Weeknight Meals

Finish off this meal with some cookies from the bakery and fresh fruit.

Try tucking this simple make-ahead salad into pita bread halves and adding some ruffly-edged lettuce for color.

A light and flavorful way to cook fish.

Easy to prepare and impressive to serve, this dish is perfect for an impromptu week-night dinner party.

A little pork goes a long way in this Chinese dinner. Chicken breast can be used as a substitute for the pork. Chinese crepes are available frozen in most Asian markets, but easy-to-find tortillas work, too.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Pick up stuffed grape leaves, marinated mushrooms and crusty bread from the deli to round out the menu. Finish with an almond tart and brandied espresso.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

The same parsley butter (which can be prepared three days ahead) seasons the pasta and the broccoli rabe served alongside.

Saturday night is typically pizza-making night for my family, and one of the standard features of these evenings is pizza with pesto and fresh tomatoes. I use a good store-bought pesto, and, although I once made the dough in my bread machine, I now purchase excellent dough at our local Bertucci's restaurant and keep plenty on hand in the freezer. The dinner is simple and delicious. A pizza stone is a worthwhile investment if you're partial to pizza with a crisp crust that doesn’t droop. For this recipe we used a large pizza stone (about 14 inches across). But don’t despair if you don't have one; we also achieved good results when we baked the pizza on a baking sheet.

Salsicce con l'Uva While this dish makes for excellent dinner fare, I personally prefer it served on a crusty roll for lunch along with a glass of Chianti Colli Aretini.... If you don't have good crusty bread on hand, make a few mashed potatoes while these sausages are roasting in the oven.

"Cooking with friends — that's pretty much what my life has been about," writes Louise Pickerel of Muskogee, Oklahoma. "When I moved here from Texas ten years ago, it was hard to leave the people I'd known for so long, but I've probably met two hundred new people since then. I have always entertained, but now that I'm retired, I finally have more time to play bridge and cook." Louise likes to serve this chunky soup with ham or roast beef sandwich wraps.

Serve this dish, from chef Matthew Reichel, with potato pancakes or rice pilaf.