American

There's just a wee bit of the favorite Irish spirit in these treats.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less. Bottled balsamic vinaigrette is a super base for this sauce. Round out the menu with packaged noodles au gratin and steamed baby carrots. Then offer chocolate layer cake from the bakery for dessert.

The decade saw the rise of a modern southwestern cuisine, and the rise of chilies, like the poblano that gives this soup a kick.

Strawberry shortcake meets the ice cream sundae: what a match. The rich and easy-to-make Fudge Sauce called for here is also used in the Chocolate-Hazelnut Waffles.

It’s unclear just who the Louis of Crab Louis salad fame was; perhaps he was affiliated with the Olympic Club in Seattle, where opera star Enrico Caruso, who visited there in 1904, is said to have fallen in love with the crab salad. San Francisco also claims the dish, which reached its zenith there in the teens, as a specialty at Solari’s restaurant and at the St. Francis Hotel.

The ultimate dinner-party dish for a wintry evening, this is robustly flavorful and sophisticated. It's also simple to prepare. Market Tip: Don't buy pork tenderloins that have been pumped with salts and preservatives. Avoid anything that contains 10 percent water solution or phosphates.

Laura Trevino of Washington, D.C., writes: "This hearty chowder is the perfect thing for a chilly evening. Serve it with dark beer and crusty bread or oyster crackers."

A watercress salad would be good with these. And how about a lemon meringue pie to finish?

Sue Ellison of Edgewater, Colorado, writes: "Although I have worked for more than 20 years as an elementary-school music teacher, at this point music is just my job; cooking is my passion. It's an interest I share with my daughter, Hannah. We do a phenomenal amount of cooking together. In fact, I think she learned how to count using chocolate chips, standing on a stool next to me at the kitchen counter while I baked chocolate croissants. Now Hannah's early training is paying off: She creates new recipes often, including the peanut butter and white chocolate candies here."

Intensely flavored and vibrant red, this jelly bears no resemblance to the stuff in the can —it's definitely worth the effort. Though we call for 4 bags of cranberries, the yield is only 3 cups because all the solids get strained out. You'll be happy if you have any extra cranberry sauce when you make sandwiches with the leftover turkey.

"I've always loved to cook and bake," writes Gert Schwartz of Skokie, Illinois. "When my husband worked for the kitchens of Sara Lee, I would bake about 2,000 cookies each Christmas to send to his coworkers. People thought it strange — sending coals to Newcastle — but at that time Sara Lee did not make cookies (I wasn't about to compete with the cheesecake operation), and everyone seemed to enjoy them. In your January 2001 issue, I read about the different cakes and had a desire to try the devil's food one, since my husband loves chocolate. I made the recipe as 24 cupcakes and decided to use a frosting recipe I have had since I was married, over 50 years ago. As a little girl, my favorite birthday cake was chocolate with white frosting, and when I took my first bite of your recipe, there I was: ten years old again. I thought you might like to have that frosting recipe." We took Mrs. Schwartz's advice and tried her almond cream cheese frosting on our devil's food cupcakes — it was delicious. Active time: 10 min Start to finish: 30 min

Many years ago there was a health food restaurant on Hollywood's famed Sunset Strip named The Aware Inn. It was the first to make hamburgers, called "Swingers," stuffed with a mix of onions, tomatoes, and green peppers — almost a salsa except it was sandwiched between the meat. They tasted so good, we have been preparing hamburgers this way ever since.

The predicaments of six kids growing up under one suburban roof were the cornerstone of each Brady Bunch episode. In "The Personality Kid," which first aired in 1971, Peter thinks he's dull and goes looking for a new image. Trying on Humphrey Bogart for size, he asks Alice what's for dinner. "Pork chops and applesauce," Peter repeats à la Bogart. "Ain't that swell." His parents and Alice make lighthearted fun of Peter's new accent. Active time: 50 min Start to finish: 1 1/2 hr

If you don't happen to have any day-old corn bread on hand, just follow our recipe — fresh regular corn bread may be too moist. Active time: 45 min Start to finish: 2 hr (includes making corn bread)

"My mother, who's affectionately called Muffin, was craving chocolate muffins, but the local bakery had stopped making her favorite ones," writes Julia Bursten of Columbus, Ohio. "I tried to re-create the recipe, and she claims these are the best she's ever had." Active time: 20 min Start to finish: 1 hr

"My paternal grandmother liked to serve these spareribs on special occasions," writes Lyn Utsugi of Kamuela, Hawaii. "She was a great cook and even owned a restaurant on Oahu in the late 1950s. My mother learned the recipe from her and has been making the ribs since 1961, the year she married my father." Serve these with steamed rice, perfect for soaking up the extra sauce.

Carey Paquette of Arlington, Virginia, writes: "When it comes to cooking, I make an effort to prepare healthful meals, but wouldn't call myself a fanatic. I believe that olive oil goes in everything and wine goes with everything; I just use them in moderation. My boyfriend and I cook almost every night as a way to unwind. It's nice to come home after a hectic day and make dinner together rather than pull something prepackaged out of the freezer."

Active time: 1 hr Start to finish: 3 3/4 hr