Recipe Sifter

Italian rabbit saddles boned, rolled around a garlic-olive-rosemary stuffing, then seared and braised in fresh tomato sauce. Rustic Tuscan cooking at its most honest.

Spicy black-eyed peas simmered with cumin, chili powder, dry mustard, canned tomatoes, and Tabasco. A quick Southern side dish served over rice or with grits.

Applique cookies stack contrasting chocolate-pepper and sugar cookie doughs, cut in different shapes and glued with egg white before baking, then drizzled with chocolate. A striking two-tone decorating technique.

Louse Ma Thoom is a Lebanese mushroom and almond pate: earthy sauteed mushrooms, garlic and thyme ground with toasted almonds into a rich, vegan spread for crackers, pita and crusty bread. A meatless meze star.

Wild blueberry cookies with fresh or frozen berries, lemon zest, and a soft drop-cookie dough. Tender, cakey, and bursting with real fruit in every bite.

Super cheese pizza sauce: a herb-loaded tomato paste base with oregano, marjoram, garlic and onion. Spread on crust, layer with mozzarella and parmesan, and bake at 450F for 8 minutes.

Authentic pumpernickel bread with a rye flour starter, whole wheat, wheat germ, bread crumbs, and caramel for color. A 4-loaf recipe with an overnight rye starter from scratch.

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.

Ham and broccoli stir-fry in a savory oyster sauce with rice wine, ginger, and toasted walnuts. A quick Chinese-inspired wok dish served over gingered rice.

Blanched asparagus shocked in ice water to lock in bright green color, then drizzled with peanut oil and finished with minced shallots and parsley. A 15-minute healthy vegetarian side dish.

Pan-seared salmon steaks topped with crispy ginger and green onion matchsticks, served over peppery arugula with a sherry-soy pan sauce. Date-night dinner for two in under 30 minutes.

Crock-Pot rice cooked on high with butter for fluffy, hands-off results. A slow cooker method for cooking perfect rice without watching the stove.

Rosemary's root beer tonic: a traditional herbal decoction made with sassafras, dandelion, burdock, ginger, cinnamon, and orange peel. Old-fashioned homemade root beer.

Make-ahead Italian antipasto with tuna, olives, artichoke hearts, mushrooms, and vegetables simmered in tomato sauce. Freezes for up to three months.

Grilled shrimp marinated in soy sauce, honey, ginger, garlic, and sesame oil. Jumbo shrimp on the barbie with an Asian-inspired glaze that caramelizes over hot coals.

Dried porcini and tomato sauce folds earthy rehydrated mushrooms and their soaking liquid into a garlicky canned tomato base, then tosses it with fusilli. A deep, umami-rich vegetarian pasta dinner.