Cream Cheese

Caramel and orange add sophisticated French flair to this rich American dessert. Begin preparing it at least a day ahead.

Active time: 40 min Start to finish: 40 min

This cake is a southern tradition for festive occasions. It can be completely assembled and chilled one day before serving.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Liptauer gained its name from the provenance of the fresh sheep's milk cheese with which it was originally made, Lipto, Hungary. Our version of this seasoned spread is made with cream cheese.

A berry dessert that's a great finish to the spiced chicken breast meal.

This filling is definitely not peas and hard carrots and tough chunks of chicken. Instead, there are sun-dried tomatoes and shiitake mushrooms with flavorful pieces of thyme-seasoned chicken. And best of all, the individual pies can be assembled a day ahead, leaving only the baking to be done before sharing them with the family.

Layers of espresso-soaked pound cake and cream cheese custard come together with chocolate. Tiramisù means "pick-me-up" in Italian-and this certainly does.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

For ease of transportation, the cupcakes and icing may be brought on board in separate containers.

This recipe comes from my brother, Chris, a high-school athletic coach. If you think stuffed mushrooms sound too foofy for Super Bowl Sunday, I refer you to "Little" Brother. He tells me they are winners every time. There's plenty of room for play in the recipe. The only firm rule: Use more crab than cream cheese.

Cheesecake and Champagne are a great finale. Begin making the dessert a day ahead.

You can make this up to three days ahead; be sure to start at least one day in advance.