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Cara Brunetti Hillyard of Hamilton, Virginia, writes: "I come from a long line of great cooks. My father owns an Italian market in Scranton, Pennsylvania, where my mother gets a lot of the ingredients she uses in her wonderful dishes. My mother-in-law is a recipe developer, and I've been known to sit next to my great-aunt Stella with a pen and paper as she details her amazing recipes. I live far from home now, but I reconnect with my family traditions every evening when I make dinner."

The classic combo is back — and bacon makes it better than ever.

Ají ecuatorianoají ecuatoriano Served on the table as an accompaniment to soups, this fresh sauce gets its tart, vibrant flavor from the tamarillo (tree tomato), native to South America. A small red tomato can be substituted.

Why resort to takeout? This spicy coconut sauce, brimming with stewed tomatoes, is a wonderful way to make weeknight chicken tempting again.

Usually broiled or grilled, flank steak is cooked on the stove here, then topped with a garlicky rosemary and mushroom ragout.

Salty, sweet, and tangy, the onion and pickle butter stands up beautifully to the rich oiliness of mackerel. Aside from their distinctive taste, the fish fillets have the bonus of broiling in just minutes.

Cornish hens have a distinctive, delicate flavor that can be easily overpowered. Perhaps surprisingly, the extroverted combination of olives and capers doesn't drown out the meat, but gives it an unexpectedly earthy and savory quality.

The crunch and hint of licorice from a fennel bulb and fennel seeds have the magical effect of making crab taste more intensely like itself in this simple, coyly romantic salad.

Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are from The Skinny: How to Fit into Your Little Black Dress Forever by Melissa Clark and Robin Aronson. Roasted marinated tofu is one of those addictive foods that's OK to keep eating, compared to, say, cheese fondue or doughnut holes. The combination of shiitake mushrooms and soy makes our version particularly hearty.

Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are from The Skinny: How to Fit into Your Little Black Dress Forever by Melissa Clark and Robin Aronson. Dressed with roasted red peppers, olive oil, mustard, and garlic instead of the usual bland mayonnaise, this chicken salad packs a punch. It's great made into a sandwich for lunch at the office. Or if bread isn't on your menu, serve the chicken salad on a bed of greens tossed with a little olive oil and sprinkled with salt.

Top this hearty vegetarian omelet with sour cream and chopped red onion. Serve with warm tortillas.

Rib eye or filet mignon would also work well in this recipe.

_Opor Ayam, Java, Indonesia Editor's note: This recipe is adapted from James Oseland's book _Cradle of Flavor: Home Cooking from the Spice Islands of Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore. It was originally accompanied by Lemongrass-Scented Coconut Rice and Lemongrass-Shallot Sambal and was part of an article by Oseland on Indonesian cuisine. A gorgeous coconut-milk curry from Java, Indonesia, perfumed with lemongrass, ginger, cinnamon sticks, and ground coriander. It's one of the benchmark dishes by which Indonesian home cooks are judged. If a young cook's opor ayam is as rich and delicate as it should be, she's well on her way to becoming skilled in the kitchen. The dish is a perfect showcase for a high-quality free-range chicken. A whole one, cut into small, bone-in serving pieces, will yield the best results, though whole chicken parts can be substituted without compromising the dish's taste. Daun salam leaves, the dried seasoning herb prized in Indonesian cooking, helps give this dish its unique aroma. I've often seen bay leaves listed as a substitute for daun salam in recipe books. While bay leaves have an aggressively mentholated taste, daun salam are subtle, with a faintly foresty flavor. The only thing the two herbs share in common is that they are both green leaves that grow on trees. Omit daun salam leaves if you're unable to find them.

Brasato (which means "braised" in Italian) is the ultimate pot roast.

Piquillos are sweet Spanish peppers with a rich, full flavor.

Start this early in the day or the night before. Chilling the chicken uncovered for several hours makes the skin crispy when roasted.

Food editor Gina Marie Miraglia Eriquez got the idea of using egg fettuccine in place of lasagne noodles in this deliciously over-the-top lasagne from Mary Ann Castaldi, the mother of her college roommate, who would send her daughter back to school with a giant pan of lasagne after weekends at home.