Citrus

For this easy starter, the nonfat yogurt is strained to a thick texture and then combined with oregano, lemon peel and cayenne.

While this cake tastes delicious on its own, enhance it with dollops of whipped cream or nondairy topping and a few orange segments.

Pomegranate seeds are a colorful, tangy garnish for this salad. The season for pomegranates comes to an end by mid-February, so plan ahead and buy one now (they keep for several weeks in the refrigerator). Active time: 20 min Start to finish: 20 min

The gravy is a refined, delicious sauce in this duo from Barbara Shinn and David Page, co-owners of Home restaurant in New York and co-authors of Recipes from Home.

Buttermilk makes the cake tender, and cream cheese adds great texture to the frosting.

Valerie Silveira of Bellevue, Washington, writes: "My husband and I recently dined at Cafe Juanita in nearby Kirkland, where we had a lovely appetizer of pasta with a creamy lemon sauce and prosciutto. That was six weeks ago, and I've been thinking about this marvelous dish ever since. I would very much appreciate your publishing the recipe so that others could enjoy it, too."

For a quick and easy meal, grill some vegetables — like red onions, bell peppers and eggplant — alongside the chicken. Sharpen your chopping skills and learn how to joint a whole chicken with our technique videos.

Here's a fresh take on the classic combination of fruit and cheese. Placing parchment on top of the pears as they are poaching helps keep them moist and submerged in the poaching liquid.

Franklin serves this dish like a green salad, but it's also

Top this with dollops of chilled whipped cream or scoops of vanilla ice cream.

A nice dish for a brunch buffet.

English Christmas "pudding" is really a dense, moist spiced cake. This gingerbread version is flavored with orange marmalade and topped with a traditional hard sauce — butter and sugar mixed with brandy.

To make the toasted coconut for the meringue, spread flaked coconut on a baking sheet and bake on the center rack of a 350°F oven, stirring often around the edges, until light golden, about ten minutes.

These biscotti are equally delicious made with roasted almonds, pecans, or hazelnuts in place of the cashews.

David Leite's neighbor, Danny Pring, insists that the goose be served with red currant jelly.