Chicken parm is my signature dish. I've had plenty of guests tell me it's the best they've ever had. It's easy and I'm thankful to be able to make it without thinking.

I recently made the Jamie Oliver Chicken in Milk and it's fast becoming a favorite as far as ease of preparation and fantastic results. (I'm making it again this weekend for houseguests.)

For large dinners I often make the mustard-crusted pork loin from Sunday Suppers. It's delicious!

For appetizers, I love making homemade hummus, baba ganoush and muhammara paired with crudités and toasted pita.

During the warmer months, we do a LOT of grilling. This pasta salad was my favorite as a kid, and with a few tweaks, I've made it my own. It's known in my circles as "THE pasta salad." I'm hesitant to let out my secret, but joy should be spread. Here it is:

12 oz Rotini/penne (I like the tri-color stuff) cooked, drained, cooled
1 pint cherry/grape tomatoes, cut in half
1 small red/yellow bell pepper, diced
1 bunch Green Onion, chopped
1/2 box frozen peas, defrosted
1 can whole kernel corn, drained (fresh peas and corn even better!)
8 oz Feta Cheese, chunked
any other veggies you want to throw in there

Dressing:
~1/2 Cup Olive Oil
~1/2 cup Seasoned Rice Vinegar
2-3 tbs sugar
1-2 cloves garlic (optional)
some dijon mustard (optional)
Salt and Pepper, lots

Refrigerate at least 1/2 hour. Even better the next day.

this is idiot-simple, but a bag of coleslaw and a bottle of miso-ginger dressing makes the best slaw ever.

i'm also big on the caramelized onion, sauteed veg and pasta-cooked-in-stock trifecta.

Home made Mac and Cheese! I switch up the types of cheese but it always always comes out amazing. I started making it in college with my roommates and then now with my husband it has gone from bagged shredded cheddar to Fontina, Gruyere and whatever other fancy cheeses we end up trying. Add a little seasoned bread crumbs on the top and it is good to go, bubbly, cheesy, always YUMMY! We've mastered the process so it's our go-to comfort food.

Mine is my Spanish-inspired green beans with pine nuts. I blanch the beans then sautee them with garlic, paprika, lemon juice and olive oil. Add in the pine nuts. The more oil and the longer you leave them in, the tastier they get, but they're healthier with less oil and more crunch. My mom and sister call me for the recipe all the time, and my husband and I recently got in a fight because he made them with onions (horrors!) Also once he accidentally used chili powder instead of paprika. The legend grows!

For the last six years I've been making this Chicken Salad for all family gatherings... and I mean ALL. Its gotten to the point where I do not even ask what I need to bring, because It always is the Chicken Salad. Overall it takes a little time, but the steps are very simple and I recommend doing it a day ahead so the flavors mix well. We serve it as an appetizer with crackers or in those phyllo dough cups. Here is the recipe, hope you all like it. Beware... this make a lot!!

Chicken Salad

4-5 Chicken breast with ribs
3 Carrots
3 Celery sticks
1 Red pepper
1 Vidalia Onion
2 cups of raisins
2 cups of mayo
2 tbs of white vinegar
1 bunch of cilantro
1 1/2 tsp of lemon pepper
1 tsp of curry powder
Salt & Pepper to taste

Coarsely chop all veggies. In a shallow pan place all veggies and top them with salt and pepper and olive oil to roast. In another shallow pan place the chicken add salt, lemon pepper, and olive oil to coat. Place both pans in a 400 degree preheated oven for 30 to 45 min, depending on your oven.

Preserve the juices collected on the bottom of the pans. When cooled place the veggies in the food processor and coarsely chop. Remove from the processor and add to a large bowl. Separate the chicken from the ribs and add the breast two at a time to the processor and chop to a fine texture (almost looking like tuna). Transfer to the bowl. In a separate bowl combine mayo, curry powder, finely CHOPPED cilantro, vinegar, salt, pepper and the juices from the pans. Mix until well incorporated. Add to large bowl containing veggies and chicken. Also add the rasins and mix well. Taste and add salt or pepper to your taste. Enjoy!

I have two dishes: chocolate chip cookies and the sausage thing (that's its name). Whenever I make cookies for my uncle, I have to give him half in cookies and half in dough (which, like myself, is his favourite part).

The sausage thing is pretty simple, and it's my most requested meal. Here it is:

1 pound of fresh chorizo sausage
1 onion, diced
1 small log of goat cheese
1 can of diced tomatoes
1 cup or so of tomato sauce

Remove the casings from the sausage and cook until done, along with the onion. Add the tomatoes and sauce and let simmer for about 30 minutes or so. The sausage I use is so flavourful I don't generally add any more seasoning, but definitely taste it and see if you need any salt, basil, oregano, that sort of thing. A few minutes before serving, crumble the goat cheese into the mixture and stir until melted. Serve over fusili pasta, rice, topped with cornbread, or whatever else strikes your fancy. I've eaten the leftovers the next day with nothing more than pita bread, and that's pretty good too.

