I love entertaining on Friday nights. The pressure is off because guests, bless their little hearts, expect a no-fuss meal. Trust me, that is what I give them after a full work week.

With a life that is busy times 10, I'm always on a quest to find new ideas to make cooking in the fast lane easy, delicious and fun. And even on a Friday night, I want to surprise my guests. Not in the oh-my-gosh-the-soup-is-black kind of way. It might be as simple as a `50s-style casserole with an unexpected update using fresh ingredients, or a tea bulb that opens like a water lily in a see-through pot.

Here are five things to cook or buy that make entertaining easier and more fun. I'll start with two alternatives for the main course. They are essentially one-dish meals that only need one side dish (preferably an accompaniment that takes just a few minutes to prepare).

1. Casseroles are groovy, again

"Bake Until Bubbly" (Wiley, $22.95), a new book by Clifford Wright, offers readers casserole recipes that team with fresh ingredients. In the `50s, when casseroles reigned supreme, they were loaded with canned and processed foods. Many of Wright's concoctions incorporate a farmer's market mindset.

"I used very little processed foods in there casseroles," Wright says. "What's wrong with a topping of sauteed bread crumbs rather than crumbled Fritos? They taste better."

I love his Lobster and Mushroom Casserole, a classic Cape Cod party dish that is absolutely luscious. But food cost reality directs me to the chicken aisle, where whole fryers just might be sale-priced. I can throw one in the slow cooker (without any liquid) and cook it overnight on the low setting. Cooled enough to sink my paws into, I can shred the meat and discard skin and bones. Then, if needed, I can easily cut it into bite-size cubes.

Wright's Chicken Strata probably isn't like your grandmother's. It's light and airy, with the earthy taste of butter-sauteed shiitake mushrooms throughout. And it's a great dish in which to use some economical cubed chicken.

The traditional recipe called for canned cream of mushroom soup, but Wright whips up a brandy-enriched cream sauce that is irresistible. Don't panic, the sauce is simple. You just place ingredients in a blender and let it whirl.

And like most strata recipes, it's prepared in advance and refrigerated overnight (or for at least one hour). So the work is done ahead of time. On the side, a mixed green salad loaded with fresh vegetables turns this dish into an easy meal.

2. Home-style Indian food is a hot topic

Cookbooks themed to easy-to-make Indian dishes have been the rage over the last year. I have a stack of them waiting for me to tackle, colorful Post-It flags staggered on pages with recipes to be tested. And although my heart is in the right place, I just haven't made the move.

But I couldn't resist a recipe for Chicken Tikka Masala in Cook's Illustrated magazine. The dish is a Westernized Indian concoction. Many credit its creation to a Bangladeshi chef working in a London curry restaurant in the 1970s. Both the name of the chef and the eatery aren't certain, but many restaurants lay claim to its invention.

It's an irresistible combination of flavors and textures. Chicken breasts are first marinated in fragrant spices, then dipped in a spicy yogurt mixture and broiled. The chicken is paired with a spicy tomato cream sauce that can be made ahead, refrigerated, and gently reheated. Slam the chicken into the marinade before your guests arrive, then dip in yogurt mixture and broil just before serving. If it's been a rough week, you can substitute Trader Joe's Curry Simmer Sauce for the homemade sauce. Want to save money? Use boned and skinned chicken thighs instead of breasts.

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