Recipe Sifter

Low-fat marinated vegetable platter with crisp broccoli, carrots, celery, red pepper, olives, and artichoke hearts in tangy Italian dressing. Make-ahead appetizer that gets better as it chills.

Potluck chicken casserole layers cooked chicken and rice with a creamy mushroom-mayo sauce under a crunchy cornflake topping. Feeds a crowd from one baking dish.

Picante pot roast slow-cooks beef chuck with picante sauce, tomato, onion, garlic, cumin and oregano. Tex-Mex spin on Sunday pot roast with shreddable, fork-tender results.

Slow-braised eye of round steak with Spanish onions, vinegar, mustard, bay leaf, and whole cloves in butter. A hearty Dutch-style pot roast that turns a tough cut fork-tender.

Chocolate pistachio cake made with white cake mix, pistachio pudding, and orange juice with a chocolate syrup swirl. A marbled tube cake that looks impressive with minimal effort.

Pressure cooker Swiss steak braises chuck cubes with tomatoes, onion, garlic, celery, and bell pepper into fork-tender beef in a rich tomato gravy. Ready in 30 minutes instead of 3 hours.

Salmon en croute wrapped in golden puff pastry with a herbed white fish mousse between two fillets. A stunning centrepiece shaped to look like a whole fish.

Basic quinoa cooked pilaf-style with garlic and olive oil, toasted in the pan before simmering in chicken broth. A nutty, fluffy grain side dish in under an hour.

Flaky puff pastry pinwheels filled with sauteed mushrooms, Parmesan, and chervil. A make-ahead appetizer you can prep days in advance and bake fresh for any gathering.

Traditional Irish creamed kale simmered in butter, double cream, and stock with a pinch of nutmeg. A simple, hearty side dish that turns sturdy kale leaves silky and rich.

Poppy seed kolaches made from a soft yeasted dough with mace and lemon zest, filled with a homemade poppy seed, raisin, and cinnamon filling. A Czech-Texan bakery classic.

A dead-simple 5-ingredient chili with ground beef, kidney beans, tomato sauce, tomato paste, and taco sauce. No extra spices needed. Just simmer and serve.

This easy version of the classic pepper sauce clearly illustrates why some old-time combinations just cannot be improved upon. Serve this with beef or game, especially pheasant.

A simple chocolate crumb cake made with chocolate syrup and topped with a buttery sugar crumble, all from one bowl. Mix the base, reserve some for the topping, and bake. Ready in an hour.

Slow-roasted marinated turkey breast baked in a roasting bag with apple cider vinegar, coarse black pepper, and oil. Low and slow for 4-5 hours until fork-tender and juicy.

Stuffed baked potatoes topped with a creamy chicken, scallion, and Parmesan mixture. A fast microwave-then-bake dinner that turns pantry cans into a weeknight meal.