Recipe Sifter

Santa Maria-style grilled tri-tip marinated 24 hours in red wine, olive oil, Worcestershire, soy sauce, and garlic. Central California barbecue at its finest.

Lots of fruit bread, a yeasted holiday loaf packed with prunes, figs, dates, raisins, candied peel, and almonds. The European-style fruit bread for Christmas mornings.

If you love banana bread, you will enjoy this scrumptious low-fat version that is perfect for breakfast.

Cheesecake lovers will simply enjoy this healthier version that doesn't take a lot to make.

This turns out almost like Snickers bars with the benefit of being "low-fat" and lower sugar than the original candy bar.

Lemon angel food cake baked from scratch and hollowed out to hold a lemon whipped cream filling set with gelatin. Light, airy, and bright with citrus.

Macadamia mandelbrot with orange juice, orange zest, and almond extract, twice-baked into crisp, crunchy cookies. A tropical twist on the classic Jewish biscotti.

Macaroni cheese puffs with whipped egg whites folded into a cheesy macaroni base for a light, soufflé-style bake. A retro casserole with pimiento and American cheese that puffs up golden.

Magnificent chocolate cake baked in a 10-inch tube pan with six ounces of unsweetened chocolate, six eggs, and chopped nuts. A tall, tender, old-fashioned bundt-style cake.

Malai Murgh: whole chicken simmered in milk, layered with butter-fried almonds, raisins, and onions, then baked in a rich egg yolk and cream custard. A Mughlai classic.

Mama Stamberg's cranberry relish with raw cranberries, onion, sour cream, and horseradish. The famous NPR Thanksgiving recipe that's frozen then thawed for a shocking pink, tangy condiment.

Manicotti Rita Taule wraps a creamy three-cheese ricotta filling inside delicate homemade crepes (no boiling pasta tubes). Baked under tomato sauce and melted mozzarella for a tender Italian classic.

Marinated eggplant, an Italian antipasto of golden-fried eggplant slices layered with garlic, bay leaf, rosemary, and red wine vinegar. Keeps up to two weeks in the fridge.

Spanish-style marinated ham rubbed with garlic and soaked overnight in fresh lemon and lime juice, then slow-roasted until the skin crisps. A citrus-forward approach to a whole fresh ham that's bright and deeply flavorful.

Hearty meatball chowder with walnut-sized beef meatballs, potatoes, carrots, rice, and Mexicorn in a tomato-beef broth. A big-batch soup that feeds a crowd.

Melitzanosalata, a Greek roasted eggplant dip with garlic, tomatoes, olive oil, and red wine vinegar. Smoky, tangy, and rustic, served cold with bread or grilled meats.