Check out the dozens of recipes from The Kitchn's Quick Weeknight Meal Contest. We are dying to try Cara's Spinach Pie Quesadillas.

Kathy Thomas, mother of four and coauthor of the soon-to-be-released Park Avenue Potluck Celebrations, (with New York Times food columnist Florence Fabricant and the Society of Memorial Sloan-Kettering) suggests this cheap and easy frittata for a quick dinner. Partial proceeds from the book will go to patient care, education, and research initiatives at the cancer center.


Makes 12 servings

12 large eggs
1/2 cup whole milk
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 large ripe tomatoes, peeled and sliced
1 pound fresh or smoked mozzarella, diced
2 tablespoons slivered basil leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Preheat the broiler.
2. In a large bowl, beat the eggs with the milk.
3. Pour 1 tablespoon of the oil into a very large ovenproof skillet, or use 2 skillets with half the ingredients in each. Place over medium heat on the stovetop and pour in the egg mixture.
4. Scatter the tomatoes, cheese, and basil over the eggs. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
5. When the bottom just begins to brown, place the skillet under the broiler just until the top is set, a minute or less.
6. Remove it from the oven and use a large spatula to transfer the frittata to a serving platter. 7. Cool about 10 minutes, cut into wedges, and serve.

 Compliments of The Kitchn.

Continue reading Summer's Last Hurrah: Spaghetti with Frutti di Mare »

Smitten Kitchen makes the most of the dwindling tomato season with a simple corn-bread salad, and a more ambitious tomato and corn pie. Cue the salivating.

A couple of weeks ago, during that all-too-brief patch of glorious summer weather, some friends invited us to their place for dinner alfresco. We'd been to the fish shop and brought along our catch: a dozen jumbo Mexican shrimp. The barbecue was already going, so we mixed up some minced garlic and chopped parsley, split each of the colossal crustaceans and stuffed them with the mix, squirted the lot with lemon juice, and gave them a turn on the grill. The result: summer perfection.

Creative inspiration is not going to strike every day (or even every month), so make sure your weekly shopping list includes items for three or four fallback menus. Catherine Saillard, a mother of two and the owner of Brooklyn's iCi restaurant, relies on this list of go-to lunch combos (below) in a pinch. "For the days when I am crazy," she says, "I always have the backup turkey sandwich plus the applesauce plus the cereal bar, so lunch is ready in 30 seconds."

COMBO A
Grilled cheese on wheat + trail mix + banana

COMBO B
Alphabet chicken soup + banana bread + apple

COMBO C
Tabbouleh + cheese and crackers + berries

COMBO D
Peanut butter and jelly sandwich + dried fruit + multigrain baked chips

Perfect for sweaty summer evenings, Bon Appetit offers up a week's worth of no-cook dinners.

Tonight's Dinner = Tomorrow's Lunch


We kick off our month-long celebration of The Pack with this most beloved Cookie advice: It's about economy of scale: While the cutting board is out and you already have your food-prep hat on for dinner, chop extra vegetables and fruits for the next day. And think creatively about repurposing tonight's main dish into a surprising (give them fair warning) lunch for the cafeteria.