Recipe Sifter

Dad's chicken fried steak, minute steaks pounded thin, breaded crisp and pan-fried, then smothered in a creamy milk gravy built right from the pan drippings. A down-home Southern supper.

Pressure-fried chicken sandwich with a crispy flour coating, dill pickles, and buttered buns. A fast-food copycat that cooks in just 3 and a half minutes.

Giant chocolate chip whopper cookies loaded with semi-sweet chips, pecans, walnuts, and a shot of espresso. Crackly shell, fudgy center, bakery-style at home.

Overnight cookies are an icebox dough divided into four flavors: coconut, peanut butter, dates, and spice. Roll, chill, then slice and bake for fresh cookies any time the craving hits.

Cajun stuffed crabs loaded with claw meat, bell peppers, onions, and celery, breaded and fried until golden and crunchy. A Louisiana seafood classic ready in 30 minutes.

Brook trout sauteed with mushrooms, finished with brown butter, lime juice, and fresh parsley. A French meuniere-style preparation with whole fish or fillets.

Classic SOS (chipped beef on a shingle): ground chuck in a thick, peppery white milk gravy ladled over toast, waffles, or muffins. Five ingredients and 25 minutes.

Fresh berry tulip with white chocolate ice cream: delicate tuile cookies shaped into edible bowls, filled with mixed fresh berries, whipped cream, and a scoop of white chocolate ice cream. Patisserie-level dessert.

Deep-fried Camembert dredged in mustard-herb flour and a spicy bread crumb crust with chili powder and cayenne. Crackling-crisp outside, molten cheese inside. A 30-second appetizer.

Oatmeal Drop Cookies with Nuts and Raisins recipe

New Orleans-style artichoke oyster soup built on a shallot-butter roux with cayenne, Tabasco, and oyster liquor. Oysters simmer exactly 5 minutes to stay tender, finished with whipped cream.

Chicken in corn cream sauce layered in a baking dish with Parmesan, nutmeg, and heavy cream, then broiled golden. A from-scratch roux-based casserole with broth-poached chicken.

Soft persimmon cookies with warming cloves and cinnamon, packed with raisins and nuts. Old-fashioned fall harvest treat.

Soft, pillowy drop cookies bursting with fresh orange juice and grated zest, made with buttermilk and just 2 tablespoons of sugar in the whole batch. A bright, citrusy diabetic-friendly treat ready in 30 minutes.

Chili cheddar shortcakes pile savory sharp cheddar biscuits over hearty chili for a cornbread-shortcake Tex-Mex twist. Flaky sour cream biscuits bake in 10 minutes.

Black and white chunk cookies loaded with semi-sweet and white chocolate chunks plus walnuts or pecans in a brown sugar butter dough. Makes 3 dozen.