Recipe Sifter

Nate's mulligan stew: browned chicken simmered with rutabaga, potato, carrots, peas, and parsnips, topped with unexpected buttermilk dumplings studded with wild blueberries. Frontier comfort food.

Classic Oysters Rockefeller baked on the half shell under a buttery spinach topping spiked with Pernod and anchovy, layered with crisp bacon and a browned breadcrumb crust. The New Orleans appetizer, done right at home.

Dark chocolate sea salt cookies, intensely cocoa-rich slice-and-bake sables studded with bittersweet chocolate and flecked with fleur de sel. Slightly underbaked for a soft, fudgy center and a salty-sweet finish.

Herb crusted beef filet with a red wine demi-glace and crispy sweet potato straws. Seared with thyme, oregano, and rosemary then oven roasted for a restaurant-quality dinner at home.

[Note: Bobby Flay, chef of NYC's Mesa Grill, prepared this dessert for a Meals on Wheels benefit meal at the Frontera Grill in Chicago

French-style pork medallions braised in a classic brown sauce with mustard butter, capers and a bouquet garni. Restaurant-technique dinner served with glazed turnips and potatoes.

Baked Brussels sprouts gratin with bacon, heavy cream, butter, and bread crumbs. Blanched sprouts and chopped bacon bake in cream until bubbly with a golden, crispy top.

Margarita shrimp with fettuccine: tequila-lemon-marinated shrimp dipped in egg and flour, seared, and served over pasta with a lemon-ginger-wine butter sauce.

Maple macadamia quick bread with whole wheat flour, buttermilk, and a warm maple-cinnamon glaze. Rich, nutty, and sweetened entirely with real maple syrup.

Flourless-style chocolate decadence cake with bittersweet and unsweetened chocolate, espresso, and whipped egg whites. Dense, fudgy, and dusted with powdered sugar through a stencil.

Apple cinnamon crumb pie with cinnamon-spiced apple slices thickened with tapioca, topped with a buttery brown sugar streusel crumb. Classic Dutch apple pie style.

Moroccan chicken stew with acorn squash, chickpeas, raisins, and warm spices served over fluffy couscous. A microwave-friendly one-pot North African dinner with toasted almonds and fresh mint.

Decadent chocolate mousse cake: a light, airy chocolate cake kissed with orange liqueur and zest, made by folding whipped egg whites into a rich chocolate batter, then frosted with chocolate mousse.

Lentil pheasant soup with wild game, earthy lentils, root vegetables, tomatoes, rosemary, and dry sherry. A hearty rustic hunter's soup worthy of a cold evening.

Stove-top candied sweet potatoes simmered in brown sugar, butter, vanilla, and lemon. No oven needed, no marshmallows in sight, perfect for crowded Thanksgiving stoves.

Super chunky cookies pack four kinds of chocolate plus pecans and English toffee bits into a brown sugar dough. Bakery-style chocolate chip cookies with crispy edges and chewy centers.