Cheese

Look for wasabi powder in the spice aisle or the Asian foods section of the market.

These delicious strudels can be put together one day before baking.

Serve with: Three-bean deli salad spooned over arugula. Dessert: Ice cream bars.

Cut into slim wedges for an appetizer or into larger pieces for a main course.

Chill this overnight to develop the blueberry flavor and give the filling time to set.

"On Saturday mornings I like to go to the farmers' market near my house and buy whatever produce is at its peak," writes Justin Kulongowski of Portland, Maine. "One weekend I came home with all the ingredients to make this great salad."

"One evening my husband took me to a marvelous restaurant, Al Biernat's, in nearby Dallas," says Janice E. Bryant of Irving, Texas."I had an innovative salad—greens tossed with grilled pear slices, walnuts, blue cheese and a terrific vinaigrette."

Round out this meatless — but hearty — main course with a big spoonful of deli pasta salad on a bed of arugula, and end with purchased tiramisù topped with berries.

This salad was inspired by a couple of dishes our food editors encountered at restaurants in Rome.

Serve with: Tomato salad and crusty semolina bread. Dessert: Amaretti cookies.

I came up with this recipe one day when I was boiling a big old hen for chicken soup and had plenty of meat left over, but if you don't care to fool with that, the casserole can easily be made with a nicely roasted chicken picked up in a deli or supermarket.

Use a sharp vegetable peeler to shave the Parmesan cheese into long strips.

Pasta with shellfish is an old Italian tradition. Have crusty bread on hand to serve.