Weeknight Meals

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

You've never seen these on the menu at your local fast-food Mexican restaurant, and you probably never will. One of the joys of cooking is that leftovers can be used to create better meals than most people get when they eat out. These tacos are remarkably simple to make. Just put the various ingredients in their own serving containers on the table and let everyone serve themselves.

Active time: 15 min Start to finish: 15 min

Salmon and cod also work well.

This is based on a classic Italian dish, vitello tonnato, in which chilled slices of veal are topped with a puree of tuna, anchovies, capers, and lemon. Here, the veal is replaced by sliced turkey, and the sauce can be made up to a day ahead. (Buy good-quality turkey breast from the deli section of the market.)

Serve with: Orzo tossed with fresh oregano and green onions, and buttered carrots.

Croûte Forestière This is based on a croûte forestière I tasted at the Bois Gourmand restaurant outside Champagnole, in the heart of the mountainous Jura region in France. The restaurant is known in the area for its regional specialties, and this was an intriguing interpretation of the typical croûte forestière which is made entirely with morels.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

"My husband and I went on our first date at Tuscarora Mill in Leesburg, Virginia, more than ten years ago," Jay Lewis of Charlotte, North Carolina. "A few years later, we held the rehearsal dinner for our wedding there. To this day, every time we visit our family in nearby Waterford, we have dinner at Tuscarora Mill. The pork chop with onion marmalade is my favorite entrée." At the restaurant, this dish is sprinkled with candied pecans before serving.