Chicken and dumplings are a classic American favorite. For this recipe, chicken is stewed in a creamy gravy while buttery, light, fork-tender dumplings sit on top.

Grits get the royal treatment with the addition of wild mushrooms, cheese, and truffle oil. These grits, with its earthy flavors, make an ideal partner to meaty dishes or by itself for instant comfort food.

Split pea soup is gussied up with bits of smoky ham hocks for a hearty winter meal. The pea soup can be thick or thin. We’re of the thick pea soup camp.

Cashews are warmed in the oven then tossed in a buttery mixture of rosemary, cayenne, a hint of brown sugar, and salt to make an ideal pre-dinner nibble.

This Italian pear, basil, and Pecorino Toscano salad is a perfect fall dish. The sweet pears, pungent basil, and meaty Pecorino Toscano play well together.

This roasted butternut squash pie is the ideal dish to whip up when you have hearty eaters, vegetarians, and vegans coming for dinner. They’ll all love it.

This oyster stew is spilling over with fresh, plump oysters. The rich broth is made with both milk and cream. This is a great Thanksgiving and Christmas starter.

Fresh popovers, flavored with ground hazelnuts and zesty herbs, are a Thanksgiving must. Making these popovers is easy because the batter is made ahead then baked off right before dinner.

For this hearty Moroccan tagine, squash, whole shallots, prunes, garbanzos, and almonds are slowly cooked until tender then is served over couscous.

Cranberry-orange pecan bread is a holiday morning favorite. Fresh OJ and orange zest add zing while the cranberries lend tartness to the pecan bread.

Bread pudding muffins are just that: bread pudding baked in muffin tins. These smaller, easier-to-handle puddings are great for breakfast–even on the go

Jammers are warm-from-the-oven biscuits with jam bursting from their centers. The biscuits cradle the jam, so there’s jam and biscuit in every bite.

This french molten chocolate cake flows seductive when cut into with a fork. A cinch to make, this molten chocolate cake is an elegant, impressive dessert.

Serve these traditional crumpets with butter and jam. Crumpets follow the sandwich course, so be sure to leave room. These crumpets can be made ahead.

Beef goulash, the Austro-Hungarian dish, is a simple meal. Beef is seared and simmered with the goulash ingredients. Beef goulash is a great autumn dish.

Eggs in purgatory–or eggs simmered in tomato sauce–is a simple breakfast or supper. Serve the purgatory eggs over toasted bread rubbed with garlic.

This spaghetti with red wine is made more like risotto than typical pasta. The cooked spaghetti is tossed in oil in the skillet while red wine is slowly added.

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

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.

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.

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.