Linguine

This is as delicious with mussels as it is with clams. Offer a simple green salad afterward, and pears and a wedge of Italian cheese for dessert.

Mark Taylor of West Hartford, Connecticut, writes: "I started cooking out of necessity when I first graduated from college, since I couldn't afford to eat out. Having grown up watching my mother cook for our large family, I used her recipes. She was always trying new dishes whenever we had guests and sharing her adventurous attitude toward eating. These days, even though my wife and I both work, we still cook several times a week. Now I tend to rely on recipes I've picked up from restaurants and friends. I enjoy experimenting with different ingredients and figuring out new ways to improve a recipe, as I've done with the one here."

A quick version of the traditional Sicilian dish pasta con le sarde. Accompany it with herbed focaccia topped with goat cheese, as well as a salad of roasted red bell peppers. Finish the meal with a fresh fruit tart. This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

(Pasta allo Scoglio) Tuscany is not famous for its seafood dishes, but fantastic fresh fish and shellfish are available all along the coast. A scoglio is a rocky seashore, and in the traditional pasta allo scoglio, only shellfish from the rugged Mediterranean seaside can be used in the sauce. Many kinds of fish are included in the various renditions prepared up and down the Tuscan coast today. Watch how to clean and prepare shellfish and how to make your own pasta.

Bonnie Wilkens Metully of Cincinnati, Ohio, writes: "Having two very active teenagers means I've also had to learn how to put together an interesting dinner even on busy nights. I get inspiration from my favorite bedtime reading, an immense collection of cookbooks and food magazines. I also do a quick grocery run every day —usually because I've just read about a dish that I simply must try —but also because having a well-stocked refrigerator is the key to easier cooking."

Parmesan isn't usually served with seafood pasta, but the cheese adds a nice richness to this linguine.

Look for dried wild mushrooms at most supermarkets; they lend a wonderful richness to this dish, which is great with garlic bread. Begin with a colorful salad of escarole and roasted red bell peppers, and finish with a winter fruit salad of sliced bananas and kiwi, fresh pineapple chunks and red grapes.

Offer a salad of snow peas and sliced radishes in a ginger vinaigrette. End with oranges and almond cookies. Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

This parsley-based pesto is a nice alternative to the classic basil one--and it's especially handy for December, when there might not be fresh basil at the market. The recipe yields about 1 1/3 cups of sauce.

A sophisticated main course.

The juices from the clams combine with spicy Asian flavors to make a great pasta sauce.

The low-fat mushroom ragout can also be served over toast points or as a side dish.

A shrimp and scallop pasta dish with basil and fennel.

Active time: 20 min Start to finish: 35 min