MEALS IN MINUTES TAKE A HOLIDAY FROM TIME-CONSUMING DINNER PREPARATIONS.

Byline: Natalie Haughton Food Editor

WITH THE BUSY holiday season just around the corner and plenty of decorating, shopping, baking and other projects to accomplish, no doubt you'll be pressed for time - especially when it comes to everyday cooking. But even with all the holiday hustle and bustle, it's feasible to get dinner on the table pronto.

Instead of resorting to takeout food or frozen dinners every night, opt for simple home cooking. There are plenty of entree ideas you can whip up fast - 30, 20 or 15 minutes or even less - and in the process it will help you relax, unwind and bring pleasure to the table. Many of them are easy on the cook and don't require lots of ingredients.

Take Olive-Stuffed Chicken and Rib-Eye Steak au Poivre With Balsamic Reduction, for instance. Both yield great taste with only five ingredients (not counting salt, pepper or water). Soup is another possibility - you can have Italian Sausage and Mostaccioli Soup on the table in under half an hour.

As most cooks realize, the less you need to buy, the quicker the shopping time, the faster the prep time and the less time spent in the kitchen.

If you keep your pantry, fridge and freezer well stocked - with items like canned beans, broth, tuna, pasta sauces, tomato products, green chiles, condiments (like salsas, mustards and Asian sauces), salad dressings, vinegars, oil and dry seasoning mixes, herbs and spices, instant potatoes, pastas and rice, assorted cheeses, prewashed lettuces and spinach, shredded carrots or cabbage, frozen vegetables and fruits, breads and rolls, pizza crusts, chicken breasts, steaks and much more, for example, you can turn out something fast when you don't have time to shop.

Remember, recipes don't have to be made completely from scratch to taste homemade. Rely on some convenience items to streamline preparation chores.

Whenever you're cooking during the holidays, if possible, make extras and recycle them into another meal later in the week to save time. Double a batch of beef or chicken chili and turn it into a tostada salad, burrito or quesadilla the second time around. Or bake up lots of chicken breasts at once and refrigerate the extras to use in another meal such as a casserole, stir-fry, salad, soup or the like.

Plenty of options can be found in an array of new cookbooks (see accompanying list) that are geared to fast and easy creations ranging from entrees to appetizers, desserts and much more. Kraft Kitchens' new cookbook ``Dinner on Hand'' even comes with a toll-free help line, [phone]. If you're in the kitchen and stuck or need a little help with a recipe, you can talk to a food expert from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. PST Monday to Friday.

No more excuses for not cooking.

OLIVE-STUFFED CHICKEN WITH ALMONDS

4 boneless chicken breast halves with skin (2 1/4 pounds total)

1 cup brine-cured green olives such as picholine, pitted and chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/4 cup whole almonds with skins

2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Pat chicken breasts dry, then cut a 2-inch-long horizontal slit in thickest part of each. Stuff each chicken breast with 1 1/2 teaspoons olives, then season with salt and black pepper.

Heat 1 tablespoon butter in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over moderate heat until foam subsides, then add almonds and toast, stirring frequently, until a few shades darker, 5 to 8 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to a cutting board to cool (do not clean skillet).

Heat skillet over moderately high heat, then add chicken breasts, skin sides down, and sprinkle with remaining olives. Saute chicken breasts until skins are golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Turn chicken breasts over and cook, covered, over moderate heat until just cooked through, 5 to 7 minutes more, then transfer with tongs to plates.

While chicken is cooking, chop almonds. Add remaining tablespoon butter and 3 tablespoons water to skillet and heat, stirring, until butter is melted. Stir in almonds, parsley and black pepper to taste. Spoon sauce over chicken. Makes 4 servings.

From ``Gourmet's Five Ingredients: More Than 175 Easy Recipes for Every Day,'' from the editors of Gourmet.

RIB-EYE STEAK AU POIVRE WITH BALSAMIC REDUCTION

2 tablespoons whole black peppercorns

4 (3/4-inch-thick) boneless rib-eye steaks (3/4 pound each)

Salt

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

Coarsely grind peppercorns with mortar and pestle. Pat steaks dry and coat both sides with peppercorns, pressing to adhere. Season with salt.

Heat oil with 1 tablespoon butter in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking. Reduce heat to moderate and cook steaks, 2 at a time, about 4 minutes on each side for medium-rare. Transfer steaks to a platter.

Add vinegar to skillet and deglaze by boiling over high heat, stirring and scraping up brown bits, then simmer until reduced to about 1/4 cup. Remove from heat and whisk in remaining tablespoon butter until melted. Season sauce with salt and drizzle over steaks. Makes 4 servings.

From ``Gourmet's Five Ingredients: More Than 175 Easy Recipes for Every Day,'' from the editors of Gourmet.

ITALIAN SAUSAGE AND MOSTACCIOLI SOUP

1 pound turkey Italian sausage links, cut into 1-inch pieces

2 cups broccoli flowerets

1 cup uncooked mostaccioli OR penne pasta (3 ounces)

2 1/2 cups water

1/2 teaspoon dried basil leaves

1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds, crushed OR dried tarragon 

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

1 (28-ounce) can Roma (plum) tomatoes, undrained

1 (10 1/2-ounce) can condensed beef broth

Cook sausage in a 4-quart Dutch oven over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until brown; drain.

