Food Processor

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less but requires additional sitting time.

Try these tender butter cookies with some spring or summer fruit for a refreshing finale to any of these entrées.

Brunch drinks get updated with this take on the traditional duo of orange juice and champagne. Note that freshly squeezed orange juice is not the best choice here, as its intense taste can overwhelm the other juices. Topping the drink with a boysenberry "floater" creates a vibrant color contrast.

This recipe was developed by Houston pastry chef Carrie Hart with the assistance of Girl Scout Amanda Marlow.

Oreos have been popular since Nabisco introduced them in 1912, and they are still the best-selling cookie in the world. There are those folks who twist the cookies apart and eat the filling first, and those who dunk the entire Oreo into a big glass of ice-cold milk. In this recipe, Oreos make a great pie crust that's filled with cookies and cream ice cream. Die-hard fans won't think this dessert is overkill at all.

A U-shaped peeler with a horizontal blade (available at most supermarkets) makes peeling the squash easier. Here it’s okay to pulse the parsley in a food processor rather than chop it by hand, but pat it dry with paper towels first.

This pesto, from Trapani, in Sicily, is made with almonds and tomato and far less basil than traditional pesto — don't expect it to be green.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Active time: 35 min Start to finish: 5 hr

Janet and Travis Kuhl of Cranford, New Jersey, writes: "We recently went to chef Ming Tsai's Blue Ginger restaurant in Wellesley, Massachusetts. Our entire meal was top-notch, but the shrimp cocktail was our favorite." Poured carefully side by side into a cocktail glass, tomato puree and avocado puree make a colorful dip for the lightly battered and quickly deep-fried shrimp.

This turkey is roasted in true French fashion with black truffles and shallots. Prepare the truffle butter and rub it over the turkey the day before roasting. A red Burgundy complements the earthy truffle flavor.

Dried cherries from Michigan add their bright sweetness to winter baking.

Buttermilk and blue cheese make this slaw rich and tangy.