Recipe Sifter

Texas-style competition chili with cubed round steak, bold chili powder, and cumin simmered low and slow for 2.5 hours. No beans, no shortcuts, just pure beefy heat the way Texans do it.

Spiced shrimp and zucchini simmered in a chili-cumin tomato sauce, then topped with golden drop cornbread and baked until bubbling. A one-pan dinner that feeds a crowd.

Vegetable gumbo is a lighter, meatless take on the Cajun classic: the holy trinity simmered with okra, corn, tomatoes and paprika, thickened naturally by the okra. No roux, no meat, just hearty vegetable comfort.

Roasting is one of the best way to cook beets, as it brings out their wonderful buttery flavor. This easy to prepare, healthy recipe does just that.

Two easy fish brine recipes for smoking: a basic salt-and-sugar brine and a stronger brown sugar cure. Customize with garlic, dill, or tarragon for smoked fish that keeps up to a year frozen.

Cornmeal Pie Crust (1 crust for 9 inch pie) recipe

Pan-fried garlic mackerel dredged in egg and seasoned flour, cooked in butter, and finished with fresh lemon juice. A simple 30-minute fish dinner with bold flavor.

Hill Country pickled peaches preserved in a sweet vinegar syrup with cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, ginger, and white pepper. A Texas tradition for canning season.

Lemon glaze made with egg white, powdered sugar, fresh lemon zest, and lemon juice. A smooth, glossy icing for cookies, cakes, and German-style baked goods.

Pinwheel pumpkin cookies are jelly-roll style spirals with a spiced pumpkin and nut filling rolled into cinnamon cookie dough, sliced thin, baked golden, and finished with vanilla icing.

Microwave seafood marinara with fresh tuna, mushrooms, black olives, basil, and Roma tomatoes over whole wheat pasta. A quick weeknight Italian dinner ready in 30 minutes.

San Antonio seafood cocktail sauce made with picante sauce, ketchup, and fresh lemon juice. A Tex-Mex twist on classic cocktail sauce served with chilled shrimp, scallops, or crab.

Microwave stuffed mushrooms with Parmesan, sherry, and crispy crumb filling. Diabetic-friendly vegetarian appetizer ready in just 15 minutes with simple pantry staples.

Try this succulent dish that has a bit of zing to it because of the honey-spiced taste!

Jellied beet borscht molded with shredded beets, cabbage, cucumber, fresh dill, and horseradish in a tangy beef gelatin. A cold, jewel-toned Eastern European classic.

Cornish game hens rubbed with Chinese five spice and a hoisin-plum-sherry marinade overnight, then roasted to a lacquered mahogany finish glazed with soy and maple syrup.