This is a simple recipe for baked beans, and oh so good.

Couscous is widely used throughout North Africa. Like many pastas, couscous is simply coarse hard-wheat flour (semolina) and water. Traditionally, the two were mixed together by hand and pressed through a sieve to make tiny granules.

|Serve this moist, molasses-rich gingerbread with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. Drizzle the chocolate in a zigzag pattern over the batter, then drag a knife through the lines of chocolate, alternating the direction each time.

A quick and easy flavorful gazpacho. Works well as either an appetizer, side or entrée on a hot summer day for lunch or light dinner.

Tzatziki, a traditional Greek dressing made from cucumber, yogurt, and mint, lends a cool complement to the burgers.

Baking the desserts in a hot-water bath keeps them creamy and custardy beneath their golden, cakey tops. Lining the roasting pan with a dish towel helps the water circulate under the cups for even cooking.

Here’s an unusual version of pasta and meatballs. The delicately flavored sauce features gjetost, a firm, caramel-colored Norwegian cheese with a distinctive, rather sweet flavor. Look for 8-ounce bricks of gjetost in the supermarket dairy case.

Madeira or sherry mellows the flavor of Italian sausage, helping the spicy meat blend smoothly with a mushroom cream sauce. Serve the rich mixture over spinach past

The combination of pesto, potatoes, and green beans originates in Liguria, a region of Italy. It’s best made at the height of summer, when fresh basil is readily available, but you can make it any time of year with store-bought pesto.

Vodka emphasizes the flavor of a creamy tomato - dotted sauce for silken smoked salmon and pasta tubes. Serve the dish as a first course, or present it as the entree with tender—crisp green beans and a simple salad.

This slowly simmered,vegetable-rich red sauce is so filled with savory flavor that you'll never even miss the meat.

Fresh lemon juice adds another layer of flavor to this side dish.

Here’s the perfect dinner solution for evenings when it’s too hot to do a lot of cooking. You can substitute leftover or store-bought roasted chicken for the sautéed chicken breasts.