Lime

Lime juice and curry powder enliven this simple yogurt dipping sauce. It's so quick and easy that you can make it while the pancakes are cooking. For best results, use full-fat yogurt. In a pinch, low-fat will do, but do not use nonfat.

This sweet-tart liquor-less cocktail is very popular at restaurant Frisson, in San Francisco, which mixologist Duggan McDonnell has helped turn into a drinking destination.

Using frozen winter squash purée makes putting together this soup extremely speedy; then just let it simmer while the turkey roasts. The lime juice may seem like an unusual Thanksgiving ingredient, but its tart flavor gives a lift to the sweetness of the squash and tempers the spicy toasted pumpkin seeds. The seeds themselves are addictive, so if you think you might want to have extra around for noshing, consider doubling that recipe. They will keep for at least a week or two in an airtight container—if they last that long!

These sweet potatoes caramelize slightly in the oven, which gives them a sweet crunch as their flesh remains creamy. Lime syrup lends them addictive acid and tart notes, and fresh chives add a faint onion flavor.

Every bite of this simple, crisp salad literally bursts with flavor. With each bite, you get a splash of juice and the crunch of nuts.

This light starter can be prepared ahead of time and is a smart alternative to fussy holiday hors d'oeuvres. It has an unbelievably fresh flavor, even when made with frozen soybeans.

Duck breast is a sadly underrated meat. Served rare to medium-rare and sliced on the diagonal, it has the mineral tang of beef. This southwestern version, with its slightly spicy sauce, elicits every ounce of flavor from the bird. And it's so easy!

Kristi Parnell of San Marcos, California, writes: "Whether I'm cooking for my family or for company, I like to keep my recipes healthy by using lots of fresh fish and vegetables. The salmon salad is one of my favorite dishes for entertaining. The ginger-lime dressing is always a hit.

Often served with summer rolls or grilled meats, this sauce is also great over rice.

Bonnie Hillard of Washington, DC, writes: "My sister and I stumbled across Sansei Seafood Restaurant & Sushi Bar at the end of a day of shopping at the Kapalua Shops on Maui. We'd read about this popular spot in a guidebook, and we couldn't resist stopping in for dinner. Everything was fabulous, especially the shrimp cakes we shared."

This drink was featured as a Cocktail of the Month. Click here to learn more about the Ti Punch.

This sauce would also be terrific served with grilled fish or pasta.

Somebody had the bright idea to make a tequila Sidecar, using lime juice instead of the lemon and a glass rimmed with salt instead of sugar (tequila popularly being administered with a lick of salt and a slice of lime). The first notice of this practice comes in 1937, from London of all places, where the bartenders at the Café Royal somehow got their hands on a bottle of tequila and did some experimenting. But they called their version the Picador, not the Margarita, and didn't use the salt rim. It's entirely possible that the Margarita was born — in Texas, California, or Mexico — without prior knowledge of the Picador.

Swordfish or lamb —guests can choose just one kind of kebab or both. (Chicken can be substituted for the lamb, if you prefer.) The same quick marinade flavors the kebabs, then gets reduced to a sauce for serving alongside.

Homemade ginger beer is concentrated, dry, and noncarbonated, making it ideal for mixing directly into cocktails. The ginger beer's appearance will be cloudy; this is natural.

This drink contains a refreshing combination of ingredients — the herbaceous mint, the tart lime, the hot, spicy ginger, and the crisp, bright gin. When used in drinks, gin's botanicals have the ability to cut through the sweetness of liqueurs and sugar. The botanicals stimulate the palate and keep it feeling fresh and clean. Gin also pushes flavors "forward" (much the way a squeeze of lemon does) without altering the flavor profiles. This recipe makes 1 gallon, which yields approximately 25 to 30 drinks, depending on the size of the highball glasses. This sounds like a lot, but it's not. A gallon would go very quickly for a party of 6 people. For home entertaining, you can premix all of the liquids a couple of hours ahead and then store in the refrigerator. When you're ready to serve the drinks, just mete out the liquid into a mixing glass and muddle a sprig of mint into each. It makes enjoying your own party a lot easier, rather than having to worry about continual prep. And please, no shortcuts here: Do not presqueeze the lime juice more than only a few hours ahead. It loses its vitality quickly. And do not infuse the mint into this (or any drink). It takes on a funky, vegetal quality, which mars the taste of the drink. Using commercial ginger beer is not recommended, as it is too sweet. Nonalcoholic note: Without gin, this makes a very refreshing nonalcoholic beverage!