Recipe Sifter

Mesquite grilled chicken marinated in cumin, lime juice, garlic, and olive oil, served with a roasted corn and black bean relish with cilantro. A Southwestern grilled chicken dinner with smoky depth.

German honey spice cake made in the microwave with dark brown sugar, honey, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger, and lemon zest. A warm, fragrant Lebkuchen-style cake ready in under 15 minutes.

Three-layer chocolate cake with cocoa, buttermilk, and a rich cocoa icing made with melted unsweetened chocolate. A towering, old-fashioned celebration cake.

Milzsuppe is a traditional Bavarian and Austrian spleen soup built on butter-browned onions, scraped spleen, and a whisper of roux. Rustic peasant cookery with deep, iron-rich flavor.

Mocha meringue pie with a chocolate-pecan meringue crust standing in for pastry. Coffee ice cream fills the crisp shell and freezes solid, topped with whipped cream and chocolate curls. A pour of Kahlua over each slice finishes it.

Moist chocolate truffle cake with melted semi-sweet chocolate, cocoa, butter, and whipped egg whites. Dense, fudgy, and barely set in the center. Just a dusting of powdered sugar.

Molded mandarin cranberry relish with whole cranberry sauce, mandarin oranges, celery, and walnuts set in gelatin. A festive Thanksgiving side dish that holds its shape on the plate.

Moose stew braises cubed game meat with red wine, beef broth, pearl onions, carrots, and new potatoes. A Northwoods chop-house classic thickened with buttery beurre manie.

Strawberry, melon, and avocado salad fans avocado and cantaloupe over baby spinach, tops with berries, and drizzles with honey-sherry-mint dressing. A stunning brunch salad.

Three-ingredient mousse made with instant pudding mix, milk, and Cool Whip folded together. Light, fluffy, and ready in 5 minutes with any Jello pudding flavor you like.

Mud Hens are chewy brown sugar pecan bars made with just four ingredients: Bisquick, eggs, brown sugar, and chopped pecans. A quick vintage bar cookie recipe.

The tang of Dijon mustard and the smoothness of whipping cream combine with the light flavor of champagne or white wine to make this a wonderful, easy sauce for fish.

No-bake fresh fruit tart with an orange-scented cream cheese filling in a crumb crust, topped with seasonal fruit. A cool, creamy summer dessert with zero oven time.

Classic old-fashioned fruit punch with cold tea, fresh-squeezed orange and lemon juice, ginger ale, and soda water. Garnished with orange slices and fresh mint. Makes 40 cups for a crowd.

Soft, cake-like apricot cookies with jewel-toned jam centers that bake up tender and light. Chopped dried apricots in the dough add chewy bits of fruit throughout each cookie.

No-bake orange cream candies made with powdered sugar, orange zest, and frozen orange juice concentrate. A three-ingredient confection that's rolled, cut, and chilled overnight.