Cheddar

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

This Welsh dish is also called "rabbit." The name rabbit may be traceable to the fact that the Welsh, who live in prime dairy land, were as fond of melted cheese as they were of rabbit. "Rarebit" may have been a later gentrification of the word, or a reference to the texture of this rare (soft) dish. Either way, it is excellent served in bite-size pieces for a party.

Buttered steamed broccoli and carrots are great with this ultimate comfort food; end with grapes and cookies.

I love cheeseburgers, but I think that I like this meatloaf even better, especially when served with sesame-seed rolls and french fries.

Rick Rodgers, cookbook author and teacher, says, "I've always thought of mashed potatoes as an everyday way to serve potatoes, but scalloped potatoes really say special occasion to me. Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter—they all call for scalloped potatoes, not something as humble as mashed. And since I've never been one for bland food, I kept fiddling with the amount and types of cheeses until I got this full-flavored version. If you like it with turkey, wait until you try it with the Easter ham."

Poblano chilies (fresh green chilies), tomatillos (green tomato-like fruits), dried corn husks, and Masa Harina are found at many supermarkets and Latin American markets.

We like to think of these as an American version of gougères.

Purchased puff pastry simplifies this flavorful starter. What to drink: Open a bottle of Champagne or Sancerre to pour with the cheese twists and the Corn and Lobster Chowder.

Donovan Clark of London, England, writes: "I met chef Jean-Yves Bath a couple years ago while I was dining at his elegant Michelin one-star restaurant, Bath's, in Paris. He had renovated an old Chinese eatery near the Champs-Élysées, and it was the perfect setting to showcase the food of his native Auvergne region. The simple cheese ravioli dish I had that night was unforgettable." For a vegetarian version of this recipe, mushroom or vegetable broth could be used in place of the beef broth.

Ground turkey would make a fine substitute for beef in these Southwest-style burgers (grill until cooked through).

For accompaniments, toss watercress and thin slices of red onion with Dijon vinaigrette, and add chopped fresh basil to stewed tomatoes. Pecan pie can top it off.

Shallots, cayenne pepper and cheddar, the king of Wisconsin cheeses, all add a distinctive flavor to this appealing dish.

Fuji or McIntosh apples work best for this tart; other varieties may be too juicy.