Like many people I occasionally (often?) find myself faced with the classic dinner dilemma: It is 6:00pm, I'm hungry, and I haven't even begun to plan dinner. How can I get something on the table relatively fast without a lot of fuss and bother? My secret weapon in these moments is to reach for a favorite ingredient — sausage! More

As I mentioned last week, I've been trying to eat more vegetables every day, and my favorite way to cook a bunch of veggies is, hands-down, to roast them. Here's one small tip I've been following lately to help make cleanup and transfer from baking sheet to bowl quicker and easier: Parchment paper! More

Q: Because I hate peeling shallots, I've started to avoid recipes that call for them or substitute onions instead. Shallots are harder to peel than onions for two reasons: Each lobe has its own skin, and dirt often collects between skin and flesh. Are there any tips or tricks out there to make peeling shallots easier?

Sent by Ariel More

Q: I'm looking for homemade alternative to pancake mix. While I love pancakes made from scratch, I find myself turning to pancake mixes for quick and easy breakfasts.

I'd love to find a recipe to make a whole grain, high fiber mix like Bob's Red Mill makes. Any suggestions?

Sent by Kristy More

With a packed school semester ahead of me, I am looking for a weekly routine that will let me prepare healthy weeknight dinners so quickly, I won't be tempted by takeout. In this video, cookbook author Tamar Adler demonstrates — beautifully and without words — how easy it is to spend an afternoon cleaning and cooking enough vegetables to get you through a busy week. More

Caramelizing onions is a process that usually takes at least 20 minutes — even up to an hour if you are cooking several pounds at once. So I was intrigued by the method Melissa Clark uses to caramelize onions, which is quite different from the usual approach and takes just 10 minutes. I had to give it a try. More

Last week while whipping up a batch of kitchen sink cookies, I changed up the process in which I prepare the dough and it changed my world. Seriously, it was life altering, saved me time and is the only way I'll be preparing cooking from here on out. More