Rice & Grains

The colonists planted around 150 varieties of apples in New England, many of which can still be found today. Apples show up most often in a double-crust pie, but the crisp is also a superb showcase. Nothing more than fruit baked with crumbly nut, flour, sugar and butter topping, it's as simple to make as it is delicious.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less. Makes use of the microwave oven.

A nice stuffing for poultry or an excellent accompaniment to pork tenderloin or salmon.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

This dish of spinachy rice with feta and black olives is extremely simple … and therein lies its elegance. Some people simply don't get it. "It's just so humble," they say. To which I respond, "That's what I like about it!"

The secret of making fried rice lies in the use of cold, cooked rice. Freshly cooked rice will only produce a sticky mess.

The failure in cooking rice is usually caused by using too much water, stirring and peeking too often and using too small a pan for the amount of rice. If the pot is more than half full with rice, change to a larger one.

The texture of this rice is moist and sticky, so do not expect fluffy individual grains.

These tempting, reduced-fat muffins are a nice way to get started in the morning.

If you don't have individual soufflé dishes, this can be prepared in a 13 x 9-inch glass baking dish, in which case the crisp will need to bake for about 55 minutes.

A great side dish for chicken or fish.