Oven Bake

You'll find mincemeat in the canned fruit section of some supermarkets. Serve with ice cream or whipped cream.

Avocados add a heart-healthy touch to this satisfying salad from executive chef Stephane Beaucamp at Kantina in Newport Beach, California.

A touch of sugar blended with tamari creates a rich, salty coating for whole almonds. They're ideal for holiday parties — just set them out in festive dishes and watch them disappear.

A savory take on noodle kugel, this beautiful dish is creamy on the inside with a golden-crisp crust. Using thin egg fettuccine rather than traditional short, wide egg noodles adds elegance.

It takes only a few powerful ingredients like these to pull off amazingly full flavor. This rich, sophisticated pasta is guaranteed to keep the winter doldrums at bay.

Think of this dish as a sloppy joe with a corn bread and Cheddar crust — a welcome twist to an American classic.

Wonderfully festive and fun, these candied star-shaped chips — a favorite among children — have a slight tropical flavor that makes them a sunny treat with or without the strudel.

Traditionally piped through a pastry bag into rosettes to garnish a roast, this classic French potato mixture is here transformed into a rich casserole that can be prepared in advance and is still the perfect match for a prime rib roast.

No time to heat up a pizza stone? This easy alternative method yields a crisp crust in just minutes. Good-quality cheese, olive oil, and prosciutto go a long way toward making the pie truly memorable.

Cooking a pot of rice is much easier than tearing up and toasting bread for stuffing. Assembling the side dish a day ahead saves time, too.

IMPROV: For a milder, creamier version, use a blend of Parmesan and Fontina instead of all Parm. (Semolina flour is sold at some supermarkets, Italian markets, and specialty foods stores.)

The cornbread needs to dry overnight, so start this at least one day ahead.

If crawfish are hard to find, shrimp make a good stand-in.

Here's a classic stuffing to suit all tastes. For a vegetarian version, substitute vegetable or mushroom broth.