American

This recipe was created to accompany Cajun Shrimp Tacos with Tomatillo Salsa. Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

A seafood spread such as this one—especially when paired with crisp benne-seed (sesame-seed) wafers—has long been a popular cocktail nibble in South Carolina's Low Country.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Active time: 1 hr Start to finish: 3 3/4 hr (includes cooling)

Chef Tory McPhail writes: "I was 19 years old and just out of culinary school when I first started at Commander's Palace. Despite my training, nothing prepared me for the pressures of working in a fast-paced kitchen, or in a restaurant of such high quality. I think my success came down to sheer effort and a lifelong passion for cooking. Even as a kid I loved playing with cookie and pie dough. "After a seven-year absence, which I spent working abroad and opening a new Commander's Palace restaurant in Las Vegas, I came back to New Orleans last year. Since returning I've enjoyed cooking for my friends. On the weekends we'll go fishing, and then I'll grill our catch and serve it along with a fresh salad. That meal combines the two best things about living in the South — lots of fishing and great fresh produce."

Julia Shure of Albany, California, writes: "This comforting soup has both cream cheese and cheddar, which give it a rich, smooth texture. While it makes an elegant first course, the soup can also be a satisfying meal partnered with a simple salad and some crusty bread."

Ruthie, Sara's chocolate-loving daughter, is a great fan of this recipe. Active time: 45 min Start to finish: 45 min

When accompanied by the delicious tang of chimichurri sauce, all this steak needs is to be seasoned with salt and pepper and grilled to the desired doneness.

Active time: 30 minutes Start to finish: 1 1/2 hours

Active time: 15 minutes Start to finish: 1 1/4 hour

If you love peanut butter, these cookies will be It. I created what I believe to be quintessential peanut butter cookies to honor the one hundredth anniversary of peanut butter. They are very peanut buttery yet exceptionally light, with a lovely "sandy" bite. At my husband's urging, I doubled up on the peanut butter and decreased the flour, making the chocolate cookie centers seem like biting into a Reese's peanut butter cup. Chocolate centers blend wonderfully with the peanut flavor, but the bright, tart, sticky cherry centers, are my first choice.

"On a trip to San Francisco, I had a terrific bowl of cioppino at Rose Pistola, star chef Reed Hearon's Italian restaurant," says Gail Haines of Westerly, Rhode Island.

Complement this meatless supper with a chopped romaine and sliced avocado salad, followed by orange sorbet with nut cookies for dessert.

Tarragon and mustard may be a classic French combination, but this menu is all American. A domestic Chardonnay, light beer, or fresh lemonade are perfect partners.

When returning the chopped clams to the pot, try not to heat them for too long, or they will toughen up.