Credit card receipts for takeout food and your employer's time sheet after another jam-packed week may be the only things on which you have time to put your signature.

When “time crunch” is not something you snack on but your middle name, preparing signature dishes is likely a goal that seems permanently out of reach. Actually, though, personalized touches can be the easiest part of a meal to create. The key is that they be memorable, intimate and remind guests of you.

Most importantly, don't get overwhelmed or anxious. Think small tasks that have big impact. Just like with some of your favorite everyday recipes, you don't even need to start from scratch.

Imagine each guest's initial awaiting him or her as a personalized edible place card in the shape of a monogram breadstick glistening with toppings like chopped fresh rosemary, grated Parmesan cheese and sesame seeds. Dazzling?

Yes. Demanding? No way. It all begins with cans of refrigerated soft breadsticks that get nothing more than a brush of melted butter to grab the sprinkles of flavor.

For an even easier route, scour online or at your favorite cooking stores.

Williams-Sonoma will put your initials on a brand so you can sear them front and center into each guest's steak ($39.95 at williams-sonoma.com).

Without committing to an entire dish, consider condiments instead, such as compound butters. Just as guests may never forget your perfume or cologne, these can be equally personal. Simply blend with a stick of softened butter your favorite flavors, such as orange marmalade, chopped fresh basil or crumbles of blue cheese.

Or construct one simple piece that's part of a bigger picture. Remove pulp and juice from orange, grapefruit or lemon halves, brush the insides with your favorite extracts, such as vanilla or almond, freeze and use as serving dishes for store-bought sorbets topped with candy-bar shavings.

Perhaps your signature touch is a savvy store-bought idea at the end of a meal. Some coffeehouses and gourmet shops are now pressing individual teabag blends. Customers at Grounded Gourmet Cafe and Internet Lounge in suburban Los Angeles watch the servers fill their teabags with choices like passion fruit tea sprinkled with bits of dried cherries and lime zest.

When in doubt, steal a recipe you already love and trust. I did that with my mom's Mexican lasagna, which, in short order, all my friends associated with me. My aunt did it with my mom's blintz casserole, gave it her own topping twists and it ended up in the family holiday gift cookbook under her name.

Sandra Lee, “Semi-Homemade” best-selling cookbook series author and Food

Network star, loved New York City's famed 21 Club Sirloin Burger, broke down its components (like celery and au jus, which she simplifies by using an au jus gravy mix packet from her supermarket) and turned it into her own specialty.

Here's her take on it if you want to take it as your own:

21 CLUB SIRLOIN BURGER

1/4 cup finely chopped celery

3 tablespoons butter, divided

2 pounds ground sirloin

1/4 cup bread crumbs

1 (1-ounce) packet au jus gravy mix (such as McCormick)

4 hamburger buns, toasted

Yields 4 servings.

Preheat oven to 400 F.

In large ovenproof skillet over medium heat, saute celery in 1 tablespoon butter, about 4 minutes. Carefully remove celery and let cool.

In medium-sized bowl, stir to combine ground sirloin, bread crumbs, au jus mix and sauteed celery. Form into 4 patties.

Melt remaining butter in skillet. Carefully place patties in skillet and cook 2 to 3 minutes, or until browned on one side. Flip patties and place in preheated oven. Cook for 12 to 15 minutes to 160 F for medium doneness. (The

U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends that ground beef be cooked to a minimum internal temperature of 160 F.) Serve hot on toasted buns with condiments of your choice.

—“Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade Cooking 3: Simple, Speedy and Flavorful Favorites That Taste Like They're Made From Scratch” by Sandra Lee (Meredith, $19.95).

MONOGRAM BREADSTICKS

2 (11-ounce) cans refrigerated soft breadsticks

3 tablespoons butter, melted

For sprinkling on top, your choice of:

Minced tea-leaves

Chopped fresh rosemary

Chopped fresh chives

Sea salt

Grated Parmesan cheese

Garlic or onion powders

Sesame seeds

Yields 16 breadsticks.

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil.

Separate the dough and shape into 8 long breadsticks per can for 16 breadsticks total. Brush with butter and sprinkle with the toppings of your choice.

Twist and shape the dough into the initials of your guests to use as edible place cards. Place on the prepared baking sheet. Bake in batches for 14 to 18 minutes, or until golden brown.

Carefully remove from the oven and set aside to cool. Place the breadsticks at each table setting before your guests arrive.

—“Tea Party: 20 Themed Tea Parties With Recipes for Every Occasion, From Fabulous Showers to Intimate Gatherings” by Tracy Stern with Christie Matheson (Clarkson Potter, $27.50).

Pictured here: Monogram breadsticks make personal place cards. Photo courtesy of “Tea Party.”

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.

COPYRIGHT 2008 CREATORS SYNDICATE INC.