Dinner Tonight: Five Easy Dishes

Last time I was here we talked about that dreaded dinner dilemma, which rears its ugly head nightly at homes the world over.

Now I'm back to dish out more, much later than I planned. Lately it seems I'm too busy for much of anything — with two kids' crazy summer schedules, a needy dog and training for a half marathon, I've been migraine-level busy. (Perhaps those 400 cupcakes I volunteered to make for an event wasn't a great call after all).

I know my story isn't unique. My guess is you're not at home twiddling your thumbs either. Instead of offering up one knight-and-shining dish this time, I'm here to share five streamlined-yet-superb go-to's. All of these kid-friendly, one-dish recipes are winners because, while they're simple, they're also interesting. By putting a twist on a classic, you've found something brand new. My hope is that these will help all of us out in the next few weeks. I, for one, plan to make each recipe at least once (and not one single cupcake).

Five Fast Recipes

1) Turkey-Pesto Calzone: Count 'em up, only four ingredients, but the combination is really filling and fantastic. This recipe has become the dinnertime life raft of every girlfriend I know, and they've all thanked me countless times over. Skip the pesto and use marinara if your kids are like mine and don't "do" green.

2) Simple Tomato Sauce: As Katzen's review states, you'll never buy jarred sauce again. I know making sauce from scratch sounds counter-intuitive as we are trying to hurry things up, but there are very few ingredients and it's ready in 20 minutes. This will be your new red sauce for noodles, meatballs, lasagna — you'll get rave reviews, I promise. My tip: add a little sugar with the salt to temper the tart flavor of the tomatoes.

3) Barb's Baja Crispy Fish Tacos: Repeat after me: Breaded frozen fish fillets are my friend (Trader Joe's makes a great panko-crusted version). These tacos are light, super-quick and have a satisfying crunch thanks to the addition of slaw. Full disclosure: my kids demand complete control over the fish-to-sauce ratio so I serve their tacos deconstructed with the dipping sauce on the side. They'll get there, someday.

4) Spanish Tortilla-Cheater's Way: I had to include one egg dish because, well, I'm the president of Team Egg's fan club, especially when it comes to a quick dinner. This tortilla is created in one pan and gives you permission to sprinkle Spanish manchego cheese on top at the end. Adding cheese might not be traditional, but do I really care when it is melting over my hot eggs and potatoes? If you can't find manchego, just use a hard white cheese — pecorino, parmesan, even white cheddar in a pinch.

5) Hot Tuna Cheddar Melt Sandwiches: I whipped these up tonight after T-ball practice with what I had on hand. No roasted red peppers, so I used grilled corn instead (had an extra ear laying around). Fresh out of gouda, so I subbed really good smoked cheddar. And for the base, I used crusty buns leftover from a BBQ (keep good bread and rolls on hand in the freezer — you won't regret it). The tuna in olive oil is completely worth it; and just think, you're not serving up fancy tuna steaks, so there!

Since summer's in full swing and glorious produce abounds, we really don't need to talk much about sides. Syrupy-sweet strawberries, watermelon wedges, pan-grilled asparagus, carrot sticks, an artichoke with a little lemon and mayo. It's not rocket science, but then, that's the whole point, isn't it?

If you're up for trying any of these recipes, let me know how it goes. I'd love to hear about it — and also get more tips and recipes from you all, the chefs in the trenches.

contributed by Liza @ Food.com on July 20, 2010