Recipe Sifter

A layered baked spaghetti casserole with crumbled tofu, cottage cheese, and melty mozzarella in a herb-tomato sauce. The surprise? It's vegetarian and nobody will guess.

Creamy potato soup with crispy bacon, sauteed cabbage, egg noodles, and a finishing splash of cream and milk. A hearty Polish-style chowder where every spoonful has bite, broth, and richness.

Japanese-style hamburger skillet with ground beef, ramen noodles, frozen Japanese vegetables, soy sauce, and toasted almonds. A quick, one-pan weeknight dinner with Asian-inspired flavors.

Fruit chili relish combines tomatoes, peaches, apples, onions, and red peppers cooked down with pickling spices and cider vinegar. A sweet-tangy preserve for canning.

Hearty fish soup loaded with haddock, cod, scallops, shrimp, and clams in a tomato broth with garlic, oregano, and bay leaves. A cioppino-style seafood stew.

Red potato salad with hard-boiled eggs, diced apple, sweet relish, spicy mustard, and dill. A colorful Valentine's Day side dish with red-skinned potatoes and a creamy dressing.

In other parts of Central Asia this dish is made with red beans and I have it made with beef, horse, camel, chicken, and venison for the meat instead of the lamb. It is excellent anyway it comes.

Thai-inspired hot and sour stir-fried vegetables with ginger, garlic, soy sauce, lime juice, and cayenne. Carrots, green beans, cabbage, and zucchini cooked crisp-tender in minutes. Vegetarian.

Lighter banana walnut cake made with egg whites instead of whole eggs, studded with walnuts and raisins. A cinnamon-spiced sheet cake baked in a 9x13 pan.

Chunky Italian sausage baked in a hearty tomato and vegetable casserole with red wine, oregano, and melted cheese on top. A Sicilian-style one-dish dinner ready in an hour.

M&M's cookies made from yellow cake mix for a soft, chewy base loaded with colorful candy. A four-ingredient shortcut cookie kids love to help make.

Broiled snapper fillets and caramelized bananas topped with fresh orange juice, zesty chili peppers, and red onion. A tropical, low-fat dinner that's on the table in 20 minutes flat. Squeeze lime over everything.

Mexican fish in adobo sauce made with rehydrated ancho chiles, tomatoes, orange juice, cumin, and cinnamon. Pan-seared fillets baked in a smoky, citrus-laced chile sauce.

Spicy black bean salad dressed with lime, champagne vinegar, jalapeños, cayenne, and fresh mint. A make-ahead vegan side with bright heat from dried beans cooked from scratch.

Lamb curry marinated overnight with garam masala, cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, and garlic, then simmered in lamb stock and finished with yogurt and lemon. Served on basmati rice with toasted cashews and golden sultanas. Mild, fragrant, family-friendly.

Gumbo des herbes is a traditional Cajun green gumbo with seven greens, brisket, smoked ham, chaurice sausage, and file powder. A hearty Louisiana Lenten stew served over rice.