Cheese

Set out black beans, rice, lettuce, salsa and hot flour tortillas to go with the chicken.

At La Porteña, an Argentine restaurant in Jackson Heights, New York, spicy chorizo sausage is used to give this frittata-style omelet its heat. If you can't find chorizo, hot Italian sausage makes a nice substitute.

Reduced-fat cream cheese gives this dish a nice texture. Put out some sliced melon with grapes, and offer coffee and orange juice.

This can be used to lighten any casserole that calls for a white sauce.

(Sicilian "Pizza" with Onions and Anchovies) Sfinciune derives its name from a word in local dialect meaning soft, light, or tender, a reference to its rich, airy crust. This version of sfinciune has a bread-crumb topping, which gives it a pleasant crunch.

Seared beef tenderloin with Mustard-Horseradish sauce. Guests place the beef atop baguette slices to make miniature open-face sandwiches.

Crusts made of ground biscotti and almonds accent this do-ahead dessert.

Dorothy Williams of Vancouver, British Columbia, writes: "To celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary, my husband and I spent a week in Victoria, British Columbia. We particularly enjoyed Abigail's Hotel, where we had some delicious carrot-coconut cupcakes." For a lovely breakfast muffin, omit the cream cheese frosting.

These Colombian corn pancakes do a good job of soaking up the juices from the pork.