How can you top a topping? Give it an easy new spin.

Most of us are familiar with toppings for pizza, tacos and salads — those mini buffet spreads we set out on our kitchen counters when we want fun, family-friendly fare that's homemade and easy. Try to lift the bar a bit beyond the familiar pizza, taco or salad bars, though, and you'll effortlessly expand your repertoire.

Sometimes, the simplest food ideas to try at home come from convenience food restaurants. They've spent the time with money market researching to find out what we want to eat; they develop many timesaving ideas we can shoplift as our own.

On the heels of Pizza Hut introducing family-size pastas, rival Domino's has, in addition to pretopped single-serving dishes, launched the brilliant idea of allowing us to select multiple toppings for pasta the same way we do for our pizza.

Their light-bulb idea became my guiding light, which led me down my own unique path. Soon, I was whipping up pots of pasta and sauce, accompanying them with a lineup of bowls for creative sprinkling: pine nuts, chopped dried figs, marinated shrimp, chopped fresh mint and honey-roasted nuts.

A recent promotion from El Torito restaurants only encouraged me more. Why not expand the whole selective multitopping idea to enchiladas? Many of us prepare pans of these easy rolled Mexican favorites. El Torito was featuring not only usual enchiladas, but also new exquisite-looking ones with toppings, similar to some sold in Mexico. For example, enchiladas y carne al ajillo: cheese enchiladas smothered with garlic-marinated steak medallions, shredded red and green cabbage, sliced green and red bell peppers, onions and queso fresco, which is a mild soft cheese that is great for crumbling and adding flavor.

Soon again, I was emulating; my kitchen countertop was packed with mini serving bowls of those toppings — a great way to escalate the temptation factor without increasing the preparation time factor.

EASY CHICKEN AND CHEESE ENCHILADAS

1 (10 3/4-ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup (regular, low-fat, fat-free or low-sodium)

1/2 cup sour cream

1 cup store-bought picante sauce

2 teaspoons chili powder

2 cups chopped cooked chicken

1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese (about 2 ounces)

6 (6-inch) flour tortillas, warmed

1 small tomato, chopped (about 1/2 cup)

1 green onion, sliced (about 2 tablespoons)

Optional toppings for toppings bar:

Cooked shredded garlic-marinated steak, pork or lamb

Cooked black beans

Chopped black and green olives

Sliced red and white onions (raw or grilled)

Shredded red and green cabbage

Crumbles of queso fresco

Yields 6 servings.

Stir the soup, sour cream, picante sauce and chili powder in a medium bowl.

Stir 1 cup of the picante sauce mixture, chicken and cheese in a large bowl.

Divide the chicken mixture among the tortillas. Roll up the tortillas and place them seam-side up in an 11-inch-by-8-inch shallow baking dish. Pour the remaining picante sauce mixture over the filled tortillas. Cover the baking dish.

Bake at 350 F for 40 minutes, or until the enchiladas are hot and bubbling. Top with the tomato and onion. Let diners add additional toppings of their choice.

— Adapted from Campbell's (www.CampbellsKitchen.com)

PASTA ARRIMINATA

1 bunch broccoli or 1 head cauliflower (or a mixture of both), trimmed and cut into pieces about 1.5 inches by 1.5 inches

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 large yellow onion, finely diced

3 anchovy fillets, chopped

Salt, for cooking pasta

12 ounces dried fusilli, macaroni (such as rigatoni, penne, large shells) or large elbows

Small pinch saffron

Sea salt, to taste

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Optional toppings for toppings bar:

Pine nuts

Golden or sultana raisins

Freshly grated pecorino cheese

Yields 6 servings.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over medium-high heat. Blanch the broccoli (and/or cauliflower) until it is just tender, 5 to 6 minutes. Do not overcook. Drain, cool and set aside.

Place the oil and onion in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat. Saute onion until golden, about 5 minutes. Add chopped anchovy fillets. Reduce heat and cook gently about 3 minutes. Keep warm.

Cook the pasta al dente. Drain it except for 1/4 of the cooking water. Add saffron, sea salt and pepper and stir well. While it's hot, let diners add toppings of their choice: the cooked broccoli and/or cauliflower, sauteed onions and anchovies, pine nuts, golden or sultana raisins and pecorino cheese. Have them stir their serving well before eating.

— Adapted from “Pasta” by Carlo Middione (Ten Speed, $14.95).

Lisa Messinger is a first-place winner in food writing from the Association of Food Journalists and the author of seven food books, including “Mrs. Cubbison's Best Stuffing Cookbook” and “The Sourdough Bread Bowl Cookbook.” She also writes the Creators News Service “Cooks' Books” column. To find out more about Lisa Messinger and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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