Recipe Sifter

French-style skillet chicken and potatoes for two with a silky Dijon mustard, tarragon, and white wine sour cream sauce. Elegant enough for date night, easy enough for Tuesday.

Versatile cold cherry soup with white wine vinegar, cinnamon, and heavy cream. Serve as chilled soup with sour cream or flip to dessert with sweetened whipped cream. Makes 2 quarts to feed 10.

Classic zucchini bread with grated zucchini, cinnamon, and a moist oil-based crumb. Bakes two 8x4 loaves at once, freezes well, and only gets better the next day.

Fresh blueberry pie with a clever twist: whipped cream lines the bottom and sides of the baked shell before the cooked-and-fresh berry filling pours in. Three hours of chilling sets it into a cool, lush slice.

Italian polenta cake made with cornmeal and buttermilk, topped with a warm raspberry-blackberry sauce spiked with raspberry schnapps. Rustic, golden, and begging for a scoop of gelato.

Fudge nougats are no-thermometer chocolate fudge squares with walnuts and graham cracker crumbs for body, wrapped individually for holiday gifting. Quick, easy, and giftable.

Coconut prawn curry with turmeric-rubbed shrimp simmered in a thick, spiced coconut gravy with cumin, garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes.

Larry's crispy potatoes: oven-roasted cubes tossed in green onions, Italian seasoning, and Hungarian paprika. A low-fat crispy potato recipe made with stock instead of oil.

Creamy broccoli cheddar soup made with skim milk and reduced-fat cheese for a lighter take on a steakhouse classic. Hot soup melts the cheese in the bowl. Ready in 25 minutes.

Linguine with white clam sauce made from canned clams, garlic, olive oil, and fresh parsley. A classic Italian-American pasta dish with a lightly thickened briny sauce.

A layered vegetable lasagna with ricotta, mozzarella, and Parmesan, featuring both spinach and mixed vegetable fillings in a creamy béchamel sauce. Feeds eight in about an hour.

Spiced drop cookies loaded with raisins, candied fruit, dates, and walnuts, topped with a vanilla icing. A fruitcake-style cookie perfect for holiday gift giving.

Bananas in rum caramel sauce with pineapple juice, cinnamon, and butter, served over vanilla ice cream. A quick stovetop dessert ready in 30 minutes.

Triple-chocolate mocha truffle cookies with melted chocolate, cocoa powder, chocolate chips, and instant coffee. Fudgy, intensely rich, and coffee-laced.

Roll-and-cut almond cookies with toasted sliced almonds folded into a buttery dough and finished with a dusting of powdered sugar. Crisp edges, tender centers, and a double hit of vanilla and almond extract.

Cheesehorns: soft whole-wheat yeast rolls wrapped around cheese slices and mixed herbs, baked into crescent-shaped savory horns. A make-ahead snack or dinner-basket bread.