American

Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are from Seasoned in the South by Bill Smith, the chef at Crook's Corner in Chapel Hill. Throughout the South, collards are a traditional New Year's Day dish — because their flat, green leaves resemble dollar bills, collards are said to bring monetary fortune in the new year. Hardly a workday passes that I don't eat at least a spoonful of collards. I never grow tired of them. I also love to drink their broth and to pour the broth over rice. My great-grandmother used to say that this "pot liquor" was like medicine. She also said that eating collards was how poor people survived the Depression, because collards will grow almost anywhere under almost any conditions and are very nourishing. People would plant them in their yards back then, and they still do. Essentially all you do to collards is boil them for a long time with salt. At Crook's I almost always have a ham bone to add. Most butcher shops and meat departments will have some sort of ham bone or ham hocks for sale.

Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are from The Glory of Southern Cooking by James Villas. As Villas explains, hoppin' John is eaten on New Year's Day because black-eyed peas look like coins and are considered lucky. Wanna know why this age-old dish of black-eyed peas and rice is eaten all over the South on New Year's Day to bring good luck? Because the peas look like little coins that swell when cooked, that's why. (Some say for ultimate success and prosperity, you should eat exactly 365 peas.) Stories abound about the obscure origins of the name hoppin' John, one being that, in antebellum days, a certain lame black cook named John hopped about a plantation kitchen on one leg while preparing the dish. Of course, the debate rages from region to region over the correct approaches to hoppin' John. Must the peas be served with rice? Should they actually be cooked with rice? Are tomatoes a key ingredient, and if so, should they be stewed and spooned over the peas and rice or simply chopped raw over the top? Should the peas be cooked till they're almost mushy or just al dente? Herbs added? Everything cooked in a saucepan or cast–iron skillet? Here's the way I do hoppin' John, which is wonderful with baked spareribs or braised country ham or chitlins — or anything else you can think of.

A cook's dream: The base is made ahead, and the shrimp are added at the last minute. Best of all, the gumbo tastes even better the second day.

Epicurious asked chef Tom Colicchio for this recipe from 'Wichcraft, the sandwich shop in his growing collection of Craft restaurants. It's the perfect way to use up leftover Thanksgiving turkey — and a good excuse to roast a turkey any time of year. To create those leftovers, try Tom Colicchio's Herb-Butter Turkey.

Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are from King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking: Delicious Recipes Using Nutritious Whole Grains. To read Epicurious's review of the cookbook, go to The Best Cookbooks of 2006. Imagine a dense, moist, chewy brownie. Now take chocolate out of the equation and substitute a different childhood favorite, butterscotch. That's Butter-Nut Blondies. These will be popular with those who count the rich, caramelized taste of butterscotch as one of their favorite flavors.

Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are from The Joy of Cooking, 75th Anniversary Edition: 4500 Recipes for the Way We Cook Now by Irma S. Rombauer, Marion Rombauer Becker, and Ethan Becker. To read Epicurious's review of the cookbook, go to The Best Cookbooks of 2006. This rich, spicy cheese spread appeared in some fashion in JOY from 1931 until the 1960s. The 1936 edition declared it "a grand cheese spread for hot or cold sandwiches."

Surprise your party host with a jar of this ruby-red jelly — its sweet heat flavors pair beautifully with soft cheeses.

Who doesn't love Rice Krispies treats? By adding dark chocolate ganache with a tiny jolt of coffee flavor, we've turned the classic into a sophisticated and whimsical bite-size dessert. We found that combining bittersweet chocolate of different cacao levels results in a ganache that has just the right intensity without being overpowering.

This satisfying stew just may be the essence of Cajun cooking: shrimp with onion, celery, and green pepper, all given depth by brown roux and livened up with cayenne.

Flank steak stars in a satisfying meal that guests can assemble to their liking. We are big fans of tomatillo salsas for their bright, slightly acidic flavor, which is complemented here by creamy avocado.

This yields enough broth for the gravy and the stuffing . Use heavy large rimmed baking sheets; regular ones may buckle.

This recipe can easily be halved to make one pie. It's great with whipped cream.

Use this stock to make Brandied Giblet Gravy.

Be sure to rub the turkey with the spice mixture the day before roasting.

The giblets can be prepared early in the morning, and the gravy finished up with the pan juices just after the turkey comes out of the oven.