Recipe Sifter

Pumpkin fudge with mashed pumpkin, pumpkin pie spice, evaporated milk, pecans, and butter cooked to soft ball stage. A seasonal candy that tastes like pumpkin pie in fudge form.

Homemade vinaigrette with extra-virgin olive oil, malt vinegar, garlic, Dijon mustard, tarragon, and dill. A tangy, herbaceous dressing made in five minutes.

North Carolina vinegar barbecue sauce with apple cider vinegar, white vinegar, hot sauce, and red pepper flakes. A thin, tangy no-cook sauce for pulled pork.

No-bake fudge oatmeal cookies with peanut butter, cocoa, and quick oats. Boil the chocolate base, stir in oats and peanut butter, drop onto wax paper, and they set in minutes.

Caribbean-style baby back ribs marinated in a from-scratch sofrito with annatto oil, cilantro, Anaheim chile, guava jelly, and coffee liqueur. Baked low and slow until tender.

No-bake chocolate peanut butter cups with crushed potato chips and peanuts. A sweet-salty Canadian prairie candy that makes 75 bite-sized treats for holiday platters.

Crunchy buttermilk coleslaw with napa cabbage, snow peas, and grated carrots in a tangy ginger-rice vinegar dressing. An Asian-leaning slaw that skips the heavy mayo load.

Elegant sherried baked fruit with layered pineapple, peaches, apricots, cherries, and spiced apple rings in a buttery brown sugar and sherry sauce. Serves 20 for buffets and dinner parties.

Oranges and yams bakes alternating slices of sweet potato and fresh orange with juice and warm spices until tender. Bright citrus side dish for Thanksgiving or weeknight dinner.

Mint macaroons with shredded coconut, chocolate chips, and peppermint extract in a crispy meringue base. Naturally gluten-free and light as air. Makes about 4 dozen.

Mexican Sunrise Punch with tequila, orange juice, limeade, lemonade, and ginger ale. A crowd-pleasing citrus party punch that makes 12 cups in 10 minutes. Add grenadine for the sunrise effect.

Pfeffernuesse German pepper cookies with molasses, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and black pepper, rolled in powdered sugar. Small, spicy, and deeply aromatic holiday cookies from the old country.

New Zealand brown rice salad tosses chewy brown rice with kiwi fruit, crisp apple, celery, red bell pepper, toasted walnuts, and a sherry vinegar dressing. Bright fruit-and-grain side, vegan-friendly.

Marak Perot Kar, an Israeli cold fruit soup with cantaloupe, strawberries, grapes, and apples simmered and pureed with lemon and orange juice. A refreshing chilled summer starter.

Butter ball cookies (Russian tea cakes) with ground walnuts, cake flour, butter, and vanilla rolled in powdered sugar twice. A melt-in-your-mouth holiday cookie with just five ingredients.

Roasted pheasant halves basted in a mandarin orange and lemon glaze thickened with cornstarch. A citrus-glazed game bird roasted in three stages for crispy, lacquered skin.