Sour Cream

Active time: 25 min Start to finish: 30 min

This crowd-pleasing dip is a natural with potato chips and good with crudités, too.

This simple apple salad got its name from the luxurious Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York. Invented in 1896 not by a chef but by the maître d'hôtel Oscar Tschirky, the Waldorf salad was an instant success. As often happens, many variations evolved—some with raisins, some with chopped nuts. This one has green apples and red seedless grapes.

Serve the curry with steamed white rice and Indian beer, and make a stop at an Indian restaurant to get some samosas — savory filled pastries — to pass as appetizers, and the flatbread called naan to sop up the curry sauce. For dessert, how about assorted teas and a carrot cake?

We think bowls made of ice are the perfect vessel for this soup, but if space is tight in your freezer, regular soup bowls will work just fine. Active time: 30 min Start to finish: 8 1/2 hr (includes chilling)

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less. This recipe originally accompanied Salmon and Leek Pie .

This recipe originally accompanied Chocolate Layer Cake with Chocolate-Raspberry Frosting.

Helena Seefranz of Rockaway, New Jersey, writes: "My mother, Ethel Lang Kelemen, was born in Hungary. She taught my older sister and me how to prepare many Hungarian dishes, but my favorite is chicken paprikas. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as my family does."

To cut down on prep time, use cooked lobster meat, available in some fish markets and supermarkets, or follow the directions below for cooking frozen lobster tails.