Recipe Sifter

Fudgy cocoa brownies with crispy edges and a tender center prove you don't need fancy chocolate bars when quality cocoa powder delivers the goods.

Slow-simmered beef stroganoff with red wine, mushrooms, and fresh dill, finished with sour cream and served over buttered noodles or rice. Hearty Sunday-supper take on a Russian classic.

Salmon broccoli casserole with cream of celery soup, Parmesan, mushrooms, dill, and seasoned croutons. A pantry-friendly one-dish dinner using canned salmon.

Gumdrop fruit salad: a retro church-potluck classic with pineapple, grapes, marshmallows, gumdrops, and pecans bound in whipped cream and a cooked pineapple-lemon dressing.

Award-winning ginger cookies built on a cooked sugar-and-spice syrup base. Roll, cut, paint, or hand-mold this stiff gingerbread dough into any shape, then bake into crisp golden spice cookies.

Vegetarian barley-vegetable soup: pearl barley simmered in tomato broth with carrots, celery, onions, and green beans, finished with fresh dill. A hearty meatless pot that gets better on day two.

Granny's ham and potato gratin for a crowd layers parboiled potatoes, diced ham, and Swiss cheese with a mustard-garlic bechamel. Feeds 24, bakes in under an hour, and can be assembled a day ahead.

Poc-Chuc, the classic Yucatan grilled pork steak marinated in sour orange and achiote paste, served with habanero-spiked pickled red onions. Traditional Maya-style barbecue straight from Merida.

Mushroom barley kugel baked with sauteed mushrooms, onions, soy milk, and vegetable broth. A vegan-friendly take on the classic Jewish comfort dish.

One-skillet Mexicali franks with browned hot dogs served over chili-spiced rice, pinto beans, tomato, salsa, and melted Monterey Jack. A cheap, kid-friendly Tex-Mex dinner that feeds six.

Steak baked in a foil packet with cream of mushroom soup, onion soup mix, potatoes, carrots, and celery. A complete one-packet beef dinner with almost no cleanup. Family favorite comfort food.

Kirsov's pudding is a Russian-style baked sweet potato dessert with molasses and buttermilk. Slow-baked until deep caramel colored with a rich, earthy sweetness.

Homemade pear liqueur infused with ripe Bartletts, vodka, warm spices, and a touch of sugar syrup. A six-week steep yields a fragrant, autumn-perfect cordial for sipping or cocktails.

Pastichio (Greek lasagna) with ziti, seasoned ground meat, crumbled feta, cream cheese, Parmesan, and eggs baked into a rich, set casserole. A simplified take on the classic Greek baked pasta.

Banana-Green Mango Chutney pairs ripe bananas with unripe mango, fresh ginger, serrano chile, and raisins in a tangy sweet-hot sauce. Ready in 30 minutes and keeps refrigerated for 2 weeks.

Maple-glazed apple pie layers thinly sliced apples with a crushed gingersnap, walnut, and brown sugar mixture. A pour of hot maple syrup midway through baking soaks down through the steam vents.