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Vegetarian shepherd’s pie is a fulfilling dish for a meatless meal. The kidney beans give it some heft.

Toasted pecans and browned butter give these delicate crepes a deep nuttiness. Delicata are small squash and I usually plan on one per person plus one extra when I serve them. This is a nice dish for dinner parties because the components can be made ahead of time and assembled right before dinner.

Every year in early June Biloxi, Mississippi, holds the Blessing of the Fleet. Shrimp boats festooned with pennants, flags, as well as images of Jesus and animated shrimp form a procession out in the Mississippi Sound and file past the anchored “blessing boat.” There stands the officiating priest, who sprinkles holy water on the boats and gives the blessing for each one. St. Michael’s Catholic Church, with its stained-glass windows of Christ’s twelve apostles depicted as fishermen and its scalloped roof, has been the central sponsor of the ceremony for more than eighty years. An evergreen wreath is dropped into the gulf in remembrance of those lost at sea, and prayers are offered up for a safe and prosperous fishing season. This year, with the oil spill, more than ever the fishermen could use a blessing. This traditional coastal dish is perfect to serve for a Sunday brunch.

The Black and White Store down on the far west end of Main Street in Yazoo City opened the doors to its two-tone storefront in 1938. It stocks general merchandise and department-store goods; everyone in town shops there for fabrics and patterns, back-to-school clothes, new shoes, and footlockers for summer camp. Whenever I hear the words “black and white” I think of their big neon sign. Mr. Chisholm, the longtime manager, says at first the store was White’s Store, with an aptly painted front; and when it expanded into the building next door that had been burned and the bricks charred black, it became the Black and White Store. I was writing out a grocery list at home the other day and when I looked at the list at the store I had absentmindedly written “Black and White Store Beans” underneath “carrots.” This salad ensued.

When something is really impressive, it is declared “plum good.” As summer wears on and I grow tired of plum pies and tarts, I crave this simple, colorful salad. It is such a pretty mix of green and purple flecked with creamy white. The flavors offer sweet and sour, and the combination of textures—smooth, crunchy, and juicy—is really plum good.

My favorite firework is the Friendship Pagoda. A little bright yellow house spins ’round like a top, emits sparks, and then up pops a pagoda and a little light glows within. My son Joe’s best first-grade friend is named Edison Seto. They make quite a pair. I love to see them out at recess walking with arms slung over each other’s shoulder. Joe has had friends, of course, before first grade, but they were all friends of the family. Edison is the first friend he has made on his own. It looks as if Joe is a good judge of character, for Edison is as sweet as can be. Edison lives in the family’s New Sunlight Market with his parents, grandparents, and tiny sister, Grace. Joe loves to play over at Edison’s. I would too; they get to ride their scooters up and down the aisles, snagging Little Debbie snack cakes for each lap. Edison’s family is from China and this has turned Joe into quite a fan of anything the slightest bit Chinese. This soup was inspired by their friendship and by the fine collard greens from the New Sunlight Market.

Once bound by the southeastern borders, pimiento cheese has slowly swept the nation. This soup was just a matter of time. A big batch of this is perfect for Super Bowl parties and such.

Harry Van Heerden, my son’s godmother’s father, comes to visit each year from Durban, South Africa. Even at eighty-two, the silver-haired gent is quite a handful. When the sun starts to get low in the late afternoon he’ll holler out “Vaapgae!” the Afrikaans word for “barrel.” That’s the cue to bring him a brandy. Harry shared this mustard recipe with me and it does wonderful things for game, whether gemsbok or whitetail.

“Up until the time I was eleven or twelve years old, people would ask me where I was from and I’d always say Leland. I never wanted to claim Texas . . . I loved Mississippi. All the blues in the world came from there.” A tall, lanky albino almost certainly isn’t what springs to mind when you think of a blues guitar-man. But, once you listen to Johnny Winter, all that changes. His parents lived in Leland, Mississippi, before moving to Beaumont, Texas. As a kid Johnny spent his summers in the small Mississippi town on Highway 61—the Blues Highway. These biscuits bake up a little on the pale side, but that’s all right.

