Recipe: Flip-Over Apple Cake

BREAKFAST

FLIP-OVER APPLE CAKE

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for the pan

4 medium apples

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

Cook's Corner Recipe: Starlight Double Delight Cake

DESSERT

STARLIGHT DOUBLE DELIGHT CAKE

FROSTING

2 (3-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup (1 stick) margarine or butter, softened

Desperation Dinners Recipe: Pan-Seared Sea Scallops With Pear-Infused Balsamic Reduction

MAIN DISH

PAN-SEARED SEA SCALLOPS WITH PEAR-INFUSED BALSAMIC REDUCTION

Start to finish: under 25 minutes.

8 sea scallops (about 1 1/3 pounds total), defrosted if frozen

Technique Recipe: Chicken Tagine With Apricots and Almonds

MAIN DISH

CHICKEN TAGINE WITH APRICOTS AND ALMONDS

A green salad and a loaf of good bread are all you need to complete this meal. The seasoning is well-balanced by the citrus acidity, fresh melon and flinty mineral notes of DeLoach Sauvignon Blanc Ritchie Vineyard 2007 ($30).

Cook's Corner Recipe: Lemon Buttermilk Sherbet

DESSERT

LEMON BUTTERMILK SHERBET

4 cups buttermilk

1 1/2 cups white corn syrup

1/2 cup lemon juice

Finely grated zest of 4 lemons (about 1/2 cup)

Recipe: Sirloin And Black Bean Chili

MAIN DISH

SIRLOIN AND BLACK BEAN CHILI

1 1/2 pounds sirloin steak (can be in 2 or 3 pieces)

4 to 6 teaspoons chili powder

Desperation Dinners Recipe: Banana Bread Pudding

DESSERT

BANANA BREAD PUDDING

Whole or 2 percent milk should be used. Refrigerate the leftover egg whites in an airtight container for up to four days and use to make whites-only omelets.

Cook's Corner Recipe: Banana Cake With Creamy Banana Frosting

DESSERT

BANANA CAKE WITH CREAMY BANANA FROSTING

1 standard-size box yellow cake mix

1/3 cup dark brown sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Fork on the Road Recipe: Pickled Conch

APPETIZER

PICKLED CONCH

This recipe can also be made with shrimp. If using conch, see if your fish seller will tenderize it for you. Serve with drinks and crackers.

Cook's Corner Recipe: Soft Raisin Cookies

COOKIES

SOFT RAISIN COOKIES

2 cups raisins

1 cup shortening or butter

1 3/4 cups sugar

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

Desperation Dinners Recipe: Desperate Diane

MAIN DISH

DESPERATE DIANE

Fat-free egg noodles are sometimes called yolk-free or no-yolk noodles.

If you can't find steak cut for stir-fry at your store, choose a lean, tender steak, about 1-inch thick, and slice it into strips. Cut any strips longer than 3 inches in half. This recipe doubles easily; just be sure to cook the beef separately from the mushrooms or it will not brown sufficiently. Start to finish: 15 minutes.

Recipe: Bell Pepper And Corn Slaw

SIDE DISH

BELL PEPPER

AND CORN SLAW

6 large bell peppers, assorted colors

2 ears corn, shucked

Juice of 2 lemons, or to taste

Fork on the Road Recipe: Chicken Red Curry

MAIN DISH

CHICKEN RED CURRY

You can substitute beef, pork, shrimp or tofu in this easy curry. (Add shrimp or tofu to the sauce near the end of cooking.) Serve with rice and a crisp cucumber salad. Most supermarkets have curry paste and fish sauce in the ethnic aisle.

Cook's Corner Recipe: Macaroni and Cheese Tuna Casserole

MAIN DISH

MACARONI AND CHEESE TUNA CASSEROLE

1 (7 1/2-ounce) box macaroni and cheese

1 cup sour cream

1 (6-ounce) can tuna, drained and flaked

Dinner in Minutes Recipe: Key West Shrimp

MAIN DISH

KEY WEST SHRIMP

3 tablespoons reduced-fat mayonnaise

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon Key lime juice

Recipe: Curried Cantaloupe Slaw

SIDE DISH

CURRIED CANTALOUPE SLAW

Buy a very firm, under-ripe cantaloupe; this will make it easier to julienne the melon for the slaw. Dressing the julienned melon in advance will make the melon too soft; plan to make the slaw no more than 30 minutes before serving.

