Grapefruit is pretty much the king of winter fruit in this neck of the woods, so I wanted to play around and see if it might work in a custard tart—and it does! Inspired by and adapted from the Nellie & Joe's Key Lime Pie recipe, the one on the back of the bottle—my favorite.

Once you are released from gluten, you find out something you didn't know when you automatically reached for that bag of all-purpose bleached wheat flour. Flours have flavors.

Use perfectly ripe plums when you make this, as they have a way of being honest in this cake -- if they're too firm, you'll notice later. And at the risk of making enemies with Alice Medrich, I will tell you that I've made this without sifting, and no one complained. Sift if you wish, you won't hear from me if you don't.

I enjoy baking with mostly organic ingredients; lately I’ve been using organic Einkorn wheat flour (an heirloom, non-hybridized variety with less gluten than regular flour quite a bit. If you cannot find Einkorn wheat flour (I like the Jovial brand), use unbleached, all-purpose flour. I haven’t tried it yet, but I believe you could make a gluten-free version of this cake with almond flour; chopped apples would be a nice addition if you plan to make the cake in the fall.

Rustic ingredients deliver fantastic results in this warming, filling cabbage and beef stew. The beef and vegetables get velvety soft during braising to create a meaty, unctuous stew that nourishes the body and soul.

I created this dish on a whim to feed my hungry teenagers. It's since become a dinnertime staple, and now two of my grandchildren make it in their own kitchens.

These macaroons are an updated take on the classic we remember from childhood. Each bite is a happy marriage of textures and flavors: spikes of crunchy, toasted coconut blanket a chewy core generously studded with semi-sweet chocolate and an unexpected hint of balsamic vinegar. The vinegar balances the sweetness and adds sophistication, as if grandma’s recipe took a turn through Tuscany. A batch can be pulled together in half an hour, ready to rescue you in a pinch with a sweet treat that appears far more complicated. You might even have most of the ingredients on the shelf.

This popular Italian dish is flavorful and spicy. We decided to re-create one of our favorite jarred sauces and serve over zucchini pasta for a lighter, healthier meal that's naturally gluten-free. The results were amazing!

This cheesy casserole uses several of my family's favorite ingredients, including macaroni, kidney beans, tomatoes and cheese. Just add a leafy salad for a complete meal.

This is not the marble cake of your childhood! Even if the cake of memory was delicious, this one is hipper, super simple to make, and gorgeous without your doing anything special to make it so. The batter is made with flavorful extra virgin olive oil, a hint of white pepper, and natural cocoa powder. The tiger stripe marbling happens magically, all by itself, while the cake is baking; all you have to do is layer the batters into the pan.

This Asian-inspired one-pot chicken dinner is healthy and tasty. You can serve it hot, cold or at room temperature. &mash; Doris Kwon, Newport Coast, California

If there are people in your family who think they won’t like the taste of curry, serve this. They’ll be curry lovers forever!

When I was young, my mother made lots of different kinds of cookies in the weeks leading up to Christmas. These "snowflakes" (which technically aren't really cookies, but no matter) were among my favorites because they were simple enough that my sister and I could actually help my mother make them. We often filled tins with these to take to our teachers before school let out for Christmas vacation. I've never been a huge fan of the bland sweetness of white chocolate, but when it's combined with something salty—like pretzels, or the salted peanuts in these snowflakes—I can be swayed. Really, these snowflakes are just Rice Krispies treats for grownups. Of course, if you don't like white chocolate, or Rice Krispies, you can experiment with milk or dark chocolate or use different types of cereal (I think Cheerios would be pretty good). Best of all, the snowflakes take all of 15 minutes to make, leaving you with plenty of time to write cards or wrap presents or do whatever else you don't have enough time to do.

One time, I made a similar cookie (one that also called for melted chocolate in the batter) with a Valrhona chocolate bar that, unbeknownst to me, was flavored with orange. My sister and I could not for the lives of us figure out what had made the cookies taste so good. Finally, a teacher (we had baked the cookies for a class of hers) came out with it: "I love the orange flavor," she said completely casually. That said, these cookies are great made with regular semi-sweet Ghiradelli chocolate chips, which is what I used here.

Getting my meat-loving husband and two sons, ages 5 and 7, to eat more veggies had always been a struggle until I whipped up this stir-fry. I was shocked when they cleaned their plates and asked for seconds.

The spicy heat of the chicken pairs beautifully with the flavorful cilantro butter in this original recipe from Diane Halferty of Corpus Christi, Texas. We added spicy chocolate cinnamon cane sugar to the chicken, which complemented the other spices that are brushed over the chicken before grilling.