Make Ahead

Store-bought potato chips, heated to crisp and refresh, would make this a very quick hors d'oeuvre.

Tarte au Sirop d' Érable "My husband and I had an absolutely fantastic dessert at Restaurant Aux Anciens Canadiens while on vacation in Quebec, Canada," Says Deb Kalikow of Natick, Massachusetts. "Maple syrup pie served with crème fraîche is its specialty. The pie capped off a perfect dinner of delicious French-Canadian dishes. We ate at another restaurant the next night and tried the maple syrup pie there. We were so disappointed by our first bites that we then went back to Aux Anciens Canadiens and waited an hour just to have another piece of their pie." Don't be tempted to forgo the cream with this pie; it perfectly complements the dessert's rich silkiness and balances the sweetness.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

There are untold numbers of sugar cookie recipes circulating throughout the Midwest. As students of this sweet know, lard makes for a particularly toothsome cookie, with a texture at once crisp and sandy. For a cookie that is crisp but also chewy, vegetable shortening is best.

The recipe for these melt-in-your-mouth pecan crescent cookies has been in my family for years," says Marilynn Bonecki of Marengo, Illinois. "They can be made a couple of weeks in advance, but it's hard to keep them in the house that long." Be sure to chill the dough overnight before shaping and baking the cookies.

This fluffy Lady Baltimore cake is layered with toasted pecans, dried figs, raisins, and frosted in a thick, luscious Swiss meringue.

Serve buttered noodles, potato salad or rice pilaf alongside this entree.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

This recipe originally accompanied Double-Decker Rhubarb Ice Cream Sandwiches.

GELATO DI PESCA This recipe was sensational when we made it with ripe, flavorful peaches. If your peaches aren't great, try something similar, like nectarines.

This vibrant, aromatic Moroccan spice blend makes an excellent addition to lamb burgers or roasted chicken.

Begin preparing this a day ahead.

These cookies are perfect with a cup of tea.