Ten years tried & true - Granola Biscotti with dried Cherries... I’m required to make them for Holidays, Mother’s day and my Mom’s birthday...
or I get disowned.

My meatballs...my grandma taught me this hand me down recipe. And it's not even written down anywhere, it's all in our heads. I'm famous for it among the family and friends.

And my lasagna. It use NO ricotta and only yogurt cheese. I make my own sauce, and my fiance dies for it. My best friend says its the best shes ever had.

Ma Po Tofu, as adapted from Fuschia Dunlop.

1 block firm tofu cut into 1/2 inch cubes
4-8 oz of ground pork
3 medium leeks sliced very thin
3 tbs Sichuan chili bean paste
2 tbs preserved black beans
1 cup chicken broth/whatever home made stock you have
1 tsp sugar
2 tsp light soy sauce
1 heaping tsp of tapioca starch dissolved in broth

Brown the pork in some oil, add the chili bean paste and the black beans, mix until the oil is stained red. Add the broth, then the sugar and the soy sauce. Bring to simmer, add the tofu. Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the leeks, simmer and stir for two more minutes until tender. Add the starch mixture and simmer until thickened.

Grind toasted Sichuan pepper corns on top, serve with rice.

"Fancy Quiche" as my friends call it and sichuan tofu are "my recipes." Fancy quiche is fancy because it has shallots, kale and smoked, sun-dried tomatoes in it. Apparently that's fancy! The Sichuan tofu (from the Fat Free Vegan Kitchen blog) is a good recipe to turn the "I hate tofu, it tastes like nothing" eaters into "Wow, this is awesome. I like tofu now" people.

Red Velvet Cake/ Cupcakes for birthdays or any special occassions. I have the market for red velvet in my circle!

Macaroni & Cheese, Bolognese, chicken soup and matzo balls, roast chicken with spoonbread, fruit dumplings, pressed picnic sandwich, Christmas cookies, claffouti, scrambled eggs, and, my husband says, meat. I guess he means my roasts, chops and steaks. And goulash. And red velvet cake.

Jeez, I cook a lot....

My signature savoury dish is a leg of lamb in puff pastry. The lamb is stuffed with mushrooms cooked in Madeira wine. The recipe comes from a wonderful restaurant in Provence and it has been my mother's go-to dish for special occasions for over 30 years.

I do not bake much, but when I do the most-requested cake is Reine de Saba (Queen of Sheba cake), a chocolate cake that is deeply flavourful yet light.

When entertaining more than 4 people I also like to prepare a Lebanese mezze rather than a three-course dinner, so I guess my friends would say that my signature dish is either fattoush, kibbe or stuffed grape leaves.

Mexican Stuffed Shells. You make it just like Italian Stuffed Shells, but substitute mexican ingredients. Jumbo shells stuffed with taco meat, kernel corn, monterey jack and cheddar, covered in salsa (the same was you would use tomato sauce for Italian stuffed shells), topped with more cheddar and jack, dotted with sliced jalapnos and black olives, and baked 'til bubbly. It's nummy.

It's embarassing, but my clam dip is loved the world over. I adapted it from my mom, hers is more mid-west influenced, mine is turning more Mediterranean. It's canned clams with a third of the juice, hot sauce (I use Texas Champagne), lemon juice, celery salt, softened cream cheese, yogurt cheese, fresh parsley, celery flakes, Aleppo pepper, and some lemon zest. It's wonderful with celery sticks but honestly, I serve it with ridged Ruffles potato chips.

Its weird showing up to a fancy dinner party in Hollywood with a bowl of potato chips and cream cheese-based clam dip when everyone else is bring goji-berry encrusted tofu and steamed eggplant with bee pollen. I've adjusted by talking up the amount of yogurt in it, even though its no more than two tablespoons.

Jalapeno jelly at Christmas.

I have a no bake cheesecake I always take to potlucks. So yummy and everyone always loves it.

Artichoke dip for appy parties.

Thai curry for moderately adventurous guests.

I have three that is always asked for... Corn Casserole, Banana Bread, and Chocolate Glazed Brownies.

These are my biggest hits and pretty mush what I am known for! :-)

My great Auntie Margaret's egg rolls, sausage biscuits and gravy, baked brie, Asian slaw, Thai peanut noodles, chocolate chip cookies, flourless chocolate ganache cake with strawberries, yellow daffodil cake, bacon chili chicken bites.....wow, I have lots of different signatures!! I had no idea until I started to think about it!

