Steak

Shullie Neumark of Rancho Palos Verdes, California, writes: "I like cooking but I'm a little bit impatient, which is why I make dishes that can be done ahead of time — and quickly. I hate being rushed before meals, especially when guests are on their way over. Those guests are usually good friends or members of our large family. Often I'll prepare some of the Russian and Lithuanian recipes passed down from my relatives." Shullie's lighter take on the classic dish features tomato sauce instead of sour cream.

The cheese and walnut topping adds a touch of elegance to simple steak

Active time: 30 min Start to finish: 1 1/2 hr

Salpicón de Res Not truly a salad but a dish of seasoned cold shredded meat, a salpicón is usually eaten folded into hot tortillas or piled onto crispy tostadas. It is a refreshing party dish ideal for a summer buffet.

There's nothing like grilling some meat on the barbecue pit to make a weekend complete. Go ahead and serve this with potato salad. Oh, and remember, when slicing flank steak or London broil, you always want to cut across the grain. I made this for a kicked-up tailgating show on Emeril Live, and it definitely was one of the hits of the party out in the parking lot!

This specialty is about as regional as you can get. Although the recipe's name and origin are shrouded in mystery, in central Iowa it's a traditional steak dish topped with butter, Italian herbs, and garlic. The version featured here uses fresh herbs for extra flavor.

Serve with: Grilled pattypan squash and crusty French bread.

Active time: 25 min Start to finish: 25 min

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Dried shiitake mushrooms can be found in the Asian foods section of your supermarket. Steamed rice completes the meal.

The steak served at Chamberlain's Prime Chop House in Dallas, Texas, is flavored with a soy sauce and honey marinade. Pour a Merlot with dinner, and serve a spice cake with peach ice cream for dessert.

To my way of thinking, the traditional way of serving hanger steak is the best. The steaks are quickly pan-roasted—they're best served medium-rare (although in France they're often served "bleu," so rare that they're almost blue and only just warm in the center)—and sauced with shallots that have been cooked to a compote's consistency with red wine and vinegar and then tossed with butter and herbs. Whether you sauce the steaks or not (sometimes small bistros in France will serve the steaks with just a spoonful of butter and some sea salt or a pot of strong mustard), I hope you'll serve them with the greatest and most classic accompaniment: pommes frites, French-fried potatoes.

This main-course soup is called pho in Vietnam, where it is eaten at any time of day.

Butter melting over a pan-fried steak mingles with its rosy juices, creating a luscious sauce right on the plate. For smaller appetites, these large steaks can be cut in half to serve four.

Susan serves these with homemade pico de gallo, but purchased salsa also works well.