Recipe Sifter

Italian gocci di cioccolata, chocolate drop cookies spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves, baked soft and finished with a glaze. Old-world Italian drop cookie with warm holiday flavor.

Crab marinara with a pound of crab meat simmered in a from-scratch tomato sauce with fresh tomatoes, oregano, basil, and a kick of cayenne. Served over spaghetti or rice.

Philadelphia sticky buns are a Pennsylvania Dutch classic: soft enriched yeast dough with cardamom, baked under a brown sugar, butter, and whole pecan glaze. Sticky, sweet, and unapologetic.

Microwave cheese casserole layered with corn chips, green chili tomato sauce, cheddar cheese, and sour cream. A Tex-Mex style layered casserole ready in about 40 minutes.

French bread Mexi-melt tops a split loaf with seasoned taco beef, sliced onion, tomato, and melted American cheese, baked open-faced. A weeknight crowd-feeder ready in 40 minutes.

Hot cherry fruit compote baked with rum, curry powder, candied ginger, and brown sugar. A retro holiday side dish for ham or turkey, or chill and serve as dessert with ice cream.

Chocolate walnut bread made with frozen bread dough filled with chopped semi-sweet chocolate and walnuts, brushed with honey. A simple stuffed loaf with melty chocolate pockets.

Individual almond cream tarts: buttery pastry shells filled with almond-scented vanilla cream and topped with fresh kiwi, strawberries, grapes, and a glossy apple jelly glaze. A classic French patisserie dessert made home-doable.

Cold salmon souffle with canned and smoked salmon, cream cheese, horseradish, and gelatine, set in moulds and coated in watercress. An elegant no-bake British starter.

Overnight-marinated chicken broiled and braised in a spiced tomato sauce with apple juice, orange juice, and a 13-spice seasoning blend. Deeply layered Cajun-inspired flavors over rice.

Fresh fettuccine twirls with crisp-tender broccoli, cauliflower, and asparagus in a light basil-Parmesan sauce, then gets crowned with toasted almonds for a vegetarian pasta dinner bursting with spring vegetables.

Scottish raisin oat scones with quick oats and cream of tartar for tender, traditional texture. Cut into 8 to 12 wedges, ready in 30 minutes for tea or brunch.

Golden coconut bars studded with walnuts and raisins, lightly sweetened with maple flavoring. Made with egg substitute for a lighter treat that bakes in 20 minutes.

Oven-baked monkfish in a ginger cream sauce made with white wine, fish stock, and heavy cream. Includes a from-scratch fish stock recipe. Restaurant-quality seafood entree.

South African samoosa filling with mixed vegetables, curry leaves, cumin, turmeric, and green chili. A fragrant, spiced vegetable mixture ready to stuff into pastry triangles for traditional Indian-style samosas.

Buttery slice-and-bake cookies studded with chopped almonds or hazelnuts, then dipped in melted chocolate. Crisp, nutty, and elegant enough for a holiday cookie box.