Weeknight Meals

Small portobello mushooms are sometimes labeled portobellini or baby portobellos. Pair this dish with a salad and white wine for a light lunch or supper.

Adapted from Mnemba Island Lodge

Peyton Hughes of Iowa City, Iowa, writes: "My extended family met for a reunion in Boston a few months ago. For our last night together, we decided it would be appropriate to have dinner at Finale. I'll never forget the unusual grilled portobello salad." Farro, or spelt, is a cereal grain that's been eaten in southern Europe for ages.

Begin with cups of chicken broth simmered briefly with slivers of lemongrass and accented with a dash of chili oil. Complement the stir-fry with rice pilaf. End with sliced mango and pineapple topped with green tea ice cream and toasted coconut.

"When I was staying at the Metropolitan Hotel in Toronto," writes Constance M. Shertzer of Indiana, Pennsylvania, "I discovered a fabulous restaurant there called Hemispheres Restaurant and Bistro. The pasta with mushrooms and tomato sauce was as good as any I've ever had in Italy."

Zingerman's is one of the best-known corner delis in the Midwest. This classic creamy potato salad, which has just the right amount of mayonnaise tang, is a mainstay on the menu there.

Fresh corn from a farmers' market or a grower's farmstand will taste the sweetest.

If anchovies rolled around capers aren't available, substitute a two-ounce can of anchovies plus one teaspoon of capers. serve with: Potato pancakes, chunky applesauce, and red-cabbage slaw.

Serve with: Mixed baby greens with shredded radishes in a citrus vinaigrette, and a sesame baguette.

As a working mother with four daughters, my mom had very little spare time, yet she always managed to turn out meals reminiscent of her native Canton, China. This dish, one of her specialties, takes its name from the moist, velvety texture the chicken gets from being poached at a low temperature. My mother loved the short preparation time (the chicken finishes cooking through heat retained in a covered pot) and that the poaching liquid can be strained and then chilled or frozen to be used again. Active time: 20 min Start to finish: 1 1/2 hr

Serve with: French fries or potato chips, and steamed broccoli.

Juli Tsuchiya-Waldron of Tokyo, Japan, writes: "I was born in California but moved to Tokyo with my family when I was 6 years old. Now I'm 19, and have started a small craft shop where I sell my handmade place mats and coasters. Cooking is my other creative outlet. When my mother is too busy to cook for the family, I enjoy coming up with dishes that are interesting and nutritious but still quick." Serve the pork over steamed white rice.

Regular mozzarella can be substituted for the smoked variety in this quick and easy dish.

The oversize croutons add a nice crunch to this warming dish, which is a cross between a soup and a stew. Serve with: Romaine salad with sliced oranges, black olives, and balsamic vinaigrette.

Mark Taylor of West Hartford, Connecticut, writes: "I started cooking out of necessity when I first graduated from college, since I couldn't afford to eat out. Having grown up watching my mother cook for our large family, I used her recipes. She was always trying new dishes whenever we had guests and sharing her adventurous attitude toward eating. These days, even though my wife and I both work, we still cook several times a week. Now I tend to rely on recipes I've picked up from restaurants and friends. I enjoy experimenting with different ingredients and figuring out new ways to improve a recipe, as I've done with the one here."

Note that part of the honey-mustard sauce is also used as the marinade.