From Fine Cooking Magazine

This is great on its own, but if you like to gild the lily, try one of the add-ins below.

Classic Baked Macaroni & Cheese

From Fine Cooking Magazine

Slow-Roasted Beet Wedges

From Food & Wine

Baking these easy dumplings right on top of the simmering stew makes them extra fluffy.

Stovetop Chicken and Dumplings

From Better Homes and Gardens

For sweet stirrers, prop in peppermint sticks. This homemade treat is far less expensive than in a coffee shop.

Chocolate Cappuccino

From Better Homes and Gardens

Just stir all the ingredients in the pot and let the savory soup simmer away until you're ready to eat. Now that's an easy dinner.

Beef-Barley Soup

From Fine Cooking Magazine

Instead of using breadcrumbs to bind my meatloaf, I tear up bread into small pieces to provide delicate pockets of softness in each slice of meatloaf. For a decadent touch, I wrap the meatlof in bacon and then use a bit more bacon to make a velvety mushroom gravy. It's a perfect sauce for the meatloaf and works really well with a side of mashed potatoes, too.

Bacon-Wrapped Meatloaf

From Fine Cooking Magazine

This garlicky soup is a snap to pull together, and most of the ingredients are basic pantry staples. The whole thing is ready in about an hour, but the soup's complex flavors belie the quick cooking time. You can serve it as soon as the kale is tender, but letting it sit for an hour and then reheating gently makes it even better (wait to add the lemon until just before serving). Crusty cheese toasts make an excellent accompaniment.

Mediterranean Kale & White Bean Soup with Sausage

From Fine Cooking Magazine

Start this recipe at least a day ahead. Serve the pork and vegetables with mashed potatoes or with beans (like cranberry or cannellini) seasoned with pounded garlic, extra-virgin olive oil, and sage.

Slow-Roasted Pork Shoulder with Carrots, Onions, and Garlic

From Fine Cooking Magazine

Don't be scared off by the liver in this stuffing. It's really there just to bind the stuffing and add a rich background note; you won't even notice it.

Beef Tenderloin with Wild Mushroom Stuffing & Port Wine Sauce

From Fine Cooking Magazine

A fast, creamy pan sauce dresses up these simple seared pork chops; serve them with rice or noodles to soak up the sauce.

Pork Chops with Mustard Sauce

From Fine Cooking Magazine

To cook one duck, you need about 2-1/2 cups of fat. A 4-1/2-pound duck renders at least 1 cup of fat. Ask your butcher for extra duck fat or order online. Otherwise, you'll need another cooking fat to supplement. I'd use a mild lard; its flavor isn't obtrusive.

Duck Confit

From Fine Cooking Magazine

Classic Potato Pancakes

From Fine Cooking Magazine

I love this as a side dish because its sweet flavors go so well with my recipe for Mustard-Sage & Maple-Glazed Pork Roast and because the sour-tangy element highlights the flavors in the glaze.

Sweet-Sour Red Cabbage

From Fine Cooking Magazine

You can jazz up this basic recipe by adding Rosemary-Lemon Thyme Oil or Moroccan Spice Rub when you toss the turnips with olive oil and salt and pepper before roasting. Or toss the turnips with Sesame Sea Salt, Caramelized Shallot Butter, Ginger-Lemon Soy Splash, or Toasted Coriander & Garlic Oil after they come out of the oven.

Basic Roasted Turnips

From Fine Cooking Magazine

Sirloin tips are a great choice for a quick braise, as they're full of flavor and will have a pleasantly chewy texture after 20 minutes of cooking (further cooking would toughen them). Some grocers mistakenly label tri-tip steak as sirloin tips. You'll recognize real sirloin tips (also called loin flap meat) by the marbling. If the cut looks lean, ask your butcher if it's truly loin flap meat.

Beer-Braised Sirloin Tips with Mushroom Sauce

From Fine Cooking Magazine

Bourbon-Chocolate Mousse

From Fine Cooking Magazine

Steamed Coriander-Gingerbread Cake with Eggnog Creme Anglaise

From Fine Cooking Magazine

This is a perfect accompaniment to roast beef or chicken with mashed potatoes. Be sure to let the carrots and shallots caramelize and turn golden brown at the end.

Glazed Carrots & Shallots with Thyme

From Fine Cooking Magazine

Store-bought bread is fine for making most kinds of bread stuffing, but for cornbread stuffing, I think it's best to make your own. This cornbread, adapted from a recipe by contributing editor Pam Anderson, is noteworthy because it doesn't call for any wheat flour, so it's bursting with corn flavor. Use it to make cornbread stuffing or serve it warm, slathered with butter and honey or maple syrup.

Buttermilk Cornbread

From Betty Crocker

Winter party? Make a bunch of frosted cakes, and invite kids or kids-at-heart to decorate.

Snowman Face Cake

From Fine Cooking Magazine

This pleasantly sweet side dish yearns to be served with roast pork and potatoes.

Braised Red Cabbage with Red Zinfandel

From Fine Cooking Magazine

Stuffing chicken breasts with minced rosemary and garlic and then tying the breasts together creates little roasts infused with flavor.

Rosemary-Garlic Chicken with Apple & Fig Compote

From Fine Cooking Magazine

I love preparing the classic Norman combination of chicken, apples, and cream during the winter months. This roasted version adds mustard and tarragon for extra depth, plus carrots, fennel, and onion for a one-dish meal.

Chicken with Apples & Cider

From Fine Cooking Magazine

You can blanch the escarole up to one hour ahead. Wait until just before serving to add the lemon juice, though, as the acid in the juice will dull the escarole's color if it sits too long.

Sauteed Escarole with Raisins, Pine Nuts, and Capers

From Fine Cooking Magazine

Delicata Squash with Caramelized Shallots & Sherry