Like many families, our Thanksgiving holiday is filled with ritual and custom. We tend to prepare the same dishes, often served in a bowl or on a plate that is a sentimental favorite - Grandma's gravy boat, my Mom's crystal bowl for the cranberries.

The heat in our spicy mac and cheese comes from Cajun seasoning, pepper jack cheese and chopped jalapeno. To turn things up a notch, add hot sauce to the bechamel!

We are a family of flan eaters, all 30 or so of us, so it was just natural that I should start bringing a pumpkin flan to the Thanksgiving dinner. This recipe makes a bit more than will fit in the loaf pan so we generally make a couple of ramekins on the side for, um, quality control.

Pan-seared salmon is an elegant, wholesome entree that requires little time or effort. Add a side salad or simple green, and dinner is served.

If dessert (or even afternoon snack time!) rolls around and you're craving something light, tropical and just barely sweet then this sticky rice should hit the spot. The rice cooks up to have that familiar sticky texture but has only the faintest hint of coconut and sweetness. This really lets the mango pieces shine through as the focus of the dish. The chia seeds add a nice little extra bit of crunch on top of the more traditional black sesame without being obtrusive.

Heavenly! That's the first thing that comes to mind. They were very easy to make; some cooks might need to know that the base and top aren't a dough, and they might wonder if the bars will work -- but they do! Light and not very sweet, they're perfect with a cup of afternoon tea. *I used Dalmatia sour cherry spread (found at Whole Foods), which was the only sour cherry preserve I could find. Also, I used the pastry cutter instead of the fork to blend in the egg.

After a long day of sledding, the aroma of these beautiful short ribs says welcome home. Warm and comforting, they make a worthy low-maintenance dinner.

No cinnamon, no cloves -- this sauce is straight up apple, mainlined to your belly.

This recipe is from Melissa Clark's new book, Cook This Now. It's pecan pie that's taken a little walk on the wild side: Melissa uses maple syrup instead of the more traditional corn syrup and infuses it with star anise and a little rum. Best of all? Her crust is tender and flaky, as well as easy to handle.

Years and years (and years and years) ago I worked at a Brazilian restaurant where we served a rich avocado shake. I had never had a sweet avocado anything but was instantly sold. This gelato's roots start there, and evolve with amazing vanilla beans I got at the market in Aix, big beautiful farmer's markets eggs, milk and cream. It is impossibly rich and creamy and I think fairly irresistible. And yes, I misspelled it on purpose because rhyming is fun!

Moon Pies (or MoonPies), often associated with the southern part of the U.S., are usually two round graham crackers with a marshmallow crème filling, and dipped in chocolate (or other flavored coatings). While it is probably hard to get the exact flavor and texture of commercial moon pies, this homemade version is more far more wholesome and uses no high fructose corn syrup.

My husband would eat pork chops every day if he could. Luckily, they're good prepared in all sorts of ways, including with pears.

I'm a school counselor and a mother of one young child. Even with my busy schedule, I can make this in the morning and pop it into the oven when I get home.

I threw this crispy BBQ chicken recipe together one night when I had two chicken breasts to use up. After adding french-fried onions and baked-on barbecue sauce, I was thrilled with how moist and tasty it turned out. My husband was, too!

With their creamy filling and delicate crab flavor, these roll-ups are simply satisfying. "I serve this quick and easy dish at my cafe all the time," relates Fran Rodgers, Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. "It's one of my favorites."

This one-pot Spanish chicken and rice casserole is easy to make, versatile and filled to the brim with flavor. Follow the recipe as is, or make it your own, for a nutritious, tasty dish that makes lovely leftovers too.