Thyme

Wild rice and winter squash are perfect with this easy and elegant entrée.

Offer this as a side dish with grilled lamb or as a light supper for two with a salad.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less. If fingerling potatoes are not available, small red potatoes, halved, may be substituted.

Serve with: Buttered noodles and steamed Swiss chard. Dessert: A bakery Linzertorte.

Brining the turkey in the refrigerator for two days ensures an incredibly moist result. We do not recommend stuffing brined turkeys because the brine can make the stuffing too salty. A do-ahead gravy base eliminates last-minute stirring and thickening. Look for fresh bay leaves in the produce section.

This Dijon favorite goes well with french fries. Offer a red or white Burgundy.

Here's a versatile pesto. It's great with goat cheese as an appetizer, mixed with balsamic vinegar as a vinaigrette, spread on sandwiches, tossed with steamed carrots, or mixed with a little cream and chicken broth and served over pasta.

Use this stock to prepare Chicken with Parsley and Thyme Stuffing and Roasted Potatoes .

Active time: 1 1/2 hr Start to finish: 18 hr (includes chilling)

These can be served as hors d'oeuvres, or placed atop a salad of spinach, walnuts and sliced apples.

Reduced-fat cream cheese, low-fat milk and water-packed canned tuna are the secrets to this updated take on a 1950s favorite.

The turkey's flavors of bacon and sage are repeated in this robust stuffing. Mushrooms, which have long been hunted in the heartland, add a nice touch.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less. Makes use of the microwave oven.