Recipe Sifter

Cooked wild rice with bacon and butter: nutty, chewy wild rice simmered to tender, then tossed with crisp bacon julienne and a knob of butter. A simple side that eats like a meal.

Cookie candy turkeys assemble chocolate stars, caramels, striped chocolate cookies, and candy corn into adorable no-bake Thanksgiving favors. Kid-friendly craft dessert ready in 20 minutes.

Cooking grains the foolproof way: two parts water to one part grain, rinse first, simmer covered, never stir. Works for quinoa, rice, millet, and farro. The basic ratio every home cook should know by heart.

Chilled strawberry soup pureed with orange juice, spiced sugar syrup, and optional red wine. Strained silky smooth, served cold with a yogurt dollop. A summer starter.

Asian-style Cornish hen wraps split hen breasts around asparagus spears and steams them in a bamboo steamer over rice with bok choy, broccoli, and peppers. Elegant pan-Asian dinner.

Roasted Cornish game hens basted with a sticky apple juice and cinnamon glaze with lemon. Just 5 ingredients for a gorgeous, golden bird with sweet-tart lacquered skin.

Couscous with tomato-eggplant sauce simmered with green pepper, garlic, and a Mediterranean herb blend. Hearty, low-fat vegetarian one-skillet dinner.

Cajun-spiced crab stuffed mushroom caps with Parmesan, parsley, and hot sauce, baked low and slow until tender. A savory two-bite appetizer that's easy to love.

Old-fashioned cranberry banana pie with a lattice crust. Sliced bananas layered under homemade cranberry sauce, baked until golden. Just three filling ingredients for a stunning vintage dessert.

Deep-fried cranberry jelly fritters with a light, crispy batter. Canned cranberry jelly gets cut into strips, dredged, battered, and fried golden. A quirky, crowd-pleasing holiday snack.

Cranberry orange ring arranges crescent roll dough filled with cranberry-orange relish and cinnamon into a festive wreath shape, baked golden and drizzled with powdered sugar glaze.

Cranberry star mold: a retro raspberry gelatin dessert folded with whipped cream, pineapple, and orange sections, chilled in a star mold. A classic holiday side or light dessert.

Cranberry-cherry cooler: a blender-quick punch of tart cranberry juice, bright orange juice, and cherry drink mix served over ice. Ten minutes, four ingredients, party-ready pitcher drink.

Cranberry maple syrup simmers fresh cranberries with pure maple syrup and apple juice into a ruby-red pancake topper. Three ingredients, perfect holiday breakfast pour.

Spicy cranberry jalapeno sauce simmered with brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, and fresh cilantro. A sweet-hot condiment that wakes up turkey, pork, or a block of cream cheese.

Light cream of mushroom soup made with fresh mushrooms, skim milk, chicken bouillon, and cornstarch. A low-fat homemade alternative to canned cream of mushroom soup.