5 Ingredients or Fewer

This is my favorite mashed potato recipe. These mashed potatoes taste as if they contain a great deal more fat than they do. I use buttermilk to mash the potatoes because it has a natural creaminess yet is far lower in fat than milk or cream, and I add a small amount of butter at the end, only after the potatoes have absorbed the liquid. The butter stays on the surface of the potatoes, its flavor readily discernible, imparting a truly rich finish. Be sure to use fine-textured, thin-skinned potatoes like Yellow Finns or Yukon Golds, which become extremely creamy when mashed. If made with baking potatoes, the result will be grainy and watery.

This is exactly the kind of dish that conjures up visions of Greeks spit-roasting lamb on rocky hills above the sea, and basting it with branches of thyme dipped in olive oil. (Which is not a bad recipe itself, especially if you have the rocky hills and sea.)

The size and thickness of lamb chops can vary greatly, so you may have to adjust your cooking time (see cooks' note, below).

Wendy Popp of Richmond, Virginia, writes: "My job as a physical therapist and my hobby, horseback riding, keep me pretty busy. But my sons — Sammy, two, and Weston, four — keep me moving the most, which has changed my cooking style. In fact, a friend and fellow mom had a great idea for a cookbook that she wants me to help her write. We would call it The One-Arm Gourmet, and it would be filled with quick dishes you can make while holding a kid in one arm and cooking with the other. "

For this recipe, Lisa uses broccoli rabe, a type of bitter Italian green. But the everyday supermarket broccoli works fine, too.

Active time: 15 min Start to finish: 7 hr

An Italian twist on an English favorite.

We like to serve warm Asian-style slaw with these wonderful, easy chicken legs. Vegetable fried rice or even plain noodles would work well, too.

Jacqueline Willis of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, "Recently I had a superb chocolate soufflé at the Ercole Ristorante Italiano in Calgary. It was made with milk chocolate — a subtle but delicious variation. I would love to be able to re-create it for friends at home. " The restaurant calls this dessert a warm chocolate mousse, but it reminds us of soufflé. These may collapse quickly after coming out of the oven, so wait until each person has been served before topping with ice cream.

Sautéeing duck foie gras is not hard to do, but be careful; otherwise, you'll end up with a puddle of very expensive melted fat.

Active time: 30 min Start to finish: 30 min

Grilling the salmon with the skin on protects the delicate flesh.

A lovely summer dish. Be sure to make the oil several hours ahead.