Chicken

Serve these atop rice, and offer cherry tomatoes tossed with ranch dressing on the side. Purchased peach tarts wrap it up.

Pancetta, the salty Italian bacon, forms a crust around the chicken. Offer a bottle of Pinot Grigio, a crisp Italian white wine, with this entrée. For dessert, try spumoni and sugar cookies.

Here's a robust main course for those April days that seem to belong to winter.

Executive chef Keith Luce at Spruce in Chicago is committed to featuring the best local ingredients each season. At this time of year, he often serves grilled chicken or game birds in a pool of uncooked tomato sauce, which takes advantage of the juicy tomatoes that grow so well in the Midwest. As side dishes, Chef Luce suggests grilling a selection of vegetables from the farmers market, such as sweet corn or squash. To complete this splendid late-summer supper, offer scoops of berry sorbet topped with sliced ripe peaches.

Nothing beats a good old-fashioned roast chicken with all the trimmings. Fresh herbs, crispy bacon, potatoes, sausages and a great gravy all add up to the kind of dish that creates nostalgia. Steamed baby carrots and sautéed shredded cabbage are proper accompaniments.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Serve couscous and buttered carrots with this main course. Purchase fresh rhubarb tartlets for a seasonal finale.

Active time: 45 min Start to finish: 3 hr

"Last summer I visited my sister in Los Angeles for a week of shopping, going to the beach and dining out," writes Donna M. Savage of Framingham, Massachusetts. "My favorite meal of the trip was at the Four Seasons in Beverly Hills. I had an Indian-style chicken salad that was wonderfully spicy and flavorful. I'd love to try the recipe at home and was hoping that you could get it for me."

Tenderize the boneless chicken breast halves by flattening them as you would for a chicken piccata, then marinating in lemon juice. What to drink: A crisp Sauvignon Blanc is ideal with both the breaded chicken and the asparagus risotto.

Creamed spinach and baked sweet potatoes drizzled with maple syrup make good partners for these crispy cutlets. Top vanilla frozen yogurt with fudge sauce and a few raspberries for dessert.