Peanut

This Cambodian curry is traditionally made with beef, but Mao Sokhen says his American friends prefer the chicken variation. Though you can use any brand of Thai red curry paste and Asian fish sauce for this recipe, Mao likes the brands recommended below because he finds they produce a dish that is closer to classic Cambodian flavor.

Remember the commercial that re-created the invention of Reese's Peanut Butter cups? A woman is walking down the street eating a chocolate bar, and a man is walking the other way eating a tub of peanut butter. They bump into each other, causing the chocolate and peanut butter to mix. Overcome by the new taste sensation, they immediately check into a motel (I may be misremembering that last part). I've never cared for the chocolate-peanut butter combo, so if that idiot had ruined my chocolate bar, I would have pushed him into oncoming traffic. But my mom, who says she's going to have chocolate with peanut butter for her last meal, swears by these cookies. She thinks they're even better than traditional chocolate chip cookies.

Bow tie-shaped pasta is mixed with Thai-flavored pesto sauce and tossed with cooked shrimp for a fast, colorful entrée.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Executive chef Bridget Batson of Hawthorne Lane serves this dessert with homemade caramel sauce (you can use purchased if you like). If you're running short of time, omit the homemade ice cream and mix chopped peanut brittle into your favorite vanilla ice cream.

Peanuts are a huge crop in the South, especially in Georgia, and peanut-molasses brittle is a favorite treat. Sesame seeds-called benne seeds by southerners-are popular in Charleston. Brought to this country in the late 1600s by slaves, today the seeds are used in many specialties, including the famous benne seed cocktail wafers and a luscious brittle. We make our brittle out of both peanuts and benne, then crush it and sprinkle it over ice cream or frozen yogurt.

This recipe was developed by Houston pastry chef Carrie Hart with the assistance of Girl Scout Amanda Marlow.

Arrange in boxes lined with waxed paper. Try simple take-out cartons tied up with raffia and decorated with small pinecones.

Use leftover chicken if you have any on hand, or start with a rotisserie chicken. Be sure to pick up the sliced peppers from the salad bar while you're at the market. Crunchy sesame breadsticks are all you need to complete the meal — except, of course, dessert, which could be pineapple slices sprinkled with coconut and broiled.

Gin Thoke This salad is pungent, crunchy, intriguing, and addictive. Although served as a dessert in Myanmar, it is also a great accompaniment to grilled fish, chicken, or steak.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less. "Goober"is a southern colloquialism for the peanut — and a great name for our ice cream sandwiches. Be sure to put these together before dinner so that they'll be frozen and ready to enjoy.

This speedy dinner features a verdant take on chili crisp, with scallions, jalapeños, and roasted peanuts for crunch.

A simple stovetop method brings out the best in this earthy root veg.

Nutty bites for an afternoon boost or postpartum nourishment.

Spicy, slurpy noodles meet summer’s sweet tomatoes.

With a peanut butter sauce and crunchy vegetables, this easy-to-love noodle salad is a surefire hit with kids and adults alike.