Nut

This float was inspired by the Italian dessert affogato al caffé, which consists of ice cream that has been "drowned" in hot coffee. We added caramelized sugar to the coffee for extra depth and topped it all off with whipped cream, toasted nuts, and chocolate shavings. Active time: 20 min Start to finish: 30 min

These adorable sweets are festive, fun — and so easy to make. Just be sure to freeze the scoops of ice cream overnight before dipping and coating them.

Carrot Torte This cake is from the Veneto region in northern Italy. Use the sweetest, most flavorful organic carrots you can find—otherwise it will be a big "so what."

This is not a traditional chili and has no connection with any Mexican or Texas recipe. It was devised simply as an experiment and turned out to be delicious.

Blancmange is a jelled molded pudding (similar to a bavarian) that is made with almonds and milk and is served cold, often with a fruit sauce. Originally, the dessert was thickened with powdered almonds; today gelatin is used in their place. This dessert is said to hail from the Languedoc region of France.

Serve these as an appetizer with a salad of baby greens.

You can easily recreate this recipe with a wonderful free-range chicken. As for the candied chestnuts, I recommend using freshly cooked, shelled chestnuts which are still quite sweet!

Roasted baby potatoes and steamed asparagus with blue-cheese dressing make appealing sides. Layer sugared sliced strawberries and whipped cream in goblets for dessert.

These rich and chocolaty treats are great for holiday gift-giving—if you can bring yourself to part with them.

Marisol likes to serve the Candied Butternut Squash atop the couscous.