Horseradish

Though fresh horseradish is in season around Easter, you can substitute drained bottled horseradish. We recommend using the cooked beets left over from the pickled quail egg recipe , but if you're not making the eggs, you can substitute canned beets.

Marty Rosencranz of River Vale, New Jersey, writes: "Even though I am a professional chef — at the Valley Brook Golf Club in New Jersey — when I cook at home I make dishes that are good but fast. The warm steak sandwich is one of the best things to eat for lunch on a cold day." Croissant steak sandwiches with caramelized onions and horseradish mayonnaise Although this sandwich tastes great with a croissant, any bread can be used.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less but requires additional unattended time.

A drizzle of chipotle-accented cream boosts the flavors in this refreshing summer soup.

Offer a hearty Cabernet Sauvignon with this impressive prime rib.

I've learned that garnishing soup can turn an everyday first course into something elegant. This cream goes particularly well with lentil soup and puréed carrot soup. Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

At breakfast time, the hash is topped with poached eggs; on the bistro menu, it is served with crème fraîche.

There's horseradish in the cream sauce and, for good measure, some more in the buttery crumb crust.

Active time: 35 min Start to finish: 45 min

Mashed potatoes are always a crowd-pleaser at holiday meals. But if you want to mix things up a bit this year, try one of our delicious variations, below.

You can grill any cooked sausage you like for this sandwich, but we recommend kielbasa or kosher salami (not dried beef). Active time: 25 min Start to finish: 30 min

For this recipe you will need three mini-muffin pans, each containing twelve 1 3/4-by-1 inch cups.