Bacon

"I had a delightful dinner at Andiamo! Ristorante while on vacation in San Diego," writes Laverne Smith of Seattle, Washington. "Could you get their recipe for fettuccine carbonara? It was the best pasta I've ever had." Prepare the sauce while the pasta is cooking to ensure that the fettuccine will be hot when the sauce is finished; the heat of the pasta cooks the raw eggs that are tossed with it.

"My wife loves spinach salad, so one night I developed this recipe just for her," writes Jeff Edmunds of Yankton, South Dakota. "The crunchy apple slices and creamy avocado lend terrific texture and flavor." Add grilled chicken to this salad to make a main course.

Grilling the fish makes it moist and tender.

Nice for lunch or dinner with some salad, or as a snack at teatime.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Offer this Italian cornmeal side dish in place of potatoes or rice. It's best served immediately out of the oven.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Satisfying accompaniments for this clever hash would be steamed broccoli and a salad of crisp romaine lettuce with red wine vinaigrette and some shaved Parmesan cheese. We recommend serving slices of Boston cream pie afterward.

Serve with: Unoaked California Chardonnay • wild rice with spring herbs • watercress with orange juice vinaigrette • lemon curd tart with strawberry sauce

Inspired by the cooking of the American South—and absolutely delicious.

Make this at least one day and up to two days ahead for best flavor. This is a much simplified version of the classic smoked meat and bean cassoulet.