Recipe: Chickpeas In Coconut Sauce

MAIN DISH

CHICKPEAS IN

COCONUT SAUCE

Start to finish: 25 minutes.

5 teaspoons sesame oil or canola oil

2 tablespoons yellow split peas, picked over for stones

Cook's Corner Recipe: Cottage Cheese Bread

BREAD

COTTAGE CHEESE BREAD

1 envelope dry yeast

1 tablespoon butter or margarine

1 cup cottage cheese

1/4 cup sugar

Recipe: Zucchini Slaw

SIDE DISH

ZUCCHINI SLAW

2 pounds zucchini (6 small or 3 to 4 medium)

4 plum tomatoes, seeded and diced into 1/4-inch pieces

Recipe: Daikon Slaw

SIDE DISH

DAIKON SLAW

3 1/2 pounds daikon radish, about 1 large

1 red onion, sliced lengthwise into 1/8-inch strips

Recipe: Pappa Al Pomodoro

MAIN DISH

PAPPA AL POMODORO

Holly Smith, a contestant on Food Network's The Next Iron Chef, considers this vinegary tomato and bread soup the perfect kid food -- they can get their hands messy while mashing the bread into the tomatoes. That may be the case, but our 5-year-old wouldn't touch it. His loss. It was delicious.

Recipe: Broken Florentine Lasagna Bake

MAIN DISH

BROKEN FLORENTINE

LASAGNA BAKE

Rachael Ray described this as ``a dream, rich, simple and delish.'' It's also easy to make and loaded with spinach and chard. Our 5-year-old agreed it was good. Except for the 3 pounds of greens.

Recipe: Creamed Baby Spinach

Melissa d'Arabian, host of Food Network's Ten Dollar Dinners, bravely tried to tempt a picky 5-year-old with a cheesy wilted spinach dish. He refused to eat anything but the sauce, and then only the tiniest lick off his fork.

Cook's Corner Recipe: Beverly Hills Cafe's Zucchini Muffins

MUFFINS

BEVERLY HILLS CAFE'S ZUCCHINI MUFFINS

4 eggs

3 cups sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Desperation Dinners Recipe: Garlic-Parmesan Pita Chips

SNACK

GARLIC-PARMESAN

PITA CHIPS

Start to finish: under 15 minutes.

Cooking oil spray

2 (7- to 8-inch) whole-wheat or white pita-bread rounds

Recipe: Lentil Soup With Lemon Zest

SOUP

LENTIL SOUP WITH LEMON ZEST

Start to finish: 30 minutes

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

Recipe: Maria Sinskey's Herb-Roasted Chicken Dinner

MAIN DISH

MARIA SINSKEY'S HERB-ROASTED

CHICKEN DINNER

Maria Helm Sinskey's delicious roast chicken boasts moist meat, crispy golden skin and an infusion of herbal flavor. Sinskey's secrets are to use a high-quality chicken, season it well, cook it at high temperature, and allow it to rest before carving. The herb stuffing can be prepared and stuffed under the skin a day ahead. Consider roasting two chickens at once so you have plenty of leftovers for the week.

Vegetarian Recipe: Ellen Kanner's Vegan Spinach Pie

APPETIZER

VEGAN SPINACH PIE

An easy but impressive appetizer or main course, this lacks the cheesy ooze of traditional Greek spanakopita but has a fraction of the fat and a vibrant taste. Tahini, a Middle Eastern sesame paste, is available in many supermarkets.

Recipe: Moroccan-Style Skillet Chicken

MAIN DISH

MOROCCAN-STYLE SKILLET CHICKEN

(photo above)

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

Cook's Corner Recipe: Chicken Cannelloni in Bechamel

MAIN DISH

CHICKEN CANNELLONI

IN BECHAMEL

1 pound cannelloni noodles

4 tablespoons cooking oil, divided

1 large onion, chopped finely