Baking Dish

Hearty, homey meals have appeal that transcends th seasons. Even when the coldest, bleakest days seem to have played out, the typical foods of winter still are welcome.Stuffed cabbage is a mainstay of many winter tables, though some cooks shy away from it, blaming time as the culprit. Stuffing individual little bundles of cabbage can be tedious, but there are short-cuts that streamline the preparation. Here, in lieu of blanching, the cabbage leaves are placed briefly in the freezer so that once thawed, with almost no effort, they are pliable enough to stuff.

The two women who help me test recipes for this column arrived at my house with the same request. They were both expecting out-of-town company for overnight visits and wanted a suggestion for a special, yet uncomplicated fall dessert for supper. I knew just what to propose. Several days before, intoxicated by the cool autumn weather, I had started working on an apple-toffee crisp, which I'm going to include in one of my autumn cooking classes. I had already made the dish twice but needed to tweak the amounts and seasonings once more, so my kitchen assistants and I baked another that day. The third time was magic.

Nectarines are my favorite peaches. Although many people think nectarines are an entirely different fruit, they are a fuzz-less peach cousin. Both peaches and nectarines have similar fresh and cooked characteristics.They are so similar, in fact, that the seeds from peaches may produce nectarines, peaches or even both on the same tree.The smooth skin of nectarines is more delicate and easier to eat fresh. During cooking, it also softens further, almost melting away, so you often don't have to peel them.

Each day of the week offers a menu aimed at a different aspect of meal planning. There's a family meal, a kids' menu aimed at younger tastes, a heat-and-eat meal that recycles leftovers, a budget meal that employs a cost-cutting strategy, a meatless or "less meat" dish for people who may not be strict vegetarians but are trying to cut down on meat, an express meal that requires little or no preparation, and an entertaining menu that's quick. SUNDAY / Family Watch Dad fire up the grill and make flank steak for everyone.

Mediterranean diets have always included eggs, and Mediterranean cooks from Spain to Turkey have added their own regional stamp. But eggs have taken a beating in this country, due to concern about heart disease.Now, though, as blame has shifted away from dietary cholesterol to saturated fat, eggs are poised for a comeback. A tremendous source of nutrition, one large egg contains about 5 grams of fat, less than 2 of them saturated. It has 6 grams of protein and an array of vitamins and minerals.

In this part of the country, our salad days -- our heyday, our days of youthful exuberance -- are in the spring, before summer heat turns arugula peppery and crisphead lettuces bolt and go to seed. Whether you sowed a row of lettuce seed when the ground was still cool, or buy a bag of mixed greens at a farm stand, or graze through the green bundles under the sprinkler in your supermarket, salad greens should be bright and fresh. Look for lettuces that are crisp and free of tears and browning leaves.

On certain summer evenings, when there is gardening to be done, schoolbooks to be tackled, laundry to be washed, or bills to be paid, the most sensible course of action is to run away from home with picnic basket in hand and ears cocked for music.-- Adapted from "Lee Bailey's Long Weekends" (Potter, $30)BrowniesMakes 12 brownies4 ounces good-quality unsweetened chocolate, chopped1/2 pound unsalted butter, chopped4 large eggs2 cups sugar1/2 tablespoon vanilla1 cup mini-marshmallows6 ounces chocolate chips1 cup all-purpose flourHeat oven to 350 degrees.

Each day of the week offers a menu aimed at a different aspect of meal planning. There's a family meal, a kids' menu aimed at younger tastes, a heat-and-eat meal that recycles leftovers, a budget meal that employs a cost-cutting strategy, a meatless or "less meat" dish for people who may not be strict vegetarians but are trying to cut down on meat, an express meal that requires little or no preparation, and an entertaining menu that's quick. SUNDAY / Family Prepare the family's favorite recipe of leg of lamb today.

Brenda Cox from Raleigh, N.C., was looking for a recipe for making a baked spaghetti casserole like the one her mother used to make back in the 1950s. She remembers that her mother used tomato soup in her recipe. She has tried over the years to recreate the dish without success. Wilma Muir from Street saw Cox's request and sent in a recipe for the casserole that she said she found in one of her old cookbooks called "A Campbell Cookbook, Cooking with Soup," revised in 1982.