Recipe Sifter

Colorful Southwestern rice and bean salad with kidney beans, corn, and picante dressing. Vegetarian, low-fat make-ahead perfect for potlucks.

Grilled pork chops marinated in soy sauce, lemon juice, chili sauce, and brown sugar. A sweet-savory-spicy glaze that caramelizes beautifully on the grill.

Moist butter pecan banana cake built on yellow cake mix with butter pecan pudding, mashed banana, and toasted pecans baked in a tube pan. A doctored-mix cake that tastes like it took all day.

Old-fashioned homemade eggnog with separated eggs, powdered sugar, rum, and heavy cream, lightened by stiff-beaten egg whites and dusted with nutmeg. A rich, fluffy holiday punch bowl recipe.

A simple and scrumptious dish made with tender fish fillets, jalapeno peppers and green olives.

Braised beef chuck pot roast in tomato juice and horseradish sauce with a splash of dry sherry. Slow-simmered until fork-tender with a tangy, savory gravy.

Slow-roasted pork shoulder rubbed with garlic, sazon, and homemade sofrito, served with Spanish rice and pigeon peas. A Latin-style feast with fork-tender pork, crispy skin, and arroz con gandules on the side.

Jerry's Barbecue Sauce: a slow-simmered BBQ sauce with white wine, honey, dried mint, and three cups of onion. Cajun-style with a surprising herbal note. Makes a generous batch.

Texas BBQ beef brisket: seven pounds of brisket smoked low and slow with paprika rub and wood chips, finished with a tangy homemade sauce built from the pan drippings.

Golden bubble ring (monkey bread) made from homemade yeast dough balls rolled in butter, cinnamon sugar, and optional nuts, baked in a tube pan until golden and pull-apart tender.

Traditional Danish yellow split pea soup with smoked pork, sausage links, leeks, and celery root. Hearty Scandinavian comfort served with dark bread, mustard, and beer.

Sichuan-style shredded pork with garlic sauce, tree ear mushrooms, celery, and water chestnuts. Deep-fried pork meets a spicy, tangy, sweet sauce in this bold Chinese classic.

Uncle Ben's ham and bean soup slow-simmers navy beans with ham shanks, garlic, carrots, celery, and potatoes for a hearty, smoky bowl. Old-fashioned thrifty cold-weather meal.

Bacon deviled eggs with crumbled crispy bacon, scallions, and mustard folded into creamy yolks. A 10-minute classic picnic appetizer that adds smoke and salt to the traditional deviled egg.

Bolillos: crusty Mexican-style hard rolls with a golden cornstarch-glazed crust and soft, chewy interior. Made with bread flour, honey, and yeast. Freezer-friendly!

Salami roll-ups with cream cheese, avocado, tomato, and lettuce in flour tortillas. No-cook appetizer sliced into pinwheels, perfect for parties. Make ahead and chill.