Garlic

A nice dressing for greens or coleslaw.

Serve the dressing on shrimp salad, chicken salad or mixed greens; add diced jicama and fresh cilantro leaves to the salad for even more flavor.

Roasting the potatoes with the lamb gives them a wonderfully rich, meaty flavor.

With some warm corn bread, this chili is a meal in itself. You wouldn't know there was chocolate in the recipe, but it adds a subtle depth of flavor to the dish.

Ami Askins of San Diego, California tried a garlicky dipping oil at Grappa in Park City, Utah. And although bottles of the oil are sold at the restaurant, she'd like to be able to make it fresh at home. Try this versatile dipping oil with bite-size pieces of your favorite breads — or drizzled over sliced tomatoes.

Tomato and Bread Soup

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

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

This is one of my mother's recipes and call me biased, but it's the best around. This is a vegetarian black bean soup, and one of the keys to its success is the quality of the olive oil: use the very best you can find. You can make the soup a day in advance and it will taste even better the next day. This is a no-fail recipe that I know you're going to enjoy.

If you're planning to use the leftovers to make the fried rice with pork and kale , reserve 3/4 cup of this sautéed kale.

The best way to eat sugar snap peas is right off the vine. This recipe ranks a close second, though. I pickle any sugar snap peas that the kids don't eat right away, and continue to enjoy them for weeks after the pea vines have wilted away.

It wouldn't be Christmas without some red and green on the table.

The roast can be prepped one day ahead. What to drink: A robust, medium- to full-bodied red, such as an Italian Barbera. Susan Simon also recommends a Carlo Hauner 1998 Rosso Antonello (made with Sangiovese and Nero d'Avolo grapes); it's produced on the Italian island of Salina.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less. We created this sauce for fish, but it also makes a terrific accompaniment to lamb.

Mashed potatoes are always a crowd-pleaser at holiday meals. But if you want to mix things up a bit this year, try one of our delicious variations, below.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less. Make this with vegetable broth for a meatless main course.

Tina Thompson of Orlando, Florida, writes: "Because entertaining is a great joy for me, many of my dishes are party-friendly and easy to prepare. It's not uncommon to find me hosting impromptu gatherings for friends during the workweek so that I can try out new creations. As my recipe box grows, so do my fond memories." A nice addition to the holiday table. Serve with soup or salad, or even with drinks as an hors d'oeuvre.