Sour cream pound cake, a healthier pear cake, and shrimp curry with tropical fruit.

Eggplant parm. Oh yes. Yes yes.

I have a knack for quiche. I generally make a quiche when I have some leftover veggies and cheese to use up and I always get absurd raves for what is essentially stone soup in savory-pie form. Last weekend I got 2 bags of onions instead of one from Fresh Direct so I made an onion quiche w/gruyere. I had some leftover dry sherry so I sauteed the onions in that. Wow it was good. I don't have a recipe, but I know if folks are coming over I can rely on something in the quiche department to work out for me.

You all have made me very very hungry.

My husband ALWAYS begs for my turkey meatloaf. The key is a lot more Worcestershire sauce than you think and almost an whole small onion grated. Adds a lot of beefy/meaty flavor and makes it super duper moist. Obviously, you will probably need more bread crumbs than usual too since it helps sop up the juices when baking.

I am gonna try the cole slaw miso dressing thing that thinkingwoman mentioned. Everything with miso dressing is better any way.

It's kind of funny... The women in my family each have their dishes. When we come together for an event, or christmas or a birthday everybody knows what will end up on the table and who will provide it.

My mom does the macaroni salad.
My aunt does the cesar and usually a cherry cake.
My other aunt does the red cabbage slaw.
My cousin's wife brings the brocoli salad with raisins and bacon.
I bring the greek salad.

On another note my 'signature dish' is 'glissants'. It's a family recipe, French Canadian or Québécois, and it ressembles dumplings, chicken broth, chicken paerts, oinions, carrots and potatoes (optional; it is a carb overload when you think about it...). It's absolutly not complicated but it's great in Fall or Winter!

oh, so many! First of all, I love to wow people by making macarons from scratch-- I usually like to do new flavors every time, but vanilla with some lemon curd from a jar is an easy standby. Next, brie en croute with brown sugar and amaretto is always a favorite and definitely good for a crowd. And particularly for summertime, a cold couscous salad with shredded coconut and apricot slices (dried or fresh) dressed with orange juice, olive oil and a wee bit of cinnamon.

Caramelised Pumpkin Risotto. Has 5 ingredients. Simple and delicious

I often make a meal straight out of "Everyday Italian". Shrimp Fra Diavolo and Lemon Spaghetti. http://whatsonmyplate.wordpress.com/2008/01/29/shrimp-fra-diavolo-and-lemon-spaghetti/

SO good and so easy!

My absolute turn-to dish is an orzo salad with pesto. Orzo or rizzoni is rice-shaped pasta, and I cook a big pot, cool it to room temperature then stir fresh basil pesto, crumbled feta, chopped tomatoes/bell peppers/cucumber and salted cashews through. Sometimes I add chunks of smoked chicken breast, or caramelised onions, or slices of seared steak. It's the most amazing pasta salad to serve to a group of people for parties etc, since it doesn't require a lot of coordinating dishes to all be ready at once, is fairly cheap on a per-person ratio, and people can serve themselves a bowl of the size they please. If there are ever any leftovers, it's even more amazing for breakfast or lunch the next day.

it's not so much a dish as it is a dip, topping or spread...but my guacamole recipe is always a huge hit with a crowd (even many who have insisted they don't like quac have enjoyed mine.)

I will not reveal the recipe (partially because the cheater spice blend I use got discontinued so I need to figure out my own blend that is similar enough to work out.) but I will tell you that when I made it for the first time I had only had guacamole (from the plastic container at the store...) one time and didn't look at a recipe so it has a bit of unexpected flavor and includes two types of hot sauce and more cumin than you can imagine.

Not really a dish, but my coworkers at my last job knew me for 2 of my desserts/pastries.

Chocolate Miracle Whip cake (trust me, use MW instead of mayo, and skip the frosting) - sometimes with chocolate chips. This is kind of like banana bread, you can sneak it for breakfast and not be as devious as if you were eating a slab of 7 layer chocolate cake for breakfast.

Cinnamon buns.

There's one other item - NY style cheesecake. My boss from my very first job happened to know my boss' boss at my last job. She (first boss) told the latter about it, and he came in one Monday morning announcing to everyone, "I heard you've been holding out on us." I did indulge them. Many of my coworkers had trouble believing it was homemade.

On a side note - what isn't better with chocolate chips? I've added them to my banana (with or without nut) bread as well. Yum!

Homemade chicken pot pie. I only make it for my near and dear, though, so I guess it's not my signature. It takes forever but results in a delicate, flavorful delight, that has never failed to garner compliments.

At work, people clamor for my Swedish meatballs (easy recipe from 1970s Fannie Farmer cookbook). I can whip those out in no time and make a batch almost every week to eat for winter lunches.