Enjoy a comforting, cool-weather menu of savory sausage pie served alongside a salad of fall greens. For dessert, try simple, homemade chocolate pudding.

Long on flavor and short on prep time, this late-summer supper includes a cool, crisp, lime-splashed salad of pear and jicama that tempers the mild, chili-coated grilled pork and the heat outdoors.

A well-chosen ingredient can transform the familiar. Woodsy wild mushrooms lend depth to roast chicken, walnuts and lemon brighten brussels sprouts, and celery root refines homey mashed potatoes.

Roast pork and braised beans with fennel have the depth of a slow-simmering supper but don't take long to prepare. The peppery soup is a bright accent to this homey meal.

Fried chicken stays moist when it's marinated in buttermilk and coated in herbed breadcrumbs. Roasted squash and sauteed red cabbage are at once colorful and comforting as the weather cools.

Pork tenderloin is flavored with grainy and Dijon mustards, then roasted with apricots, shallots, fennel, and cognac. It is served with herbed wild rice and roasted acorn squash.

Try this comforting supper menu for a chilly, fall day.

Pan-roasting Cornish hens provides a rich base for white-wine sauce. Kasha pilaf is a hearty accompaniment.

Celebrate the flavors of fall with a simple update of the classic German Oktoberfest.

Light, fresh Asian flavors make a nice break from rich holiday meals: A marinade of ginger and cilantro enlivens steamed halibut; udon noodles are tossed with a toasted sesame-seed sauce; and rice wine adds a hint of sweetness to julienned vegetables.

This Italian-style feast is sure to satisfy.

Serve comforting classics for a cold evening's meal -- saute steak with shiitake mushrooms; flavor roasted beets with orange, ginger, and pecans; and make herbed spaetzle.

Sliced pears become exceptionally sweet when given a quick turn on the grill (or the stove top). A crisp slaw of celery and endive provides a tangy contrast to chicken sausage, and crusty bread makes a sophisticated stand-in for buns.

Bits of crisp bacon offset tender rigatoni and brussels sprouts in this main dish. Sauteing the sprouts before braising them adds flavor and helps preserve their texture.

After months of outdoor barbecuing, grilling moves indoors with this stovetop sandwich. It's piled high with thinly sliced flank steak, charred onions, and melted Gruyere and served with sweet-potato chips.

There's no need to call for takeout when moo shu pork can be made from fresh ingredients at home. Stir-fried slivered vegetables and pork tenderloin topped with homemade plum sauce are wrapped in soft pancakes.

Baked herb risotto captures the juices from a vegetable-and-sausage stew.

Fall doesn't have to mean the end of farm-fresh vegetables. Take advantage of the variety of greens available by serving them with caramelized onions and fettuccine.

Mashed potatoes, pork tenderloin, greens, apple pie -- this is a menu from simpler years, when food was food rather than a prescription or production.

Crisp nights call for warming foods: potatoes baked with cheese and tender lamb chops topped with a sweet chutney of prunes and dried cranberries.

Cozy and elegant, this menu is worth turning to for some comfort.

Meltingly tender brisket is the centerpiece of a gratifying meal.