5 Ingredients or Fewer

Crème fraîche makes these potatoes extra rich and utterly delicious.

Throughout the Spanish-speaking world, thickened sweetened milk is a regular feature at dessert time (and, like all treats, whenever Mom isn’t looking). Though not difficult to make from scratch on top of the stove, the use of condensed milk eliminates the need for constant stirring. Be sure to check the water level in the pan about halfway through cooking; if it’s low, carefully add a little more.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

The same parsley butter (which can be prepared three days ahead) seasons the pasta and the broccoli rabe served alongside.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less but may require additional sitting time.

Active time: 40 min Start to finish: 1 hr

Serve the oranges alone or alongside a wedge of angel food cake or pound cake.

This recipe is an accompaniment for Shepherd's Pie. Using the microwave makes cooking the potatoes especially easy.

As all southerners know, eating Hoppin' John—black-eyed peas and rice—on New Year's Day ensures good luck. But it is the collards, traditionally eaten alongside, that bring good fortune! An added bonus to cooking up a mess o' greens is the resultant pot liquor—the delicious, nutritious broth left in the bottom of the cooking pot or serving dish. It is usually served as an accompaniment to that last piece of corn bread.

Salsicce con l'Uva While this dish makes for excellent dinner fare, I personally prefer it served on a crusty roll for lunch along with a glass of Chianti Colli Aretini.... If you don't have good crusty bread on hand, make a few mashed potatoes while these sausages are roasting in the oven.

For a Fourth of July theme, top these bluish purple potatoes with salmon or red lumpfish roe. Active time: 20 min Start to finish: 35 min

Carne Adovada At Maria's New Mexican Kitchen, in Santa Fe, New Mexico, this stew is used to fill enchiladas and burritos, but it also makes a very satisfying meal served alone or over rice.

This pasta celebrates the month of September, when tomatoes are truly in full season and just exploding. It's our favorite take on pasta al pomodoro.

These layered biscuits require a little more effort than the conventional kind, but they're worth it. The recipe calls for White Lily all-purpose flour, which is made from an extra finely ground softer wheat than regular all-purpose flour and results in a lovely, tender texture. Active time: 40 minutes Start to finish: 1 1/4 hours