Keto

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Paper clips are useful for tightly sealing these simple appetizer packages. Foil is a good substitute for the parchment. (Paper clips are not necessary with foil; just crimp the edges to seal tightly.) Be sure to discard any mussels that do not open.

A break from the standard salsa. This versatile condiment is good on crusty bread as an appetizer, and adds zip to flank steak or skirt steak for an entrée.

The colorful mixed peppercorns found in bottles in many supermarkets aren't just decorative: They add a robust flavor to steaks as well as to thick-cut chops or cuts of meat suitable for roasting.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Traditionally, this flavorful sauté would be composed entirely of fresh cèpes (we know them better by their Italian name, porcini) gathered from the forests around Bordeaux. In this recipe, dried porcini mushrooms are supplemented with fresh large button mushrooms.

This meatless dish can do double duty as a main course or a side dish.

Be sure to chop the lettuce into small pieces so that it's easy to eat when serving buffet-style. My homemade Ranch Dressing complements all of the flavors. To keep down the calories in the dressing, I use nonfat yogurt. The taste is in no way affected.

You can make the salad with roast chicken if you prefer. Offer purchased sesame noodles as an accompaniment. For dessert, serve sugared sliced plums, topped with vanilla ice cream and chopped crystallized ginger. Look for the Thai fish sauce in the Asian foods section of the supermarket.

The Kitchen Conservatory, a popular St. Louis cooking school, knows how the superb beef of the Midwest should be cooked. Suitable accompaniments are baked potatoes, steamed carrots and a green salad. Complete the meal with a pear tart.

(Steamed Green beans) Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Use leftover cooked chicken, or buy a cooked chicken at the market or a take-out place. Serve the salad with warm tortillas, or try the chicken mixture (without the lettuce) as a sandwich filling.

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