A brace of ducks dangled from a nail hammered into the porch beam as Lila regaled me, on an icy night right after New Year’s, with tales of the Swamp Witches, six accomplished women dedicated to hunting and to each other. For more than a decade, these ladies have gathered a couple of times each year out at Ward Lake Hunting Club, a 6,500-acre preserve running right along the Mississippi River. They eschew newfangled duck boats, favoring canoes to haul their decoys and gear. Eyeing the sky from beneath the brims of their chic tartan-banded hats, these experienced hunters can call a mallard by its wing action. They aren’t pantywaists. Lila is what you might call a spitfire, an avid fox hunter and competitive show jumper all of about five feet tall, with a fiery mane, emerald eyes, and a wicked sense of humor. She has trained her seven-year-old retriever, Tuff, to do many things, from stopping dead in his tracks at her command to tossing a biscuit posed upon his nose into the air before gobbling it up. One dinner, in the course of telling a tale about a previous season’s hunt, Lila slapped the table for emphasis and said “kennel-up” as part of the story. With that, Tuff instantly bounded up on the table, sending wineglasses flying. We all about fell out of our chairs with laughter as Tuff stood baffled on the dinner table in a puddle of Burgundy. This recipe is dedicated to the Swamp Witches: Allison, Susan, Kate, Lind, Leigh, and Lila; I have fallen under their spell.

I really enjoy the flavor of sweet potato and fennel. If you’re not a fan of the latter’s licorice-like taste, substitute caraway seeds. I love the way seafood’s sweetness is enhanced by them. These individual casseroles bring the flavors of Mississippi’s hills and Gulf Coast together quite nicely.

Most crawfish bread recipes are made with a hollowed-out loaf of French bread. Here the crawfish filling is enrobed in a tender ricotta dough, making these more like turnovers. Whether you make them small for pick-up party food or a more substantial calzone-like size, these are perfect for tailgating or game-day parties.

When I go to New York, I often eat at Serafina Restaurant, which makes an amazing lemon spaghetti dish that is so good that I was again inspired to get the recipe. The chef kindly obliged. This version is a little simpler and creamier than the original. As with most other pasta dishes, you want the sauce to be ready before the fettuccine is so that the hot noodles absorb the creamy, lemony sauce (the longer it sits, the less saucy it will be). Note that the broth and cream will need to simmer for a good long time so that they are well reduced. Be sure to grate the lemons before you juice them. This is wonderful served with grilled chicken brushed with Steak Grill Sauce (page 164).

I remember often seeing mountains of these little finger sandwiches in my Aunt Elsa’s kitchen. She would make vast numbers and freeze them in advance of big catered events like baby showers or wedding receptions (see below for tips on getting ahead). I love these creamy and crunchy chicken salad sandwiches—with lots of mayonnaise, crunchy celery and nuts, and sweet grapes and relish, they are perfect picnic fare. Judging by how quickly I’ve seen them fly off the serving platter, my friends and family agree! Red onions are a little sweeter than white ones; use what you like.

This classic Tex-Mex stew (see photograph page 10) is rich and delicious without the hours of simmering that most stews require. I cannot imagine ever eating this without Aunt Edna’s Homemade Flour Tortillas (page 171) to soak up every last drop of flavorful sauce.

When I was a kid, chalupas were to us what PB&J is to other families. Whenever we were looking for a snack or needed a quick meal, the makings for chalupas were the first things to come out of the fridge. In fact, chalupas were the first thing my mom taught me how to cook. I know now that this is because it was all about assembling more than actual cooking. And they’re fun! Serve them family-style so that each person gets his or her own fried tortilla and can pile on beans, chicken, and any other toppings as high as desired. The effect is beautiful and dramatic.

I first learned this dish for my good friend Lake Bell, a vegetarian I really wanted to have over for dinner. When I don’t have vegetarians at the table, I serve this as a side dish, but even my meat-loving friends like it so much that sometimes they make it their whole dinner with a salad of romaine lettuce and Grey Moss Inn White French Dressing (page 160).

Portobello mushrooms are so meaty and flavorful that many of my vegetarian friends prepare and eat them the way I do steak—throwing them on the grill and making a main course of them. For my part, I’ll take the steak and the portobellos, ideally prepared the way they are here: cooked simply so that their natural qualities can shine.

This is one of the dishes I turn to when unexpected guests drop in. The sauce comes together in less time than it takes to boil the water and cook the pasta, but the results are always impressive. Begin the sauce as soon as you put the water on to boil, because it’s better if the sauce is ready before the pasta, rather than the other way around.

I call this Mexican spaghetti. In Mexico, sopa de fideo is truly a soup, while fideo seco is much drier. I like a texture between the two. As with Mexican Rice (page 124), the trick is to cook these without touching them very much at all. Any stirring will make the noodles sticky, so when checking the level of the liquid in the pan, just use a long-handled spoon to gently move the noodles aside and check the bottom of the pan. Note that the longer this sits, the more the noodles will absorb the broth. This is a great method for cooking chicken, so even though I’m serving the noodles only as a side dish, sometimes I take advantage of the simmering pot to cook some chicken for the next day. I add as many drumsticks as possible without crowding, and the well-seasoned broth turns out tender, juicy, and really flavorful chicken every time.