Recipe Sifter

Dark chocolate buttermilk cupcakes filled with whipped white chocolate ganache. These cream-filled chocolate cupcakes are tender, moist, and hideously good, with a surprise center in every bite.

Chiles en nogada: poblano peppers stuffed with sweet-savory picadillo, lightly fried, then draped in creamy walnut sauce and crowned with pomegranate seeds. A celebrated Mexican classic.

Corn salsa with green chilies, jalapeno, bell pepper, and white wine vinegar. A sweet, tangy, no-cook salsa made from pantry staples and ready after a quick chill.

Bologna rice skillet uses up pantry leftovers in one pan with toasted rice, diced bologna, tomatoes, corn, and onion. Vintage stretch-the-meat casserole, ready in under 40 minutes.

Flourless Passover brownies made with matzo cake meal instead of flour. Rich, fudgy chocolate squares kosher for Passover with nuts folded in for crunch.

Fresh wilted spinach tossed with caramelized onions, nutmeg, and thyme for a low-calorie side dish ready in 30 minutes. Diabetic-friendly and naturally light at just 55 calories per serving.

Pistachio and white chocolate cookies with brown sugar, butter-flavored shortening, and toasted pistachios. Chewy or crisp by choice, the classic holiday cookie tin upgrade.

Chilled raspberry soup with sour cream, dry sherry, pineapple juice, and grenadine, thickened with gelatin and refrigerated overnight. An elegant cold dessert soup.

Spicy green beans glazed with orange juice, brown sugar, and butter with serrano chiles. Marinated for an hour, then simmered into a sweet-heat side dish.

Frozen pumpkin mousse ice cream pie layered over vanilla ice cream in a buttery gingersnap crust, finished with caramel-pumpkin topping. A make-ahead Thanksgiving dessert.

Rustic Italian yeast bread kneaded with sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, and sautéed onion for a salmon-pink crumb and sun-warmed savory flavor. Crackling crust, tender inside.

A moist, warmly spiced Bundt cake made with yogurt and applesauce instead of heaps of butter. Loaded with raisins, cinnamon, and cloves, then drizzled with a tangy yogurt glaze that seals the deal.

Creamy homemade spinach soup thickened with a silky roux and brightened with a whisper of nutmeg. Ready in 30 minutes with simple pantry staples, this comforting bowl feeds six hungry people on a cold night.

Layered cabbage casserole with ground beef, bacon, sauerkraut, rice, and spaghetti sauce baked low and slow for 3 to 4 hours. A hearty, hands-off one-dish dinner.

Beef and straw mushroom stir-fry with broccoli, water chestnuts, and red peppers in a soy-sherry glaze. A crunchy, savory skillet dinner served over rice.

Chicken base is basically dehydrated, powdered chicken stock. If you can't find it in the supermarket, grind chicken bouillon cubes. For the asparagus, cut about two inches off the stem end. You don't need to peel it. To blanch spinach, simply drop it in boiling salted water for one minute and then immediately submerge it in ice water to stop the cooking and retain the color. The spinach will provide the soup with a vibrant green hue.