Recipe Sifter

Sliced tomatoes with raw salsa: ripe tomato slices over a bed of alfalfa sprouts, topped with a chilled fresh salsa of green pepper, scallions, cilantro, cumin, and apple cider vinegar.

Why wait for Thanksgiving when you can fire up the barbecue and enjoy this tantalizing turkey now!

Smoked carnitas: pork shoulder smoked low for three hours, then braised with onions, chilies, cumin, and garlic until the meat pulls apart. BBQ-meets-Mexican with crispy-edged tender bites.

Classic French onion soup slow-caramelizes pounds of sliced onions in butter, then simmers them with beef stock, Cognac, and dry vermouth. Top with toasted bread and Swiss for the gratiné finish.

Spicy garbanzo bean soup with potatoes, tomatoes, saffron, turmeric, cumin, and ginger simmered for four hours from dried chickpeas. A Moroccan-inspired vegan soup finished with lemon and cilantro.

Spicy Southwestern chili is real-deal Texas chili: chunks of sirloin browned and simmered low in tomato and beef stock with a deep, layered chile blend. No beans, plenty of heat, and big bold flavor for chiliheads.

Spicy tamale pie with simmered beef chuck and pork shoulder, dried chile gravy, raisins, and olives under a cornmeal masa-style crust. Tex-Mex history on a plate.

Light strawberry Bavarian cream with fresh berries, gelatin, whipped cream, and folded egg whites for an airy mousse-like dessert. Spoons into glasses and chills overnight.

Sugar-free strawberry ice made with pureed strawberries, lemon juice, and sugar replacement. A light, diabetic-friendly frozen dessert with almost no calories.

Homemade strawberry popsicles with real frozen strawberries, skim milk, and unflavored gelatin for a creamy texture. A low-fat frozen treat kids can help make.

Vegetarian stuffed grape leaves (dolmades) with rice, pine nuts, raisins, tomato, and cinnamon. Slow-simmered in olive oil and lemon, served chilled with yogurt-mint dipping sauce.

Classic rolled sugar cookie cutouts with a tender butter-and-cream dough, sprinkled with red and green colored sugar before baking. Holiday cookie-tin staple.

These buttery and sweet cookies are so addictive, great treat in any occasion.

Cool, refreshing big-batch fruit salad with watermelon, cantaloupe, plums, nectarines, and grapes tossed in chilled mint-lime simple syrup. A summer party showstopper.

Whole roasted chicken rubbed inside and out with sun-dried tomato paste, garlic, fresh basil, and parsley. Crisp golden skin, deeply savory flavor in every bite.

Slow-cooker sweet and sour cocktail franks simmered in chili sauce, currant jelly, mustard, and pineapple chunks. Retro mid-century party appetizer that holds warm in the crock for serving.