Tomato and Gruyere Melts

A simple sandwich with just six ingredients—perfect for summer. Serve a big green salad on the side. A Meatless Monday idea for any day of the week. (from Gourmet)

4 english muffins, split and toasted

8 thick slices of tomato, seeded

salt and pepper

2 cups shredded gruyere cheese

1/2 cup chopped fresh basil 

4 tablespoons fresh breadcrumbs or panko

3-4 garlic cloves, minced

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place one slice of tomato on each english muffin half and season with salt and pepper. Bake for 17-18 minutes.

Meanwhile, mix together the cheese, basil, breadcrumbs and garlic, and season with salt and pepper. Place a large heap on top of each tomato muffin, and bake for another 5 minutes or until melted. 

*This would work well on pita bread too. You could also substitute cheddar or mozzarella for the gruyere. 

Icebox Cupcakes

A classic recipe that bears repeating. You can also assemble the cookies and cream in a line to create a simple log-style cake. Add chocolate sprinkles on top if a little helper happens to be around. (idea from Smitten Kitchen)

carton of heavy or whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
a few spoonfuls of powdered sugar
two boxes of Nabisco Famous Chocolate Wafers

Whip the cream and vanilla, sweetening to taste as you go. Set cupcake liners in a muffin tin and put a wafer in the bottom of each one. Add a spoonful of whipped cream, then another cookie, more cream, one more cookie, and a final bit of cream on top. Refrigerate a few hours or more before serving.

*Another fast summer treat: ice-cream sandwiches. Pick up a bag of cookies, a gallon of ice cream and a jar of good hot fudge (or other topping). Spread a thick layer of fudge on one cookie, add a big scoop of ice cream and top with second cookie. Wrap extras in plastic for another time.

Five-Minute Guacamole

Elevates cheese quesadillas to dinner status. Keep the ingredients—and cold beer—on hand for an impromptu happy hour anytime. (recipe from my dad)

1 large tomato, coarsely chopped
2 ripe avocados, peeled/pitted and coarsely chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
one lime
1/4 teaspoon tabasco sauce, or more to taste
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt

Gently mix together the tomato, avocado and onion. Cut the lime in two, and squeeze the juice over. Add hot sauce and salt and stir until combined. Don't overdo it—the guacamole should stay chunky. Serve with salty tortilla chips.

*Also a nice addition to a taco salad. Add beans and corn for more substance.

Teriyaki Marinade

Perfect for flank steak—marinate it in the morning and dinner is just about done. I serve grilled zucchini and squash on the side. (from my sister Liz)

1/2 cup teriyaki sauce
1/4 cup honey
3 cloves of garlic, crushed or chopped
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, finely chopped
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon salt

Combine all ingredients in a large ziploc or pyrex dish. Add flank steak and refrigerate all day or overnight, turning the meat over a few times if you can.

*One of the best things about flank steak: leftovers. I make sandwiches on buttered french bread sprinkled with parsley and black pepper.

Farmer's Market Tomato Pasta

The key to this recipe is fresh, height-of-summer tomatoes. Find a local farmer to get the good ones, or harvest them from your own garden if you're lucky. (from Real Simple)

2 lbs heirloom tomatoes or other tomatoes, cut into bite-size chunks
1/4 cup mixed fresh herbs, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
kosher salt and ground black pepper
1 lb penne pasta
3 tablespoons pine nuts, lightly toasted
3/4 cup fresh ricotta
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, plus more for serving

Start the water boiling for the pasta. Combine the chopped tomatoes, mixed herbs, lemon juice, olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a large bowl. Let stand, tossing once in a while.

Cook the pasta until al dente and drain, reserving at least 1/2 cup of the cooking water. Return pasta to the pot and toss with ricotta, parmesan and enough of the cooking water to make it creamy. Top each serving of pasta with a big spoonful of the tomato mixture and sprinkle with the nuts. Serve with more parmesan.

*You can use any kind of herbs here; the recipe suggests flat-leaf parsley, chives, basil and/or tarragon. You could substitute toasted walnuts in a pinch (and save a little money).

Crunchy Asian Coleslaw

When you need to bring a side dish to a potluck and have no time to prepare, try out this crowd-pleasing coleslaw. Also good for dinners at home, as it makes grilled hot dogs seem "fancy." (from my sister-in-law Loren)

large bag of coleslaw mix
thinly sliced red pepper strips
1/2 cup House of Tsang Bangkok Padang Peanut Sauce
1/2 cup Marzetti's original coleslaw dressing, in the refrigerated section
1 cup honey roasted peanuts
1 cup crunchy chow mein noodles

Mix together coleslaw and red pepper. Combine peanut sauce and dressing, then toss with slaw mix. Just before serving, add peanuts and noodles on top.

*You can toss the coleslaw mix, pepper and combined dressing together ahead of time. Sometimes I add more dressing to taste. Bring the crunchy things along in a ziploc—you don't want to add until it's time to serve.

Cheesy Crab Toasts

Another fast dinner for summer nights. Add a big green salad on the side—farmer's market lettuce is finally here! (recipe from my dad)

6 to 8 oz cooked shredded crab meat; your grocery store should have it
1/2 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning, or more to taste
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
one or two big spoonfuls of mayo; just enough to moisten
english muffins, halved and lightly toasted

Preheat the broiler. Mix together the crab, Old Bay, cheddar and mayo. Spread mixture on english muffins. Broil for a few minutes or until toasty.

*You can make the crab mixture ahead of time. These also make tasty appetizers; cut them into fourths and expect rave reviews.