Food Processor

The small, sweet Meyer lemon, common in California backyards, has a thin, smooth skin and a juice interior and is particularly fragrant. These scones, which are lighter than most, will spread slightly during baking.

This sugar, used in the cookies and lime ice, is great to have on hand for sprinkling on cut fruit or to add a boost to iced tea. Active time: 45 min Start to finish: 45 min

An easy do-ahead appetizer.

"My husband and I ate dinner at the Dilworthtown Inn, a colonial-style restaurant in West Chester, Pennsylvania," writes Judy Kamp of Oxford, Pennsylvania. "I'd love to know how to make the creamy mushroom soup we both had to start the meal."

This recipe makes more dressing than you'll need. The remainder makes a great everyday dressing for any type of green salad, or a delicious dip for chicken wings or raw vegetables.

The nutty marzipan mixture is a delicious contrast to the sweet-tart plum filling.

"Every meal I've had at Addie's, a small place in nearby Rockville, has been great," says Alyssa Shooshan of Potomac, Maryland. "I especially like the lime cake; in fact, it's one of my favorite desserts. I do a lot of entertaining and would love to make the cake for a party."

Leaving a bit of skin on the eggplant adds to the pesto's texture and color. Pour a Pinot Noir or Provençal rosé with the meal.

As in many Mexican recipe names, there is a playful personification at work here: The eggs are "separated" by their salsas—one is topped with fiery red, the other with jealous green.

This recipe makes enough dough for two crusts (one for the bottom of the pie and one for the top).

(Sformati di Asparagi e Parmigiano) Sformato, which is a cross between a savory custard and a soufflé, can be made from a number of different vegetables. Asparagus is ideal and a Tuscan favorite — particularly in April and May when it is at its best. Serve these puddings as a first course or as a side dish; or accompany them with a salad for brunch or a light supper.

(Brutti-boni) Brutti ma buoni (which means "ugly but pretty") are cookies found in many regions of Italy, usually made from finely ground almonds in a meringue base. But the Mattei bakery, in Prato, makes them in typical Tuscan style, which is quite different. The egg whites are only beaten lightly, and the nuts are coarsely ground. They are known in the Tuscan dialect as brutti-boni.

The gentle sweetness of this simple side dish goes well with the slightly spicy flank steak .

Low in calories and rich in flavor, this sauce is also excellent over vanilla frozen yogurt.

A tender shortbread crust with a fruit preserves filling and a chewy nut topping.