Take your favorite Thanksgiving side dishes from boring to brilliant with these quick and easy ingredient upgrades

This spicy sweet-and-sour grilled chicken is the best we've had to date. It's got enough heat to titillate your taste buds, but not so much that kids will steer clear.

Mysteriously spicy, sweet, addictive, and a real crowd pleaser. Even with the glaze, these ribs are nowhere near as messy to eat as most ribs, which makes them ideal as an unexpected hors d’oeuvre at the most chichi cocktail party. I confess that I...

This starchy side dish gets a kick of heat from cayenne pepper, fresh chiles, and hot red pepper flakes.

Frying sage leaves is easy and provides a real wow factor. The sage and chestnuts make an ideal foil for these pillowy gnocchi.

Comfort food, Peruvian style. The chile sauce’s brilliant yellow hue comes from a pinch of turmeric, and bottled aji amarillo paste.

Versions of this casual dish are found throughout Peru, often crowned with a steak and a fried egg.

Pisco, a potent brandy distilled from grapes, is made in Peru and Chile, recognizable by its distinctive foamy head (from egg white) and lime flavor.

This layered dessert gets its name, volador, from the way the edges of the pastry “fly up” as they bake. The thin, crackly pastry with dulce de leche is unbeatable in its simplicity. ...