Recipe Sifter

Peas, carrots, pimentos, and green pepper in a creamy chicken broth and mushroom soup sauce, topped with piped mashed potatoes and baked golden. Shepherd's pie vibes.

Beef barley soup made from braised short ribs, canned tomatoes, pearl barley, and a load of carrots, celery, and bell pepper. The ribs simmer first to render rich beef flavor before the vegetables and barley go in.

The sauce was too much like spagetti sauce. I cooked the pork chops in the sauce for hours and it was tender, but the pork flavor was diminished; I would prefer to taste the pork more.

Kroger's seafood pasta: a quick weeknight tomato-crab sauce with red pepper, onion, garlic, and oregano spooned over pasta. Ready in about 35 minutes, budget-friendly comfort.

Rice with black beans, corn, plum tomatoes, green chiles, cilantro, and scallions. Low-fat, vegan, and ready in 40 minutes. A Southwestern side that does it all.

Field greens salad with seared shrimp, fresh corn, and a homemade ginger dressing made with pressed ginger juice and champagne vinegar. A light, elegant main-course salad.

Carrot zucchini vichyssoise pairs three separate vegetable purees, orange carrot, pale green zucchini-leek, and bright green zucchini skin, swirled together cold in one bowl. A stunning chilled summer soup.

Garlic-studded roasted eggplant mashed with fried onions, ginger, and fresh cilantro. Includes a tangy cold variation with mustard oil. Easy Indian side dish.

Bogracs gulyas (Hungarian kettle goulash) slow-stews tender beef cubes with sweet paprika, onions, and bell peppers. The traditional Hungarian comfort dish topped with cool sour cream.

Sliced pepper steak tossed in a creamy Thai peanut sauce with jalapeno, ginger, lime, and yogurt, served over jasmine rice. A rich, nutty, spicy beef dinner ready in 35 minutes.

Easy chile with ground beef, pinto beans, and stewed tomatoes simmered low and slow in one pot. A thick, warming bowl of comfort that feeds six hungry folks on a busy weeknight.

Try this succulent pot roast that has a fresh, extravagant apple taste.

Slow-baked beans sweetened with molasses and brown sugar, spiked with tangy apple cider and white vinegar. This old-school recipe bakes low and slow for 6 hours until creamy and rich.

Stir-fried chicken breast with onion and green pepper in a creamy broccoli-soy sauce, served over seasoned ramen noodles. A fast 30-minute weeknight dinner using pantry staples.

Moroccan chicken tagine with green olives, preserved lemon wedges, and saffron. Slow-simmered until fall-off-the-bone tender with a rich reduced sauce.

Mexican beef casserole layered with flour tortillas, creamed corn, Rotel tomatoes, enchilada sauce, and two cheeses. A crowd-pleasing party dish with serious heat.