Five-star meals from your own kitchen

In the restaurant world, professional chefs can afford to spend hours on their culinary creations. When they come home after a long day, however, even the most passionate cooks tend to relish a few cooking shortcuts. From simple recipes to pantry essentials, there are a variety of tips and tricks that home cooks can add to their repertoire, too.

Timesaving products, such as prepared stock and mashed potatoes, allow home cooks to replicate restaurant-quality dishes without spending all day over a hot stove. Here are a few recipes that are easy to prepare, but rich with flavor.

For an elegant main course, try pan sautéed chicken with vegetables and herbs. This moist, flavorful dish gets its richness from chicken stock. Or trade in the traditional salmon filet for savory butter and herb salmon cakes. Made with cayenne, tarragon, garlic and butter and herb mashed potatoes, these cakes are a cinch to prepare, but friends and family will think you ordered in.

Butternut squash soup with sage is a show-stopping first course that is accented with the flavors of sweet apples and sage.

For more easy entertaining recipes, visit www.swansonstock.com and www.idahoan.com.

Pan Sautéed Chicken with Vegetables & Herbs

Prep: 20 minutes / Cook: 1 hour

Servings: 4

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/8 teaspoon paprika

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 bone-in chicken breast halves

2 small red onions, cut into quarters

1 pound new potatoes, cut into quarters

8 ounces fresh whole baby carrots (about 16), green tops trimmed to 1 inch

1  1/2 cups Swanson chicken stock

3 tablespoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano leaves

1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Combine black pepper, paprika and flour in small bowl. Coat chicken with flour mixture.

2. Heat the oil in 12-inch oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook until it’s well browned on all sides. Remove chicken from skillet.

3. Add onions and potatoes to skillet and cook for 5 minutes. Add carrots, stock, lemon juice and oregano and heat to a boil. Return the chicken to the skillet. Cover the skillet.

4. Bake at 350°F for 20 minutes. Uncover the skillet and bake for 15 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the vegetables are tender. Sprinkle with the thyme.

Butternut Squash Soup with Sage

Prep: 20 minutes / Cook: 25 minutes

Servings: 4

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

2  1/2 pounds butternut squash, peeled and seeded and cut into 1-inch cubes

2 medium Granny Smith apples, cored and sliced

1 large onion, chopped

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

3 cups chicken broth

1 tablespoon butter OR margarine

12 fresh sage leaves

1. Heat oil in saucepot over medium heat. Add squash, apples and onion and cook until almost tender. Stir in sugar, coriander and cayenne pepper. Cook and stir 2 minutes.

2. Add broth. Heat to a boil. Cook over low heat 10 minutes or until squash is tender.

3. Place cooked squash mixture in food processor, using a slotted spoon. Cover and blend until smooth, adding enough cooking liquid to make soup of desired consistency.

4. Heat butter in small skillet. Add sage and cook until crisp. Remove and drain on paper towels. Reserve butter in skillet. Divide soup among 4 bowls. Drizzle each with sage butter and garnish with fried sage leaves.

Butter and Herb Salmon Cakes

Prep Time: 15 Minutes / Cook Time: 15 Minutes

Servings: 6

4 cups water

1  1/2 lemons

1 10- to 12-ounce salmon filet

1/3 cup celery, finely diced

1/3 cup onion, finely diced

3 teaspoons mayonnaise

Pinch of cayenne pepper

3/4 teaspoon tarragon

1/2 teaspoon garlic

1/4 teaspoon dry mustard

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 4-ounce pouch butter and herb mashed potatoes, dry

Canola oil

1. In a medium pot, boil 4 cups water with the juice of the lemons, placing one lemon half in the water. Reduce heat to a simmering boil. Poach salmon filet in water by cooking, covered, for 7 to 10 minutes, or until done. Remove with spatula. Set aside to cool.

2. When salmon is cool, combine with celery, onion, mayonnaise, cayenne, tarragon, garlic, dry mustard, salt and black pepper in large bowl and mix well. Add dry potatoes slowly while mixing until everything is moist.

3. Form patties and cook in preheated canola oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat until both sides are brown (3 minutes per side).

4. Serve hot.

At Home with Chef Christopher Lee

Chef Christopher Lee, Executive Chef at Aureole restaurant in New York City, has a few shortcuts he uses in his home kitchen, among them, cooking with Swanson stock and broth. According to Chef Lee, the difference between stock and broth may seem subtle, but is significant. Stock keeps meat dishes juicy and enhances their natural flavors. Broth is a highly seasoned base best for soups and side dishes.