Pork

Serve these sensational ribs with an avocado, citrus and red onion salad, some cold beer - and plenty of napkins.

Using sun-dried tomatoes that are not packed in oil cuts down on fat. You can find them at some supermarkets, specialty foods stores and Italian markets.

A baked potato, peas and sorbet are all you need with this entrée, but for a party, dress up the pork with cranberry relish, couscous studded with diced bell peppers and green beans, and a rich almond tart.

"Since we live in a town where there are plenty of apple orchards, my husband and I enjoy developing new dishes that include apples," says Lidian Long of Tehachapi, California. "We particularly like this recipe—he loves its curry flavor, and I appreciate its simplicity."

This simplified version of a classic party dish will add some welcome heat to a winter night.

Braised pork shoulder, spicy Italian sausage, and pancetta enrich the tomato sauce. Dried crushed red pepper kicks up the heat.

As the planner and coordinator of a cookbook for gourmet groups in Bakersfield, I test a lot of recipes," says Jackie Mote Carlile of Bakersfield, California. "This is one I developed and refined, and my friends and family agree that the final results are outstanding.' A quick and elegant entrée for the holidays.

"At the restaurant Mimosa, the food, service, and ambiance transform a night in Los Angeles into an evening in Paris," says Michele Winkler of Sherman Oaks, California. "There, we had a delectable roast pork that was succulent on the inside, with a marvelous crust. We would love to prepare it at home." You can order the inexpensive "Boston" roast called for in this recipe from your butcher. In late-18th-century New England, some pork cuts were packed into casks or barrels, known as "butts," for storage and shipment. The way the pork shoulder was cut in the Boston area became known in some regions as "Boston butt," a moniker still used today almost everywhere in the United States, except Boston.

The extra marinade keeps up to three weeks in the refrigerator and is delicious used with chicken, lamb or beef, too.

It is very easy to overcook pork chops. In this recipe,you can first sauté them until brown and then add a little broth to maintain their moisture. Open a bottle of Gamay Beaujolais to have with dinner.

Each year, some fifteen thousand Iowans enter nearly fifty thousand things in competitions at the State Fair. Categories range from draft horses and monster trucks to quilts and corn-cob mosaics. Of course there are pies and cakes, breads and biscuits, jellies and preserves, plus contests for the ugliest cake, the most creative dough sculpture, and things you can do with breakfast cereal. In 1994 Emma Whitlock of Indianola took first prize in the "Let's Cook Healthy! Iowa Pork" category. Although this isn't a traditional Fair version of pork tenderloins, it's a simple way to give them a sweet twist.

The secret of making fried rice lies in the use of cold, cooked rice. Freshly cooked rice will only produce a sticky mess.

Purchased Italian treats like roasted red peppers, assorted olives, caponata, salami, marinated mushrooms and crusty breadsticks make a great antipasto platter. Biscotti and a bowl of fresh grapes are just right for dessert.