American

Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are from Amy Sedaris's I Like You: Hospitality Under the Influence. For Sedaris's tips on throwing a Halloween party, click here.

Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are from Amy Sedaris's I Like You: Hospitality Under the Influence. For Sedaris's tips on throwing a Halloween party, click here. Meat loaf has a lot of variations so be creative and change it up.

Ted Allen created this recipe for Epicurious as part of a Thanksgiving menu. For Allen's tips on throwing a Thanksgiving party, click here. You can marinate the turkey in brine, as specified here, or you can skip that step and just rub the pieces with butter, salt, pepper, and herbs. I wouldn't skip it, though — brining is the best thing ever to happen to turkey, producing lovely, moist meat, beautifully seasoned through and through.

Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are from Ted Allen's The Food You Want to Eat. For Allen's tips on throwing a Thanksgiving party, click here. The intent with this dish was an entrée — an entrée not just appropriate for vegetarians, but for vegans. But in the context of Thanksgiving, it serves either as a wonderful companion to turkey (or as that too-rare dish at the American dinner party: a hearty, bona-fide vegetarian option). You can assemble it ahead and refrigerate. (If you do, bake it at 350°F for 45 to 50 minutes instead of the below instructions.)

This recipe is adapted from Ryan Magarian, the Seattle-based cocktail consultant behind Liquid Kitchen (www.kathycasey.com/liquid_kitchen). This autumn cocktail, with its palate-enlivening bubbles, is light enough not to overwhelm the delicate meat in Roast Turkey with Bacon and Applejack Gravy . The subtly sweet pear flavor echoes the presence of fall fruit in the gravy. For expert advice on pairing cocktails with food, click here.

Editor's note: The recipe below originally appeared in One Potato, Two Potato by Roy Finamore with Molly Stevens. It was reprinted, along with the introductory text included here, in The 150 Best American Recipes by Fran McCullough and Molly Stevens. __ Probably the most frustrating part of preparing Thanksgiving dinner is the last-minute potato mashing and gravy making. If you have this recipe in your arsenal, you can knock off the mashed potatoes 2 days ahead and have them sitting pretty in the refrigerator, ready for a last-minute heating. But that's not the only time you need these potatoes; they're also great for a buffet or for any crowd. These luxurious mashed potatoes have a couple of other virtues, too. They're light and fluffy because they're whipped with an electric mixer, and they're incredibly luscious because they have sour cream and butter, plus cream cheese to give them a little edge. __

A favorite from the '70s, pumpkin cheesecake is even more fun as a crumbly, nutty bar.

New York-style cheesecake gets a flavor update with a hint of orange and spice. The sweet-tart sauce balances the rich filling.

In the '80s and early '90s, chocolate cheesecake was at the top of our list. The simple ingredients in this rich, dense version let a good boutique chocolate shine.

Get two of your daily fruit servings with this diet-friendly dessert from Annie Clemmons, pastry chef at Cyrus in Healdsburg, California.

Instead of pairing shrimp with sausage, we've taken this spicy gumbo in a more sophisticated direction by adding duck meat.

Don't be surprised when this colorful, kid-friendly meal is also a hit with adults.

Shari Ledwidge of Greenehaven, Arizona, writes: "My husband and I spend several weeks each year traveling around the United States. Our journeys always take us to wonderful food stands and farmers' markets, which have inspired some of my favorite recipes."

Gemma Sanita Sciabica of Modesto, California, writes: "My husband's family produces olive oil, and I'm the company's recipe developer. We often hear from customers who love our oil but complain that they don't have the time to cook. Their comments inspired me to share my favorite recipes, which show just how simple great Italian food can be."

In New England, native corn made its way into many dishes that had formerly been made with English "corns" like oats, wheat, and rice. Adaptations of English porridge and rice pudding recipes were particularly well suited to maize. This particular corn dish is sweetened with sugar and enriched with milk. The variation given at the end is a more deluxe version based on 17th-century rice pudding recipes.