Oven Bake

PAT You won't find a collard green—or a green of any kind, for that matter—that Gina hasn't mastered and found a dozen ways to cook. She's queen of the twists on greens. The idea for this particular twist came from stuffed cabbage with a vinegary red sauce—but we think this is even better than that recipe. Don't you?

This one is Italy, pure and simple. Which is precisely what Italian cuisine is all about: Get yourself fresh, pure ingredients in season, plus some fine, real condiments and seasonings, and put it all together without a lot of fuss, and ecco! A simply superb meal, as healthy as they come and as good as eating gets. It's also beautiful on the plate. Note that scampi does not, in fact, mean shrimp, as many people think, but rather refers to the popular lemon, garlic, and oil preparation for shrimp in so many red-sauce Italian joints.

It's good news for America that grass-fed beef is increasingly available in supermarkets. Cattle were meant to eat grass, and they are efficient at converting that green goodness into nutrient-dense meat, rich in heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids as well as vitamins A and E, to say nothing of environmental benefits. Because grass-fed beef is leaner than grain-fed, it's not quite as tender. So turning it into a meatloaf is a great—and economical—way to make a meal of it. A little ground pork adds the bit of richness that all meatloaves need, and if you can persuade the butcher to grind some pork shoulder for you, all the better. Meatloaves look naked without some sort of topping, and bacon is the obvious trendy choice to entice finicky eaters; feel free to aim for high-end bacon from heritage hogs. Editors' Note: Kemp Minifie reimagined the foil tray frozen dinner for Gourmet Live. Her updated menu includes: meatloaf made from grass-fed beef, scalloped potatoes, lemony green veggies, and your new favorite brownies for dessert.

Think of this as a streamlined and guilt-free version of scalloped potatoes. It's a toss-and-dump dish, in which I toss sliced potatoes with a little melted butter, dump them in a dish, then cover them with milk—healthier than heavy cream—that I've thickened slightly with a bit of flour (the flour keeps the milk from separating). The cheese topping is optional; with or without it, in less than an hour you will be rewarded with lusciously creamy potatoes along with that all-important browned crust. Editors' Note: Kemp Minifie reimagined the foil tray frozen dinner for Gourmet Live. Her updated menu includes: meatloaf made from grass-fed beef, scalloped potatoes, lemony green veggies, and your new favorite brownies for dessert.

This rich, soufflé-like dressing derives its texture from stone-ground grits.

Start breakfast by making a potato pancake, then cover it with sausage, eggs, and cheese and bake until puffed and golden.

Make or buy a savory cornbread to use in this luxurious stuffing; the kind you use will determine how much broth you'll need to moisten it.

Find sources for local ground turkey at LocalHarvest.org and conserve fossil fuels that get burned during shipping.

The secret behind this Sicilian-inspired dish: crunchy homemade breadcrumbs. To make your own, let cubes of ciabatta or another white bread dry out, then buzz them into coarse crumbs in a food processor.

Celery root, also known as celeriac, has a knobby exterior that is best peeled (carefully!) with a paring knife.

The Reid family crumbles blue cheese on top to add a salty bite.

The addition of airy brioche gives this aromatic spiced stuffing a less dense texture than most holiday casseroles.

My editor, Maria Guarnaschelli, suggested this recipe, based on her memory of a savory pie served at a London pub. One half of the pie was filled with pork and the other with apples. As I later learned, that dish has its roots in an eighteenth-century workingman's lunch called the Bedfordshire Clanger—a hand-held pie filled with meat on one end and jam on the other. It was a compact way to serve lunch and dessert in one package. In adapting this idea to my own taste, I decided to layer apples on top of a spiced ground pork filling, rather than setting the two ingredients side by side. The flavors are fantastic together, and this dish has been the hit of many parties. It makes an especially good buffet option, as it can be served warm or at room temperature. Apple Notes: As with all pie recipes, you want firm fruit here. Some good examples: Granny Smith, Arkansas Black, and Northern Spy for tart apples; and Golden Delicious, Jazz, or Pink Lady for sweet ones. Equipment: 10- to 12-inch skillet; food processor; 9-inch deep-dish pie plate, preferably glass; parchment paper or wax paper

Are you flush with folate? Too-low levels are linked with osteoporosis, depression and more. Black-eyed peas are a top source of the vitamin.

Editor's note: Use this recipe to make Alex Brown and Evan George's Savory Rolls . The next best thing to foraging your own wild mushrooms and huffing their death-matter musk from a Hobbitshire-like hillside in NorCal while your guide trips on psilocybin shrooms is (obviously) slurping crispy hot shrooms right out of the cast-iron skillet they were cooked in. Admittedly, it's a distant second. But it still feels nasty. Thanks to the whole steak joint steeze revival, it’s now totally acceptable to eat out of cast-iron. Here we do a mushroom mélange of various shapes, sizes, textures, and prices. Omit and add as you like, especially if you actually get to forage for wild ones.

Inspired by a recipe from chef Francis Mallmann, author of Seven Fires (Artisan), these crisp-tender potatoes are redolent of bay leaves. Roast them 1 to 2 hours before the party starts and serve at room temperature, or rewarm just before serving.

Piquant Dijon mustard and a little cayenne pepper put the diable in these crisp pan-fried chicken breasts.