There are a lot of meats we tend to serve at holidays or for Sunday dinners. And although we all love them the first time they appear on the table, our enthusiasm can wane if they don’t get eaten up quickly enough.
This week, I dug out some recipes that may inspire you to use up all those leftovers after the new has worn off.

I love the creamy richness of ripe avocados and enjoy them sliced and sprinkled with lemon juice.
They don’t taste like anything else and add lots of flavor and texture to everyday salads. But if you want to stretch your repertoire a little, branch out and try avocados several different ways.
We’re so fortunate to have the access we do to so many kinds of fruits and vegetables whether or not they’re in season, and avocados are just one example of our great good fortune.
And if you’re one of those people who’ve never tasted avocado, please don’t tell me you don’t like it. First you have to eat it. Then feel free to critique it.

When you think of cottage cheese, do you immediately think of dieting? Well, think again.
Cottage cheese has been the go-to food for those who want to slim down, but please don’t limit this versatile cheese to just being a tummy trimmer.
It is used here in a dessert, an omelet, a loaf of bread and in a potato salad. I think you’ll be surprised.
So try at least one of these and tinker with it as you see fit. Fine-tuning recipes is just another part of being a cook. I hope you enjoy one of these.

When spring finally arrives, the yard is calling my name.
I don’t want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen, so I look for food that isn’t too heavy or time consuming.
The crusted pork tenderloin is a nice weekend dish to make. Pork tenderloin is one of the leanest meats, and crusting it will keep it from drying out. It also makes great sandwiches the next day if there’s any left.
The cabbage apple salad will keep for several days and goes well with the pork, as do the sweet potato patties. The extra patties can be frozen and kept on hand for another meal.
The flourless chocolate cake is delicious, extremely rich and low in calories. Now isn’t that wonderful? People will fight over this cake, so be careful who you invite for dinner when you serve it.
Thank you to my readers for your thoughtful comments and feedback on the recipes.

I went to Sante Fe last week and fell in love with the art and the food.
All the recipes this week were gathered from the trip thanks to Leslie, our waitress at the Anasazi Restaurant, who got some of the information from their chef and Pam, our waitress at the Ore, for the information about the salad dressing and to Henry at the Villas De Santa Fe for sending us to a great Mexican restaurant for fry bread.
The food was excellent. We were surprised to see how different the flavors and selections were in New Mexico of Mexican dishes available at home.
And it isn’t all about the heat.
Yes, we had peppers in our hash browns, but the varieties of peppers, the amount of heat and the flavors apparently are limitless.

There’s nothing quite like a hot flaky biscuit right out of the oven.
The four recipes featured this week should please the pickiest eater.
Now, I’m not claiming that they’re fat-free, because they’re not. Nor am I even claiming they’re low in fat, because when it comes to good biscuits I don’t care about any of that. I care about how they taste.
None of these recipes are for people who are looking for diet food. If it calls for butter, use real butter. If it calls for cheese, use real cheese. After eating any of these, you may feel slightly guilty, but you will not be hungry.
Go for the gusto, and happy baking.

St. Patrick’s Day is this Thursday, and we are indebted to our Irish ancestors for the richness of the heritage passed along to our entire region.
Our music, stories, food and traditions bear the stamp of the shamrock whether Irish blood flows in our veins or not.
Irish potatoes and Irish stew make regular appearances in our kitchens year-round, so why not go all out on St. Patrick’s Day and make the menu an all-Irish one?
Feel free to fine-tune these recipes anyway you like.
Happy St. Patrick’s Day to all.

An old friend who happens to be a food enthusiast suggested I feature Thai recipes in a food page. I really enjoy Thai food, as does she, but hadn’t thought of it as a potential food page. It was time to think again.
This week the four recipes include cucumber salad, noodles, a chicken dish and a simple dessert.
One of the bonuses of eating Thai food is the low sugar and fat content of the food. You can go all the way with hot and spicy flavor or you can have very little heat in the food. It’s entirely up to the individual cook.
Not sure you’ll like Thai food? This is one good way to find out.
There are also a number of good Thai restaurants in our region if you want to introduce yourself to Thai food without going to any effort whatsoever. I hope you’ll try one of these.
It’s good for us to expand our knowledge and appreciation of other cuisines.

Perfection Salad has been around since 1905. The reason for its longevity is that it’s delicious and addictive.
The Watergate Salad came into being during Nixon’s presidency for obvious reasons but it really is good and easy to whip up.
I’ve been making the blueberry congealed salad for more than 30 years and we enjoy it as much now as we did then.
The Millionaire Fruit Salad is another old favorite. It’s great to have an old standby like one of the four featured this week.
You can almost make them in your sleep and they never fail.
They also look pretty on the table, and appearance is 50 percent of everything. I believe everybody will like at least one of these. Enjoy.

Peanut butter is a beloved standby.
There’s probably a jar of either creamy or crunchy in every home, unless someone in the family has a peanut allergy.
Children take peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to school, parents brown bag them to work, and weekends wouldn’t be complete without this traditional combo.
But you don’t have to limit yourself.