Cutlet

Serve couscous and buttered carrots with this main course. Purchase fresh rhubarb tartlets for a seasonal finale.

Creamed spinach and baked sweet potatoes drizzled with maple syrup make good partners for these crispy cutlets. Top vanilla frozen yogurt with fudge sauce and a few raspberries for dessert.

Bettina says that this recipe is one of her delicious and dependable standbys.

Active time: 25 min Start to finish: 35 min

You can substitute skinless boneless chicken breasts for the veal cutlets. Active time: 30 min Start to finish: 35 min

Chuletas de Pollo al Limón I first tasted this light but winning dish at La Troje restaurant in Orizaba. As you doubtless know by now, soy and Maggi sauce are as Mexican as chutney is English. Serve with pilaf-style white rice.

With the pork, serve sautéed spinach and some steamed baby red-skinned potatoes with butter and chopped fresh dill. Warm apple tartlets from your favorite bakery complete this elegant meal.

Serve this with white rice to soak up the delicious sauce.

Using sun-dried tomatoes that are not packed in oil cuts down on fat. You can find them at some supermarkets, specialty foods stores and Italian markets.

This simplified version of a classic party dish will add some welcome heat to a winter night.

In this entrée, balsamic vinegar gives tartness to a cream sauce that balances nicely with the pork and figs. Sautéed spinach or chard would go well with the dish.

Active time: 15 min
Start to finish: 15 min

Noël McAlpine of Dallas, Texas, writes: "When I was in Florence for a business conference, I had the pleasure of dining at Trattoria Garga. I really enjoyed the scaloppine al carciofi (veal cutlets with artichokes) and would like to add the recipe to my collection."

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Fans of Buffalo wings will understand why we suggest serving these chicken cutlets with Crunchy Iceberg and Watercress Salad with Blue Cheese Dressing . Active time: 20 min Start to finish: 35 min

"I spend as much time as I can cooking," writes Brigette Lyons of Allendale, New Jersey, "and I'm equally comfortable feeding two or two hundred. I thoroughly enjoy giving sit-down meals, including an annual Christmas luncheon I do for about twenty guests. I just like to cook, period. Cooking for two hundred may be different from making weeknight dinners for myself and my husband, John, but organization is the key to both. I try to keep things on hand that are simple and easy to prepare." Brigette prepares this dish for her annual Christmas luncheon. It's ideal for entertaining because it can be assembled ahead and baked just before serving.