Bon Appétit

A delicious soup from Tágide.

This warming and satisfying winter soup is a delicious starter, and the vegetables add color and sweetness.

Tortillas form the crust of these layered pizzas, which are an irresistible hors d'oeuvre. Pour sangria throughout the party.

Serve with rice or as a burrito filling.

Serve any leftover sauce with fresh berries.

Serve this lovely starter with Champagne.

If you think novelists do research only in libraries, think again. Culinary mystery writer Diane Mott Davidson has a different approach: She caters. Far-fetched? Not when your perennial protagonist is one Goldy Schulz, a caterer who has cooked her way through such delicious mysteries as Dying for Chocolate and Killer Pancake, stories that include the author's own enticing recipes and mentions of cranberry and orange, both significant flavors in her comfort-dessert memory file. "My husband was in the Navy and was often away at sea, so there was little opportunity to cook," she says. "One day I was with some Navy wives, and somebody set out a cranberry-orange bread. I raved about it. Not long after that, I drove to Norfolk to meet my husband's ship, and stayed with the woman who had baked the bread. While I was there, she slipped another loaf of it into my suitcase. It was the nicest thing anybody could have done." Prepare the cranberry glaze for this lovely orange layer cake a day ahead to allow it to firm up and chill. And consider presenting the finished cake as a gift; you're sure to make someone's day.

The candy gets its name from the popular German cake flavored with chocolate and cherries. Place the fudge in paper candy cups, and present it in pretty boxes tied with silk ribbon and holly sprigs.

Jerry Goldberg of Chicago says,"After a Cubs game at Wrigley Field, I drove over to Harry Caray’s restaurant to celebrate the victory—and the team’s late announcer. The hearty chicken with potatoes was almost as memorable as Caray’s singing of 'Take Me Out to the Ballgame,' which was his seventh-inning tradition."

Called Goldie Lox at Sarabeth's restaurant in New York, this delicious dish gets its name from the golden color of the eggs, which are combined with the lox. There are pockets of cream cheese throughout this savory mixture, the key to creating them is keeping the cheese cold until it is folded into the eggs. Be sure to have plenty of coffee and an assortment of teas on hand to complete the meal.

This is a good one for potato salad, too.

Jeanne Thiel Kelley, Bon Appétit contributing editor, says, "My dad makes a great stuffing that has sweet Italian sausage in it. I used to love going with him to get the sausage from Pumas Italian market in Los Angeles. I would pick out a new cookie and come home with a shape of pasta I had never seen before. These days, I don't always get to celebrate Thanksgiving with my parents, so rather than make a wanna-be version of Dad's stuffing, I developed this one, which is pretty darn good."

Here's a terrific salad with the bold tastes of cilantro and cumin. Cold beer is the ideal beverage go-with.