Carrot

A nice hors d'oeuvre teaming fresh vegetables with a simplified version of rouille, the spicy red pepper and garlic sauce that typically accompanies French fish soups.

Grating the carrots in a processor makes this one-dish meal really easy to assemble.

Accented with Asian seasonings, this cole-slaw makes a refreshing side dish.

If you have cooked lamb, beef, or turkey on hand, use it instead of the chicken.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less. Makes use of the microwave oven.

"As my kids have gotten older, their taste buds have become more sophisticated, and now they're willing to try dishes they wouldn't have touched just a few years ago," says Ken Haedrich, cookbook author. "So I've started serving this blend of mashed roots for Thanksgiving. It brings a bit of diversity to the table, and I also happen to love rutabagas and carrots. There was some dissension at first, especially from my youngest, Sam, whose fondness for mashed potatoes is the stuff of family legend. But now he dives right into this with the rest of us."

Throughout World War II, everyone who had even a little plot of land was encouraged to grow a vegetable garden. Back then, this comforting soup would most frequently be made from water and contain no chicken, which was a Sunday treat. For convenience, you can skip the first part of this recipe and use six cups of stock or canned broth and omit the chicken altogether. But if you want to make the stock from scratch, be sure to do so a day ahead.

Braised pork shoulder, spicy Italian sausage, and pancetta enrich the tomato sauce. Dried crushed red pepper kicks up the heat.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

This is a coleslaw-style salad — its sweet, spicy, and crunchy elements make it a terrific accompaniment to anything fried. Sichuan peppercorns, sometimes called fagara, can be found at many Asian markets (though they're technically banned from import because they come from a plant that is susceptible to citrus canker, a disease that devastates citrus orchards). There's no substitute for their flavor, but if you can't find them, the recipe works perfectly well without them.

Active time: 1 3/4 hr Start to finish: 4 1/4 hr (includes making stock and rouille)

Active time: 20 min Start to finish: 12 hr (includes chilling)

Dorothy Williams of Vancouver, British Columbia, writes: "To celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary, my husband and I spent a week in Victoria, British Columbia. We particularly enjoyed Abigail's Hotel, where we had some delicious carrot-coconut cupcakes." For a lovely breakfast muffin, omit the cream cheese frosting.