Recipe Sifter

Slow cooker apple cake layers a biscuit-style base under sliced tart apples, cinnamon-sugar dust, and apricot jam. A vented crockpot lid keeps the cake from steaming dense.

Creamy spinach and tangy feta baked in a flaky crust with eggs, cream, and a squeeze of lemon. This savory quiche works warm or at room temperature for brunch or dinner.

Leek, asparagus and herb soup pureed with potatoes, chives, parsley, dill, and chervil into a silky spring-green soup. Finished with lemon and a dollop of yogurt. Lighter than cream-based soups but just as satisfying.

No-bake oatmeal cookies with cocoa, peanut butter, and chopped nuts dropped onto wax paper. Ready in 20 minutes with zero oven time. Makes two dozen chewy chocolate cookies.

Bean soup with dumplings simmers kidney and black beans with corn, green chiles, and chili powder, then steams fluffy cornmeal dumplings right on top. A hearty, Southwestern one-pot meal with cornbread-style dumplings.

Oven fried pork chops coated in herb-seasoned stuffing mix for shortcut breading with built-in seasoning. Egg washed and baked on a buttered sheet pan for a crisp crust without the splatter of skillet frying.

Traditional British shepherd's pie made from leftover roast lamb or beef, bound in gravy and topped with mashed potatoes. Old-school comfort food done properly.

Basic quiche recipe with a 5-ingredient custard base of eggs, cheddar cheese, mayonnaise, milk, and flour. A versatile template for any vegetable, meat, or cheese combination.

Peach cobbler topped with sharp cheddar biscuits instead of plain dough. Almond extract and lemon juice brighten the filling while the cheese adds savory crunch.

Impossible tuna cheese pie makes its own crust from a Bisquick batter poured over tuna, cheddar, and caramelized onions. Topped with fresh tomato slices and melted cheese.

Avocado stuffed with smoked fish is a West African appetizer of flaked smoked whitefish bound in a creamy sieved-yolk dressing, mounded into ripe avocado halves, and crowned with red pepper strips. Striking, elegant, no cooking.

Overnight breakfast sausage casserole with browned sausage, sharp cheddar, eggs, and bread cubes soaked overnight. The make-ahead Christmas-morning casserole that goes from fridge to oven to plate.

Juicy slow cooker turkey breast seasoned with rosemary, thyme, and paprika, served with a silky homemade tarragon cream sauce. A hands-off crockpot dinner for 6.

Classic S.O.S. creamed beef on toast with a simple milk gravy made from browned ground beef, flour, and pan drippings. Old-school military comfort food with just 5 ingredients.

Frosted Christmas brownies baked in a pizza pan, topped with vanilla buttercream and decorated with piped holly leaves and red candy berries. A festive holiday dessert.

Aunt Lucille's tamale pie with ground beef, cornmeal, canned corn, and chili powder baked until golden. A dump-and-stir casserole with a spicy tomato-butter sauce on top.