Casserole

For an easy and informal dinner, make a salad and some rice to go alongside this bubbling cheese mixture known as queso fundido. Each diner spoons some of the cheese into warm tortillas. This can also be served as an appetizer at parties. Mix up some Margaritas to add to the fun.

This delicious stuffing is similar to a savory bread pudding. It's best baked alongside, rather than inside, the bird.

A strata can be refrigerated overnight before being baked, so it's perfect for entertaining.

Brandy, apples and cream add a taste of France's Normandy region to this entrée.

To bring out the best in this dish, buy or order the finest cheeses from a cheese shop or Italian deli: fresh ricotta, mild imported provolone, and Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Margaritas and some guacamole with chips and/or vegetable "dippers" would start this Mexican-style dinner off right. Ladle out black bean soup to precede the tamale pie, and serve a Caesar salad with it. Finish by teaming lime sorbet with orange segments that have been marinated in tequila.

My grandmother Mignon Smith estimates that this tamale pie recipe is at least 40 years old. She's been making it for us for years.

A nice dish for a brunch buffet.

Active time: 35 min Start to finish: 2 1/2 hr

Canned salmon (with soft, edible bones) and potatoes are good sources of calcium.