1. Whisk together first 5 ingredients. Cover and chill until ready to use (up to 24 hours).

2. Toss together greens and basil. Top with pears, oranges, avocados, and blue cheese; toss. Drizzle with vinaigrette. Serve immediately.

1. Preheat oven to 425°. Sprinkle pork with salt and pepper. Tie pork with kitchen string, securing at 2-inch intervals.

2. Cook pork, fat side down, in 3 Tbsp. hot oil in a stainless-steel skillet over medium-high heat 3 to 5 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Place, fat side up, on a wire rack in an aluminum foil-lined roasting pan. Remove kitchen string; make 5 (1/2-inch-deep) cuts in pork.

3. Stir together sage, next 3 ingredients, and remaining 2 Tbsp. oil. Stuff herb mixture into slits in pork.

4. Bake at 425° for 30 to 40 minutes or until a meat thermometer inserted into thickest portion registers 150°. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

1. Preheat oven to 425°. Cut tops from yellow and candy cane beets, leaving 1/2-inch stems. Peel beets, and cut in half. Cut tops from carrots, leaving 1/2 inch of greenery on each.

2. Toss yellow beets and carrots with 2 Tbsp. olive oil in a large bowl; place in a single layer on 1 side of an aluminum foil-lined 15- x 10-inch jelly-roll pan. Sprinkle vegetables in pan with 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper.

3. Toss candy cane beets with remaining 1 Tbsp. olive oil; arrange beets in a single layer on remaining side of jelly-roll pan. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper.

4. Bake at 425° for 15 minutes; stir once, and bake 15 minutes or until tender.

1. Bring potatoes, 2 tsp. salt, and water to cover to a boil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Boil 20 minutes or until tender; drain. Reduce heat to low. Return potatoes to Dutch oven, and cook, stirring occasionally, 1 to 2 minutes or until potatoes are dry. Remove from heat; mash potatoes with a potato masher to desired consistency.

2. Preheat oven to 400°. Stir butter, next 4 ingredients, and remaining 1 tsp. salt into potatoes. Spread mixture into a lightly greased 2 1/2- to 3-qt. baking dish. Brush with melted butter.

3. Bake at 400° for 20 to 25 minutes or until thoroughly heated and puffed. Serve immediately.

*Shredded Parmesan cheese may be substituted.

Note: To make Puffed Mashed Potatoes ahead, prepare recipe as directed through Step 2. Cover and chill up to 2 days. Remove from refrigerator, and let stand at room temperature for at least 30 minutes. Proceed with recipe as directed.

1. Preheat oven to 325°. Stir together crushed graham crackers, butter, and 1 Tbsp. sugar. Press mixture on bottom and halfway up sides of a 9-inch springform pan. Freeze 10 minutes.

2. Beat cream cheese, 1 1/4 cups sugar, and cornstarch at medium speed with an electric mixer 2 to 3 minutes or until smooth. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating at low speed just until yellow disappears after each addition. Add 3 Tbsp. brandy and 3 Tbsp. crème de cacao, and beat just until blended. Pour into prepared crust.

3. Bake at 325° for 1 hour or just until center is almost set.

4. During last 2 minutes of baking, stir together sour cream and remaining 1 Tbsp. sugar, 1 Tbsp. brandy, and 1 Tbsp. crème de cacao.

5. Spread sour cream mixture over cheesecake. Bake at 325° for 8 more minutes. Remove cheesecake from oven; gently run a knife along outer edge of cheesecake, and cool completely in pan on a wire rack (about 1 1/2 hours). Cover and chill 8 to 24 hours.

6. Remove sides of springform pan, and place cheesecake on a serving plate. Garnish, if desired.

*Coffee liqueur may be substituted. We tested with Kahlúa.

Note: We tested with Nabisco Teddy Grahams chocolate graham snacks.

Stir together cherry preserves, balsamic vinegar, pepper, and salt in a bowl. Drizzle over warm Brie round. Top with pecans. Serve with crackers.

Cut a slit in large side of 24 dried figs, cutting to, but not through, stem end. Stir together 1 (3-oz.) package softened cream cheese, 2 tsp. powdered sugar, and 2 tsp. orange liqueur; fill each fig evenly with cream cheese mixture and 1 roasted, salted almond. Press figs to secure filling.

*You can make this recipe ahead of time and store the figs in the refrigerator. Before serving, let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Toss apple slices in lemon juice; pat dry. Spread each with about 2 tsp. garlic-and-herb spreadable cheese. Top with bacon, baby arugula sprigs, and freshly cracked pepper.

Note: We tested with Vermont Gourmet Garlic-and-Herb Spreadable Cheese.