Blue Cheese

Using roast chicken from the grocery store makes this recipe super-easy. Improv: Add sweet and crunchy accents by mixing a few chopped toasted pecans and some dried cranberries into the chicken salad. Instead of rolls, use crusty French bread or thick slices of sourdough bread.

Potatoes in three colors give this salad an all-American look.

Prolific cookbook author James McNair has been chief judge of Sutter Home Winery's burger cook-off since it began in Napa in 1990. One of his books, Build a Better Burger, includes every winning recipe. Some past winners — and McNair's Louisiana roots — inspired the burger here.

Editor's note: The recipe below is excerpted from Katie Brown's Weekends. To read more about Katie Brown and to get her tips on throwing a headache-free cocktail party, click here.

Fuyu persimmons look like orange tomatoes and have a melon-like texture. Many farmers' markets and supermarkets carry them from October through December.

This festive arrangement was inspired by the popular holiday wreaths decorated with fruits. They take their name from Luca Della Robbia, the 15th-century Florentine sculptor known for crafting lifelike garlands of leaves and fruits.

Round out your lunch: Add half a mango or papaya.

Try a milder domestic Gorgonzola (rather than the equally delicious but more pungent Italian version). Using an assortment of different colored beets makes the salad more vibrant.

If your Thanksgiving dinner is a formal affair, serve the crostini on small plates with the frisée salad. If your guests like to hang out in the kitchen until dinner is served, offer the crostini as passed hors d'oeuvres topped with a sprig of dressed frisée.

Verjus is a tart grape juice made from unripe wine grapes. Milder than vinegar, it can be used in salad dressings without competing with an accompanying wine the way vinegar does. Look for it at specialty foods stores or online at chefshop.com and terrasonoma.com. What to drink: Pour an Oregon Pinot Noir with the salad and the Herbed Lamb Chops with Pinot Noir Sauce.

This recipe isn't easy, but if you're looking for the wow factor, here it is. Coming at the end of the meal, the dish reprises the flavor of the stuffed dates because each bite packs enormous punch as the sweet, savory, and acidic flavors come rushing forward.

A fun idea: Paper-thin slices of white vegetables are dressed with an Italian blue cheese vinaigrette.

The pears give this pretty pizza fresh flavor and texture.

Dana Talusani of Longmont, Colorado, writes: "As the mother of two, I don't get to spend as much time in the kitchen as I would like. That said, it's still important for our family to sit down and enjoy a meal together at the end of the day. This is one of my favorite recipes — it's great for a last-minute dinner." The classic combination of blue cheese and steak is updated with a kick of jalapeño chiles.

Sautéed mushrooms are a classic steakhouse side dish. Here they pair nicely with Stilton, the aristocratic English blue cheese. Improv: Try a less pricey combo of baby bellas and shiitakes. Instead of Stilton, go for Roquefort or Maytag blue. Mâche or arugula can stand in for the lettuce mix.

Goes great with: Salad of butter lettuce, radicchio, roasted pears, and toasted walnuts. What to drink: Red Burgundy or Pinot Gris.