Recipe Sifter

Quick kolachky made with a tender sour cream and yeast dough, rolled thin on powdered sugar, filled and folded into delicate pinched squares. A classic Eastern European cookie finished in a snow of powdered sugar.

Savory chicken pot pies built properly: poached chicken, tarragon-scented gravy made from real stock, pearl onions, potato, broccoli, and mushrooms, all tucked under a rich pastry crust cracked with steam vents.

Walnut snowball cookies rolled in powdered sugar then drizzled with melted chocolate. Buttery, melt-in-your-mouth shortbread crescents made with just six ingredients.

Red bell pepper soup pureed with potato, carrot, rosemary, and fennel for a vibrant, smooth bowl. Soy sauce adds umami depth. Naturally vegan.

Lemon oat lacies are crisp, lacy oatmeal cookies brightened with fresh lemon zest and dusted with powdered sugar. Buttery shortbread meets oatmeal in a delicate egg-free cookie.

A no-cook Southern-style salad with black-eyed peas, chopped ham, celery, red onion, and fresh jalapeño in a tangy red wine vinegar dressing. Ready in minutes, feeds a crowd, and gets better as it sits.

Velvety pumpkin soup deepened with dried porcini and shiitake mushrooms, nutmeg, and a splash of mushroom soaking liquid. Vegan, low-fat, and packed with fall flavor.

Red-skinned potatoes tossed in a bright parsley-cucumber sauce with dill, lemon, and scallions. A fresh, dairy-free Jewish side dish topped with poppy seeds.

Spaghetti pizza with a pasta crust topped with seasoned ground beef, tomato sauce, mushrooms, and gooey mozzarella. A fun mashup of two Italian favorites ready in 25 minutes.

Hawaiian macadamia coconut squares: a chewy coconut-macadamia topping over a buttery brown-sugar-coffee shortbread crust. Tropical bar cookie that travels well and freezes beautifully.

Low-fat quick bread with Grape-Nuts cereal soaked in buttermilk for a nutty, chewy crumb studded with chocolate chips. No butter or oil in the batter. Makes two loaves for sharing or freezing.

Lemon cream bread baked in a loaf pan with cream cheese in the batter, chopped pecans, and a lemon-sugar glaze poured over the hot crust. Soft, tangy, dense crumb.

Honey fried trout: whole trout rubbed with lemon, double-dredged in cornmeal, pan-fried crispy, then glazed with honey for a sweet-savory finish. A classic streamside supper.

Pasta with pumpkin and Italian sausage in a creamy sage-spiked sauce. A rich, autumn-leaning weeknight dinner that treats canned pumpkin like the flavor workhorse it is.

No-bake pumpkin layer pie with sweet cream cheese and whipped topping over a graham cracker crust, plus a thick spiced pumpkin pudding layer. A lighter holiday alternative.

Annie's butter cookies: one buttery, rich dough that shapes into candy canes, pinwheels, spritzes, cutouts, or drop cookies. The Christmas-cookie foundation worth memorizing.