Recipe Sifter

Let your bread machine handle the dough while you create pillowy fried squares dusted with powdered sugar that taste just like the famous New Orleans café treats.

Carrot raisin cake sweetened with honey and pineapple juice instead of sugar. Whole wheat pastry flour and egg whites only keep it fat-free and wholesome.

Lighter banana spice cake with whole wheat flour, ripe bananas, buttermilk, and warm cinnamon-nutmeg-clove spice. A lower-fat sheet cake that bakes in 30 minutes and slices into 24 lunchbox-friendly squares.

Bouillabaisse, the Provencal seafood stew: mussels and red snapper simmered in a saffron-perfumed broth with white wine, garlic, and herbs. Ladled over toasted French bread, French coast in a bowl.

Apples, tangy cranberries, and pears under a granola-type crust can be served in small glass bowls for an inviting holiday meal conclusion.

Carrot and raisin cheesecake on a cinnamon graham cracker crust, spiced with nutmeg and ginger, topped with an orange cream cheese frosting. Carrot cake meets cheesecake in one showstopping dessert.

A fiery Caribbean-style spice rub blended with lime juice, chives, allspice, cayenne, and cinnamon. Marinate overnight and grill for chicken with serious island heat and flavor.

Beef bobotie is South Africa's national dish: spiced curried minced beef with raisins and chutney baked under a golden egg custard topping. A sweet-savory casserole classic.

Strawberry rhubarb pie with a lattice crust, made with both cooked and raw rhubarb plus fresh strawberries and preserves. A diabetic-friendly version sweetened with fruit juice and preserves instead of sugar.

Old-fashioned boiled fruit cake loaded with raisins, figs, and warm spices. The boiling method creates an incredibly moist crumb that stays fresh for days. Serves 12.

Banana Coconut Bread with rum-soaked currants, warm cinnamon and fresh nutmeg, and sweetened coconut baked into the loaf and crisped on top. A deeply flavored tropical quick bread.

Christmas cinnamon ornaments made from applesauce, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and ginger. No-bake scented ornaments air-dried into holiday decorations. Not for eating.

European sour cream apple pie with a tender cream cheese pastry, maple-sweetened green apples arranged in a spiral, and a tangy sour cream maple topping dusted with nutmeg. Single-crust open-face pie.

Sauteed ham and tender apple slices baked in a smooth cottage cheese custard with a clever buttermilk biscuit crust. A savory-sweet brunch quiche ready in one hour.

Besciamella is the classic Italian white sauce: a butter-and-flour roux whisked smooth with milk and finished with a hint of nutmeg. The silky, lump-free base for lasagna, gratins, and baked pasta.

Cornish hens stuffed with turnip-apple-potato mash, browned in clarified butter, and braised in Calvados and apple juice. An elegant French-inspired dinner with autumn flavors in every bite.