Recipe Sifter

Homemade curry pickles with thin-sliced cucumbers, vinegar, mustard, and celery seed. A tangy, spiced twist on classic canning pickles. Makes 3 pints.

A hearty Louisiana-style lentil stew simmered with tomatoes, red wine, zucchini, and Italian herbs. Think of it as Cajun chili without the meat. Serve over polenta or brown rice.

Massive pot of black bean cassoulet soup with garlic sausage, Italian sausage, bratwurst, and a meaty ham bone. Simmered for 5 hours with sherry, brown sugar, and lemon. Feeds 16.

Apple City BBQ ribs: championship-style competition pork ribs with a layered dry rub, applewood smoke, and a finish sauce with grated apple, onion, and bell pepper. Slow-smoked low and slow.

This chicken and rice casserole is full of cheese and creamy goodness. This dish becomes a gluten-free main dish if you use a gluten-free cream of chicken soup, gluten-free sour cream and gluten-free bouillon.

Chili bean soup made from scratch with dried pink beans, stewed tomatoes, and chili seasoning. Half the beans get mashed for body, the rest set aside for a second meal.

This isn't cream of garlic soup, but it has a creamy texture. As Julia says, "Because the garlic is boiled, its after-effects are at a minimum, and its flavor becomes exquisite, aromatic and almost undefinable."

A no-bake strawberry banana pie with a fluffy gelatin and whipped topping filling layered over sliced bananas in a graham cracker crust. Chill it, slice it, done.

Fillets of bluefish Gen Patton: bluefish fillets poached in white wine with shallots, then cloaked in a cream and egg yolk reduction sauce finished with lemon. An old-guard American classic.

Vegetarian garbanzo bean burgers spiced with cumin, coriander, and chili powder, bound with cottage cheese and wheat germ. Served in whole wheat pita with tomato, sprouts, and yogurt.

Hamburger cookies made with vanilla wafers as buns, chocolate mint cookies as patties, green-tinted coconut as lettuce, and sesame seed tops. A fun no-bake kids' treat.

Classic southern Italian marinara sauce with fresh Roma tomatoes, garlic browned in extra-virgin olive oil, and basil stirred in at the end. Just 6 ingredients, freezer-friendly.

Turkey salad with green grapes, mandarin oranges, water chestnuts, and celery tossed in a peach yogurt soy dressing. A bright, no-cook way to use leftover turkey.

Molded turkey pineapple salad sets chopped turkey, crushed pineapple, grapes, and celery in a savory gelatin made with chicken broth and pineapple juice. A retro luncheon classic.

No-bake chocolate peanut butter candy bar made with oats, raisins, and coffee. Mix, roll into a log, freeze, and slice. A low-cal sweet fix with zero oven time.

Roasted red potato salad with fresh corn, cucumber, tomato, and a cilantro vinaigrette. No mayo, just olive oil and vinegar for a light summer side.