Recipe Sifter

Zebra bars layer chocolate and vanilla batter in a 13x9 pan, topped with chocolate chips and walnuts. Two-toned cookie bars from one butter-brown sugar dough.

A simple vegetarian pasta dish with butter beans (lima beans) in a light, creamy sauce. Quick, budget-friendly, and ready in 40 minutes with pantry staples.

Vegan Cuban-style black beans with two stages of green pepper, classic sofrito, and a finish of apple cider vinegar. Slow-simmered until the beans crack open. Plant-based comfort that holds its own.

Burmese-style coconut rice with grated coconut, cinnamon, turmeric, curry powder, cloves, and bay leaves stirred into cooked rice. A fragrant, warmly spiced side dish ready in 30 minutes.

One-pot rice and black beans with garlic, carrots, thyme, and allspice simmered in stock. Low-fat, filling, and topped with cool yogurt and fresh parsley.

Baked pork chops topped with rice-stuffed green pepper rings, cream of mushroom soup, red onion, and cherry tomatoes. A retro casserole that doubles as dinner and presentation.

Triple-chocolate biscotti with Dutch cocoa, semi-sweet chips, and a dipped white chocolate base. Toasted hazelnuts, dark coffee, and twice-baked crunch make these the dunking cookie for serious chocolate lovers.

Slow-simmered lamb with crushed garlic and coarsely ground barley cooked in rich lamb broth. A rustic, stick-to-your-ribs dish served with crusty bread.

Handmade pumpkin ravioli with a spiced pumpkin-carrot filling, served in a garlic cream sauce with toasted hazelnuts and wilted sorrel. A showpiece fall pasta.

New Orleans-style red beans and rice slow-simmered with salt pork, the holy trinity, hot sauce, and Worcestershire. A Cajun Monday tradition from dried beans.

Classic summer pudding made with fresh strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries layered with white bread in ramekins, pressed overnight, and unmolded into jewel-toned individual desserts. Just 7 ingredients.

Potato broccoli casserole with thinly sliced potatoes baked in broccoli cheese soup until golden and tender. Just 5 ingredients for a creamy, hands-off side dish.

Ghoul-Ade Halloween drink with green lemonade and jiggly cherry gelatin "gopher guts" floating inside. A spooky, fun party drink for kids that's easy to make.

Quick herbed oatmeal bread, a no-yeast savory loaf with whole wheat, oats, buttermilk, caraway, and dried herbs. From bowl to oven in 10 minutes, no rising required.

Lotsa chocolate cake is the classic doctored-cake-mix bundt with devils food mix, instant fudge pudding, sour cream, and a full bag of chocolate chips. Dense, moist, foolproof.

Southwest guacamole with ripe avocados, garlic, chopped tomatoes, and fresh lime juice. Five ingredients, no cooking, and chunky enough to scoop with chips.