Dried Fruit

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Orange syrup sweetens the cake and the fresh fruit that goes with it.

Puff pastry as strudel dough is even faster and more convenient than phyllo dough. A scoop of vanilla ice cream or frozen vanilla yogurt is great alongside.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less. This granola is delicious topped with fresh fruit (we suggest kiwifruit and pineapple) or on its own, served with milk or yogurt. The recipe makes about 6 cups, so you'll have some left over.

Turkey Stuffed with Chestnuts and Prunes This is definitely my favorite way to do turkey because it never comes out dry. My wife, Susi, is always upset when she sees me prepare this abstract-looking sausage of a gobbler, but she's happy when she eats the tender and succulent meat and stuffing, all encased in a crisp and well-seasoned skin. The advantages of this method are twofold: it's in the oven only for an hour, freeing up cooking space for other dishes; and carving is simplicity itself — just cut straight through, like a regular roast.

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.

This recipe is an accompaniment for Baked Ham with Mustard-Red Currant Glaze and Rhubarb Chutney .

(CHOCOLATE CAKE WITH NUTS AND RAISINS) Here is a chocolate cake that will delight your palate. Use the best bittersweet chocolate you can find!

It is no coincidence that the method used to bake this bread, steaming, is similar to one used by the native Indians of New England, who taught us how to use corn as a grain for bread. The most famous of our region's breads, this wholesome blend of wheat, rye, and corn flours is suitable for our diets today as it was 300 years ago.

Marge Dawson of Ivoryton, Connecticut, writes: "My daughter and I went to Thali, an Indian restaurant in New Canaan, Connecticut, and had a superb meal. I have never been a fan of rice pudding, but their version was out of this world. Is there any chance you could get the recipe?"

Sicilian cooking is hot right now, so we've taken some of its classic, assertive ingredients and put them into a hearty stuffing. It's something new for the turkey. See how to chop peppers .

Here is a sensational layering of cake and toffee sauce that's served warm, accompanied by whipped cream or crème fraîche.

Pumpkin and apricot are a winning combination in this cake; it's topped with a spiced cream cheese frosting. For decoration, place several dried apricots between sheets of plastic wrap, and using a rolling pin, roll to flatten. With scissors, cut out leaf shapes from the apricots, and arrange them on top of the cake.

Bake some of these for the holidays, too.