30 Minutes or Less

This meal is a combo of two favorite preparations: francese and piccata. Francese are egg-battered cutlets or fillets, and piccata are simply flour-dredged or plain cutlets or fillets sautéed with lemon and wine. I was never good at making decisions, especially regarding dinner, so I made up this two-for-one dinner. Serve with wilted fresh spinach or green salad.

This is a pizza I discovered on a trip to Rome as I wandered the side streets with my mom. It became such a favorite of mine that, on a return trip I made in the cold late fall, I think I ate hot, half-kilo blocks of it every day for a week. This is my at-home version. I love the feeling of giant slices of this hanging from my mouth. It really brings me back to Roman Holidays.

This one is fun for kids, like me. Serve as is, or accompany with black beans or refried beans and plain or flavored rice, prepared according to the package directions.

Another B, L, or D meal: good for Breakfast, Lunch, or Dinner.

You got the way to move me, Baby! Serve with a green salad and boiled baby potatoes.

My favorite ginger-lime chicken was had at a bistro in Montreal, Canada, of all places. This is the at-home version.

You’ve heard of everything bagels—why not everything chicken! These are great hot or cold, for picnics or tailgate parties with cut raw veggies.

Polpette are baby meatballs and these are stuffed with a pine nut (buttery, slightly crunchy surprise) and a currant or raisin (to keep the meat moist).

When I worked at Macy’s Marketplace in New York City years ago, we had a huge Italian import sale in honor of Columbus Day weekend. As part of the promotion, we handed out cookbooks entitled Columbus’s Menu, given to us by the Italian Trade Commission. The book listed adaptations of recipes as old as Columbus sailing the ocean blue. One of my favorites was a roast pork loin with balsamic- and basil-macerated strawberries. Here’s how you can make it in less than 30. Serve with salad and crusty bread.

This simple feast brings together all my favorite flavors from a short, sweet stay in Bordeaux.

This one is especially good at summer’s end.

Brad is one of my husband John’s closest friends and fast becoming one of mine. He makes any situation into a party. He also claims to make the best burgers. Being Queen of burgers, I have taken him to task on this, but he never gives up the recipe. This is a tribute burger, for Brad. Brad loves to make burgers with condiments mixed into them. This one tastes like it’s made with spicy barbecue sauce and it’s topped with beefy steak sauce. It’s very Brad. Serve with fancy flavored potato chips, any brand.

Serve with barbecue chips and oil-and-vinegar dressed slaw. So much better for you than wings, you could eat two!