Recipe Sifter

Slice-and-bake cheddar cheese biscuits with Worcestershire and hot sauce, topped with poppy, sesame, or celery seeds. Make the dough ahead and bake crispy, golden rounds whenever guests arrive.

German springerle, the classic embossed anise cookie made with eggs, sugar, flour, and crushed anise seed. Patterned with a springerle roller and dried overnight to lock in the design before baking.

Light and fruity tapioca pudding made with pineapple juice, orange juice, mandarin oranges, and crushed pineapple. A low-fat, no-fuss chilled dessert that's bright, tropical, and refreshing.

Broiled flounder or sole marinated in balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, and dry mustard. A light, lean fish dinner that's low in fat and ready to eat in under 10 minutes of cook time.

This is one of the basic dessert sauces. It is luscious simply served with fresh fruit.

This pecan pie is absolutely delicious, always reminds me when I was a child, the pecan pie my mom used to make for me.

Steamed sui mai pork dumplings with dried mushrooms, bamboo shoots, and sesame oil wrapped in wonton skins. This classic dim sum recipe makes 30 bite-sized dumplings that rival your favorite Chinese restaurant.

Creamy warm peach pie, perfect during summer peach season.

This recipe is a tradition in my husband's Swedish family. It makes enough cookies to feed the Swedish Army.

Cornish hens Provencal style braised with tomatoes, saffron, olives, leeks, white wine, and fresh herbs. A one-skillet French country dinner with golden-skinned game hens in 50 minutes.

Healthy start muffins built on a homemade whole-wheat-and-bran muffin mix, soaked All-Bran cereal, prunes, pumpkin seeds, cinnamon, and molasses. The high-fiber breakfast that actually tastes good.

Chocolate praline truffles with homemade caramelized almond praline powder, semi-sweet chocolate ganache, orange liqueur, and a hand-rolled cocoa-dusted shell. A three-stage holiday confection worth the effort.

Old-fashioned homemade chili sauce simmered for hours from fresh tomatoes, bell peppers, brown sugar, and warm spices including cinnamon, cloves, and ginger. A classic American canned condiment recipe.

Okroshka, a chilled Russian meat and vegetable soup with diced cucumber, hard-boiled eggs, sour cream, and mustard in an apple cider base standing in for traditional kvass.

Orjaleves is a traditional Hungarian wedding soup made with beef bones, pork, saffron broth, root vegetables, and handmade spiral egg noodles. A rich, celebratory first course.

Homemade beef and pork sausage seasoned with sage, cumin, aniseed, and red pepper flakes. Stuff into casings for links or shape into patties for grilling.