Oven Bake

Polenta is often made at the last minute on the stove. Since this version is baked, it's a great do-ahead dish.

Rich and satisfying, this is sure to be the hit of the party-especially if it's a cold day.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less. Dried mixed salad herbs, found in the spice section of the supermarket, can substitute for herbes de Provence, the French seasoning.

Now and again all a recipe requires to embitter a child is one fatal ingredient. My siblings tell me that they recall Hamburger Pie as a kid-friendly favorite. I dreaded it. Spying its mashed-potato crust through the oven window, I always groaned. Today my stomach still sinks with recollection, and here's why: sliced green beans from a can. Yes, they're fast, but can anyone defend the taste, texture, or color of canned green beans? My sister has tried to gussy up this dish, and I'm sure you can find many hoity-toity versions (usually called Shepherd's Pie). But here, taken from the brittle pages of her kitchen scrapbook, is the very recipe my mom prepared for her ungrateful son. Everything in it could be found in our house on any day. Mothers take note: This recipe would allow fresh green beans, cooked. Unless, of course, your little epicure insists on canned!

San Francisco is famous for its sourdough, and a wide variety of apples are grown in Sonoma. In this sensational dressing, both ingredients are combined with almonds, which are harvested throughout the state. If you are roasting a turkey in a 350°F oven, cook the stuffing alongside, covered for 45 minutes and uncovered for about 15 minutes.

Italian flavors accent this innovative stuffing. We suggest making it with the Roast Turkey with Red Currant Jelly and Citrus Glaze; reserve the fennel stalks and fronds for use in the stock that's needed for the gravy.

Party alert: This spicy snack is perfect with chilled sparkling wine or ice-cold beer.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less. Put out a relish tray of sliced carrots, celery, gherkins and radishes, and serve sour cream mashed potatoes with the fish. Have lemon meringue tartlets afterward.

For his pizza, Geoffrey Selling broils the eggplant instead of frying it in a lot of oil to lower the fat. But he coats the eggplant with commercial olive-oil spray, and we are reluctant users. How much different is spraying from lightly brushing with oil? To find out, we tested this two ways, spraying the eggplant one time and brushing it the other, and did not find a difference in oiliness. But after tasting the spray, right from the can, and then the bottled oil, we prefer the old-fashioned way.

Here's a delightful variation on the fried-chicken theme, with cornmeal adding welcome crunch. To accompany the meal, serve white wine spritzers and fresh lemonade garnished with mint sprigs.

To complete this meatless supper, have Italian bread and mesclun salad with pine nuts. End the meal with any type of winter fruit tart from the bakery.