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Sangria lightened with sparkling water makes a festive spritzer to go with this dinner.

An adaptation of a recipe from Mexican Light Cooking by our friend Kathi Long, a chef and author in Santa Fe.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

This dough is moist, so it should be made in a heavy-duty electric mixer.

Although the morels add a woodsy intensity to the flavor of the consommé, they are not essential. You can substitute other dried exotic mushrooms or eliminate them altogether and simply float a thin slice of fresh white mushroom on the soup right before covering the bowl with the pastry.

Curry powder, cumin, and cinnamon give this dish a hint of the exotic.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Wrapped foods, such as the Vietnamese spring roll, the Filipino lumpia and the Chinese egg roll, have a long history in Asian cooking and are hot items right now all across America. The lime juice, ginger, cilantro, cucumber and mint in this recipe are found in the cuisines of all Southeast Asian countries. Round out this dinner with hot or iced jasmine tea and cold Thai beer.

For easier crumbling, chill the cheese before adding it to the salad. The French lentils called for here are sold at specialty foods stores; regular brown lentils can be used, and the cooking time is about the same.

Leeks, shallots, onions and garlic combine to make a rich, delicious side dish.

This clever combination of tastes and textures features hominy, cilantro, jicama, jalapeños, lime juice and cumin.

This simple and delicious starter gets a hint of spiciness from cayenne pepper.

These easy-to-make vegetables are served at Chamberlain's Prime Chop House in Dallas, Texas.

Skillet cakes make from grains are popular at reatautants across the country. This recipe has a great do-ahead hint - the cakes can be prepared hours before they're cooked. And they are a good way to use leftover risotto.