Recipe Sifter

Baked chicken liver pate with brandy, sage, thyme, and cream, molded in juice cans and rolled in fresh parsley. A make-ahead appetizer that freezes well for up to 3 weeks.

Stacked New Mexico quesadillas layer flour tortillas with shredded chicken, zucchini, bell pepper, and Monterey Jack cheese. Baked until melty and served with red pepper sour cream sauce and fresh salsa.

Oven-fried mustard chicken coated in Dijon, garlic, and rosemary, then crusted with crushed bran flakes and Parmesan. Crispy outside, juicy inside, no deep frying needed.

Lemon-pineapple baked chicken with a tangy sauce of pineapple juice, Dijon mustard, rosemary, and Worcestershire. Broiled for crispy skin then baked in a glossy citrus glaze.

Layered vegetarian moussaka with sauteed eggplant, rich mushroom-tomato sauce with red wine, and creamy ricotta bechamel baked until golden. Greek comfort food, no lamb needed.

Stuffed Italian chicken rolls with mozzarella and pastrami, pounded thin, rolled up, and baked with a crispy Parmesan bread crumb coating. Freezer-friendly and ready in about an hour.

Pumpkin crunch with a spiced pumpkin custard base topped with dry yellow cake mix, chopped pecans, and drizzled melted margarine. A dump cake with a crunchy, buttery top.

A moist chocolate date cake baked in an 8-inch square pan with chocolate chips in the batter and a crunchy chip-nut-sugar topping. Dates softened in boiling water keep it impossibly tender. The kind of no-fuss cake you carry straight to the picnic in the pan.

A spring forager's pizza with a crust of pureed fiddleheads, egg, and cheese instead of dough, topped with tomato sauce, bacon, more cheese, and whole fiddlehead ferns. Unusual, seasonal, and grain-light.

Breaded mahi-mahi fillets pan-seared in olive oil, topped with tomato sauce, mozzarella, and Parmesan, then baked until bubbly. A seafood twist on classic chicken Parmesan ready in 45 minutes.

Individual mushroom souffles built on a Parmesan bechamel with sauteed mushrooms, shallots, and a hint of mace. Baked in ramekins and served straight from the oven.

Dark chocolate layer cake with a bright orange cream filling made with sour cream, orange zest, and lemon juice. The chocolate-meets-citrus combo is a total crowd pleaser.

Nutty chocolate mint fudge made with marshmallow cream, mint chocolate chips, and chopped nuts. A no-thermometer fudge recipe that sets up smooth and creamy after just two hours of chilling.

Rhubarb-apple bread with tart rhubarb and sweet apples in a spiced quick bread with cinnamon, cloves, and chopped nuts. Makes two loaves that keep for 10 days refrigerated.

A bread machine oat loaf sweetened with honey and applesauce, spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves. Just load the pan, press start, and let the machine do the work.

Corn chowder flambéed with Jack Daniels whiskey, simmered in cream and chicken broth with cubed potatoes. Smoky-sweet chowder with dramatic flair.