I, myself, have tried to escape the holiday frenzy in the past, but it wasn't until I drew inspiration from my Italian heritage and created my very own traditions that I found peace and fun in the holidays.

It is a tradition in the Italian culture to have fish on Christmas Eve. I remember, as a child, the tables around my neighborhood laden with a variety of seafood dishes - everything from bacala, a salted codfish prepared in a succulent tomato sauce, to pickled eels.

Today I prepare a simpler variation of this wonderful tradition by fixing an early dinner for two of anchovy pasta, Italian bread, a nice salad, and a glass of good wine. Later that evening I like to be alone and make old world Italian desserts like the ones I remember having as a child, such as Torta di Riso (rice torte), a flavorful baked rice pudding; Bodino, a rich baked custard with a caramel whiskey sauce; and Sweet Ravioli filled with fruits and nuts that has been cooked for several hours. The ravioli is then fried and sprinkled with granular sugar.

Some of these desserts are saved for my Christmas dinner the next day, and some I give as gifts to friends.

For Christmas dinner, like my grandmother did, I serve a free-range capon instead of a turkey. A capon is a young rooster that has been neutered and fattened. The meat is juicy, quite tender because, at 8 to 10 pounds, it is smaller than a turkey.

Two very close friends of mine, Dr. Madeleine Wing Adler, president of West Chester University in Pennsylvania, and her husband Professor Fredrick Lane, who teaches at Baruch College of the City University of New York, spend holidays in their East Sandwich home. They have a tradition on Christmas Eve of preparing two foods from their different backgrounds. Madeleine, a decedent of the Wing family of Sandwich, makes her mother's Welch rarebit - a dish she has enjoyed since childhood. It is made with specially aged sharp cheddar from New Hampshire, mixed with beer, heated and served over toast topped with crisp bacon. Fred, who comes from a Jewish background, updates smoked salmon on toast points dotted with capers, chopped red onion and egg whites, and a wedge of lemon.

While some traditional holiday recipes can be complicated, others are not.

Hors d'oeuvres and appetizers offer the beginning cook a perfect way to bring some traditional yet simple recipes to the table. Before we get to the recipes, let's define the difference between the two, as defined in Food Lover's Companion by Sharon Tyler Herbst. (A book everyone should have in his or her library.)

n Hors d'oeuvres: Small savory appetizers served before the meal, customarily with aperitifs or cocktails. They are usually finger food - one or two bites in size and can be cold or hot. Hors d'oeuvres may be in the form of a fancy canapé (decorative pieces of bread, toasted or untoasted, topped with a savory garnish such as anchovy, cheese or spread. Crackers or pastry may also be used as a base. A selection of crudités (raw seasonal vegetables frequently accompanied with a dipping sauce) also fits the bill.

n Appetizers: Any small, bite-size foods served before a meal, often at the table, to whet and excite the palate.

The base for a good hors d'oeuvre is the crostini or, in Italian, small toasts. They are quick and easy to prepare. Be sure to use the best-quality ingredients you can find.

Crostini

1 baguette cut diagonally into 1/2-inch slices

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 large clove garlic, minced (minced means to chop food into very fine pieces)

In a small bowl mix together the oil and garlic. Place the bread slices on a baking sheet and brush both sides lightly with the olive oil mixture. Toast bread under the broiler until lightly browned on both sides. Allow to cool.

NOTE: You can prepare the toast several hours or the day ahead. Store in an airtight container until ready to use.

