Recipe Sifter

Crock pot balsamic chicken, spice-rubbed thighs slow-cooked in balsamic vinegar and garlic until fall-apart tender. A tangy-sweet, dump-and-go dinner with almost no hands-on time.

Round steak braised in a spicy tomato sauce with mushrooms, green peppers, onions, chili powder, and ripe olives. A Tex-Mex style oven-braised steak that turns tough beef fork-tender.

Vegan key lime torte with a silken tofu filling, carob cake base, kiwi slices, and a mint-brown rice syrup glaze. Dairy-free, egg-free, and set with agar-agar.

Georgian khachapuri with hand-stretched dough layered with butter, folded envelope-style around a spiced red bean filling with caramelized onions and fresh cilantro.

Oklahoma-style brisket sandwiches braised until fork-tender, then baked in a ketchup-Worcestershire sauce spiked with instant coffee and brown sugar. Sliced thin and piled on buns.

Chilled poppy seed soup blended with yogurt, half-and-half, honey, and nutmeg. A sweet, creamy no-cook cold soup served as a unique dessert or first course.

Vanilla buttermilk panna cotta with fresh strawberry jam on top. A make-ahead individual dessert that sets in small glasses and feeds six for dinner parties or date nights.

Buttery almond slice-and-bake cookies dipped halfway in melted chocolate and finished with sprinkles. A 5-dozen batch of elegant yet easy cookies that look bakery-bought.

Beef and barley vegetable soup made from scratch with soup bones, pearl barley, tomatoes, and fresh peas. A slow-simmered three-hour soup with old-fashioned depth.

Cold poached salmon fillets in white wine, served chilled with a Dijon mustard, lime, and honey sour cream sauce. An elegant make-ahead main course for summer entertaining.

Beef Carbonnade Soup with Spatzle: a Belgian-meets-German hybrid soup with beer-braised beef, vegetables, and homemade nutmeg-scented egg spatzle dumplings. Three-hour simmer.

Ardshane House Irish stew is an authentic lamb-and-potato slow simmer with pearl barley and a homemade scratch stock. Six ingredients, two hours, and a hearty result that feeds eight.

Turtle cheesecake with a caramel-pecan bottom layer and a rich chocolate cream cheese top on a vanilla wafer crust. Three layers of indulgence, classic candy-shop flavors.

Light Greek yogurt cheesecake with a melba toast and walnut crust, topped with dried figs poached in an ouzo syrup with cinnamon stick and orange zest. A Mediterranean twist on cheesecake that skips the heaviness.

Oklahoma beans and cornbread simmers dried pinto beans low and slow with ham until thick and creamy, served with sliced raw onion and a wedge of cornbread. A hearty, frugal one-pot supper with deep flavor.

Oven Swiss steak braised in beef gravy and diced tomatoes, topped with parsley-thyme mashed potatoes piped on and baked golden. A complete one-dish dinner with a shepherd's pie finish.