Meet/5 recipes

Crispy Rice Krispies meet sharp cheddar and whole wheat flour in these addictive bite-sized cheese crackers. Golden, crunchy, and gone in minutes at any gathering.

Grilled pizza sandwiches with salami, cheese, pizza sauce, and garlic powder on buttered bread. A crispy, melty pizza-meets-grilled-cheese hybrid ready in 20 minutes.

Vegetarian tofu pepper tacos with peppered sesame-soy tofu spooned into radicchio leaves and topped with crunchy jicama. Low-carb lettuce-wrap taco with an East-meets-Southwest flavor twist.

Layered shrimp and feta casserole with angel hair pasta, salsa, three cheeses, and a herbed egg custard. Mediterranean meets Southwest in one baked weeknight dish.

Florentine cups: miniature honey-almond cereal cups with coconut, raisins, and orange zest, finished with a citrus icing drizzle. Italian florentine cookie meets mini muffin.

Indian-spiced braised cauliflower, potatoes, and mushrooms with cumin, curry, and jalapeno, rolled in cheesy flour tortillas with tomatoes and sour cream. Sabzi meets burritos.

Fruit tarts with cheddar cheese pastry shells filled with pineapple and orange curd. A vintage sweet-and-savory dessert where sharp cheddar meets tropical citrus.

Friendship starter orange cupcakes with raisins, pecans, and a warm orange-sugar glaze dip. Sourdough-style tanginess meets bright citrus in a tender, studded crumb.

Rio Grande grits casserole layers creamy garlic grits with kielbasa, black beans, salsa, and melted cheddar. Tex-Mex meets Southern soul food in one bubbling baking dish.

Roasted cauliflower meets tangy goat cheese in this elegant vegetarian casserole where steamed florets get smothered in a creamy herb-spiked cheese sauce, then baked until golden and bubbling.

Macaroon meets chocolate chip cookie in this co-winner in the drop cookie category, with a twist of cinnamon, nutmeg and mint; it's from Jessica Wall-Valadez of Milwaukee.

Sauteed crawfish tails with honey in a fresh tomato-dill sauce, served over rice or pasta. A Southern-meets-Mediterranean crawfish dish with a sweet-savory twist.

Kirghiz baked beef casserole with curried flank steak, dried apricots, apples, raisins, prunes, and yogurt. A Central Asian-inspired dish where sweet fruit meets savory spice.

Cream of curried corn soup blended silky smooth with chicken stock and half-and-half, garnished with popcorn. Sweet corn meets warm curry in every spoonful.

An Italian-inspired tuna and new potato salad with green beans, dressed in pesto mayonnaise with mashed anchovies. Think salade niçoise meets Genoa in one bowl.

Salmon corncakes flake poached salmon with sweet corn, shallots, peppers, and cilantro into pan-fried cracker-crumbed patties. Pacific Northwest meets Southwestern in one crispy bite.