Lemon

Though penne is Faith Heller Willinger's pasta of choice for this dish, we tried other types—such as mafalde (broad, rippled noodles similar to lasagna noodles but not quite as wide)—and found they work well, too.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Delicious with toasted bread, as presented here, or with celery sticks, red bell pepper strips or Belgian endive leaves.

This beautiful and delicious soup is served at The Kinloch Lodge Hotel.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

The potatoes and yams are perked up with fresh ginger and with lemons.

The chef at Kristina's makes this dish with haddock; we call for sea bass, which is more readily available.

Lemon juice and peel offer a double punch of flavor in this delicious dish. Serve the risotto Italian-style as a first course, or American-style as a main course.

Ask the butcher to halve the Cornish game hens for you.

Many of the cake's components can be made a head, and once the tiers are filled and decorated, they can be refrigerated up to two days or frozen up to two weeks before the wedding. The rich, lemony cake has a dense texture like that of a pound cake. To prevent discoloration of the filling, use a saucepan with a nonreactive interior, such as enamel or stainless steel. (The lemon juice acid will adversely affect the filling if it's made in an unlined iron or aluminum saucepan.)

For convenience, chill these individual eggless custards overnight before serving. The sauce can also be made a day ahead.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Active time: 20 min Start to finish: 2 1/2 hr (includes chilling) The electric blender (originally a bartender's tool for daiquiris) became a must-have home appliance in the 1950s. Cooks grew enamored of the blender's ability to create velvet-smooth soups — soups previously (and messily) forced through food mills and sieves.

Orzo (a rice-shaped pasta also known as riso) can be mixed with diced summer squash, olives and red bell pepper to make a colorful bed for the lamb skewers. Toss some shredded romaine and red cabbage with an oil and vinegar dressing to serve alongside, and end the Mediterranean-style meal with honey cake from the bakery.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Vanilla ice cream is just the right accompaniment to these cookies; orange segments would be a fresh, pretty garnish.