Recipe Sifter

Orange sweet potatoes whipped with fresh orange juice, zest, brown sugar, and a secret splash of Angostura bitters. A lighter, butterless holiday side dish.

Pasta with Light Clam Sauce uses evaporated skim milk and clam juice instead of heavy cream - a brighter, lower-fat version with fresh tomatoes and basil, ready in 30 minutes.

Mom's Heath Bar cake with a brown sugar buttermilk batter topped with a crumbly streusel and crushed frozen Heath bars. A one-pan toffee-studded coffee cake in under an hour.

Layered cookie bars with a nutmeg-spiced graham cracker crust, chocolate chips, flaked coconut, and chopped walnuts, drizzled with marshmallow cream. Gooey, crunchy, and irresistible.

Ginger Puffs are soft drop cookies made with cooked oatmeal, molasses, brown sugar, ginger, allspice, and cinnamon. One bowl, 30 minutes, yields 4 dozen warm-spiced cookies.

Creamy peanut sauce for pasta made with peanut butter, tahini, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and orange juice. Blends up in one minute flat for a rich, tangy vegetarian noodle dish.

Raisin bulgur pilaf with cumin, made by soaking cracked wheat in boiling water for 30 minutes. Just 5 ingredients, no cooking, and diabetic-friendly. A simple, nutty side dish.

Spaghetti tossed in a from-scratch cream sauce with nutmeg, Marsala wine, and Parmesan, loaded with flaked tuna, sliced mushrooms, and green pepper, then baked until bubbly. Classic tuna tetrazzini the way it was meant to be made.

Ring-shaped orange juice cookies topped with candied cherries or almonds. Delicate bracelet cookies made with oil instead of butter. Dairy-free and freezer-friendly.

Tangy buttermilk cheese bread for the bread machine. Sharp aged cheddar and cultured buttermilk give this yeast loaf bakery-level depth with zero kneading.

Mocha spice roll cake is a warmly spiced sponge rolled around billowy coffee-cocoa whipped cream, then frosted and fork-scored to look like a bark log. A holiday-ready bûche de Noël with cinnamon, clove, and allspice woven through.

Buttery melt-in-your-mouth cookies made with cornstarch for an impossibly tender crumb. Rolled in powdered sugar and pressed with a fork, they practically dissolve on your tongue.

Pumpkin snack cake spiced with cinnamon, ginger, and allspice, made lighter with egg substitute and low-fat milk. Soft, moist, and dusted with powdered sugar.

The classic Joy of Cooking devil's food cake with a cooked chocolate custard folded into the batter and whipped egg whites for lift. Finished with caramel icing. A vintage recipe worth mastering.

Smoked chicken and potato hash with cooked potatoes, garlic, fresh cilantro, and a hot sauce kick. Uses leftover smoked chicken for a fast skillet dinner.

Homemade banana layer cake with mashed ripe banana and buttermilk for a moist, tender crumb. A classic two-layer cake ready to frost with your favorite icing.