Main-dish salads are fresher and bolder than ever, offering colorful and creative combinations of light and healthy ingredients. Grilled chicken, green beans, and grapes top off a mound of crisp greens in this easy-to-fix entrée pictured at right. Small but flavorful amounts of toasted walnuts and blue cheese add both richness and texture. Just serve with your favorite vinaigrette.

New twists on the classic chef's salad are a hot item in restaurants, and those stylish presentations are easier to duplicate at home than you might think. Most of the components can be assembled in advance, making them the perfect one-dish meal for warm-weather gatherings.

You'll find many of our favorite recipes for main-dish salads, along with terrific tips for easy, make-ahead entertaining in this month's Test Kitchens Recipe Box.

It's not often that we find a convenience product that tastes as good as these buttery slice-and-bake cheese wafers. Studded with crunchy bits of chopped pecans, Mamie's Famous Cheese Wafers are made without preservatives. Sold frozen for around $7.95 a roll (baked according to package directions, one roll yields about 5 dozen wafers), they're terrific to keep on hand for drop-in guests. If your local grocery store doesn't already carry them, ask the manager to place an order for you. For more information visit www.mamieswafers.com.