Sausage

"On a recent visit to Charleston, South Carolina, I was greatly taken with the grits served at the restaurant Slightly North of Broad, on East Bay Street," says Charles C. Gordon of Ontario, Canada. "Is it possible to get the recipe?"

Steamed spinach, mashed potatoes, and oatmeal cookies would fit the rustic theme.

Active time: 15 min Start to finish: 45 min

This recipe is intended as a baked dressing to accompany the Thanksgiving turkey . It can be used as stuffing (a practice I do not recommend for turkey), if you desire. It also makes a good stuffing for capon or pork.

"For my son's birthday, I'd like to make a pasta, sausage, and lentil dish that we both ate during an Italian vacation," writes Miriam Scott of New York, New York. "We stayed at Locanda l'Elisa, located just south of Lucca in Tuscany. The hotel's greenhouse-like restaurant, the Gazebo, served the pasta dish that was so wonderful. Could you possibly track down the recipe? " Adding some of the pasta's cooking water to this dish gives it a creamy quality.

At the restaurant, this dish is served as a starter. It would also make a great main course for four.

Frances Driesbach, Maui, Hawaii
"This chili was inspired by Southern Calif., where I grew up. Red, green, and yellow peppers represent the Mexican fiesta."

Serve this dish with French bread to get all the delicious sauce.

Here is a rustic, comforting casserole that is very easy to prepare.

An elegant main course from Xaviar’s restaurant in Garrison. Ask the butcher to bone the lamb for you.

Any type of hot smoked pork sausage such as andouille or kielbasa will do for this takeoff on traditional Louisiana dirty rice. Active time: 45 min Start to finish: 1 hr

Bruce Aidells, founder of Aidells Sausage Company, says, "Stuffing was the most important part of my family’s holiday menu. The turkey was always overcooked, but the stuffing was moist and delicious. We usually had two, sometimes three stuffings, but I leaned toward the kind with sausage. It was meaty and spicy, just like this one."

Sliced or diced fresh avocado makes a colorful garnish for this hearty southwestern soup. If you want to cut up the avocado ahead of time but don't want it to discolor, simply place the avocado pieces in a colander and rinse them with cold water. They will stay bright green for about two hours.

This wintry soup can be enhanced with any sausage you like. We find it a great dish in which to use the lowfat turkey sausages now available. The blue cheese corn bread and a green salad make ideal accompaniments. Finish with ripe pears.

The heat of the cooked spaghetti wilts the mixed greens in this lemony warm pasta salad. Dry Monterey Jack is an aged Jack cheese similar to Parmesan.

This zippy pasta features the best of Italy accented with Mexican serrano chilies. A Zinfandel or Italian Barolo is the right wine.

The texture of this spicy Brazilian dish falls in between a soup and a stew. Cook it down if you prefer it thicker.