Making ravioli is an easy way to maximize your pasta skills. It yields very “fancy” results with just a little practice and no special equipment. Fill your ravioli with ricotta or other cheeses, scallops, beef, mushrooms, squash, lobster, or crab.

There’s nothing more satisfying than a warm bowl of hearty meat, creamy beans and hot chiles. This hearty, warming stew originated in the 1800s in northern Mexico before spreading into Texas and beyond. Originally, it was prepared with dried beef, suet, chili peppers, and salt, pounded together and dried into bricks for easy transport, and then cooked in a pot of boiling water.

At 18, I was introduced to Thai curry at a restaurant called Tree Top in Waltham, MA. I was entranced by the exotic flavors of lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, coconut and fish sauce on a bed of fragrant rice. I had to try to make something that delicious at home!