Oven Bake

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

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

The Mexican sausage called chorizo teams up with other southwestern ingredients-including corn bread, an Anaheim chili, cilantro and oregano-for a delicious stuffing.

Polenta is often made at the last minute on the stove. Since this version is baked, it's a great do-ahead dish.

Rich and satisfying, this is sure to be the hit of the party-especially if it's a cold day.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less. Dried mixed salad herbs, found in the spice section of the supermarket, can substitute for herbes de Provence, the French seasoning.

Now and again all a recipe requires to embitter a child is one fatal ingredient. My siblings tell me that they recall Hamburger Pie as a kid-friendly favorite. I dreaded it. Spying its mashed-potato crust through the oven window, I always groaned. Today my stomach still sinks with recollection, and here's why: sliced green beans from a can. Yes, they're fast, but can anyone defend the taste, texture, or color of canned green beans? My sister has tried to gussy up this dish, and I'm sure you can find many hoity-toity versions (usually called Shepherd's Pie). But here, taken from the brittle pages of her kitchen scrapbook, is the very recipe my mom prepared for her ungrateful son. Everything in it could be found in our house on any day. Mothers take note: This recipe would allow fresh green beans, cooked. Unless, of course, your little epicure insists on canned!