Bon Appétit

While it is especially good with the meat loaf, this vegetable will also do wonders for chicken or roast beef.

France's classic flourless chocolate cake is a perennial favorite on dessert lists. Ours has a trendy tropical garnish of mango and crystallized ginger and is served warm.

Be sure to serve this with thick slices of good bread to soak up the dressing.

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.

Old-fashioned upside-down cake was everywhere last year, modernized with a variety of fruit and spice combinations.

These dense, moist treat are irresistible. Wrapped in a pretty box, they make a great gift, too.

Carrot cakes have been a part of American baking for years, and they remain a favorite dessert in the heartland. This version has a hint of orange from the juice and peel and lots of the rich cream cheese frosting that everyone expects (and loves). Thin orange peel strips make a pretty garnish.

Often used in southwestern and Mexican cooking, the crunchy, green hulled pumpkin seeds called pepitas add delightful texture to this smooth soup. Uncork a Gewürztraminer.

A delicious salad that can be partnered with some crusty bread to make a light main course. The recipe yields a generous amount of vinaigrette; if you have some left over, try tossing it with oriental noodles, dipping fried wontons into it or brushing some onto chicken breasts right before grilling them.

In the state of Yucatán in southeastern Mexico, lime soup is served on even the hottest days. The fresh taste of the cilantro and the sourness of the lime combine to give the soup plenty of zing.

The crust of this gorgeous dessert is brushed with a layer of melted milk chocolate for a sweet surprise.

Oxtail stew is a popular dish in Jamaica. Here's a recipe from Geva's in San Francisco that adds lima beans and a touch of heat from jalapeño chilies for a terrific rendition.

If you don't have tartlet pans, you can make one large shortcake in an eight-inch-diameter pan and then cut the cake into wedges.

Sugar cookies are the perfect accompaniment to this colorful finale.