Recipe Sifter

Friendship cake using yellow cake mix, vanilla pudding, brandied starter fruit, raisins, and pecans baked in a Bundt pan. The shortcut version of the gifted-starter holiday cake.

Rum pecans candied with dark rum, instant coffee, cinnamon, and sugar in one saucepan. Only 3 ingredients beyond the nuts and ready in 20 minutes flat.

Dry your beans well before cooking. To get the traditional ‘blistered’ look of the beans you will need to shallow-fry them for 5-6 minutes and stir constantly to avoid burning.

Sherry wine Bundt cake made with yellow cake mix, French vanilla pudding mix, nutmeg, and chopped walnuts. Rich, moist, and warmly boozy with minimal effort.

Ham linguine Florentine with a creamy mushroom-Dijon sauce, toasted almonds, and served over fresh spinach. A leftover ham dinner that feels brand new.

Mexican mince from Marguerite Patten combines ground beef with kidney beans, sweetcorn, tomatoes, and chili powder. A British wartime-era spin on chili served over rice or pasta.

Pasta with smoked salmon and golden caviar: thin spaghetti in a silky butter cream sauce, ribboned with smoked salmon and crowned with a spoonful of golden whitefish caviar. Elegant in 30 minutes.

Portobello stir fry: meaty portobello mushrooms, broccoli, tofu, and water chestnuts tossed in a miso-ginger sauce with five-spice. A plant-based Asian weeknight dinner.

Lemon cream cookies with food-processor lemon-sugar, heavy cream, brown sugar, and toasted slivered almonds on top. Soft drop cookies bright with citrus and rich with dairy, makes 3 dozen.

Two-cheese pepperoni stromboli rolls melty mozzarella and provolone with spicy pepperoni inside a frozen bread dough loaf. An easy, crowd-pleasing handheld that slices into cheesy, golden spirals.

Italian fig and raspberry crostata with almond cream filling on a buttery sweet pastry crust. Fresh figs, scattered berries, and a dusting of powdered sugar make this tart stunning.

Vegan Spanish rice made with brown rice, stewed tomatoes, garlic, green pepper, celery, and warm spices. Oil-free and full of flavor, sauteed in vinegar and water instead of oil.

Sesame-soy marinated beef skewers grilled with green peppers, cherry tomatoes, and mushrooms. Asian-style steak kebabs with a blended ginger-garlic marinade basted on the grill.

Penne with creamy roasted garlic sauce, crispy bacon, white wine, tomatoes, and Parmesan. A rich Italian-style pasta that makes a whole head of garlic taste sweet and mellow.

Green tomato puree simmered two hours with just water and sugar, then blended smooth. A tangy pasta sauce that turns unripe end-of-season tomatoes into something worth keeping. Freezes beautifully.

Peanut noodle stir-fry with a lime, soy sauce, and peanut butter sauce over linguine with julienned carrots, cucumber, and scallions. Ready in 30 minutes.