Baking Dish

They're a little old-fashioned, at first glance.But part of the appeal of baked pasta dishes is just that. They're warm and familiar, like something Mom might have made. Yet not overly familiar, if you jazz them up with great ingredients -- things Mom might have had a hard time finding or not thought of using.There are, for instance, the seafood sausage, fresh dill and white wine in the baked seafood pasta in today's recipes. Shrimp, red bell peppers, onions and garlic are other attractions of the dish.

Ronni Biolosky from Cleveland was looking for a recipe for a squash casserole similar to one she had enjoyed recently at a dinner party. She said it was made with yellow squash and probably had egg and cheese in it as well. Holladay Bank from Butler sent in a recipe for a yellow squash casserole that she found on allrecipes.com. She says that she is not much of a cook but that this casserole is very easy to make, goes well with just about any main course and always seems to be a crowd-pleaser.

"When in doubt, serve meat and potatoes." That's a motto I embrace often when entertaining, if my guest list does not include vegetarians. My spouse, like countless others, swoons when he hears this combination mentioned. He likes almost any variation on the theme. Last month, he was delighted by a creamy potato gratin that I served with a leg of lamb on one occasion and with beef tenderloin on another. He even went off his diet and indulged in seconds. The rich gratin is a remake of a scalloped potato dish I created several years ago. In the original version, I topped layers of sliced potatoes with creme fraiche (a thick French cream that is a cross between heavy and sour cream)

Ann Paszkiewicz of Fallston was looking for a recipe for a rice-cheese bake that she said was probably at least 35 years old. Mary Rollins of Martinsburg, W.Va., sent in this recipe from an old cookbook called Recipes Out of This World by the Women of St. Agnes Catholic Church in Charleston, W.Va. Recipe request Patti Kress of Osprey, Fla., said that while visiting Baltimore some years ago she had a wonderful Asiago cheese spread that she purchased at the cheese store in the Cross Street Market in South Baltimore.

Make brownie points with treats that travel.Bars belong to the no-fuss branch of the cookie family; they can be mixed easily and baked all at once in a single pan. They're sturdy, too, making them ideal for packing into rucksacks or picnic baskets to be enjoyed after a vigorous hike or bracing swim. These low-fat bars nourish the hungriest hiker, and because they are so low in saturated fat, it's OK to have two.If you are planning a weekend of outdoor activities, bake a couple of batches of bars on Thursday or Friday night -- they keep well for up to three days in a tightly closed container at room temperature.

When summer heat and humidity diminish appetites, consider making a meal of light, refreshing "sides." The following duo of side dishes -- a Gruyere-topped zucchini and tomato gratin, a cooling tabbouleh with extra vegetables can be served soon after they're prepared or chilled and served the next day or so, when their flavors have melded. A boon for picnics and cookouts, these side dishes all travel well. Serve this classic summer medley warm or cold as a side dish for grilled foods, or with an assortment of other side dishes.

Any cuisine that includes bread also has traditional uses for leftover or stale bread. Bread puddings can be sweet or savory and served for breakfast, lunch or dinner. In this savory version, you can substitute other greens, such as spinach, or make a lower-calorie, lower-fat version with light shredded mild cheddar or mozzarella. COLLARD AND GRUYERE BREAD PUDDING Makes 8 servings 4 large eggs 3 cups skim milk 2 cups shredded Gruyere cheese 1 (16-ounce) bag frozen chopped kale or collard greens, thawed pinch nutmeg 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon thyme 12 ounces crusty bread, cut into 2-inch pieces Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

This year, I teamed up with a local chef to give cooking classes in a nearby town. It's been an eye-opening experience. As the executive head of a restaurant, my pal has a staff to help him. As a home chef, I, on the other hand, am in charge of shopping, cooking and cleaning in my own kitchen. Because my colleague has access to so many extra hands, his dishes are sometimes more complex or time-consuming than mine, and his recipes often yield enough portions to feed a small army. As his teaching partner, I've taken on the responsibility of downsizing and streamlining his recipes.

My daughter has been looking for a recipe for sweet potato kugel and cannot find one in any cookbook. I thought you might know how to make this dish. If you do, would you mind printing it? She reads your column every week. What a great mother! The fact that your daughter could have written this request herself didn't stop you from doing the good motherly thing and making sure she has everything she needs. Thank You Mom Sweet Potato Kugel 1/2 stick unsalted butter, plus additional butter to grease the pan 4 cups peeled and grated uncooked sweet potatoes 1 1/2 cups milk 2 / 3 cup honey 2 / 3 cup currants 1/2 cup finely chopped almonds 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves 3 eggs, well-beaten finely chopped almonds for garnish (optional)

For informal entertaining of friends, Martha Rose Shulman likes to mix easy dishes with complicated ones, casual dishes with dramatic ones. A whole baked fish provides the drama but also the ease in a menu from her new book, "Entertaining Light" (Bantam, hardcover, $25).Once the vegetables for the menu are julienned, it takes only a few minutes to saute them and then put the fish in the pan. The oven does the rest, and you can even serve it in the dish if it's a pretty one.You'll need a long baking dish for the fish, but if a bit of the fish's tail hangs out over the edge, that's fine.

