Recipe Sifter

Layer cookies with a buttery shortbread base topped with a crisp brown sugar meringue and chopped nuts. The egg yolks go in the bottom layer, the whites become the chewy topping.

Quick Mexican-style chicken tortilla soup with crispy fried corn tortilla strips, bell peppers, chili powder, and mixed vegetables. A warming, hearty bowl from pantry staples in 40 minutes.

Spaghettini tossed with oil-packed sundried tomatoes, golden-seared zucchini chunks, garlic-infused olive oil, and a lemon-zested vegetable broth. A vegetarian pasta with sunny Mediterranean flavor.

Spells & Bells are festive Christmas cookies cut into holiday shapes and deep fried until golden and puffed, then served plain, sugared or glazed. A cream-rich fried dough that's crisp outside and tender within.

Spaghetti with turkey sausage in a quick tomato sauce made from paste and seasoning mix. A lighter, leaner take on sausage pasta ready in about 30 minutes.

Soft drop cookies made with mashed fresh strawberries, chopped walnuts, and almond extract, finished with a rosy pink strawberry glaze. Three dozen cookies that taste like summer.

Oatmeal orange cookies with rolled oats, cinnamon, and chopped orange pamelas (pomelo) mixed into brown sugar cookie dough. Chewy citrus-spiced drop cookies.

Apple-cherry pie with a flaky shortening crust, quick tapioca thickener, and a nutmeg-sugar finish. The tart cherries brighten up classic apple pie in a way plain apples never do.

Arroz con pollo simmered in beer with chicken, long-grain rice, tomatoes, turmeric and saffron, finished with green olives, peas and pimentos. Cuban-style one-pot dinner.

Homemade canned fruit cocktail with fresh peaches, pears, seedless grapes, and maraschino cherries in sugar syrup. A from-scratch preserving recipe that beats store-bought.

Prevention's perfect kabobs: chicken and scallops marinated in yogurt-mint, skewered with vegetables and dried fruit. A balanced, colorful, Mediterranean-leaning grill plate.

Caramelized onion topping with rosemary and toasted pine nuts, slow-cooked in butter and olive oil. A savory make-ahead spread for crostini, pizza, roast meats, or tossed with pasta.

Moist quick bread studded with apples, apricots, and walnuts spiced with allspice and cinnamon for a fruity breakfast loaf perfect with coffee or tea.

Chocolate domino cookies made with cocoa powder, cut into rectangles, and decorated with vanilla buttercream dots and lines. A fun baking project for kids.

Asian-inspired beef filets crusted in chopped peanuts, water chestnuts, and garlic, then baked and topped with a ginger-orange "August Moon" sauce. A retro fusion main dish for special occasions.

Blueberry streusel cake with a tender buttermilk base topped with fresh berries and a cinnamon-nutmeg crumble. A one-pan bake with a crumbly, spiced topping over juicy blueberries.