Recipe Sifter

Santa Fe burgers with cheese, salsa, crushed tortilla chips, and cumin mixed right into the patty, then topped with more salsa and cheese. Southwestern grilled burgers with serious flavor built in.

Chili with kidney beans is a hearty crowd-size beef chili built on garlic-browned ground beef, peppers, tomatoes, and red kidney beans, simmered low with chili powder, cloves, and bay. Crowd cooker for game day.

My kids love these cupcakes, they are easy to make, and very yummy.

Potstickers are basically Chinese dumplings, just cooked differently. Instead of boiling in the water, you cook them in a hot pan with a bit oil and a bit water to develop a nicely browned and crispy crust. The fillings can be made in advance; the leftover dumplings, just freeze them raw. Whenever you feel like eating a few, cook the frozen ones directly in hot pan.

Old fashioned oatmeal raisin cookies with chopped walnuts, dark brown sugar for chew, and toasty oats. A classic drop cookie that bakes up crisp at the edges and tender in the middle.

Tender blueberry cream cheese muffins made in the food processor with cake flour, juicy berries, and a tang of lemon. Soft cake-like crumb, ready in 45 minutes.

Pan-roasted pork loin chops coated in a bold homemade dry rub of chili powder, cumin, garlic, and oregano, marinated overnight, then seared and roasted. A simple spice-rubbed dinner with big Southwestern flavor.

Smoky barbecue meatballs simmered in a sauce of ketchup, brown sugar, tomato paste, and liquid smoke. A crowd-pleasing party meatball that holds well in the slow cooker.

Chinese longbeans stir-fried with cloud ear fungus, silk squash, shallots, and ginger in an oyster sauce and rice wine glaze. Swap in green beans and zucchini if you can't find the Asian varieties.

These are a huge crowd pleaser and easy to make. It is a large recipe, and can easily be halved or doubled. Hope you enjoy!

Tender buttermilk teatime scones with flaky golden tops and a soft, slightly tangy crumb. Cold butter cut into flour and a splash of buttermilk are the keys to bakery-style scones at home.

Yeast-leavened whole wheat waffles use rising time instead of baking powder for crisp, deeply tangy waffles. No eggs, no oil, just whole wheat pastry flour, bran, molasses, and yeast.

A scrumptious salad that's made with couscous, romaine lettuce, corn kernels and baby green peas.

Lots of great flavours in these twice baked potatoes. Really enjoyed the taste of this flavour combination. The black olives and green chills added more depth, and the cream and cheese enhanced the overall texture and flavour. I might add a bit sun-dried tomatoes next time to give it a Mediterranean take-on.

German pfeffernusse: spiced honey cookies with cinnamon, cloves, allspice, mace, and a touch of black pepper, dipped in vanilla glaze. Traditional Christmas cookie recipe.

Chocolate, oatmeal, and peanut cookies with hand-cut chunks of sweet chocolate, chopped peanuts, and a quiet hit of almond extract. A chewy cookie with crunch and three flavor layers.