Poultry

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less. Guacamole (there are many kinds in the freezer section these days) and a new sweet fruit salsa are good accompaniments to these quesadillas. (The quesadillas make good use of shredded mixed cheeses and pre-seasoned, precooked chicken.) Have sliced oranges and red onions atop romaine for a salad, and buy flan or vanilla pudding to top off the meal.

Serve with: Warmed tortillas and steamed, buttered summer squash. Dessert: Key lime pie from the bakery.

One of the dishes that introduced Americans to French food. This version calls for duck breasts and a simple reduction sauce.

The rare breeds of Rouen Clair and Duclair from Stone Church Farm (845-658-3243) are small, tender, and have a low fat content, which makes them preferable to commercially available birds. We recommend the aged ducks, which have a richer taste. Order them two weeks ahead to allow preparation and shipping from the farm and request that the necks be removed. Since this recipe calls for a fair amount of soy sauce, it is important to use a brand with well-balanced flavors (such as Kikkoman).

You can save some prep time by asking a butcher to cut the chicken thighs in half for you. This dish is particularly good served over orzo.

Potatoes roasted with olive oil and chopped fresh rosemary are a nice accompaniment. What to drink: Poggio del Sasso.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less. Begin with endive spears dressed with oil and vinegar. Orzo pilaf with cherry tomatoes is a nice accompaniment. For dessert, have rhubarb compote with crème fraîche.

This one-pot dish is delicious over couscous. What to drink: Wines with distinctive spice notes, such as Gewürztraminer or Syrah.

Active time: 35 min Start to finish: 45 min

Renee brings the flavors of the Middle East to her special Friday-night chicken. Roast chunks of butternut squash and potatoes alongside to cook the whole meal at once. Look for roasting chickens next to the fryers.

We can thank Vic Bergeron — owner of Trader Vic's restaurant, in San Francisco — for bringing rumaki into mainstream dining culture. He claimed that this delicious hors d'oeuvre came from Hawaii, with Chinese roots and a Japanese name. Active time: 20 min Start to finish: 1 1/2 hr

Suzanne Rushing of Cannon Beach, Oregon, writes: "On a recent trip to St. Louis, my husband and I went to Harvest restaurant twice because we were so impressed with the food. I would love to have the recipe for chef Stephen Gontram's wonderful chicken with garlic mashed potatoes and herb-roasted tomatoes." The clear olive broth, flavored with fennel, spinach, and olives, makes a delicious sauce for this dish of chicken, potatoes, and roasted tomatoes.

Hominy was as common on the table when I was growing up as rice is today. It is not used too much anymore but is still readily available in some regions, particularly in the south. You can buy it in cans or loose, sold in bulk, and sometimes you can find it in health-food stores and packaged alongside the other grains in the supermarket. The brand I buy is Monte Blanco or Goya. I have found that Spanish brands are more tasty. After you have opened the can, wash the hominy 3 or more times with cold water and drain well. This removes the taste of the liquid it soaked in. Hominy is dried, hulled whole kernels of corn; grits are finely ground hominy. Usually hominy is boiled and served hot for breakfast, plain or with gravy. Because I think it is a little like tiny dumplings, I like to cook it with sautéed chicken so that the juices from the chicken and the vegetables can mingle with the hominy.

M'Eloise Waters of Yakima, Washington, writes: "Throughout the years, I have enjoyed so many 'R.S.V.P.' recipes, and now I have a request of my own: the chicken pasta from Spazzo Mediterranean Grill in Bellevue, Washington. It has fresh herbs, walnuts, almonds, and caramelized onions."

Tandoori Murghi Of all the food cooked in a _tandoor,_the most popular and the best-tasting is chicken. The distinctive flavor, texture, and color of this dish are achieved by a particular yogurt marinade, by the use of tenderizers, a special tandoori coloring, and finally, by being cooked in the Indian clay oven. The recipe given here is designed for the conventional oven and charcoal grill. (Household-model tandoors are not yet commercially available in the United States.) The results are very much to my satisfaction.

This southwestern version of fried chicken needs only two sides: purchased Mexican-style rice pilaf and a sauté of bell peppers and carrots. Flan with sliced kiwi would be a nice finish. Look for ancho chili powder in the spice section of your supermarket.

Executive chef Dan Swinney serves this terrific dish on a bed of sautéed fresh spinach.