Root Vegetable

The onions can be made 3 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.

Lemon and thyme give these potatoes color and zip. Make the flavored butter ahead of time to save a step on the big day.

An inspired mix of ingredients in a savory sweet potato dish. This can be prepared four hours ahead and rewarmed in the oven 10 minutes before serving.

Here's something good for vegetarians, too. Just use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth and bake in a dish.

Canned salmon (with soft, edible bones) and potatoes are good sources of calcium.

"I usually make way too much barbecued chicken and devised the following recipe for leftovers," says Louise A. Peterson of Brooklyn, New York. We tested this recipe with barbecued chicken and also with plain grilled chicken and found both to be delicious. You might even just buy a rotisserie chicken.

It appears on your plate wrapped up like a present. But there's more to this dish than pretty presentation. When you bake salmon, potatoes, and fresh herb-sprinkled vegetables in parchment paper, something magical happens. Nestled in the package, the ingredients cook in their own juices. And when you snip the papillote open, dinner reveals itself in a cloud of aromatic steam. Active time: 1 hr Start to finish: 1 1/4 hr

There are generally two kinds of wheat berries available at natural foods stores and Middle Eastern markets: hard (high-protein) and soft (low-protein). Though either will work fine, we prefer the chewiness of the hard variety for this particular recipe. If you can find only soft wheat berries, subtract 10 minutes from the cooking time.

Have some roasted potatoes and broccoli on the side, then finish with decadent slices of chocolate layer cake.

Bonnie Wilkens Metully of Cincinnati, Ohio, writes: "Having two very active teenagers means I've also had to learn how to put together an interesting dinner even on busy nights. I get inspiration from my favorite bedtime reading, an immense collection of cookbooks and food magazines. I also do a quick grocery run every day — usually because I've just read about a dish that I simply must try — but also because having a well-stocked refrigerator is the key to easier cooking."

I discovered Pot Stickers at about the same time I was introduced to Scallion Cakes. Pan-fried on only one side, the dough for these dumplings is at once crisp and chewy. When I was about eleven years old, I could sometimes devour a dozen of these fried dumplings at one sitting. It was such a sweet pleasure to eat as much as you wanted and still be a skinny child. Filled with pork, cabbage, and a rich broth, every bite was heavenly. The secret of these pot stickers is to reduce the Homemade Chicken Broth until it is concentrated enough to jell when refrigerated. The broth should then be roughly chopped and stirred into the filling mixture right before the dumplings are formed. The Pot Stickers are pan-fried only on one side a few minutes until golden. A little water is added, the lid is placed on the pan, and then, as the dumplings steam-cook, the broth melts. To eat, place a pot sticker in a deep spoon (traditionally, a Chinese porcelain spoon) and sprinkle with a few ginger shreds and a little red rice vinegar. Gently bite into the dumpling and the delicious broth that has now melded with the flavors of the pork filling will burst forth.

Autumn has officially arrived, and after a summer of cool, light cooking, it's time for some homey, hearty meals. Braised meats, with their rich flavors, tender texture and intense, reduced sauces, are definitely homey, but you may never have tried to make them at home. They sound as if they might be complicated to prepare—like something best left to a restaurant chef—and what exactly is braising, anyway? Relax. Braising is easy—there are only two steps: The meat is browned first, then covered and simmered in seasoned liquid. According to Cory Schreiber, the chef at Portland's super-popular Wildwood Restaurant & Bar, braising is a great way to cook lamb shanks. In the recipe here, he does something slightly unusual: He simmers the shanks uncovered in the oven. That way, he says, "the dry heat caramelizes the top of the meat—giving it a bit of a crust—which adds nice texture and color." The lamb is accompanied by a roasted squash purée and wilted Swiss chard. With this recipe in hand, you can actually have your next homey meal at home. Add a salad and crusty bread, and you've got your first dinner party of the season. Use a pot that's at least 12 inches across.

Two new ingredients bring smoky flavor and bright crunch to the traditional leek and vinaigrette combo in this elegant composed salad.

Thinly sliced beets (not beef) lay the foundation for this vibrant rendition of the Italian appetizer. Use any assortment of small beets — red, golden, purple, or candy-striped. A local farmers' market will have the best selection. The beets can be roasted and peeled one day before serving.

Marshmallows need not apply: This gratin gets a savory Parmesan cheese topping.

One way to cut down on holiday oven gridlock is to choose a side dish that can be made on top of the stove, like this one.

Gamberi Aragonati Big shrimp crusted with garlic and crunchy bread crumbs were always a part of our family's Christmas Eve celebration. My father would peel and stuff pans full of fresh sweet shrimp, which would disappear faster than you can say Buon Natale! Easy to do, they are a pleasure to enjoy any time of the year. Don't forget the last squeeze of fresh lemon juice; it really brings out the flavor of the shrimp. Aragonati appears to be a dialect word for gratinati, meaning food that is baked under a browned crust. It has nothing to do with the herb oregano, though it is often misspelled oreganati.