Make Ahead

Here's a rich treat that's filled with creamy chocolate ganache and garnished with ripe strawberries.

(Apple Walnut Cake) This cake's unusual name was taken from the relative who originally passed down the recipe.

Leftover roasted chicken or turkey makes this rendition of a popular salad a snap to prepare. It's made spicy by combining chilies with linguine, green onions, snow peas, cilantro and a peanut dressing.

This is the Rolls-Royce of bran muffin recipes. Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Use leftover cooked chicken, or buy a cooked chicken at the market or a take-out place. Serve the salad with warm tortillas, or try the chicken mixture (without the lettuce) as a sandwich filling.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

A joint effort by Leigh McLean and Sweet Dreams Bakery in Memphis.

(BISCOTTI ALL'ARANCIO E MANDORLE) While all Italian cookies are referred to as biscotti, these are really "biscotti," which means they are baked twice. True biscotti are made in many different flavor combinations in many different parts of the country. These delicate ones come from the region of Lazio, where Rome is located. The secret to the cookies' lightness is not to use too much flour and to freeze the dough before forming it into logs.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Only 1 tablespoon of oil in the filling makes these a low-fat entrée, and using ready-made wrappers instead of crepes makes it an easy one. These freeze nicely.

Be sure to start the brisket at least a day before you plan on serving it - although it can be made up to three days ahead.

Here's an updated version of the ice cream pie — a dessert popular in America for years. It has a parfait filling instead of ice cream and is assembled in a springform pan. The familiar cookie crust and fudgy topping are still part of the recipe, but the dessert is now sophisticated enough for company.

Leftovers of this moist and flavorful meat loaf make great sandwiches.