Parade

Cid Prevost, Kansas City, Mo.
An ad director who collects cookbooks (last count: 300-plus), Cid grows 14 varieties of herbs in her garden: "For this chili, I use my own cilantro, basil and bay leaves."

This golden curry cooks quickly, so the vegetables are just tender. A flourish of mint adds the final spark.

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

These birds are one of many excellent grilling ideas from Steven Raichlen, author of The Barbecue! Bible (Workman, 1998) and How To Grill, in bookstores later this month.

Provide knives so your guests can slice the sections into individual ribs. Have lots of damp paper towels on hand.

Both the sugar and the vanilla enhance the flavor of the whipped cream.

You can buy a cooked chicken and frozen puff pastry for this dish. Both make this pot pie a very easy family meal.

Mario Batali, star of the Food Network's Molto Mario, is one of the top chefs in New York City, where he owns three restaurants with Joe Bastianich — Babbo, Lupa and Esca. This dish, from Batali's book Simple Italian Food, is served at Lupa.

When cooking with tomatoes in September, buy them ahead of time and let them ripen on your counter.

When returning the chopped clams to the pot, try not to heat them for too long, or they will toughen up.

If Chilean sea bass is unavailable, any sea bass is fine to use. Score the fish on the skin side, so it won't curl.

Chef Boulud says that the success of this dish rests on browning the short ribs well at the beginning of cooking the dish to get the best flavors into the sauce. The Celery Duo starts with a celery root puree and ends with the braised ribs that top the beef. This recipe also can be found in the Café Boulud Cookbook, by Daniel Boulud and Dorie Greenspan.

Carole McCallum, Sammamish, Wash.
"Instead of Kahlúa, try Grand Marnier, crème de cacao, or another liqueur. For a festive touch, add green or red sprinkles."

After opening anchovies, always keep them refrigerated, or they become mushy. Use as necessary. Freshly grated cheese may be frozen until needed.

Fay Felicitas, San Jose, Calif.
If you don't have margarine, 2 to 3 additional tablespoons of olive oil will do, as the sausages release some fat. Two ounces of cheese is a small amount, but that's all you'll need to tie the dish together.

Chris Gavenda, Wildwood, Mo.
For those of you who may not know, the tortilla chips form a crispy crust on the bottom of the casserole.

Tom Valenti was the first chef in New York City to cook this great recipe. It can be found in his book Welcome to My Kitchen, just published by HarperCollins.

When adding the flour, it's important to do so delicately. It must be cooked to remove any raw taste. This thickens the soup nicely.

Larry Forgione serves this luscious dessert at An American Place, his renowned New York City restaurant. It's a great treat when local berries are in season.

Talk about simple stews! You don't have to brown the meat — and the stew cooks in an easy hour.