Recipe Sifter

Thick apricot filling made by simmering dried fruit with cornstarch until it reaches the perfect consistency for kolachky pastries.

Silky apricot whip made with overnight-soaked dried apricots, honey, and low-fat yogurt. Four ingredients, a blender, and just 54 calories per serving.

Artillery Punch - a historic large-batch party punch with rye whiskey, Jamaican rum, brandy, red wine, Benedictine, strong black tea, and citrus. Makes 25-30 cups, handle with care.

Aunt Elsie's family hot dog BBQ sauce with ketchup, sweet relish, sauteed onion, and vinegar. Score the hot dogs so the sweet tangy sauce soaks in as they simmer plump and hot.

Baked apples filled with brown sugar, raisins, cinnamon, and nutmeg, served with a simple maple yogurt sauce. Use firm tart varieties like Ida Red or Northern Spy for the best results.

Traditional Irish baked herring stuffed with lemony breadcrumbs and braised in hard cider. A rustic, hearty supper that brings the taste of coastal Ireland to your table.

To highlight the onion's diversity, below are four recipes, each with a different type of onion, and a different cooking technique, (one not cooked at all).

Layered Creole vegetable casserole with okra, lima beans, corn, peppers, and tomato, topped with crumb-coated sautéed okra. A vegetarian gumbo-inspired bake that gets better the next day.

Oven barbecue chicken with just 2 ingredients: a cut-up whole chicken and your favorite bottled barbecue sauce. Baked uncovered for an hour until tender and caramelized.

Beef tenderloin steaks rubbed with a smoky brown sugar, paprika, and allspice blend then grilled to medium-rare in just 6 minutes. This 20-minute date night dinner for two is pure steakhouse class at home.

Slow cooker barbecue beef shredded with a wire whisk after 8 hours on high. Chuck roast cooks in a tangy sauce of tomato paste, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, and dry mustard.

Basic apricot glaze simmers apricot preserves with sugar and water into a clear, golden lacquer for fruit tarts, danish pastries, and croissants. Essential pastry kitchen building block in 15 minutes.

Simple cabbage soup with carrots, potatoes, onions, garlic, and dill. Five-vegetable peasant soup that costs under five dollars and tastes like grandmother's kitchen.

Four ways to shape holiday butter cookie dough: cutouts with egg paint, spritz cookies, chocolate caramel marbles, and coconut macaroon wreaths. One dough, endless options.

Strained berry sauce with cognac, lemon zest, and cornstarch for a glossy, clear finish. A versatile dessert sauce for ice cream, fruit, or cake.

Compared to restaurant and store-bought veggie burgers this is the best black bean burger recipe I’ve ever tried. Add a quick avocado salsa for a topping and we're in love.