Make Ahead

You don't have to be in the kitchen at the crack of dawn to prepare a terrific breakfast. In this recipe the French toast is soaked overnight like bread pudding — in the morning all you need to do is add the topping and pop it in the oven. Serve it with coffee, juice, and fresh fruit and you've got a well-rounded way to start the day.

The leftovers make outstanding sandwiches.

Store-bought potato chips, heated to crisp and refresh, would make this a very quick hors d'oeuvre.

Tarte au Sirop d' Érable "My husband and I had an absolutely fantastic dessert at Restaurant Aux Anciens Canadiens while on vacation in Quebec, Canada," Says Deb Kalikow of Natick, Massachusetts. "Maple syrup pie served with crème fraîche is its specialty. The pie capped off a perfect dinner of delicious French-Canadian dishes. We ate at another restaurant the next night and tried the maple syrup pie there. We were so disappointed by our first bites that we then went back to Aux Anciens Canadiens and waited an hour just to have another piece of their pie." Don't be tempted to forgo the cream with this pie; it perfectly complements the dessert's rich silkiness and balances the sweetness.

"For our anniversary, my husband and I went to Fiddle Heads in nearby Buffalo — a restaurant that’s always our first choice for special occasions," says Noreen Flynn of Kenmore, New York. "The chicken with mashed potatoes and greens I had last time was terrific; it would even be good enough to serve to guests during the holidays." Marinate the chicken overnight to make the most of the fresh herbs — their flavors will infuse the meat, with delicious results.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

There are untold numbers of sugar cookie recipes circulating throughout the Midwest. As students of this sweet know, lard makes for a particularly toothsome cookie, with a texture at once crisp and sandy. For a cookie that is crisp but also chewy, vegetable shortening is best.

The recipe for these melt-in-your-mouth pecan crescent cookies has been in my family for years," says Marilynn Bonecki of Marengo, Illinois. "They can be made a couple of weeks in advance, but it's hard to keep them in the house that long." Be sure to chill the dough overnight before shaping and baking the cookies.

This fluffy Lady Baltimore cake is layered with toasted pecans, dried figs, raisins, and frosted in a thick, luscious Swiss meringue.

Serve buttered noodles, potato salad or rice pilaf alongside this entree.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

This recipe originally accompanied Double-Decker Rhubarb Ice Cream Sandwiches.

GELATO DI PESCA This recipe was sensational when we made it with ripe, flavorful peaches. If your peaches aren't great, try something similar, like nectarines.