Bon Appétit

Crunchy peanuts team up with peanut butter and caramel in this decadent candy bar-like sweet.

Chilies and corn—staples of the southwestern diet—are the hallmarks of this stuffing. Its intense corn flavor comes from a mixture of corn bread, corn chips, corn kernels and cream-style corn. It gets its zip from poblano and jalapeño chilies.

Making one large shortcake is impressive and lot of fun — especially when chocolate is added to the basic combination.

Grapes marinated in Port with rosemary and them combined with the mild garlic and the creamy cheese lead to an inventive appetizer. Use both red and green grapes for a pretty presentation.

Here's another terrific creation from Hotel Hana-Maui in Maui, Hawaii.

A nice stuffing for poultry or an excellent accompaniment to pork tenderloin or salmon.

Loaded with vegetables and topped with Parmesan cheese, this will satisfy the biggest hunger on the coldest winter night.

All the good taste of deep-fried egg rolls without all the fat.

Potato gratin is, of course, the traditional side dish with roast beef, and this version is just right for a special occasion. Adding flavor are typical steak house ingredients, like mushrooms, garlic and herbs. Place a baking sheet in the oven on the rack below the gratin to catch any liquids that may bubble over.

The spirit of Mexico spices up this home-style, do-ahead main dish. The enchiladas can be assembled one day in advance and refrigerated. If time is short, use 5 cups of shredded skinless cooked chicken from the deli and 4 1/2 cups canned low-salt chicken broth. Begin the party with chips, guacamole and salsa, and blend a pitcher or two of Margaritas for fun. Watch how to cut a whole chicken into parts to use in this recipe.

Asian flavors accent this do-ahead appetizer.

The extra marinade keeps up to three weeks in the refrigerator and is delicious used with chicken, lamb or beef, too.