Scallion

The puffs can be formed and chilled or frozen on baking sheets well ahead of time, then simply popped into the oven.

Our resident Louisianan, associate food editor Alexis Touchet, remembers this dressing from her childhood—and it's the one that still graces her family's Thanksgiving meal, year after year. This dressing is not considered a stuffing for the turkey, but a dish that "dresses up" the table.

It's hard to improve upon the honest goodness of mashed potatoes, but here scallions and brown butter do the trick. The scallions provide sweetness, and the brown butter adds a beguiling nuttiness.

his delicious vegetarian soup is a take on the Persian dish ash-e reshteh.

We love the homey quality and clean flavors of this colorful soup.

Michele Verdi-Knapp of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, writes: "The best eggs I have ever tasted were at Seven Gables Inn in Pacific Grove, California. Thank you for the recipe."

When dinner needs to be on the table fast, you can rely on this colorful and flavorful dish. You have the option of spooning the shrimp onto a bed of rice or orzo, or just using crusty bread to soak up the juice.

The skewers grill above the flames, suspended between two bricks to keep them from touching the grates of the barbecue. No bricks handy? Substitute disposable foil mini loaf pans (found on the baking aisle at the supermarket).

London broil comes in different weights and thicknesses; it may be necessary to use two pieces to get the proper amount for this dish. One of the great things about this recipe is that the steak's marinade is also used in the soy citrus mayonnaise, so you get double the flavor.

If your mushrooms are dirty, allow time for wiping them clean with slightly dampened paper towels before lighting the charcoal.

These thin cornmeal fritters go nicely with the flounder in jalapeño cream. They are made from the same type of batter as hush puppies, but not deep-fried.

Associate Food Editor: Alexis Touchet
Father: Rodney Miller, Abbeville, LA
When I was a kid, our summer routine started with the opening day of shrimp season — my dad would get the boat ready and out we would go, winding our way down the bayou until we reached Vermilion Bay. He would check to make sure the trawl net was securely tied before tossing it into the water, and would then let it be dragged down slowly along with the trawl boards. When we painstakingly pulled the net up onto the boat and untied the bag, it spilled out a catch of shrimp, crabs, and fish. These fresh shrimp were the stars in Dad's favorite gumbo recipe.