Cheese

A relatively new item in the produce section, broccolini is a cross between broccoli and Chinese kale. It has a milder, sweeter taste than broccoli. Buy German potato salad, and braise red cabbage to serve warm with the open-face sandwiches. Gingerbread and chunky applesauce make a perfect finale.

It doesn’t look or taste like it, but this pizza is low-fat. Each slice has just 346 calories and 4 1/2 grams of fat.

Deidre A. Pallouras of Rochelle Park, New York, writes: "My husband and I recently traveled to Cincinnati, where we dined at Daveed's at 934 in Mount Adams. Although everything we ate was delicious, we were most impressed by the incredible salmon with horseradish cream. I'd love to try to recreate the dish at home."

Mark Taylor of West Hartford, Connecticut, writes: "I started cooking out of necessity when I first graduated from college, since I couldn't afford to eat out. Having grown up watching my mother cook for our large family, I used her recipes. She was always trying new dishes whenever we had guests and sharing her adventurous attitude toward eating. These days, even though my wife and I both work, we still cook several times a week. Now I tend to rely on recipes I've picked up from restaurants and friends. I enjoy experimenting with different ingredients and figuring out new ways to improve a recipe, as I've done with the one here."

Active time: 35 min Start to finish: 40 min

(OMELETTE AUX ASPERGES)

Add a simple green salad to our updated version of the grilled cheese sandwich, and dinner is served.

This do-ahead brunch dish makes excellent use of leftover bread. Add a layer of salsa and Monterey Jack cheese for a Southwest flair; or replace the sausage and sun-dried tomatoes with some sautéed onions and Gruyère cheese for a French twist.

"I had a delightful dinner at Andiamo! Ristorante while on vacation in San Diego," writes Laverne Smith of Seattle, Washington. "Could you get their recipe for fettuccine carbonara? It was the best pasta I've ever had." Prepare the sauce while the pasta is cooking to ensure that the fettuccine will be hot when the sauce is finished; the heat of the pasta cooks the raw eggs that are tossed with it.

The empanadas can be put together ahead of time and popped into the oven to bake just before serving.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

"I came upon this recipe several years ago in Mother's kitchen," writes Barbara Wilkerson of Talladega, Alabama. "It is now my own family's favorite holiday treat." Active time: 1 hr Start to finish: 3 hr

"One evening my husband made fantastic asparagus roasted with olive oil," says Anne Graziano of New York, New York. "It prompted me to create this salad that features the asparagus, as well as Gruy
re cheese, apple and fresh greens."

From the Williamsburg Inn's Regency Room.