Sausage

Always cool the stuffing completely before filling the turkey.

Americans enjoyed most of the food at the scores of Italian restaurants that opened in the twenties, but they couldn't understand the appeal of spaghetti and tomato sauce: Where was the meat? To accommodate, the restaurants began to top the pasta with meatballs. This recipe takes the dish a step further by adding the Sicilian flavors of pine nuts and currants.

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

At La Porteña, an Argentine restaurant in Jackson Heights, New York, spicy chorizo sausage is used to give this frittata-style omelet its heat. If you can't find chorizo, hot Italian sausage makes a nice substitute.

Reduced-fat cream cheese gives this dish a nice texture. Put out some sliced melon with grapes, and offer coffee and orange juice.

Look for diced potatoes with onion in the supermarket's refrigerated deli case or in the freezer section. Pair the main course with sautéed spinach, coleslaw, good mustard and dark bread. A pint of ale adds gusto; apple pie is the finishing touch.

Offer with crusty French bread and you have a satisfying summer supper. The creamy dressing is lower-fat version, using half yogurt and half mayonnaise.

For an easy and informal dinner, make a salad and some rice to go alongside this bubbling cheese mixture known as queso fundido. Each diner spoons some of the cheese into warm tortillas. This can also be served as an appetizer at parties. Mix up some Margaritas to add to the fun.

A great side dish for chicken or fish.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Throughout the South, former cotton plantations remain as large tracts of land maintained as hunting preserves. The quail is a small game bird that spends most of its time on the ground. Often called "partridge," it is favored for its delicious white flesh. Serve one of these birds to each person as an appetizer for a big celebratory meal such as Christmas or a rehearsal dinner, or two as the main course.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

This recipe combines the best of two classic New Orleans dishes — gumbo and jambalaya.

Make this a day ahead for the best flavor.

If you can't get premade patties, buy bulk pork sausage meat and form your own.