Summer

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Here's a beautiful pie with a sweet-tart filling and a sensational crust.

This beautiful torte can be prepared three days before serving.

By cutting back on butter and egg yolks and by using low fat milk, we've reduced the fat in this satisfying side dish without sacrificing the creaminess.

Spruce up some purchased pasta salad with drained marinated artichoke hearts and marinated mushrooms for a hearty side dish. For dessert, spoon raspberries and sliced peaches over vanilla frozen yogurt.

Try the sauce with grilled fish or chicken, too. Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

An innovative presentation from Flagstaff House Restaurant in Boulder, Colorado. Chef Mark Monette always offers a few meatless main dishes alongside his game and fish specialties. He serves rice with this one to catch the juices from the ratatouille.

This dense orange cake, drizzled with orange glaze, is always a favorite at the annual P-Patch harvest banquet.

A finale that is great on its own or served with some whipped cream that has been accented with brown sugar.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

The use of raisins and pine nuts in lightly sweet-and-sour sauces probably came to Sicily from Turkey; these ingredients also turn up in the cooking of Venice, long a commercial gateway to Turkey and the East, but less commonly in the anchovy-and-tomato sauces that are so fundamental to the Sicilian kitchen. Note that the zucchini in this dish is cooked rather soft, in the traditional Italian manner; if you want a more contemporary crisp product, add the zucchini toward the end for a quick cooking in the thickened sauce.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less. This sandwich goes well with macaroni salad and sweet-potato chips. Scoop strawberry ice cream into waffle cones afterward.

You can start baking this beautiful cake two days ahead: Make the cake layers and the raspberry curd a day before assembling; then the completed cake can be refrigerated a day before serving.

Arugula replaces lettuce in this clever pasta dish. Serve with: Whole-wheat breadsticks and carrot sticks with blue cheese dip. Dessert: Cherry-vanilla ice cream cones.