Recipe Sifter

Louisiana-style okra and shrimp gumbo built on a dark roux with oysters added in the last five minutes. Served over rice with the holy trinity of celery, onion, and bell pepper.

Shrimp puff pastry loaf wrapping a buttery shrimp, tomato and red pepper filling in golden flaky pastry. Elegant make-ahead seafood centerpiece for dinner parties and holidays.

Fresh berry quick bread with cinnamon and chopped nuts baked into two loaves. Use strawberries or blueberries for a moist, freezer-friendly fruit bread.

Eggnog poppy seed bread: a quick holiday loaf with eggnog, fresh orange zest, nutmeg, and toasty poppy seeds. One bowl, no mixer, ready in just over an hour.

Italian chicken breasts dredged and pan-seared, then simmered in a garlic, sherry, and rosemary broth. Rustic one-skillet Italian dinner with crisp edges and a silky pan sauce.

Mexican shredded beef mix slow-roasted for 12 hours, then simmered with green chilies, cumin, and salsa verde. A freezer-friendly base for tacos, burritos, enchiladas, and tamales.

Great-Grandma's lemon cake with real butter, lemon zest and juice, and beaten egg whites folded in for a light crumb. A heirloom loaf cake recipe that makes two freezer-friendly loaves.

Lots of fruit bread, a yeasted holiday loaf packed with prunes, figs, dates, raisins, candied peel, and almonds. The European-style fruit bread for Christmas mornings.

Mrs. Criswell's ginger cookies are old-fashioned molasses and ground ginger rolled cookies glazed with beaten egg and baked in a hot oven. A rustic heirloom farmhouse recipe.

Soft honey yeast rolls with a sweet butter-honey-sugar topping drizzled on before baking. No kneading required, just drop spoonfuls of sticky dough into the pan.

Scalloped potatoes and ham casserole with creamy milk gravy, layered with onions and topped with buttery bread crumbs. A hearty one-dish dinner that bakes hands-free.

Oreo cookie tube cake bakes 25 quartered Oreos right into a vanilla bundt batter, then gets drenched in glossy chocolate glaze. A nostalgic crowd-pleaser for birthdays and bake sales.

Tiny fruit turnovers filled with a stovetop apricot-date filling and chopped nuts, wrapped in a lemon-scented cookie dough. Bite-sized pastries for holiday trays.

Pecan turtle bars with a buttery shortbread crust, bubbly brown sugar caramel layer, whole pecans, and swirled milk chocolate on top. Addictively rich cookie bars.

.

Round steak smothered in a rich browned-flour gravy with sliced onions, fresh tomatoes, and apple cider vinegar. A Southern braised steak that turns a tough cut fork-tender.