Recipe Sifter

Sugar and spice apple nut cake, a one-bowl single-layer cake loaded with chopped fresh apples, warm cinnamon and nutmeg, and crunchy nuts, baked in a square pan.

Peanut butter chocolate fudge bundt cake with chocolate and peanut butter chips baked in, topped with a double glaze. Rich, dense, and over-the-top.

Authentic crawfish bisque with stuffed crawfish heads, a dark roux, and ground crawfish tails simmered low and slow. The crown jewel of Cajun cooking, served over rice.

Country-style pork ribs browned and braised in a bold sweet red wine sauce with honey, chili sauce, horseradish, and hot pepper. Falling-apart tender after 90 minutes in the oven.

Hot cherry fruit compote baked with rum, curry powder, candied ginger, and brown sugar. A retro holiday side dish for ham or turkey, or chill and serve as dessert with ice cream.

Moist chocolate chip applesauce cake with cocoa and cinnamon in the batter, topped with a crunchy layer of chocolate chips, nuts, and cinnamon sugar. Swap margarine for more applesauce to make it lighter. A 9x13 crowd-pleaser in under an hour.

Chewy brownie cookies stuffed with chocolate chips and an optional handful of nuts. Soft, fudgy, and ready in 30 minutes for a brownie-meets-cookie hybrid that disappears fast.

Eggnog cookies with cinnamon, nutmeg, and a splash of holiday eggnog. Soft, cake-like Christmas cookies with the spiced flavor of your favorite seasonal drink.

Spaghetti with green tomatoes sauteed in garlic and extra-virgin olive oil, tossed with Parmesan. A bright, tangy twist on classic Italian pasta using unripe tomatoes.

Stuffed polenta with meat sauce: two layers of Parmesan polenta sandwiching a meaty tomato-basil sauce and mozzarella, baked hot until bubbly. A lighter Italian alternative to lasagna.

A composed salad of flaked smoked mackerel, halved grapes, and toasted hazelnuts with a lemon-mint brown rice ring and chilled yoghurt. An elegant, refreshing centrepiece.

Black pepper cream biscuits: flaky buttermilk biscuits topped with a cream wash and a bold crack of coarse pepper. Savory biscuits that hold up to gravy, eggs, or a slab of ham.

German chocolate pie with cocoa, evaporated milk, shredded coconut, and chopped pecans baked in a pie shell. Rich, fudgy, and makes two full pies.

Composed Caribbean salad with watercress, fresh mango, hearts of artichoke, and tomato dressed in a lime-coriander-allspice vinaigrette. Vegan, fat-free, and visually striking.

Sauteed curly endive with garlic and a splash of balsamic vinegar piled over olive oil-tossed spaghetti. A quick vegetarian pasta with a bitter-sweet edge that keeps you coming back.

Green-flecked spinach crepes folded around flaked wild salmon, sauteed mushrooms, and tangy yogurt sauce with fresh tarragon. An elegant brunch for two that's ready in 30 minutes.