Stir in remaining ingredients, breaking up tomatoes. Heat to boiling; reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and cook about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until pasta is tender. Makes 6 servings.

From ``Betty Crocker's Quick & Easy Cookbook - 30 Minutes or Less to Dinner Every Night.''

RAMEN STIR-FRY

1 pound boneless beef sirloin steak

2 cups water

1 (3-ounce) package Oriental-flavor ramen noodle soup mix

1 (16-ounce) bag fresh stir-fry vegetables

1/4 cup stir-fry sauce

Cut beef into thin strips. Spray a 12-inch nonstick skillet with cooking spray; heat over medium-high heat. Cook beef in skillet 3 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until brown. Remove beef from skillet.

Heat water to boiling in skillet. Break block of noodles from soup mix into water; stir until slightly softened. Stir in vegetables. Heat to boiling. Boil 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are crisp-tender.

Stir in contents of seasoning packet from soup mix, stir-fry sauce and beef. Cook 2 to 3 minutes, stirring frequently, until hot. Makes 4 servings.

From ``Betty Crocker's Quick & Easy Cookbook - 30 Minutes or Less to Dinner Every Night.''

VEGETABLE CURRY WITH COUSCOUS 

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 medium red bell pepper, cut into thin strips

1/4 cup vegetable OR chicken broth

1 tablespoon curry powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 (1-pound) bag frozen broccoli, carrots and cauliflower (OR other combination)

1/2 cup raisins

1/3 cup chutney 

2 cups hot cooked couscous OR rice

1/4 cup chopped peanuts

Heat oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Cook bell pepper in oil, stirring frequently, until tender. Stir in broth, curry powder, salt and frozen vegetables. Heat to boiling. Boil about 4 minutes, stirring frequently, until vegetables are crisp-tender. Stir in raisins and chutney. Serve over couscous. Sprinkle with peanuts. Makes 4 servings.

NOTE: If you'd like to add chicken to this dish, add 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 3/4-inch pieces, along with bell pepper to skillet. Cook until chicken is no longer pink in center and continue as directed.

From ``Betty Crocker's Quick & Easy Cookbbok - 30 Minutes or Less to Dinner Every Night.''

QUICK PAELLA

1/2 pound hot Italian sausage

1/2 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 medium onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 green OR red pepper, diced

1 (19-ounce) can diced tomatoes

1 (10 3/4-ounce) can chicken broth

1 cup frozen peas

1 teaspoon EACH red chile pepper flakes and turmeric 

2 1/2 cups uncooked instant white rice (Minute Rice)

1 package frozen precooked shrimp, thawed

Juice of 1 lemon

Cut sausage and chicken into chunks. Saute in a large skillet with onion, garlic and green pepper until just cooked. Add remaining ingredients except rice, shrimp and lemon juice. Bring to a boil.

Stir in rice and shrimp; return to a boil. Cover, remove from heat and let stand 5 to 10 minutes. Top with fresh lemon juice just before serving. Makes 4 servings.

From ``Dinner on Hand - Easy Everyday Recipes You Can Make Tonight,'' by Kraft Kitchens.

PEANUT-SESAME STIR-FRY

1 cup Catalina dressing (such as Kraft)

1/4 cup peanut butter

3 tablespoons EACH soy sauce and lemon juice

2 tablespoons sesame seeds

1 pound peeled shrimp

1 (10-ounce) can sliced water chestnuts, drained

3 green onions, sliced

1 zucchini, cubed

1 EACH green and red pepper, cubed

1 (10-ounce) can mandarin orange segments, drained

Cooked noodles

Mix together dressing, peanut butter, soy sauce and lemon juice. Stir-fry sesame seeds and shrimp in 1/3 of prepared sauce in a wok or heavy skillet. Add remaining ingredients except mandarin orange segments and noodles; cook until vegetables are tender. Add mandarin orange segments and remaining sauce. Serve over noodles. Makes 4 servings.

From ``Dinner on Hand - Easy Everyday Recipes You Can Make Tonight,'' by Kraft Kitchens.

Digest these ideas

THERE ARE PLENTY of ideas in some of the latest cookbooks to help cooks get dinner on the table fast. Keep them in mind for holiday gifts - or give yourself one to ease the dinner dilemma.

-- ``Gourmet's Five Ingredients,'' by the editors of Gourmet (Random House; $29.95). Contains more than 175 easy recipes (more than 100 created just for the book) with many tempting-sounding combinations of upscale ingredients. Beautiful color photos sprinkled throughout.

-- ``Betty Crocker's Quick & Easy Cookbook'' (Wiley Publishing; $26.95). Features more than 300 down-to-earth doable recipes (with nutritional information) - ranging from appetizers to main dishes and desserts - that are ready in 30 minutes or less. Many color photos, one-step recipe ideas and tips.

