Alcohol

These are great for salads and canapés.

The somen noodles called for in this recipe are a very thin Japanese wheat noodle. They are available in the Asian section of many supermarkets, at Southeast Asian markets and at specialty foods stores.

This quick dish gets its flavor from fresh tangerine peel as well as the fruit's juice. To make easy work of grating the peel, choose tangerines with firm skin and store them in the refrigerator. Then use a hand grater or a Microplane grater-zester to grate the peel.

This crowd-pleasing risotto works well as a main course—accompanied by green salad and crusty bread—or as a side dish for leftover chicken. Active time: 45 min Start to finish: 45 min

Jeanne Thiel Kelley, a contributing editor at Bon Appétit, says, "As far back as I can remember, my father has been glazing the holiday ham with Marsala (we always have ham and turkey on Thanksgiving). When I started making the cranberry sauce, I decided to mix in a little Marsala, figuring that the combination would complement the ham nicely. I was right, and the sauce is terrific with turkey, too. Rosemary might seem like an unusual seasoning in this sauce, but for me it's a natural addition. I live in Southern California, and fresh rosemary is just everywhere."

Beat the egg yolks and sugar together until thick. Slowly stir in the brandy, rum, peach brandy, milk and cream. Refrigerate until thoroughly chilled and pour into a punch bowl. Beat the egg whites until stiff and fold gently into the eggnog. Grate a little nutmeg on top and serve in 4-ounce punch glasses.

This signature dessert from New Orleans is a classic Creole dish.

Daube de Boeuf

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Hold the mayo: This rustic side dish is dressed with a Provence-inspired blend of white wine, Dijon mustard and capers. Be sure the potatoes are still warm when you add them to the dressing; they’ll absorb it better, enhancing the flavor of the dish.

This is a rich, filling way of serving mussels. Make sure to have a lot of good bread to sop up all the juices.

(Stufadin di Zuca Zala) As many Ashkenazic Jews emigrated to the Veneto, it's not surprising to find a Venetian recipe for a stew reminiscent of the familiar Ashkenazic tsimmes, in which sweet potatoes or squash are paired with meat for a savory one-dish meal. In Mantua, a similar dish made with a beef rump roast is called brasato Rachele. Despite the use of the squash and Marsala, the stufadin is not overly sweet.

Sweet, aromatic, and bubblegum pink, this playful cocktail is the utter definition of fun.

With black pepper, toasted sesame oil, and Castelvetrano olives, this margarita is for the savory drink lovers.

Fresh celery juice gives this margarita a savory, vegetal edge and makes it exceptionally refreshing.

This spicy blackberry margarita gets its heat from a chile de árbol, shaken with fresh berries and a sprig of mint.

Attention, martini drinkers and spritz drinkers: Please for a single line.