Beverages

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Braised Veal Shanks

From Il Pastaio, Beverly Hills, California.

Two new flavors enhance a classic.

A different take on favorite Thanksgiving flavors, this beautiful do-ahead pumpkin dessert is made even easier by the use of purchased sauce.

Using stencils to add powdered sugar designs is a great way to dress up the treats.

Fragrant five-spice powder enhances the Asian accent in this marinade. Use it to marinate beef or chicken, and brush with the marinated while grilling. It is also delicious with seafood, but only needs to be brushed on during grilling. The recipe makes enough to marinate one pound of meat, poultry or seafood, with some left over to pass alongside. Any marinade coming in contact with raw meat, seafood or poultry must be boiled for one minute before using it for basting.

This dessert comes from Café Terra Cotta in Tucson, Arizona.

The failure-proof cookie-like crust can be prepared ahead. Use any leftover dough to make a few cookies.

Strawberries and whipped cream are sandwiched between orange-scented butter cookies in this pretty dessert.

Melted miniature marshmallows are used to lighten and thicken this creamy mousse. Begin preparing it a day before serving.

In classic Chinese cooking, noodles destined for soup are cooked separately and added at the last minute so that the starch from the pasta doesn't cloud the broth. Because we were aiming for a rib-sticking dish, we broke with tradition and cooked the noodles right in the stock, allowing the starch to thicken the soup slightly.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

The fondue is the centerpiece of a casual dinner with the LaGuardias. They insist that whoever drops the most bread into the pot is stuck with cleanup duty.