Monterey Jack

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

This pie uses pizza toppings as a filling. Serve it with a tossed green salad.

Brian Polcyn of the Five Lakes Grill in Milford, Michigan, has updated this Mexican favorite by oven-roasting the stuffed chilies rather than coating them with batter and frying them. The chilies are presented on a bed of rich-tasting caramelized onions.

Even lean, mean depression-era macaroni and cheese was comforting, a tribute to the twin powers of carbohydrates and melted cheese, which are just as irresistible now as they were then. Some fans love the crunchy crust while others crave the creamy center. This lush and ultra-tangy millennium mac and cheese aims to please adherents of both schools of thought.

Active time: 35 min Start to finish: 45 min

I came up with this recipe one day when I was boiling a big old hen for chicken soup and had plenty of meat left over, but if you don't care to fool with that, the casserole can easily be made with a nicely roasted chicken picked up in a deli or supermarket.

These quesadillas are cooked on the grill. Serve them with salsa and sour cream.

Active time: 3 hr Start to finish: 4 hr

You can also make these with chicken, ham or roast pork.

This makes a great dish for brunch or lunch.

This zesty, eye-opening casserole can be made with either pork or beef chorizo.

Chipotle chiles are quite spicy; choosing a mild enchilada sauce will temper the heat of this dish. Look for chipotle chiles canned in a spicy tomato sauce, sometimes called adobo, in the Latin American foods section of the supermarket. Serve with: Avocado, red onion, and grapefruit salad with citrus vinaigrette, and Spanish rice.

"At the Manhattan law office where I'm a legal secretary, it seems as though the phones are always ringing," writes Lisa Caiazzo of Franklin Square, New York. "And if it isn't the phones that have me occupied, then there are lots of documents that need my attention. By the time I get home from the city, I usually have only about 45 minutes to put together dinner for my husband, Angelo, and myself. Still, that's enough time to make something filling and delicious, like a salad and a hearty pasta or soup. My best cooking, though, is done on Sundays during the fall and winter, when I become a football widow. An afternoon of cooking can be very therapeutic after a busy week." Any mixture of vegetables you have on hand would make a great filling. Serve the wraps with purchased salsa and sour cream.