Recipe Sifter

A delicious traditional Italian-Elfin meal for Christmas morning.

Homemade chunky applesauce with brown sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla. Just simmer tart apples until tender and mash to your favorite texture. Four ingredients, one pot, zero preservatives.

Cinnamon applesauce ornaments: two-ingredient dough of ground cinnamon and drained applesauce, rolled, cut with cookie cutters, and dried into fragrant holiday keepsakes that scent the whole room.

Cinnamon, clove and nutmeg ornaments are fragrant homemade holiday decorations, not edible: a no-bake dough of warm spices and applesauce, cut into shapes, air-dried, and hung to scent your home with Christmas spice.

Try this citrus fruits, vanilla bean and cinnamon stick infused rose, vodka and rum mixture, you wil be so impressed by the tangy flavor.

An easy way to change things up for breakfast.

Homemade cocoa mocha: steamed milk with cocoa powder, instant coffee, sugar, and vanilla. A simple stovetop mocha that beats the coffee-shop version for pennies.

Coconut fluff peaches with a cloud of meringue-like topping made from beaten egg white, coconut syrup, and lemon zest, heaped into peach halves. A light, retro dessert.

Pineapple coleslaw with crushed pineapple, lime, celery seed, and Miracle Whip. The sweet-tart Hawaiian-style slaw that goes with pulled pork, fish tacos, or BBQ ribs.

Concia is a Roman Jewish dish of fried zucchini layered with garlic, fresh basil, and white wine vinegar. A make-ahead antipasto that improves overnight.

Condimento Pugliese: roasted red pepper spread with olive oil and red pepper flakes. A chunky Italian condiment for crostini, pasta, or bruschetta. Five ingredients, no cook.

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.

Cow pies are no-bake chocolate candy drops made with melted milk chocolate chips, slivered almonds, and raisins. A fun, kid-friendly treat ready in 20 minutes.

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.