1. Preheat oven to 450°. Place sweet potato cubes on a lightly greased 15- x 10-inch jelly-roll pan. Drizzle potatoes with 2 Tbsp. oil, and sprinkle with pepper and salt. Toss to coat.

2. Bake at 450° for 15 to 20 minutes, turning cubes twice.

3. Cook sausage in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat 3 to 4 minutes on each side or until browned. Drain on paper towels.

4. Place 1 sausage slice on top of 1 sweet potato cube; secure with a wooden pick. Repeat with remaining sausage slices and potato cubes. Serve with Lemon-Garlic Mayonnaise. Garnish, if desired.

1. Stir together all ingredients. Store in an airtight container in refrigerator up to 7 days.

Creamy Lemon-Garlic Dressing: Stir together 1/3 cup Lemon-Garlic Mayonnaise, 1/4 cup buttermilk, and a pinch of salt. Makes about 1/2 cup.

1. Cut avocados in half. Scoop pulp into a bowl, and mash with a potato masher or fork until slightly chunky. Stir in 2 Tbsp. red onion and next 5 ingredients. Gently fold in cheese. Place plastic wrap directly on surface of mixture, and let stand at room temperature 30 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375°. Finely chop tomatillo.

3. Separate pita rounds lengthwise into two halves. Arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet; drizzle with olive oil.

4. Bake at 375° for 6 to 8 minutes or until toasted. Top each with 1 rounded teaspoonful avocado mixture. Stir together tomatillo, tomato, and remaining 1 Tbsp. red onion. Top avocado mixture with tomatillo mixture. Sprinkle with coarsely ground pepper to taste.

*1 (8.5-oz.) French bread baguette may be substituted for pita rounds. Cut bread diagonally into 42 (1/2-inch-thick) slices, discarding ends.

Note: For testing purposes only, we used Toufayan Bakeries Mini Pitettes.

1. Tie pork with kitchen string, securing at 2-inch intervals. Sprinkle pork with salt and pepper. Stir together garlic and next 3 ingredients. Rub over pork.

2. Light 1 side of a grill, heating to 350° to 400° (medium-high); leave other side unlit. Place pork over lit side, and grill, covered with grill lid, 8 to 10 minutes on each side or until browned. Move pork over unlit side, and grill, covered with grill lid, 45 minutes or until a meat thermometer inserted into thickest portion registers 145° to 150°. Let stand 10 minutes before slicing. Serve with Fruit Compote.

1. Combine all ingredients in a 3-qt. saucepan, and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, 25 minutes or until thickened and liquid is reduced by three-fourths. (Mixture will continue to thicken as it cools.) Serve warm or at room temperature.

*12 dried Mission figs, coarsely chopped, may be substituted.

Note: For testing purposes only, we used Blue Ribbon Orchard Choice Mission Figlets.

1. Preheat oven to 375°. Combine first 4 ingredients in a small bowl.

2. Melt butter in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat; add onion, and cook, stirring often, 15 minutes or until onions are caramel colored; add garlic, and cook 1 minute.

3. Stir in flour, and cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute. Gradually whisk in milk and next 3 ingredients. Cook, whisking often, 8 to 9 minutes or until mixture thickens. Remove from heat; whisk in cheese until melted and smooth.

4. Layer half of potatoes in a lightly greased 13- x 9-inch baking dish; pour 2 cups sauce over potatoes in dish. Repeat layers once.

5. Bake, uncovered, at 375° for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until golden brown and potatoes are fork tender, topping with breadcrumb mixture during last 15 minutes of baking. Remove from oven, and let stand 10 minutes.

Lightened Potato-Caramelized Onion Gratin: Substitute 1% low-fat milk for whole milk, decrease butter to 1 1/2 Tbsp., and increase flour to 1/4 cup. Proceed with recipe as directed.

1. Preheat oven to 375°. Cut apples in half, cutting through stem and bottom ends. Scoop out core and pulp, leaving a 3/4-inch shell. Cut about 1/4 inch from opposite side of apple, forming a flat base.

2. Stir together crushed granola bars and next 4 ingredients. Spoon mixture into apple shells, pressing to gently pack. Arrange apples in a 13- x 9-inch pan. Pour cider around apples in pan.

3. Bake at 375° for 25 to 45 minutes or until apples are tender, basting twice with pan juices.

4. Place apples on a serving plate. Add preserves to pan juices, and cook, over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, 5 to 6 minutes or until thickened. Serve apples with warm sauce and Greek yogurt.

Granola-Ginger Baked Pears: Substitute 4 Bosc pears for apples. Proceed with recipe as directed.

Note: Baking times will vary greatly due to the ripeness of your fruit. Begin testing for doneness by inserting a wooden pick directly into the fruit (not granola mixture) after 25 minutes of baking. A wooden pick should be able to pierce the fruit easily with just a little resistance. Overcooking will lead to the fruit losing its natural shape and becoming mushy. For testing purposes only, we used Nature Valley Oats 'N Honey Crunchy Granola Bars.