Make Ahead

The combination of salty, sweet, crunchy, and smooth gives these confections a special place in my heart. That, added to the fact that they made an appearance at every bridge and mahjongg game my mother ever hosted, elevates their status to serious nostalgia food. You can find cans of Chinese chow-mein noodles in the Asian food section of the supermarket. The ones you want are cooked and ready to eat like crackers.

At Inverlochy Castle, this dish is served with spinach and sautéed mushrooms, and tender asparagus tips are scattered over the fillets as a final garnish.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less, but requires additional unattended time.

A mug of hot chocolate or a glass of milk would complement these updated, sophisticated chocolate chip cookies.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less but requires additional unattended time.

This family recipe is wonderful for dessert, breakfast or tea.

Miniature pasta gives a unique twist to the classic Italian vegetable soup.

Multi-grain breads can vary widely in density. As a result, the 10 cups diced bread called for below may weigh a little more or less than 1 pound. We preferred a light-textured seven-grain bread for this stuffing.

These all-American rolls are so flaky and buttery that everyone will want seconds. Be sure to begin preparing the dough a day before serving because it needs to be refrigerated overnight.

Mary Tuohy, a Cappagh, County Tyrone, native who now lives in Redbank, New Jersey, has been making this raisin tea cake for so long that she can almost do it from memory. She says, "I can't remember where the recipe came from, but we used to bake it over an open turf fire back home. It came to me on a piece of dilapidated paper, which I still have." It's a very moist cake, she says, nearly foolproof. "You can't go wrong with it."

Freedom from the skillet is a big benefit of this baked version of the classic.

Brandied whipped cream adds the perfect finishing touch to this moist, luscious cake. Leftovers are terrific with coffee the next day.