Recipe Sifter

Berry-banana-walnut bread with mashed strawberries or raspberries, banana, orange zest, cinnamon, and nutmeg. A fruit-packed quick bread with a blueberry variation included.

Malinnik is a chilled Russian raspberry soup blended with claret wine and sugar, lifted with a fizz of soda water, and finished with a dollop of sour cream. A bright, boozy summer dessert soup.

Plain Italian minestrone with potatoes, celery, green beans, peas, and ditalini pasta in a simple broth, finished with Parmesan and parsley. No tomatoes needed.

Chilled raspberry soup with sour cream, dry sherry, pineapple juice, and grenadine, thickened with gelatin and refrigerated overnight. An elegant cold dessert soup.

This savory tomato sauce made with carrots, green bell peppers and tomatoes will become one of your crockpot favorites.

Pumpkin pie with brown sugar, corn syrup, and a custard set by both eggs and evaporated milk for a creamier filling. Warm cinnamon, ginger, and cloves, finished with whipped cream and candied ginger slivers.

These traditional babkas are rich, egg-yolk-laden yeast breads with golden raisins and a hint of lemon zest, baked in fluted pans and dusted with powdered sugar. Best eaten fresh within a couple of days.

A milk-based sourdough starter jump-started with yeast: flour, water and yeast left to ferment, then enriched with milk, sugar and flour. Keep it in the fridge and feed it after each use for ongoing baking.

Cincinnati-style chili with ground beef simmered in a sweet-savory sauce of cinnamon, allspice, cloves, cocoa-adjacent spices, and molasses, served over spaghetti with cheese and hot peppers. A Midwestern classic.

Norwegian kringla are soft pretzel-shaped buttermilk cookies twisted into figure-eights. A traditional Scandinavian coffee-time treat that needs an overnight chill for flavor.

Classic moussaka casserole with layers of fried eggplant, spiced ground beef and lamb in red wine tomato sauce, and a rich bechamel with egg yolks and lemon juice. Topped with a golden Parmesan crust.

Layered summer tart with blueberries, lemon pudding, crushed pineapple, and vanilla whipped cream. A stunning no-bake filling in a golden baked crust.

Election Day cake, a historic New England yeast-raised spice cake studded with raisins, citron and nuts, warmed with cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and mace, and glazed with confectioners' sugar. A colonial American tradition.

Sweet potato ginger rolls with fresh ginger, orange zest, and nutmeg in a soft yeast dough, egg-washed and topped with sesame seeds. Tender dinner rolls with warm, spiced flavor.

A whole pumpkin stuffed with herbed rice, sauteed mushrooms, spinach, and bell pepper, then baked until the flesh turns silky soft. A vegetarian showstopper.

Two-ingredient strawberry conserve made with just fresh strawberries and sugar. No pectin, no additives. Slow-cooked to a glossy, spreadable set.