Bacon

Full-flavored and hearty, this classic pasta dish with bacon and tomato sauce is always a hit. Top it with plenty of grated Parmesan cheese.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Who knew bulgur could be such a great substitute for rice in risotto? And without all that stirring. No, bulgur won’t replace Arborio rice anytime soon—but you’ll be surprised at how good it can be.

Toasted coriander seeds and radishes give this salad — a twist on the classic frisée aux lardons — an appealing spiciness. In typical French fashion, the salad is served after the main course and before dessert. Accompany this with fougasse, a large Provençal flatbread, or other French bread.

This salad yields generous portions. Combined with a loaf of crusty bread, it’s easily a meal in itself.

Alice Marcus Solovy of Skokie, Illinois, writes: "Although I'm retired now, I like recipes that are fairly quick. Usually I'm just cooking for my husband and daughter, but occasionally we're joined by our eldest daughter and her family. When it comes to getting dinner ready, I have a system. While the main course is cooking, I'll prepare the potatoes and other side dishes. When guests come over, I'm not too fond of letting them help in the kitchen. I'm kind of a tyrant that way. I'd rather make dinner myself and have it all ready." To cut down on the cooking time, these potatoes are cooked in the microwave first, then stuffed and rewarmed in the oven.

"Many of the everyday dishes I made when I was raising my daughters are recipes I learned from my mother while I was growing up in the suburbs of Paris," writes Fanny Carroll of Eugene, Oregon. "She was quite a cook, and with a husband and seven kids to feed, everything had to be fast. It's nice that the dishes I learned as a girl are enduring favorites in my own family. I still make the carrot and rice soup for my daughter Eileen." A colorful soup that's smooth and rich.

In 1917, a society grande dame asked Julius Keller, maître d’ of the Casino restaurant in New York, to surprise her with a new dish. Keller presented clams baked on the half shell, topped with minced bell pepper, herb butter and bacon. By the twenties, Clams Casino, as Keller called it, was ubiquitous on restaurant menus. Here is a lightened version with great lively flavors.

This is a delicate, light-tasting soup.

Do not attempt this dish unless the fish is very fresh. Steaming is used only for fresh, delicately flavored fish.

"Because my family loves this hearty stew so much, I included it in a cookbook I put together for my children," Joy Smith, Glastonbury, Connecticut. "It makes a comforting meal on cold winter evenings here in Connecticut, and it's a convenient dish that freezes and reheats well."