My son and I collaborated in the kitchen one day to put our own unique twist on classic baby back ribs. We added a sweet peachy glaze and a little heat with chipotle peppers. It was a great bonding experience, and now we have a keeper recipe for fall-off-the-bone ribs.

An Ethiopian recipe inspired this feel-good dinner that's tangy, creamy and packed with hearty comfort.

The simplest versions of furikake include as few as two ingredients, usually dried fish and seaweed. That might sound like a very fishy flavor, but it’s more salty and umami (think miso soup, not canned sardines). You’ll see mixtures with bits of dried egg, shrimp, salmon roe, shiso, wasabi, and even buttered potato (I doubt that last one is natural). They come in jars for shaking into your bowl and in packets that are meant to be mixed with rice for omusubi (rice balls).

"I love cooking a pot roast on the weekend because it can simmer for hours while I'm doing other things," says Leona Therou of Overland Park, Kansas. Her hearty beef roast with potatoes and carrots makes enough for a family of four with plenty left over.

This recipe is one of a dozen from my father's server days: "Vito's Shrimp Scampi," which isn’t really a scampi but a roasted garlic cream sauce that blushes pink with chopped tomatoes served over linguini—simple enough to wing, and really, really good.

I adapted this dish from my favorite chicken Caesar salad recipe. It has many of the same ingredients as the salad: croutons, grated Parmesan, chicken, and creamy Caesar dressing. This makes the perfect comforting meal on a busy weeknight.

You'll need just seven basic ingredients to make this effortless upside-down pizza casserole. Since I cook for two, I often divide it into two smaller casserole dishes - one for dinner and one to freeze. I take the frozen portion out of the freezer the night before to thaw in the fridge before baking as directed.

My family always asks me to make this dish for them, especially in the summer when fresh tomatoes and green peppers are readily available. I got the recipe from my mother-in-law.

I coat the catfish in pecans, then top it with a thick, rich cream sauce. It looks like you spent all day on it, but it's actually very speedy to prepare. Garnish it with lemon wedges, parsley or more chopped pecans if you desire.