Oven Bake

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less. Deli cucumber salad and one of the new microwavable soups, such as savory lentil or spicy rice and bean, make great side dishes. End with purchased fresh fruit salad.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

"My husband, Andreas, is from Crete," writes Yolanda Paterakis, "and we have a vacation home on the Greek island of Euboea in the Aegean Sea. No matter where we are, we love to entertain our two children, our three grandchildren, and scores of friends. People often come over in the evening for mezedes and ouzo. For these get-togethers, I always prepare quick, simple dishes because my busy schedule demands it; I write children's and travel books, and I'm the general secretary of the National Society of Greek Writers. I've often thought that cooking is like writing a story — always best when you put your heart into it."

Coca-Cola was invented in the late 1800s by Atlanta pharmacist John Styth Pemberton, and it really hit its stride after the turn of the century. The company has introduced several variations over the years (Diet Coke, Cherry Coke and the short-lived New Coke), but Coca-Cola Classic has always been the big seller. And it has made its way into quite a few recipes, including a Coca-Cola cake and a Coke-glazed baked ham. Here it adds a sweet caramel note to a simple version of baked beans.

These little toasts are nice before dinner or alongside a green salad.

"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.

Active time: 1 hr Start to finish: 2 3/4 hr

Tuna would also work well in this recipe. Use a combination of black and white sesame seeds for dramatic contrast. Don't forget to provide a bowl for the toothpicks.

Active time: 45 min Start to finish: 1 1/2 hr

Cooking the sea bass in parchment paper is a great technique — it keeps the pistachio topping in place and allows you to brown both the fish and the topping in the skillet (the parchment becomes translucent so you can see the browning. Since Gras is on the West Coast, he likes to use Dungeness crab when he makes this dish. We've substituted jumbo lump crabmeat because it's available year round nationwide.

"Cooking with friends — that's pretty much what my life has been about," writes Louise Pickerel of Muskogee, Oklahoma. "When I moved here from Texas ten years ago, it was hard to leave the people I'd known for so long, but I've probably met two hundred new people since then. I have always entertained, but now that I'm retired, I finally have more time to play bridge and cook." Perfect for Thanksgiving, these warm hors d'oeuvres can be assembled a day ahead and chilled, then baked before serving.

Active time: 1 1/2 hr Start to finish: 2 hr

These small potato cups (each one is half a russet potato) are a great choice if you're short on oven space. The potatoes can be baked and stuffed one day ahead and chilled, then warmed in the oven for 20 minutes while the turkey rests before carving.

Active time: 1 hr Start to finish: 1 1/2 hr Created at de Jonghe's restaurant in Chicago, this dish is a memorial to a time when we were afraid of garlic but not of butter. The amount of garlic in it was considered outrageously racy.