Recipe Sifter

Applesauce friendship cake made with sourdough starter, warm spices, brown sugar, and chopped nuts. A nostalgic Amish-style starter cake that's moist, spiced, and meant to be shared.

Concord grape pie with 3 pounds of fresh grapes, skins and all, baked in a double crust with lemon zest. A fall harvest pie with intense grape flavor you can't get from a jar.

Vinaigrette potato salad with olive oil, lemon, white wine, and Dijon mustard instead of mayonnaise. A lighter make-ahead potato salad with hard-boiled eggs and shallots.

Penne alla malefemmina, a no-cook Southern Italian pasta sauce of raw tomatoes, kalamata olives, capers, and garlic marinated in olive oil. Tossed with hot pasta or served cold as pasta salad.

Marshmallow cream fudge made in the microwave with chocolate chips, evaporated milk, and butter cooked to soft ball stage. Creamy, smooth, and no candy thermometer needed.

A from-scratch turkey chowder simmered from the carcass with carrots, celery, potatoes, and diced turkey, served with a caramelized cranberry compote and sour cream. The most elegant way to use your Thanksgiving leftovers.

Chicken and cherries jubilee braises whole chickens in cherry juice and chili sauce for 6 to 8 hours, finished with a sherry-brandy flambé cherry sauce. Retro slow-cooker showstopper.

Greek potato salad with dried tomatoes: roasted potatoes and concentrated tomatoes tossed in a bright lemon-and-olive-oil dressing, then chilled. A no-mayo Mediterranean side served cool.

Indian mixed vegetable cutlets with seven vegetables, chickpeas, nuts, and garam masala, coated in poppy seeds and fried in ghee. A crispy, spiced vegan snack.

Orange pecan quick bread sweetened with honey instead of sugar, with fresh orange juice, orange zest, and chopped pecans. A fragrant, moist loaf with natural sweetness.

Lemon pepper potatoes are oven-roasted red-skin potato chunks tossed with butter-flavored mix, lemon pepper, and fresh chives. Five-ingredient, low-fat side dish ready in an hour.

Warm blueberry cake with lemon zest, served straight from a springform pan with boozy whipped cream. Tender crumb bursting with juicy berries in every slice.

Coca-Cola tube cake with pecan frosting bakes a chocolate cola batter studded with mini marshmallows, then gets topped with a warm cola pecan glaze. Southern church-supper classic.

Lamb Creole gumbo with browned riblets, stewed tomatoes, okra, black-eyed peas, white wine, and lemon. A Cajun-Louisiana stew with a lamb twist that freezes well.

Chocolate pecan pie with melted semi-sweet chocolate stirred into a classic corn syrup filling, loaded with pecan halves. Rich, gooey, and deeply chocolatey.

Grilled herbed mushrooms marinated in garlic, olive oil, and red pepper flakes, served with a cold tomato dressing of shallots, sherry vinegar, and fresh herbs.