Recipe Sifter

Giant raisin oat cookies with oat bran, rolled oats, plump raisins, and a hint of orange zest baked into hearty cookies the size of saucers. Wholesome breakfast or lunchbox treat.

Homemade giardiniera with carrots, cauliflower, celery, peppers, and onions brined overnight and pickled in a spiced vinegar with mustard seed, celery seed, and chili peppers.

Soft gingerbread cookies with molasses, hot coffee, cinnamon, cloves, and ground ginger. A rollout cookie dough for gingerbread men with a tender, cake-like texture instead of a crisp snap.

Glazed apple cake: silky McIntosh apple purée folded into a warm-spiced batter, topped with fanned Granny Smith slices and a glossy apricot jam glaze. A bakery-style fall dessert.

Golden Harvest beef brisket braised with yams, carrots, apples, and potatoes, finished with mandarin orange glaze. One-pot autumn Sunday dinner that feeds six.

Steamed Boston brown bread made with cornmeal, rye flour, whole wheat flour, molasses, and buttermilk. Cooked in coffee cans for three hours for a dense, moist, no-oven loaf.

Old-fashioned prune and pecan spice cake with buttermilk, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice, topped with a hot buttermilk icing poured on while still baking.

Fresh raspberry pie with a cinnamon-laced double crust made from butter and shortening. Cornstarch thickens the bubbling berry juice into glossy filling, brightened with lemon zest.

A from-scratch black bean soup: dried beans simmered with smoky ham hocks, then a cumin-scented sofrito of peppers and onions, tomatoes, and a bright splash of red wine vinegar. Deep, hearty, and soulful.

From-scratch pumpkin pie with fresh or canned pumpkin, dark brown sugar, molasses, raisins, and toasted pecans. Richer and more complex than the back-of-the-can version.

Southern-style green beans simmered low with smoked turkey wing, onion, garlic, and red potatoes. Pork-free soul food classic with deep smoky flavor.

Elegant green pea and shrimp soup finished with white wine, cream, and champagne. Fresh savory and tarragon give this French-inspired soup its herbal depth.

Grilled chicken breasts topped with a fresh gazpacho salsa of tomatoes, cucumber, bell pepper, red onion, and cumin. A light, no-cook Spanish-inspired summer dinner.

Grilled steaks in a soy-ginger-curry marinade with torch bananas wrapped in foil with honey, coconut, and pineapple juice, finished with flaming brandy. A showstopper BBQ dinner.

Grillel Chicken Breasts with Wild Mushroom & Bourbon Sauce recipe

If you like chowder then you will adore this hearty alternative that will have you licking your chops and maybe even your bowl!