Egg

Editor's note: This recipe is from Brini Maxwell's Guide to Gracious Living. For Maxwell's tips on throwing a summer pool party, click here. I like to serve these at afternoon get-togethers in the summer. If I could subsist on them eggclusively, I just might!

Omelettes Bauveuses aux Lardons
This omelet is meant to be runny (baveuse) in the middle.

Tracy Jones Midland, Texas, writes: "I wanted to share a Christmas breakfast recipe given to my mother, Cherry Jones, by Ann Westerman, a lifelong friend. My family quickly adopted the tradition of preparing this dish on Christmas Eve, then baking it on Christmas morning while opening our presents." The thick slices of garlicky bread in this dish are known as Texas toast.

Pearl-like sushi rice cooks up slightly moist and sticky, so it forms a cake easily. Chilling the cakes before browning helps them hold their shape.

Serve this quiche (John Travolta's favorite) for lunch or dinner with a green salad.

Jennifer Janesko of Kansas City, Kansas, writes: "I had an amazing egg drop soup at the Canyon Ranch SpaClub at The Venetian, in Las Vegas. It had a slight kick of lemon and was perfect after a long night of blackjack. Could you get the recipe?"

Pipérade is a dish from the Basque region of France that features tomatoes and green peppers cooked in olive oil. Serve with: French country bread, and baby greens in a Sherry wine vinaigrette.

Armandino Batali of Salumi in Seattle, writes: "My son, Mario Batali, may be the most recognizable foodie in the family, but the Batalis' interest in Italian cooking and culture goes back generations. My grandfather opened Seattle's first Italian-food import store in 1903. It was located just a few steps from where my restaurant, Salumi, is now, and it's one of the things that inspired me to get into the business. "The idea behind Salumi was to create a restaurant, deli, and meat factory in one place, just like the salumerias in Italy. We're known for homemade sausages and salami, but we also attract a large lunchtime crowd. Some of the specials, like the meat loaf and frittata, have been in our family for years. They're also easy to make at home." Here's a great way to use leftover pasta or any pasta or marinara sauce.

Slender wedges of this creamy quiche also make a wonderful appetizer.