Saute

These mushrooms make a wonderful side dish for just about anything.

Try this with any roasted meat or as a topper for crostini. Begin making it a day ahead.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

The following recipe takes the rice and vegetables of the classic paella (leaving behind its seafood) and transforms them into a flavorful filling for bell peppers.

On the Cycladic islands, homemade salted pork flavors most vegetable dishes. Pancetta makes a good substitute here.

Accompanied by Champagne, this beautiful and delicious appetizer starts the meal on a sophisticated note.

Pretty, sophisticated, and easy to eat.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes.

Active time: 25 min Start to finish: 25 min

Active time: 15 min Start to finish: 25 min

Fresh mint, cilantro sprigs and strips of orange peel make a nice garnish for a platter of these Asian-accented skewers.

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

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less. Sautéed mushrooms and warm crusty rolls are excellent with the frittata. Finish with ripe pears, chocolate biscotti and espresso.

"I spend as much time as I can cooking," writes Brigette Lyons of Allendale, New Jersey, "and I'm equally comfortable feeding two or two hundred. I thoroughly enjoy giving sit-down meals, including an annual Christmas luncheon I do for about twenty guests. I just like to cook, period. Cooking for two hundred may be different from making weeknight dinners for myself and my husband, John, but organization is the key to both. I try to keep things on hand that are simple and easy to prepare." Brigette prepares this dish for her annual Christmas luncheon. It's ideal for entertaining because it can be assembled ahead and baked just before serving.

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. "