Make Ahead

"I eat right most of the time, but every once in a while I treat myself to a few of these melt-in-your-mouth cookies," writes Donna Staley of San Diego, California. "They're my version of an old-fashioned refrigerator cookie."

To start, offer a seafood appetizer, such as chilled cocktail shrimp with herbed mayonnaise. What to drink: Pour Champagne or sparkling wine throughout the meal.

California orange groves inspired this version of the cake shaped like a Yule log.

Three kinds of ice cream (all chocolate), chocolate sauce, and a chocolate cookie crust make this a chocoholic’s dream come true.

Beverly's Grandma Stoll lived in Deep River, Connecticut, and her whole family converged on her house during the holidays. They all have taken the recipe with them wherever they moved. My Southern friends love this variation to their traditional turkey dinner because of the natural, down-home, unexotic flavors of the dressing. Beverly use the liver, but I don't .

Gâteau Breton aux Noix This is my variation on a traditional butter cake from Brittany. Its dense, rich, and very buttery flavor is amplified by the lightly toasted walnuts, giving it a whole other dimension. In Brittany this cake is served for an afternoon snack, with coffee, or after a meal. I sometimes put it on the breakfast table as well.

This pesto-like sauce would be great with just about any grilled seafood.

Make this showstopping dessert even more stunning by garnishing it with fresh raspberries and mint sprigs.

The colorful kebabs feature the popular Greek flavors of mint and oregano. Serve them over rice or with pita bread.

Serve with warm corn bread or spoon over steamed rice. What to drink: Pale ale or Mexican lager or dark ale, such as Bohemia or Negra Modelo.

Tostadas caseras — corn tortillas that have been seasoned and fried — can be found with the tortillas in most supermarkets. The soup can be made one day before serving.

For convenience, you can begin making the crust up to two days before you plan to serve the pie. Maple sugar is available at some supermarkets and at natural foods stores.

Cubed and cooked simply with small white onions, Yukon Gold potatoes are combined with crème fraîche and butter while hot.

In this Basque-inspired dish, a bell pepper mixture is slow-cooked to produce an unusual — and flavorful — confit.

Tangy and refreshing, this dip is called tzatziki in Greek. Here, it's served with crisp baked pita wedges, but it also goes well with crudités. Drain the yogurt a day before you plan to prepare the dip. And mix up a big batch of lemonade to pour throughout the picnic.