-- ``Dinner on Hand,'' by the Kraft Kitchens (Clarkson Potter; $15.95). Numerous recipes and recipe combinations (in a grid format that is easy to decipher) for turning ingredients on hand in the kitchen and pantry into something you can eat tonight. Lots of color photos.

-- ``Fast Entrees,'' by Hugh Carpenter and Teri Sandison (Ten Speed Press; $17.95). Once again, husband and wife team up for a third volume in their series of ``Fast'' books. Included are 70 recipes, many with appealing color photos, for getting work-night dinners on the table (some more quickly than others). A large number of recipes seem to be grilled (and not pan-grilled or broiled, which would streamline cooking chores and save time, to our way of thinking). Helpful are the advance preparation tips included with each recipe.

-- ``Seriously Simple: Easy Recipes for Creative Cooks,'' by Diane Rossen Worthington (Chronicle Books; $24.95). Sophisticated simplicity is Worthington's philosophy in this volume, but not all the recipes are what we'd consider simple. Some ingredient lists seem a little lengthy and in some cases recipes are not speedy to prepare. But the volume does have some interesting creations. Many color photos along with advance preparation tips are included.

-- ``Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade Cooking,'' (Miramax Books; $19.95). Lee, known for her shortcut strategies and products for the home, garden and kitchen, follows her ``Semi-Homemade'' time-saving approach in this cookbook, her first. Purchase 70 percent ready-made ingredients and add 30 percent fresh ingredients to create dishes that taste 100 percent homemade, she says. The book has 101 recipes each accompanied by a color photograph. We found the inclusion of specific brand names (Kraft, Pillsbury, Swanson, De Cecco, Progresso, Land O'Lakes, etc.) throughout each recipe off-putting and tacky (we'll buy the brands we like, thank you) - and wondered how much money manufacturers forked over to her to include them. Some recipes sound better than others, but some interesting ideas.

-- ``The Minimalist Cooks at Home,'' revised edition of the book first published in 2000, by Mark Bittman (Broadway Books; $26). One-hundred interesting recipes show you how to use fewer ingredients and get more flavor in less time. No photos, but recipes include serving and wine suggestions.

- Natalie Haughton

Fast times in the kitchen

More quick dinner ideas.

--Turkey burgers on English muffin halves spread with softened garlic and herb Boursin cheese, then topped with arugula or watercress leaves.

--Turkey cutlets with sauteed (in butter) carrot and fennel pieces.

--Pan-grilled salmon or halibut topped with a splash of balsamic vinegar (add extra balsamic and reduce to serve as sauce over salmon).

--Shrimp pan-grilled in butter and garlic and topped with cooked diced tomatoes and crumbled feta cheese.

--Cooked penne or other pasta tossed with assorted fresh veggies and an Italian vinaigrette dressing; serve at room temperature or chilled over assorted greens.

--Pan-grilled or broiled boneless, skinless chicken breasts topped with a creamy mustard sauce made by reducing a cup of whipping cream with Dijon mustard to taste in a skillet about 5 minutes, until slightly thickened.

--Fresh vegetable frittata sprinkled with Parmesan cheese.

--Grilled cheese sandwiches made with a variety of different cheeses (even brie) and rustic bread slices.

--Quesadillas filled with all kinds of veggies, cheeses, chiles, meats, etc.

--Hamburgers topped with blue cheese and caramelized onions.

--Stir-fried beef, chicken or pork with assorted fresh, cooked stir-fry vegetables (buy packages in produce section) and bottled Asian sauces in the flavors desired.

--Sauteed kielbasa mixed with sauteed onions and mushrooms and served over heated, rinsed and drained sauerkraut.

--Sauteed or microwaved meatballs combined with sauteed red and green pepper slices, onion slices and jarred pasta sauce and served in individual Italian rolls.

--Lamb chops spread with coarse-grain mustard and broiled or pan-grilled until browned on both sides.

--Quick homemade clam chowder, chicken tortilla or vegetable soup.

--Speedy pizzas made by adding favorite toppings (meats, cheeses, vegetables and herbs) to flour tortillas and baking in a hot oven until edges are browned.

--Open-face crab or tuna melts on English muffin halves.

- Natalie Haughton

CAPTION(S):

11 photos, 2 boxes

Photo:

(1 -- cover -- color) recipes for the time-starved

Speed up meal planning during hectic holidays

Italian Sausage and Mostaccioli Soup

(2 -- color) RAMEN STIR-FRY

From ``Betty Crocker's Quick & Easy Cookbook,'' Wiley Publishing

(3 -- color) RIB-EYE STEAK AU POIVRE WITH BALSAMIC REDUCTION

(4 -- color) OLIVE-STUFFED CHICKEN WITH ALMONDS

From ``Gourmet's Five Ingredients,'' Random House

(5 -- color) QUICK PAELLA

From ``Dinner on Hand,'' Clarkson Potter/Publishers

(6 -- 11) no caption (Book covers)

Box:

(1) Digest these ideas (see text)

(2) Fast times in the kitchen (see text)