Squash

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less but requires additional unattended time.

Although lamb is not commonly found in Chinese dishes, Hong Kong restaurants reach out to explore every nuance of Asian cuisine. Lamb is popular with the nomads of Mongolia and Manchuria; they would most likely cook the meat in a firepot. Here it's used in a more delicate stir-fry.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less but requires additional unattended time.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

To sweeten the whipped cream topping, simply add a little honey instead of sugar.

Cheryl Zook of Ketchum, Idaho, writes: "After I graduated from college last fall, I spent a few months in Europe. By far, my favorite stop was Florence. I'll always remember the vegetable soup I had at Ristorante Mamma Gina near the Ponte Vecchio." This is almost as thick as a stew. If you prefer a thinner soup, simply add more vegetable stock. Because the beans need to soak overnight, begin preparation a day ahead.

Dark rum moistens the cake layers and adds another festive flavor to this beautiful and delicious holiday dessert. The cake can be made and chilled two days ahead.

Active time: 1 hr Start to finish: 5 hr If you decide to use fresh pumpkin purée for this cake, be sure you drain it for the full eight hours we recommend in the procedure.

Browned butter is butter cooked to a browner, nutty-tasting stage. It adds lots of flavor to the steamed squash.

Carey Paquette of Arlington, Virginia, writes: "My boyfriend and I cook almost every night as a way to unwind. It's nice to come home after a hectic day and make dinner together rather than pull something prepackaged out of the freezer. One of our favorite things is grilled vegetables. I'm always adding them to meals, since they don't need a lot of preparation. They're the key ingredients in my popular chicken sandwiches."

A complete vegetarian main course, with fresh herbs and Moroccan accents.