Recipe Sifter

Brown sugar chocolate chip cookies made with butter-flavored shortening for extra chewy centers and crisp edges. Choose your bake time for chewy or crunchy results. Makes 3 dozen with optional pecans.

Columella salad: an ancient Roman-inspired herb salad with feta, fresh mint, cilantro, parsley, and scallions, dressed with vinegar, olive oil, and chopped walnuts. Based on a Roman moretum.

Mushroom tomato basil frittata cooked gently on the stovetop, with crimini mushrooms sauteed in broth instead of oil and fresh basil stirred through the eggs. A light, low-calorie breakfast that comes together in about 20 minutes.

Easy deviled eggs with a creamy, tangy filling, mayo and sour cream brightened by honey mustard, red wine vinegar, and a whisper of curry, plus minced celery for crunch. A make-ahead cold appetizer.

These delicate desserts are so elegant, ricotta cheese gives the smooth, creamy and light taste and texture, fresh strawberries let the flavor so refreshing and the vanilla sugar adds some nice zing along with some finely grated chocolate pieces on top.

Asparagus is one of our favorite spring vegetables. In this recipe, roasting develops tons of deliciousness from both asparagus and cherry tomatoes, then tossed with penne, peppery arugula and creamy goat cheese with a light vinaigrette. Yum!

Grilled chicken breast marinated in garlic-yogurt with lemon and mint, then grilled and served with the boiled marinade thickened into a warm sauce. A Mediterranean-style dinner ready in about 2 hours.

Classic American peanut butter cookies with the iconic fork-press crisscross. Tender, chewy, and built around the brown-sugar-and-peanut-butter combo that defines the cookie.

Esparragos con tomatillos: blanched asparagus topped with raw chopped tomatillo, tomato, and crumbled cotija. A simple, bright Mexican-style vegetable side in 15 minutes.

Beef slices are stir-fried with onions, celeries and mushrooms in a soy-wine sauce. Quick, easy and flavorful. Serve it with a bowl of rice or steamed buns to complete the meal.

Have you ever seen a ling cod? They are almost primeval looking - huge, gaping mouths with very sharp teeth. As with any fish, the most important factor for how good it tastes is its freshness. I picked up this fillet at my local fish market where they told me that the ling cod had just come in that morning. With the lemon-garlic butter sauce it was divine.

Looking for gluten-free cookies, give these buttery and nutty almond cookies a try. They are flakey yet tasty, you will be impressed by these lovely treats.

Christmas fruitcake cookies made with whole wheat flour, dried apricots, dates, raisins, walnuts, and warm spices. All the flavor of fruitcake in a quick drop cookie.

Classic Salisbury steak patties simmered in cream of mushroom soup with sliced mushrooms. Six ingredients, 50 minutes, and pure nostalgic comfort food the whole family loves.

These delicious fruitcake cookies are ideal sweets for Christmas.

Jalapeno seasoning salt blends garlic salt, celery salt, jalapeno powder, and chili powder into an all-purpose Tex-Mex spice rub. Five-ingredient pantry shake-up for grilled meats, roasted veg, popcorn, and margarita rims.