Recipe Sifter

Giant almond Florentines bake whole 8-inch caramel-almond rounds in foil pie pans, then finish with a chocolate-coated bottom. Crisp, lacy, and dramatic. The classic European cookie scaled up to plate-size.

Creamy green split pea soup pureed smooth with browned onions and marjoram, finished with skim milk. A simple, high-fiber soup from just 7 ingredients. No ham needed.

Grilled pizzettes top crisp, smoky individual crusts with sauteed yellow squash, tomato, basil, and melty smoked mozzarella. Cooked right on the grill for a charred, summer-fresh personal pizza.

Pumpkin spice popcorn snack mix with dried apples, cranberries, raisins, and walnuts tossed in brown sugar and cinnamon. A no-cook fall treat ready in 10 minutes.

Herb-oatmeal bread baked in a clay pot with sage, basil, pine nuts, poppy seeds, and sesame. A crusty, hearty loaf with whole wheat and sour cream in the dough.

Halloween beef stew with flour-crusted meat, potatoes, carrots, and peas in a creamy thyme-coriander broth, served inside a carved pumpkin shell for a spooky seasonal showstopper.

Hot and spicy chili sauce made from ripe tomatoes, onions, curry powder, ginger, and nutmeg simmered with apple cider vinegar. A homemade Indian-spiced condiment for canning.

Hot and spicy red pepper apricot chutney with dried apricots, raisins, garlic, and red pepper flakes in a tart-sweet vinegar simmer. Big flavor condiment for meats and cheese boards.

Hot rye appetizers spread cocktail rye slices with Swiss cheese, bacon, olives, and green onion, then bake until bubbly. Retro party tray classic ready in 35 minutes.

Homemade hummus made from scratch with dried chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice, and garlic. Cooked from soaked beans for a smoother, more flavorful dip than canned versions.

Sweet potato pie with nutmeg and margarine in a simple 5-ingredient filling. A no-fuss Southern classic that comes together fast with boiled sweet potatoes.

Jewish apple cake baked in a tube pan with layers of cinnamon-sugar Granny Smith apples and a moist oil-free batter made with applesauce and orange juice.

Baked kibbeh with layers of spiced lamb and bulgur wheat around a pine nut and ground lamb filling, scored in diamonds and baked until crispy on top.

Cream of peanut soup from Colonial Williamsburg's Kings Arms Tavern: a velvety blend of peanut butter, chicken broth, sauteed celery and onion, finished with cream and chopped peanuts. Southern tavern classic.

Tropical drop cookies loaded with candied papaya, mango, pineapple, dried apricots, macadamia nuts, and white chocolate chunks. The fruitcake reimagined as a chewy island-style cookie.

Louisiana Shrimp with Tomato/Vidalia Onion Sauce recipe