Quick

Look for deveined shrimp still in the shell at the seafood counter or in the frozen foods section of the market. If you like, marinate the chicken and shrimp for an hour at room temperature or two hours in the fridge, turning skewers occasionally.

Elizabeth likes to serve these with bacon. For the ultimate breakfast, she cooks the bacon first, pours off a bit of the grease, and cooks the pancakes in the same skillet.

Fattoush is a Middle Eastern take on panzanella, Italian bread salad. In fact, rustic Italian bread is a good alternative to the pita.

If desired, garnish drinks with a wedge of grilled pineapple and a chile slice.

A festive margarita variation with muddled fresh blackberries, thyme, and sparkling wine.

Try the topping on burgers or in quesadillas, too.

Pink peppercorns and peppercorn mélange (a mixture of black, pink, green, and white peppercorns) are available at many supermarkets.

This recipe is a great excuse to buy heirloom tomatoes in different colors and varieties — they'll look beautiful here.

Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are from Bikini Bootcamp: Two Weeks to Your Ultimate Beach Body, by Melissa Perlman and Erica Gragg. This tasty curry goes wonderfully on top of couscous and makes for a filling meal.

Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are from Bikini Bootcamp: Two Weeks to Your Ultimate Beach Body, by Melissa Perlman and Erica Gragg. This yummy dressing is a favorite at Bikini Bootcamp. Try it over salads, fish, and vegetables. You can dilute with water to your liking.

Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are from Bikini Bootcamp: Two Weeks to Your Ultimate Beach Body, by Melissa Perlman and Erica Gragg. This fabulous salad is the most requested recipe in our Bikini Bootcamp repertoire! It works great with either grilled fish or chicken, and over the course of the program, you'll enjoy it both ways. It packs quality nutrition into very few calories, plus it delivers a hefty dose of healthy fiber to fill you up so you're never hungry. We guarantee that you'll be making it long after these two weeks are up!

We tried making this oil with Sichuan peppercorns that were not ground but found eating them whole just too numbing. Like the red-chile oil above, it's the perfect thing for adding a final blitz of flavor.

We like to make up a batch of this oil and keep it on hand for seasoning Asian dishes just before serving.

The flavors of Mexico enliven this very adaptable spice paste, which is excellent on grilled beef and chicken as well as pork. If you want to make the flavor even more complex, substitute crushed chile de árbol, dried pasilla, or New Mexico chiles for the red-pepper flakes.

On a recent visit to London, Knauer overheard a local in a pub ordering a "Guinness and Black" — which turned out to be the famous Irish stout plus a shot of blackberry brandy. That combination is also the genius behind these floats; the brandy's luscious fruitiness bridges the gap between the sweet ice cream and bitter beer.