Recipe Sifter

Beef in red wine: a sirloin tip roast marinated overnight in red wine and aromatics, then slow-braised until fork-tender. The marinade thickens into a rich pan gravy with mashed onions and carrots.

This Tex-Mex chilled red pepper soup blends smoky roasted peppers with tangy buttermilk, sweet corn, and pickled nopales for a bold, refreshing bowl topped with herbed Parmesan tortilla crisps.

Squash lasagna replaces noodles with sauteed yellow crookneck squash and zucchini layered with Italian sausage, spaghetti sauce, Monterey Jack, and cottage cheese. A low-carb, noodle-free casserole.

Four-minute brownie pie with no crust needed. Beat everything together for 4 minutes, pour into a pie pan, and bake. Fudgy, crackly-topped, and best served warm with ice cream.

Rum pecan pie with a brandied butter crust, layered chopped pecans under a mosaic of pecan halves, and a dark rum and maple-kissed filling. Holiday dessert with a grown-up flavor twist.

Homemade sweet Italian sausage made from coarse-ground pork shoulder seasoned with fennel, sage, garlic, and white wine. Stuff into hog casings or shape into patties for a fresher, more flavorful sausage than store-bought.

Serve with Carrot Slaw and Pine Nut and Orange Wild Rice Salad for a lunch meal.

Honey-dipped cookies, the Greek melomakarona, are oval spiced cookies fragrant with orange, cognac, and cinnamon, soaked in honey syrup and showered with walnuts. An irresistible Christmas tradition from the Aegean kitchen.

Jalapeno casserole layered with green chilies, Monterey Jack cheese, and sliced tomatoes in an egg custard. A Tex-Mex baked dish topped with sour cream and avocado.

Kale soup simmers smoky linguiça sausage with chopped kale, kidney beans, potatoes, and a splash of vinegar. Portuguese-style caldo verde with serious comfort and zero fuss.

Budget-friendly chicken noodle casserole with fresh spinach, cottage cheese, cheddar, and pimiento. Works with turkey, ham, or tuna for a flexible weeknight dinner.

Cranberry walnut tart layers a flaky blind-baked crust with a brown sugar and corn syrup custard studded with tart cranberries and toasted walnuts. The holiday pie's more sophisticated cousin.

Melt-in-your-mouth potato muffins: tender yeast-raised rolls with mashed potatoes folded in, brushed with butter and dusted with powdered sugar. An old-fashioned tearoom treat.

Saure Kartoffel, a traditional Swabian sour potato dish with a tangy butter-onion sauce flavored with bay leaf, lemon zest, clove, and caraway. German comfort food.

Baked sweet potatoes glazed with a honey-orange apricot sauce and scattered with walnuts. A naturally sweet, fruit-forward side dish that feeds a crowd of twelve.

Sautéed chicken breast coated in orange juice and flour, then simmered with balsamic vinegar, colorful peppers, and mushrooms over wagon wheel pasta. A 50-minute dinner for two with a tangy, rich pan sauce.