Once you have the crostini base, the possibilities are endless for creating your own hors d'oeuvres. Here are a few suggestions:

n Spread with a little sour cream and sprinkle with chopped chives. Top with a small piece of smoked salmon. Serve this tasty treat with chilled citron (lemon) Vodka.

n For a Mexican twist, mix together in a small bowl: 3 seeded and diced tomatoes (To remove seeds cut the tomato in half and squeeze the seeds into a bowl.) one minced green pepper, 1 to 3 minced green onions, one finely chopped jalapeno pepper, 1/2 cup fresh chopped cilantro, 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice, and salt to taste. Stir and top the bread with a tablespoon of the mixture.

n Place a slice of roasted red pepper on the toast and top with a small anchovy.

n Extra easy: cut a piece of ham the size of the toast and place on toast topped with a piece of Swiss cheese, and place under broiler to melt. Serve immediately.

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This is a recipe I like and use quite often when I have guest. I either sprinkle toasted walnuts or strips of roasted red pepper on the top. For a festive holiday presentation alternate the small toasts on a platter and sprinkle chives around the side of the dish.

Crostini of Soft Italian Cheeses

25 to 30 (1/2-inch) slices of a baguette cut diagonally (depending on the size of the baguette you may need more than one)

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 large clove garlic, minced

4 ounces ricotta cheese*

8 ounces mascarpone (a buttery-rich double cream cheese found in the cheese section)

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 cup chopped fresh chives

1/4 teaspoon salt or to taste

Freshly ground pepper

1/4 cup roughly chopped toasted walnuts**

1 (7 ounce) jar roasted red peppers

Prepare crostini as described earlier in the story.

In a medium bowl mix together the ricotta and mascarpone cheese, olive oil, chives, salt, and a generous amount of freshly ground pepper to taste. Spread about 3/4 tablespoon of the cheese mixture over the toasted bread; sprinkle some with the walnuts and some topped with a thin strip of red pepper.

*Ricotta means "recooked". It is grainy but smoother than cottage cheese, and has a slightly sweet flavor. It can be found in the dairy section.

**To toast the walnuts, place the nuts on a baking sheet and put them in a 375-degree oven. Shake the pan several times until the nuts are lightly browned. Watch carefully - the nuts brown quickly.

Spicy Sour Cream Bean Dip

Spicy cream:

1 pint sour cream

2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped

1 small red pepper, chopped

1 to 2 dashes Tabasco Sauce

Bean dip:

1 medium onion, chopped

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin (cumin is used in Middle Eastern and Mexican cooking and found in the spice department)

1 (14-ounce) can red kidney beans

1 medium onion

1 garlic clove

2 tablespoons olive oil

Salt and pepper, to taste

For the Spicy Cream: Put the sour cream in a medium bowl and fold in the cilantro, red pepper and Tabasco Sauce to taste and set aside.

For the bean dip: In a medium skillet cook the onions with the olive oil over high heat until browned. Add cumin, stir, and set aside. Rinse the beans under cold water and set aside.

In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steal blade, put in the garlic and pulse 3 to 4 times until minced. Add the beans, onion, olive oil, salt and pepper; process until pureed. Pour mixture into bowl and fold in spicy cream mixture. Serve with assorted vegetables, pita bread, or chips.

For a slightly different presentation serve the dip in a "Bread Bowl". With a sharp knife, cut off top quarter of the loaf and remove most of the soft insides, leaving a half-inch shell. (Hint: use the top and insides for stuffing or breadcrumbs.) Fill the bowl with the bean dip.

For your elegant holiday dinner I suggest one of the following appetizers to be served at the table:

n Pureed vegetable soup like squash or broccoli or a clear broth with a little pasta or mushrooms. (To puree a vegetable, cook the vegetable in a light broth, place in blender and process until smooth.)

n Shrimp cocktail on a bed of lettuce and sauce on the side

n A slice of salmon, chopped dill, a small toast and a lemon wedge.

n Caviar on a small piece of toast and a small dollop of sour cream.

n Three fresh oysters per person topped with seasoned breadcrumbs, a little melted butter and broiled until lightly browned.

I hope you enjoy these basic easy-to-prepare recipes. Not only do I hope you try them, but I hope it gives you inspiration to draw from your own family traditions as a way to breathe life back into the true meaning of the holidays.