Recipe Sifter

Homemade gyros with seasoned ground lamb on skewers, spiced with allspice, coriander, and savory, bacon-basted on the broiler. Served in pita with yogurt and fresh tomatoes.

Handy pastry dough: make-ahead pie crust with egg and vinegar that keeps two weeks in the fridge. Makes five balls ready to roll for pies, quiches, or turnovers on short notice.

Helen's Beef Bar-B-Que: a tangy-sweet shredded beef sandwich filling with celery, onions, mushrooms, and a brown sugar-mustard sauce. Crockpot-adaptable, makes 10 generous servings.

Creamy honey dressing with mayonnaise, vinegar, mustard, and minced onion. Sweet, tangy, and emulsified smooth in 10 minutes for fruit salad, slaw, or spinach salads.

Authentic Chinese hot and sour soup with pork, wood ear fungus, black mushrooms, bamboo shoots, tofu, and silky egg ribbons. The classic restaurant favorite made at home.

Italian-style hot fish pickle made from canned tuna, salmon, or anchovy mashed with white wine, vinegar, olive oil, garlic, and Mediterranean herbs. A bold spread for crackers, crostini, or pasta.

German-style hot potato salad with crispy bacon, sweet-tart apples, and tangy vinegar dressing. Made with bacon fat, apple juice, and baked until warm for authentic comfort.

Italian vegetable salad with chickpeas, mixed vegetables, olives, and cherry tomatoes in a basil-garlic vinaigrette. A make-ahead marinated salad for potlucks.

Extra-creamy potato salad with a cooked dressing made from mashed egg yolks, hot cream, butter, and vinegar, plus bacon and mayonnaise folded in.

Italian lamb cacciatore braises cubed lamb shoulder with garlic, rosemary, sage and a splash of vinegar for a rustic, hunter-style one-pot stew. Tangy, tender, and deeply aromatic.

Don't keep buying the same old lettuce, instead try this easy to make scrumptious salad that will have you hooked!

Lemon-sweet crockpot chicken browned in seasoned flour then slow-cooked in frozen lemonade concentrate, brown sugar, ketchup, and vinegar. Tangy-sweet with a glossy sauce over rice.

Ma-la cucumber fans with Szechuan peppercorns, chili flakes, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and sesame oil. A numbing-spicy Chinese cold appetizer with an elegant fan cut.

Historical American "mangoes" - stuffed pickled bell peppers filled with cabbage, mustard seed, and white pepper, brined and canned. 19th-century Midwest preserving tradition.

Marinated shrimp piled into ripe avocado halves with pickled jalapeño, sweet onion, and a zippy lemon-vinegar bath. A no-fuss Mexican-inspired starter that's bright, cool, and creamy.

Slow-braised shredded beef chuck in a tangy ketchup, brown sugar, and mustard sauce with a kick of hot sauce. A ranch-style crowd-pleaser built for sandwiches.