Recipe Sifter

Chicken and okra stew braises bone-in chicken with tomatoes, white wine, and a quiet pinch of cinnamon. The okra soaks in vinegar first to tame the slime before baking. Greek-style one-pot meal.

Beef tenderloin kabobs marinated in red wine, olive oil, rosemary, and oregano with mushrooms, zucchini, red pepper, and cherry tomatoes. Grilled in 8 minutes.

Date oatmeal bars with a thick, jammy date filling sandwiched between two layers of buttery oat crumble. A vintage three-layer bar cookie that's chewy, sweet, and wholesome.

Spanish rice made with brown rice, fresh pureed tomatoes, bacon, green peppers, and a touch of molasses. Simmered on the stove then baked until tender and deeply flavored.

Slow cooker black bean and potato soup with diced ham, jalapenos, cumin, oregano, thyme, and cloves in a beef broth base. Dump everything in the crockpot and let it cook all day.

Two-layer white cake filled with lemon curd, covered in fluffy seven-minute frosting, and pressed with shredded coconut. A classic Southern-style coconut cake with a tangy lemon surprise inside.

Classic almond biscotti are twice-baked Italian cookies made with whole-wheat and white flour, turbinado sugar, eggs, vanilla, and toasted almonds. Crisp, dunkable, and made for coffee.

Mocha cream baked custard with melted chocolate, coffee, eggs, and cream, slow-baked in a water bath. Topped with whipped cream, almonds, and grated chocolate.

Old-fashioned date and pecan cake baked low and slow in a tube pan. More fruit and nuts than batter, with a dense, rich texture similar to fruitcake.

Pasta green salad tosses rotini and shredded Swiss with green beans, peas, cucumber and bell pepper in a creamy lemon-dill yogurt dressing. A bright, make-ahead potluck salad you dress right before serving.

Cranberry apple quick bread with walnuts, warm spices, and a simple confectioners' sugar glaze. Tart cranberries and tender apples in every slice.

Greek chicken and spaghetti tosses lemon-oregano marinated chicken strips with summer squash, zucchini, and a whisper of cinnamon. Mediterranean weeknight dinner, the whole pan in 40 minutes.

Hippo's heaven is a no-bake icebox dessert with a vanilla wafer crust, buttercream filling, and pineapple-pecan whipped cream layer. Chill overnight, slice cold, serve to a crowd.

Black currant tea brownies layer cassis-infused fudge squares with a glossy berry preserve and a silky black currant tea ganache. A boozy, perfumed showstopper.

Friendship cake using yellow cake mix, vanilla pudding, brandied starter fruit, raisins, and pecans baked in a Bundt pan. The shortcut version of the gifted-starter holiday cake.

Slow-braised eye of round steak with Spanish onions, vinegar, mustard, bay leaf, and whole cloves in butter. A hearty Dutch-style pot roast that turns a tough cut fork-tender.