Recipe Sifter

Cinnamon and cloves perfume these twisted Greek sesame cookies with golden crusts and soft centers. Makes 72 cookies perfect for Mediterranean holiday cookie exchanges or gift tins.

A fancy turkey pot pie baked in Mini squash halves and topped with whole wheat herbed biscuits.

Sweet potato ginger rolls with fresh ginger, orange zest, and nutmeg in a soft yeast dough, egg-washed and topped with sesame seeds. Tender dinner rolls with warm, spiced flavor.

Flaky yeast pastry twists filled with ground walnuts, coconut, and sugar. The dough chills overnight and bakes into buttery, golden spirals. Makes 60 bite-sized pieces for sharing.

Homemade potato gnocchi, pillowy basil-flecked potato dumplings made from mashed potato and just enough flour to hold. Boil them a few minutes until they float, then toss with your favorite sauce.

Porridge meat loaf made with oatmeal, beef, and pork baked in a water bath for a tender, steamed texture. Seasoned with savory, thyme, and red wine.

Chilled raspberry borscht made with fresh beets, raspberries, red onion, lemon juice, and balsamic. Modern fruit-twist on the classic Eastern European cold soup, finished with a spoon of sour cream.

Heidelberg meat loaf made with lean ground beef, torn rye bread, beer, caraway seeds, and celery seeds. A German-inspired twist on classic American meatloaf.

Devil's food cake bakes a deep cocoa layer cake with a separated-egg method for extra lift, then tops it with classic boiled chocolate fudge frosting. A tall, old-fashioned chocolate showstopper.

Mesquite-smoked beef brisket on a gas grill rotisserie, rubbed with paprika and cayenne, then basted for hours in a beer-spiked barbecue sauce. Slice it thin and watch it fall apart on the cutting board.

Oven-braised beef stew with red wine, mushrooms, tomatoes, and rosemary. The beef browns at high heat first, then slow-cooks in a rich, saucy broth until fork-tender.

Polish-style kishke, buckwheat groats simmered in a rich neck-bone broth with onion, garlic, carrot, and paprika, then stuffed into casings. A traditional, frugal sausage that fries up crisp and savory.

Peanut butter and honey rice pudding. A nutritious and delicious dessert.

Hearty herb oatmeal bread with sage, basil, dill, pine nuts, and three kinds of seeds baked in a clay pot for a crackling crust. A rustic yeast bread with real depth.

Here's one for you lucky folks that have chanterelles popping up in the back forty.

Honey and lemon marinated leg of lamb roasted with potatoes, fresh rosemary, thyme, and oregano. One pan, up to a 24-hour marinade, and a beautifully gilded finish.