Thyme

"Many of the everyday dishes I made when I was raising my daughters are recipes I learned from my mother while I was growing up in the suburbs of Paris," writes Fanny Carroll of Eugene, Oregon. "She was quite a cook, and with a husband and seven kids to feed, everything had to be fast."

Fresh herbs and pancetta (Italian cured bacon) blanket the pork before it goes into the oven. Ask the butcher to tie the two loins to hold their shape. Begin marinating the meat one day before serving. What to drink: Open a few bottles of spicy Zinfandel or hearty Bordeaux to place on the buffet table.

Rich, flavorful and perfect for the Thanksgiving table. This side dish is great for the cook, too, as it can be made one day ahead.

Here's an updated coq au vin that's from Fringale in San Francisco.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

The recipe calls for spraying the oven with water because extra humidity makes the outside of the bread crusty. Simply use a spray bottle filled with tap water.

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.

Not much goes better with fried chicken than braised mustard greens or turnip greens, hot biscuits and sweet pickles. For a perfect dessert, serve squares of warm gingerbread with whipped cream. This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

The slight sweetness of the pomegranate jus complements the peppery spice rub on the veal. The chef likes to serve these with a mélange of vegetables such as pearl onions, baby beets, and asparagus.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

On the island of Corsica, whole fish is simply baked or grilled for maximum flavor. Local cooks often use mountain trout, sea bream, grouper or mullet, but you can use sea trout, lingcod or sea bass with good results.

We've based this carbohydrate-rich, one-dish supper on the classic Spanish paella, mixing the lima beans (which stand in for the traditional rice) with tomatoes, chicken and a bit of ham.

"Pané" comes from the French verb "paner," meaning to coat with bread crumbs.

A simple but flavorful poultry main course.