Baking Pan

Two hours earlier, the pair of stripers had been chasing baitfish across the 15-foot flats at the mouth of the Severn River, feeding heavily. But now the matched pair of 23-inchers lay on a countertop in the kitchen, surrounded by the trappings that mark a successful day of fishing.Salt. White pepper. Flour. Lemon. Butter. An egg. Dry mustard. Paprika. A clove of garlic. Six baking potatoes. Three yellow squash. Mayonnaise and a pound of fresh lump backfin crabmeat.Two hours earlier, the rockfish, in their own right efficient, ruthless predators, had been feeding on the large numbers of 2- to 4-inch menhaden making their way toward the open bay -- until each tried to ingest the white banjo-eye bucktails and chartreuse twister tails trolled 5 feet below the surface.

From where we live in western Massachusetts, there are all sorts of outdoor cultural events nearby to enjoy during warm weather. The Boston Symphony Orchestra moves its home to Tanglewood in the Berkshires for the summer, and a few miles away there's Jacob's Pillow for those who love contemporary dance. In the farthest corner of our state, Williamstown plays host to a nationally acclaimed summer theater. All our friends take advantage of these neighboring attractions and typically take potluck picnic meals to enjoy before the performances.

While visiting good friends who have a cottage on Cape Cod, I noticed the ease with which they served breakfasts each day. Our first early-morning meal took place on a small backyard deck, where we found a table set with casual blue and white linens and blue-and-white striped dishes. A large, shallow bowl was mounded with an array of sliced fruit, a rich, dark loaf cake rested on a platter, whipped cream cheese piled into a ramekin was at its side and a Thermos-style coffee pot was filled with steaming brew.

Dolores Riccio has fashioned meals for the health-consciou who want good-tasting food, but whose time is limited. The veteran author's creations can be seen in her latest book, "Superfoods: 300 Recipes for Foods That Heal Body and Mind" (Warner Books).Arranged in alphabetical order from apples to yogurt, Ms. Riccio incorporates a description of the food's healthful properties, such as vitamins and disease-fighting qualities, along with her .. recipes."Pasta is an all-time favorite complex food that, when used correctly, can relieve what may be our No. 1 health problem: stress," writes Ms. Riccio, a resident of Warwick, R.I. The mother of two grown children is the author of eight books, including four cookbooks.

Marlene Millard from Longview, Wash., said that back in the 1960s she had a recipe for making a delicious sour cream cake that used a boxed white cake mix as the base. She said it was one of those cravings she had during pregnancy that she thought she would never get back, so she threw away the recipe. Now she finds herself craving the cake some 50 years later and would like to be able to recreate the taste. Perhaps back in the '60s doctoring cake mixes was something new. These days, entire books exist with nothing but doctored cake mix recipes.

Can I use wax paper instead of parchment paper when baking? Wax paper is paper that has been impregnated and coated with food-grade paraffin to make it stronger and more moisture-resistant than untreated paper. The Web site of Reynolds Consumer Products, maker of Cut-Rite wax paper, states that wax paper can be used in the oven as long as it never is exposed directly to heat. This means you can use it to line pans when you are baking cakes, brownies or muffins. For cookies, or anything else where the paper will be exposed to direct heat, you will need to use parchment paper.

Liz Williams from Newton, N.C., wanted help finding a recipe for making baked lasagna that she had lost. She said the recipe came from a box of pasta she was using probably around 20 years ago, and it was the best lasagna ever. Back-of-the-box recipes are always popular and reliably good. I received quite a few of them from readers for baked lasagna from several different pasta brands. I decided to test the one Kay Sauvageot from Joppa shared that she said she came from a box of Mueller's lasagna noodles, circa 1980.

Menu Roasted Fish With Guacamole, couscous scented with saffron, pan-fried zucchini with garlic, plum sundaes My husband, a college professor who loves to entertain, is always suggesting we invite people over for dinner. "Just keep it simple," he advises. Recently, he unexpectedly proposed that we ask two students for a meal. I was hesitant, but then it came to me: I could anchor the meal with an easy fish dish I had made several times before. It takes only a few minutes to assemble and needs a short time in a hot oven.

Baltimore's Sip & Bite restaurant is one of the restaurants featured in Guy Fieri's new book, "Diners, Drive-ins and Dives: The Funky Finds in Flavortown," in which Fieri takes readers back to some of his favorite finds from recent seasons of his long-running Food Network show. Apparently Fieri really had a good time at the Sip & Bite .  "I'm not allowed to watch the rerun of Sip & Bite because I fall off my chair laughing," Fieri writes in the new book. "These guys are some of the funniest people I've met in my Triple D travels.

This is adapted from Karen Lee's "The Occasional Vegetarian."Lemony roasted potatoes6 servings18 small red potatoes2 tablespoons olive oil2 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh oregano1/2 teaspoon saltfresh ground black pepperScrub potatoes and cut into quarters. Spread in a single layer in a baking pan.Combine olive oil and lemon juice. Pour over potatoes, and add oregano, salt and several grindings of pepper. Toss gently.Roast in a 375-degree oven 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are soft and golden.