Soup season has us in its wintry grip, and now is the time to give in to its demands. -Make more soup,- the wind insists as the sleet pelts down from the hoary sky.

Pasta with wild mushrooms and rosemary is an elegant dish, the kind of thing youd see at restaurants or maybe make yourself as dinner-party fare.

Canned beans are never going to be as good as home-cooked dried beans, no matter how many seasonings you add to your pot.

This version of skillet-chicken may be slightly more involved, but the payoff is big very big as in tangy, cheesy, bacon-y big.

This cloud-like confection would be fitting at any festive gathering which makes it ideal for the holidays, or anytime you want to treat the special people in your life.

The rice fritters are vaguely reminiscent of arancini, the classic Sicilian fried rice balls, except they are pancake flat rather than orange round (arancia is Italian for orange).

Summer salads have it easy.

I thought I had run the gamut of tofu techniques.

At the Round Hill resort in Montego Bay, I loved the smokiness of the chicken and the brawny, rich flavor of the tripe. But it was the goat curry that stayed with me when I returned to blustery Brooklyn.

Theres nothing new about it; its as classic as roast chicken recipes come. And if youve ever roasted a chicken, youve probably made something pretty much like it.

In my backyard, summer grilling is hot, fast and furious.

I'm talking about easy meals that your hands can manage on their own, leaving your mind free to ruminate about your hard day at work or help your kids memorize their multiplication tables.

At Rosh Hashana, Jews bring the sentiment to the table throughout the meal.

When tomatoes are in season, you cant do better than a simple tomato sandwich.

It's easy to see how the crumble and the crisp got their names. Just look at their toppings. But for me at least, the buckle was more of a mystery.

By this late in the season, all the usual suspects have probably done time on your grill: the requisite burgers and hot dogs; steaks, chops and loins; vegetables of many colors. Maybe even a slab of tofu or fillet of fish.

Pork tenderloins are the chicken breasts of the porcine world. Lean and quick-cooking, they offer an expanse of mild, uninterrupted flesh without skin, bones or bits of gristle.

A longtime picnic staple, chicken is one of the few fried foods that tastes as good at room temperature as it does warm.

Cook those potatoes Brooklyn style! Potatoes cooked in large and hot charcoal fire.

What about the humble boneless, skinless chicken breast?