Peanut butter bonbons are filled with crunchy pretzels or toffee and rolled in all kinds of toppings to make bonbons with peanuts or bonbons with jimmies.

These meringue ghosts are a Halloween favorite. The meringue is piped from a pastry bag, then the ghosts are fitted with chocolate chip eyes and baked.

Here are six recipes to make your Day of the Dead–Dia de los Muertos–celebration memorable.

Linguine pasta, clams, mussels, langoustines, and shrimp are tossed in a light tomato-garlic sauce spiked with pepper flakes. A simple quick dinner.

Gingerbread cupcakes are swirled with a cardamom cream cheese frosting. The gingerbread cupcakes are great for kids. Spread the frosting on everything.

Spice-crusted cheese truffles are an ideal hors d’oeuvre. The truffles, a combo of cheddar and cream cheese, are rolled then tossed in a chile powder.

This pepperoni spinach frittata is great for brunch. Have the ingredients ready and make the frittata while guests watch. The frittata can be an appetizer.

Writer and cocktail expert Kara Newman is a fan of Mad Men but not its bone-dry martinis. Instead, her cocktail for watching Mad Men is the Fiery Almond.

This Spanish custard, called crema, is rich, creamy, and simple to make. The custard is made with milk and cream, so it’s lighter. Serve the crema warm.

These beef rolls, called paupiettes, are stuffed with pancetta and herbs, and rolled. The beef rolls are then sauteed. Once seared, the rolls are simmered.

This Italian ribollita soup is dense with bread, greens, beans and is topped with caramelized onions. Rich with flavor, the ribbolita is a family dish.

For this New England clam chowder, steamer clams, rather than chowder clams, are used. The broth is creamy and rich. Make the chowder a day ahead. Easy.

For this potato-bacon pizza, creamy yellow potatoes are laid on fresh mozzarella. Bacon, and fresh Parmesan cheese, are scattered on top of the pizza.

Pappardelle, wide pasta noodles, are topped with a Bolognese sauce full of pork, lamb, veal. The pappardelle is fresh, the Bolognese can be made in ahead.

Fusilli pasta is tossed in a sauce rich with bufala mozzarella. The melted cheese creates strands as the fusilli is lifted, hence the telefono reference.

Potato gnocchi is tossed with sausage, tomato, peas, and smoked mozzarella for a hearty dish. The gnocchi is simple to make and can be frozen.

These savory shortbreads are seasoned with thyme, lemon, and a sprinkling of sea salt. Serve the shortbreads as a snack or as an hors d’oeuvre with wine.

This spicy tomato crumble isn’t your run-of-the-mill crumble. It’s savory and filled with a tangy chunky tomato base. The crumble reheats beautifully.

This strudel, filled with sweet potato, raisins, and cranberry, is a great lunch or side. Phyllo makes the strudel a cinch to make. Serve the strudel warm.

Baked mussels topped with bread crumbs are a Sicilian favorite. The mussels are cooked in a skillet until opened then baked until golden brown.

This pasta salad with tuna is tinted yellow by saffron. The pasta salad is easy to cook and can be made ahead. For the salad use big pasta for big effect.

For this Sicilian dish, mahi mahi is stewed with tomatoes, onions, olives, and seasoned with briny capers. The mahi mahi becomes infused with tomato flavor.

Beer cheese soup is popular in the midwest. Amber beer and cheddar cheese flavor the soup and give it body. Use a quality beer and freshly grated cheese.

Fresh baked pretzels are irresistible. This recipe shows you how to make plain pretzels, cheese pretzels, caraway pretzels, bacon pretzels, mini-pretzels.

Kalamata olives give this no-knead olive bread plenty of flavor. Because the bread requires no kneading and has a slow rise, a bakery-quality loaf is easy.