Recipe Sifter

Light summer vegetable soup with carrots, zucchini, tomatoes, green beans, and spinach in chicken broth. Garden-fresh flavor on the table in 30 minutes.

Strawberry coulis made with fresh berries, lemon juice, and a splash of raspberry liqueur. A no-cook blender sauce ready in five minutes flat.

Mexican-style broiled flank steak marinated overnight in lime juice, garlic, and oregano. Slice thin against the grain and serve with tortillas and guacamole.

Homemade Tia Maria coffee liqueur made with brandy, strong coffee, sugar, and a whole vanilla bean. Just four ingredients and 30 days of patience for a rich, smooth sip.

Ground beef, noodles, and hoop cheese stirred together with cream of mushroom and tomato soup, then baked under a buttery cracker crumb crust. This cheesy slop in a pot is gloriously messy, ridiculously good comfort food.

Liverschnetzel is a German-style pan-fried beef liver with apple, pineapple, brown gravy, and sour cream. Quick to cook with a sweet-savory fruit sauce, served over noodles or rice.

Asian style sichuan beef with garlic, shallots, snow peas and red bell peppers.

Use this stock as a base for mushroom soup or a mushroom sauce. For the latter, deglaze the pan with some of the stock after sautéing the protein. Then add sautéed mushrooms and either reduce the fluid or add flour to make a gravy.

Wilted spinach with lemon, garlic, and toasted pine nuts. A five-minute Italian-style side built from five ingredients and a hot pan.

This is great spread across the top of broiled salmon or halibut fillets. You can also toss it with pasta as a simple side dish, or add broiled or steamed slices of chicken, seafood, or vegetables to make a main dish.

Gooey caramel and chocolate chip bars made with German chocolate cake mix and pecans. A semi-homemade shortcut dessert that bakes in under 30 minutes.

Mocha fruit cake soaks dried fruit in coffee overnight, then bakes it with chocolate and flour into a dense, moist loaf. No butter, eggs, or added sugar, just the fruit's natural sweetness deepened by coffee and chocolate.

Ginger dip made with crystallized ginger, soy sauce, water chestnuts, and garlic stirred into mayo and sour cream. An Asian-inspired party dip ready in 10 minutes.

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These are very tasty potatoes, and it was a huge hit.

German chocolate delight milkshake blending chocolate ice cream, milk, chocolate syrup, and cream of coconut, topped with whipped cream and chopped pecans. Ready in 10 minutes.