Recipe Sifter

Shrimp tossed in curry powder, cayenne, and flour then sauteed in olive oil until golden and crisp. Five ingredients, 15 minutes, zero leftovers. A spicy, quick weeknight dinner or appetizer.

Crisp-fried pasta nibbles boiled until almost tender, then deep fried until golden and crunchy. Sprinkled with garlic salt for an addictive party snack.

Old-fashioned drop cookies made with lard, brown sugar, and eggs. Just five ingredients, a big batch of 5 dozen, and that tender crumb only lard can give you.

Crispy crunch sticks made from refrigerator biscuit dough rolled thin and coated in crushed rice cereal, sesame seeds, dill, and celery seed. A make-ahead snack that freezes and reheats in minutes.

Crunchy chocolate chip cookies made with crisp rice cereal for extra crackle in every bite. A quick drop cookie with mini chocolate chips that bakes in just 9 minutes.

Cucumber dip with pita crisps is a light yogurt and sour cream dip with shredded cucumber, garlic, mint, and cilantro. Served with homemade whole wheat pita chips. Ready in 25 minutes.

A hearty soup that can pretty much go with anything else you serve for lunch or dinner.

Curried corn salad with red bell pepper, cucumber, scallions, and spinach in a tangy curry-mustard vinaigrette. A no-cook, low-fat side dish ready in ten minutes.

Flaked salmon mixed with red curry paste, mayo, yogurt, avocado, apple, and lime juice, piled onto crispy fried poppadoms. A British-Indian starter that's cool, crunchy, and ready in 30 minutes.

Curried turkey cutlets simmered in a pineapple-ginger sauce with plump dried apricots, fresh mint, and a cool yogurt dollop. A fast weeknight skillet dinner ready in under 30 minutes.

Tregaron Granny's broth simmers shin beef and bacon with cabbage, carrots, parsnips, turnip, and potatoes for a Welsh farmhouse one-pot, thickened with oatmeal and finished with leek. A rib-sticking valley classic.

Quick beef stew uses canned vegetables and pre-cooked beef cubes warmed in beef gravy with onion and bay in the microwave. Ready in 15 minutes for a budget-friendly weeknight dinner.

Vegan date nut muffins made with whole wheat flour, wheat germ, molasses, and apple juice instead of eggs. Hearty, naturally sweetened bran muffins with walnuts and lemon zest.

Most of my recipes are ideal for a good lunch or dinner, but would start the morning with this recipe.

A multi-layered chocolate showstopper: fudgy brownie, chocolate ganache, cocoa meringue, mocha mousse, and rum sauce all in one jaw-dropping dessert.

Deep-fried squid the easy way: tender rings tossed in seasoned flour and fried golden and crisp in hot oil, ready in minutes. Homemade calamari to serve with lemon wedges and your favorite dipping sauce.