With the approach of the holiday party season, I am always on the lookout for make-ahead appetizers that are a little different from the usual spread of cheeses, meats and crudite. Chicken liver pâté doesn't enjoy the popularity it had when Julia Child was queen, but this elegant yet economical hors d'oeuvre is due for a comeback. Cooked down with apple, shallots, fresh herbs and brandy, lowly liver transforms into an umami-rich spread that can be made up to one week ahead and will have even those hesitant about liver reaching for more. More

Fancy a little pork on your dinner table this week? How does pork stir-fry sound? Perhaps a rich, warming plate of pork ragu with semolina dumplings is more your taste, or spicy pork cabbage rolls. If all else fails, a simple pork tenderloin or a big platter of slow-cooked pork carnitas is bound to satisfy. Whatever your particular pork craving, these 15 recipes are worth trying: More

How to Grill Really Juicy Burgers & Simple Salmon Teriyaki

This week we're bringing you a series of recipes and cooking lessons revolving, for the most part, around meat in its many forms. This time of year tends to be meat-heavy (hello holiday roasts!). We'll also, though, look at some of our favorite meat alternatives, and terrific vegetarian mains for any time of year, but especially for big celebratory dinners. But first — we're curious about our readers' meat-eating ways. Do you eat a lot of beef? Chicken? A mix? Or are you a vegetarian? Tell us in our survey below — and we'd love to hear from you in the comments, too!

What do you reach for, when shopping for chicken? Boneless skinless breasts? Thighs? A whole chicken, legs and all? Chicken is the second most consumed meat in America, just behind beef, thanks to its affordability and ease of cooking. We love how easy it is to find organic, free-range chickens these days; it seems to be the most affordable way to eat sustainable, well-raised meat. But what to do with that wholesome chicken when you bring it home? Do you get in a chicken rut? Well, we're here to offer some fresh ideas from our rich archive of chicken recipes. More

When the temperature takes a permanent nosedive and fall is starting to look a lot more like winter, shepherd's pie is one of the first things that I crave. One enormous square of this casserole, with its blanket of mashed potatoes and that savory meat-and-vegetable filling, sends a sigh of contentment through my whole body. One casserole makes more than enough for my household of two, so I can look forward to comfort meals all week long. More

Q: I made a delicious corned beef dinner in my crock pot to hold me through the hurricane, and now have a very nice rich, meaty broth left over. It seems so wasteful to throw this out. Do you have any ideas for making it into another meal? More

The odds are good that many of us are planning on chicken for dinner tonight. Quick-cooking, relatively healthy, adaptable to everything from a big salad to a stir-fry — chicken breasts are definitely our friend when it comes to weeknight meals. Let's make sure you're buying the right meat for your plans. More

Meat can be one of the biggest expenses when hosting a dinner party, but that doesn't mean you have to cut it out completely if you're trimming your entertaining budget this year. In fact, cheaper cuts of meat are often juicier, more flavorful, and easier to make ahead, which makes them ideal for entertaining. And as the recipes below prove, they can be just as elegant and impressive as their more expensive counterparts. More

Q: Smitten Kitchen's chicken meatballs are one of my go-to party foods. For an upcoming election results party, I need to find a way to make them kosher — any idea what I could use in a panade that's not milk? (I already omit the pancetta.)

Sent by Nicole More

This is the time of year when Dutch ovens come into their own. Even if you use your big, heavy Dutch oven year-round, as I do, it still seems to come down off its shelf a little more often in the fall. Today I want to show you my favorite Dutch oven — and a soup to cook in it. This soup is one of those magical recipes with just a few ingredients, and all the usual suspects — carrot, onion, beans, chicken broth — that nevertheless turns out to have such a deep, wonderful flavor you don't mind that it makes enough to feed you for a week. And a Dutch oven is really the best vessel for it, because this soup is cooked just a little differently. More