Recipe Sifter

Classic Long Island Iced Tea with equal parts rum, gin, vodka, Triple Sec, lemon juice, and orange juice topped with cola. Looks like iced tea, hits like five drinks in one.

Oven Barbecued Eggplant salts the slices and rests for 30 minutes before baking with BBQ sauce brushed on both sides until tender but not mushy. A 3-ingredient vegan side dish ready in an hour.

A thick, tomato-based Southern Brunswick stew with diced chicken, lima beans, corn, and okra simmered in broth with Worcestershire and a splash of hot sauce. Hearty, no-fuss comfort food that feeds six.

This is really a nice baked brie, especially with jalapeno. Big hit!

Boiled speckled trout poached in a fragrant court bouillon of cloves, allspice, thyme, bay leaf, and dried red pepper. A heritage Louisiana recipe served with drawn butter.

Fresh melon and grape salad with cantaloupe, watermelon, and green grapes tossed in a honey-lime-Dijon dressing. A sweet-tangy summer fruit salad with a savory twist.

Crushed red potatoes mixed with buttermilk and scallions, pressed into a skillet, and pan-fried until the bottom turns golden and crisp. Slice into wedges and serve hot.

Brisket with peppercorns marinated 24 hours in soy sauce, crusted with cracked black pepper, broiled until charred, then roasted to medium rare. Served thinly sliced at room temperature.

Folded Sri Lankan omelettes get sliced and bathed in a spiced coconut milk gravy with curry leaves, turmeric, and a bright squeeze of lime. Ready in just 15 minutes.

Spicy cranberry pork chops with whole-berry cranberry sauce, raisins, brown sugar, orange juice, and cinnamon. A sweet-tart microwave pork chop dinner.

Herb-seasoned turkey burgers with tarragon and white wine, grilled and served with a homemade barbecue sauce of tomatoes, mushrooms, green pepper, garlic, and Tabasco. Makes 12 burgers for a crowd-ready cookout.

Nightcap coffee mix with instant coffee, cardamom, cinnamon, non-dairy creamer, and sugar. A spiced coffee blend you stir into hot water for a cozy evening cup.

Menudo, the traditional Mexican tripe and hominy soup simmered with toasted ancho chiles, garlic, and cilantro. Serve with lime wedges for a smoky, soul-warming bowl.

Black-eyed pea soup slow-simmered with a ham bone for New Year's Day good luck. Creamy, smoky, and served over white rice in the Southern tradition.

Baked winter squash and fruit roasts butternut, yam, apple, pear, and banana with cider and warm spices. A naturally sweet, oil-free Thanksgiving side dish.

Peanut, raisin, and chocolate clusters bind plump raisins, salty peanuts, and chocolate chips with frothy whipped egg white and sugar. Three-bite holiday candy makes two dozen.