Squash

Here is a light and festive way to introduce a holiday meal. This elegant soup goes very well with Champagne.

You can prepare the polenta a day ahead. The chicken and vegetables can be made earlier in the day, and both can be reheated before serving. Team this with a radicchio and arugula salad, and uncork a Pinot Grigio.

Creamy mascarpone cheese and pureed roasted pumpkin are blended with just a delicious touch of cinnamon to make an interesting sauce for the fettuccine starter. Uncork a Dolcetto.

A spice combination that is inspired by Indian cuisine enhances this sensational soup. Riesling or Sauvignon Blanc as a refreshing partner.

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

(BEIGNETS DE COURGETTES)

My mother had no interest in cooking, but did what she could to get a nutritious dinner on the table with the least possible effort. The concept of a "recipe" was virtually unknown to her. Most nights, dinner was composed of exactly one item from each of the four food groups, for example: a baked potato, boiled peas, broiled chicken, and ice cream. No two ingredients touched each other until they got to our plates. We always had plenty of shrimp in the house (my father was a seafood importer), so my mother took advantage of this food supply by keeping bowls of boiled shrimp with ketchup and horseradish in the refrigerator. Then, on special nights, my mother would give it all she had and make what we called a "dish." We celebrated her efforts at combining ingredients, but the results were never worth the wait.

In this recipe we call for a 3- by 1 1/2-inch stainless-steel pastry ring. It is available at some specialty cookware shops.

Walnuts add crunch to these breakfast treats served at the Mirror Lake Inn in Lake Placid.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.