Recipe Sifter

Apple pie topped with halved marshmallows that brown into golden, gooey peaks under a slow second bake. Tart apples, just sugar and nutmeg, no top crust. The midcentury trick that turns weeknight apple pie into something special.

Traditional lasagne from Bologna uses handmade egg pasta, a long-simmered pork Bolognese with white wine and cream, silky bechamel, and Parmigiano-Reggiano. No mozzarella, no ricotta, just the real deal.

If each drop of the super-sauce equaled one jalapeno, you would get a greater depth of flavor from including five jalapenos in your dish than from five drops of the sauce.

Key lime coconut cookies made with condensed milk, shredded coconut, and key lime juice. Tangy, chewy, and tropical with just five ingredients and no butter or eggs.

Italian chili with ground beef, bulk sausage, zucchini, Italian green beans, and tomato sauce seasoned with Italian herbs and topped with parmesan. A hearty, bean-free twist on classic chili.

Upside-Down Pineapple-Raisin-Carrot Cake bakes a spiced carrot batter over caramelized pineapple rings and raisins in a cast iron skillet. Two classics in one.

California fig oatmeal cookies with dried figs, brown sugar, cinnamon, and chopped nuts. A chewy, fruit-studded drop cookie that bakes in just 10 minutes.

Prune Armagnac gingerbread is a deeply spiced holiday cake loaded with brandy-soaked prunes, three forms of ginger, molasses, and a coffee kick. Served with crème fraîche.

A layered pineapple coconut poke-style cake starting with a box mix, topped with coconut milk cream cheese pudding, crushed pineapple, whipped topping, and shredded coconut. Potluck-ready and crowd-sized.

We like this piquant tomato sauce, which is easy on the calories, but if you are in the mood to indulge, try cream in place of the ricotta and yogurt.

Cherry divinity is the pink church-cookbook candy: hard-ball sugar syrup whipped into beaten egg whites with cherry Jello, then loaded with chopped nuts and coconut. Old-fashioned, fluffy, festive.

Festive raisin tarts with a brown sugar, walnut, and orange juice filling in mini pastry shells. Bite-sized holiday treats similar to butter tarts, topped with whipped cream.

Mother's Oh and Ah! cake is a vintage red velvet-style chocolate sour cream cake with deep cocoa flavor and a tender crumb. Cake flour and sour cream make it pillow-soft. A drop of red food coloring gives it that signature reddish hue.

Spicy Sichuan noodles (dan dan mian) with crispy ground pork, sesame paste, chili oil, Sichuan peppercorns, garlic, and ginger. A fiery, numbing Chinese noodle bowl ready in 30 minutes.

Chicken cranberry bake with a sweet-tart sauce of ketchup, brown sugar, orange zest, and fresh cranberries spooned over partially baked chicken breasts. A festive one-dish dinner for fall and winter.

Creamy white beans bound with garlicky spinach puree and soft bread crumbs, seasoned with oregano and thyme. A hearty, plant-based side dish with earthy flavor.