Recipe Sifter

Hearty tomato soup with cooked rice, tender carrot, celery, and a base of canned tomatoes thickened with whole wheat flour and finished with milk. A creamy 30-minute one-pot soup that fills a bowl properly.

Old-fashioned raisin muffins made with simmered raisins and their cooking liquid folded into a buttery, creamed batter. Plump fruit and a tender crumb in every bite.

Herbed chickpea patties blended with egg whites, bread crumbs, dry mustard, oregano, and basil, pan-fried on a nonstick griddle. Low-fat vegetarian fritters similar to falafel but lighter and easier to make.

Herbed oatmeal pan bread, a soft, savory bread machine loaf with rolled oats, butter, garlic, basil, oregano, and a parmesan crust. Tastes like garlic bread and pizza dough had a kid.

Soft spiced drop cookies packed with plump raisins, warm cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. Spread thin, bake fast, cut into squares for old-fashioned cookie jar treats.

Holiday almond wreath cookies piped from a star tip and decorated with red and green candied cherries. Buttery almond shortbread in a festive Christmas-tin shape.

Bread machine honey buttermilk bread with orange blossom honey and bread flour. Soft, slightly tangy crumb with a floral sweetness. Just press start.

Honey chicken muffins are savory cornmeal-flour muffins packed with cooked chicken, buttermilk, applesauce, dry mustard, and a drizzle of honey. A protein-rich grab-and-go lunch or snack from the muffin tin.

Homemade honey Cracker Jacks with popcorn and peanuts coated in a honey-butter glaze and baked until crispy. A 4-ingredient caramel corn snack that beats the boxed version.

Honey nut spice bread with cinnamon, nutmeg, buttermilk, and chopped walnuts. Sweetened with honey and brown sugar for tender, lightly spiced quick bread.

Hoosier supper, an Indiana-style ground beef and rice casserole loaded with eggplant, tomato, and onion soup mix, finished under a parmesan bread crumb crust with ripe olives.

Thai-style hot and sour vermicelli salad (yam wun sen) with mushrooms, garlic oil, lemon juice, and soy sauce. Vegetarian, light, and packed with texture.

"You're ready to invite the gang over for a last-minute party any time as long as you can pull this favorite from the freezer and pop it in the oven. Watch them go crazy! (Warning: habit forming!)"

Warm chicken and Granny Smith apple salad with Gorgonzola cheese, carrots, and a hot apple cider vinaigrette over fresh spinach. A fast microwave dinner salad.

Huevos rancheros with poached eggs on steamed flour tortillas topped with a fresh tomato-chili sauce and grated cheddar. A quick Mexican-style breakfast for two that comes together in 35 minutes.

Indian chicken pies with flaky lard-and-margarine pastry wrapped around garam masala-spiced chicken, mushrooms, and corn. Handheld curry-pot pies worth the weekend effort.