Twice in the past month, I've come across recipes for a "tomato crumble." A friend sent me one, and I discovered the other in a French cookbook. In both versions, diced tomatoes were seasoned with fresh herbs, covered with a combination of parmesan cheese and bits of butter, then baked. I found the idea of a tomato crumble so enticing that my mouth watered at the thought. I halved and seeded the juicy red orbs, then cut them into chunks and spread them in a baking dish. Next they were drizzled with olive oil and tossed with chopped basil and rosemary.

What if little Jack Horner never pulled a plum from his Christmas pie? What if it was a raisin? It's possible. According to Alan Davidson's Penguin Companion to Food, the word "plum" was used to describe virtually any dried fruit (including raisins) during the Middle Ages, the period when the rhyme originated. The juicy plum is easier to distinguish these days, but it still comes in many shapes and colors. According to worldshealthiestfoods.org, the plum (in season from May through October)

This leisurely, companionable menu is well-suited to a lazy, gossipy Saturday gathering of friends, or a more intimate, relaxed meal with family alone. If Saturday morning means errands for you and yours, then this easy dish will welcome you home and give you an effortless way to pause and refresh. The great thing about stratas is that you make them the night before. If you baked this right after prepping it, the bread wouldn't have time to soak up the custard. It needs the resting time.

Any cuisine that includes bread also has traditional uses for leftover or stale bread. Bread puddings can be sweet or savory and served for breakfast, lunch or dinner. In this savory version, you can substitute other greens, such as spinach, or make a lower-calorie, lower-fat version with light shredded mild cheddar or mozzarella. COLLARD AND GRUYERE BREAD PUDDING Makes 8 servings 4 large eggs 3 cups skim milk 2 cups shredded Gruyere cheese 1 (16-ounce) bag frozen chopped kale or collard greens, thawed pinch nutmeg 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon thyme 12 ounces crusty bread, cut into 2-inch pieces Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Seduced by Bacon: Recipes & Lore About America's Favorite Indulgence By Joanna Pruess with Bob Lape Coffee Cakes: Simple, Sweet and Savory By Lou Seibert Pappas Chronicle Books / 2006 / $18.95 This pretty little book is dedicated mostly to sweet morning morsels - though there is a chapter of interesting savory breads. Veteran cookbook author Lou Seibert Pappas separates the "everyday" coffeecakes from the more decadent, specialty cakes, a few of which are really after-dinner desserts.

Meat Club Cookbook By Vanessa Dina, Kristina Fuller and Gemma DePalma Weeknight Grilling With the BBQ Queens By Karen Adler and Judith Fertig Harvard Common Press / 2006 / $14.95 This book is a mini United Nations of grilled cuisine. Umbrian Olive Panini With Fontina and Prosciutto al Mattone. Latin Lover's Carne Asada With Orange and Red-Onion Mojo. Stir-Grilled Moo Shu Pork. Greek-Style Chicken With Stir-Grilled Carrots, Olives and Lemons. For all that, many of the 100 dishes look simple to make.

Shawn Melnikoff of Severna Park is seeking a recipe that she calls "Boston Market Squash Casserole." Beth Edelstein of Timonium responded. "Here is the recipe for squash casserole like the one served at Boston Market. I think they may have `stolen' the recipe from my Southern family who has been preparing such a dish for years. Enjoy! Warning: This recipe is very addictive. You have been warned." Recipe requests * Rosalie Pogue of Kelso, Wash., wrote: "When I was going to school in the '60s and '70s in the Longview, Wash.

Wolfgang Puck, one of the most recognizable chefs in America, has taken readers inside the kitchens of his Spago and Chinois restaurants in previous cookbooks. In his sixth book, Wolfgang Puck Makes It Easy (Rutledge Hill Press, 2004, $35), he takes readers inside his home kitchen. The result is a collection of 150 recipes that rely on fresh, yet readily available, ingredients that can be assembled fairly quickly. California-style pizza and panini, which made the Austrian-born chef famous in Beverly Hills, are here, but so are breakfast dishes, side dishes and meats.

"When in doubt, serve meat and potatoes." That's a motto I embrace often when entertaining, if my guest list does not include vegetarians. My spouse, like countless others, swoons when he hears this combination mentioned. He likes almost any variation on the theme. Last month, he was delighted by a creamy potato gratin that I served with a leg of lamb on one occasion and with beef tenderloin on another. He even went off his diet and indulged in seconds. The rich gratin is a remake of a scalloped potato dish I created several years ago. In the original version, I topped layers of sliced potatoes with creme fraiche (a thick French cream that is a cross between heavy and sour cream)

Many of my friends are talented on more than one level. Take, for example, my pal Elinor Lipman, a successful novelist as well as a gifted cook and hostess. She infuses her cooking with the same creativity and crispness that she pours into her witty fiction. Whenever I've eaten at her house, I've not only loved the food, but marveled at how she invents or adapts her recipes. Lately, she and I have engaged in recipe swaps, e-mailing one another new dishes with personal comments and notes attached.