American

If you love peanut butter, these cookies will be It. I created what I believe to be quintessential peanut butter cookies to honor the one hundredth anniversary of peanut butter. They are very peanut buttery yet exceptionally light, with a lovely "sandy" bite. At my husband's urging, I doubled up on the peanut butter and decreased the flour, making the chocolate cookie centers seem like biting into a Reese's peanut butter cup. Chocolate centers blend wonderfully with the peanut flavor, but the bright, tart, sticky cherry centers, are my first choice.

"On a trip to San Francisco, I had a terrific bowl of cioppino at Rose Pistola, star chef Reed Hearon's Italian restaurant," says Gail Haines of Westerly, Rhode Island.

Complement this meatless supper with a chopped romaine and sliced avocado salad, followed by orange sorbet with nut cookies for dessert.

Tarragon and mustard may be a classic French combination, but this menu is all American. A domestic Chardonnay, light beer, or fresh lemonade are perfect partners.

When returning the chopped clams to the pot, try not to heat them for too long, or they will toughen up.

Rockfish is used in this dish at Cashion's Eat Place in Washington, D.C. If you can't find rockfish fillets, substitute sea bass.

Use leftover roast chicken for this, or buy a cooked chicken at the market. For an extra-special treat, top each baked slice with a dollop of sour cream and sliced avocado.

Zingerman's is one of the best-known corner delis in the Midwest. This classic creamy potato salad, which has just the right amount of mayonnaise tang, is a mainstay on the menu there.

Ground almonds add a delicate nutty flavor to the crust. Begin making the filling a day before assembling the tart; once completed, it can be chilled another day before serving.

Omelette Pomme Colette Jan Case of Cornelius, Oregon, writes: "A jar of confiture de lait, a caramel-like sauce made from whole milk and sugar, along with some fallen apples found on a morning walk after my return home from France, where I spent three perfectly glorious months, inspired this omelet." We substituted dulce de leche for the confiture de lait because it is more readily available in the U.S.

Treat yourself to fresh clams for this recipe — they make all the difference. This dish originated in Rhode Island during the late 19th century, when, as story has it, Portuguese immigrants added tomatoes to their chowder. British New Englanders believed their creamy chowder to be superior and named the Portuguese version after Manhattan, presuming that New Yorkers were the only people crazy enough to add tomatoes.

"At the Manhattan law office where I'm a legal secretary, it seems as though the phones are always ringing," writes Lisa Caiazzo of Franklin Square, New York. "And if it isn't the phones that have me occupied, then there are lots of documents that need my attention. By the time I get home from the city, I usually have only about 45 minutes to put together dinner for my husband, Angelo, and myself. Still, that's enough time to make something filling and delicious, like a salad and a hearty pasta or soup. My best cooking, though, is done on Sundays during the fall and winter, when I become a football widow. An afternoon of cooking can be very therapeutic after a busy week." Any mixture of vegetables you have on hand would make a great filling. Serve the wraps with purchased salsa and sour cream.

Chuckwagon cooks used to simmer beans for days, and the cowboys always thought they tasted best on the third day. This version, called frijoles de olla in Spanish, is even better reheated. The beans cook in flavorful juices that are also served with them.

The crumb topping and cake are prepared from one simple mixture, so this dessert comes together in no time.

The topping spreads as it bakes, forming a crisp cookie-like layer.