Starter

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Baked egg roll wrappers make a crisp, low-fat base for the roasted mushroom topping.

"One of the most unusual restaurants in our area is Kemo Sabe," says Laura Bates of San Diego, California. "Co-chef and co-owner Deborah Scott combines influences from around the world to create interesting dishes—including the restaurant’s signature appetizer of fried Brie with jalapeño jelly. I’d love to serve it to my friends." Place a small bowl of jalapeño jelly on a platter, and surround it with fried Brie wedges and French bread slices for a lovely presentation. Chef Scott makes her own jalapeño jelly; the purchased kind is an easy substitute.

I, who struggled for years to achieve perfectly cooked, lively green beans love Aunt Enza's overstewed green beans, soft, almost creamy, tasting of bean, cooked far beyond crunch. Although Aunt Enza cooks the green beans in an onion and garlic-flavored tomato sauce she pointed out that leftover green beans can be subjected to the same treatment. Aunt Enza has a heavy Tuscan hand with extra virgin. I've cut down on the oil but my husband Massimo always adds a little extra at the table.

Becky Johnson of Nonesuch, Kentucky, asks, "Can you request the recipe for the tomato soup with garlic croutons from Gramercy Tavern in Manhattan? It’s a delicious reminder of a lunch I had there with friends."

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Toasted nuts keep well in the freezer. If you make extra and save them, it'll take you just 10 minutes to prepare this salad the next time you make it.

Accompany the shrimp with grilled zucchini and yellow squash.

Quesillo en Salsa Verde If you arrive for breakfast at the refined La Olla Restaurant & Bar, head to the rooftop dining area, where you can survey the city as you dine in the shade of an umbrella. No matter what you order, be sure to try the cheese with green salsa, which is served with fresh, homemade tortillas. When you're done with your feast, you can walk to the historic Santo Domingo church or the zócalo (the central square). You can use more or less sugar, depending on the acidity of the tomatillos.