nothing to do with Japan.

Classic Mornay sauce made in the microwave with a butter-flour roux, milk, egg yolks, cream, and Swiss cheese. A rich French cheese sauce ready in 10 minutes.

Ultimate everything cookies: ground oatmeal, chocolate chips, grated chocolate bar, and chopped nuts in buttery dough baked to golden perfection in just six minutes.

These easy to make and delicious cookies taste amazing with a cup of tea or milk.

Tender apple chunks and toasted walnuts stud a moist, lemon-kissed quick bread that bakes up golden and aromatic, perfect for breakfast, snacking, or using up a bumper crop of fall apples.

This is the second recipe I'll post tonight--promised it to AH earlier tonight. My mother found this recipe 35 or so years ago in a magazine and it has become a family favorite. For years she only made it at Thanksgiving until I took over the baking reigns in the family; now she makes it more often especially when my brother, Lewis, is going to be in.

Flaky cream cheese pastry turnovers filled with homemade apricot filling, sealed like hand pies, and iced with powdered sugar.

A cheesy, creamy, rich and decadent quiche. Serve it as a main dish with a light and refreshing mixed green salad, and a fruity dessert to complete the whole meal.

Baked flounder fillets in a browned butter sauce with garlic, white wine, lemon, and parsley. Ready in 30 minutes and works with any white fish. Quick, elegant weeknight dinner.