This is how I begin many meals: Saute diced onion and bell pepper in oil for 5-10 minutes on med-low heat. Turn heat lower, add crushed or diced garlic and saute for 3 more minutes.

From there, you can make a variety of pasta dishes, rice pilaf, soups, chili, eggplant marinara, chicken, pork and more. These flavors lend themselves well to so many things, you almost can’t go wrong. In fact, you can cook some pasta, salt, pepper and Parmesan to taste, add a simple green salad, and you have dinner. Same goes for rice pilaf: just add rice, water, and salt and pepper to saute pan and cook.

This is also a great way to begin a chicken or pork dish. I usually add either lemon juice or wine when cooking meat. You can do this entirely on the stove top. For instance, add juice from 1 lemon and chicken breast tenders (salted, peppered, and sprinkled with oregano, rosemary or both) to saute pan, turn up heat until bubbling, cover and reduce heat to simmer for 5-10 minutes. Remove lid and turn up heat to brown and finish. Tip: Make sure you have enough liquid to start with. You don’t need to go crazy with the oil, but don’t skimp, either. The lemon or wine helps with this and also adds a lot of flavor. You will have a nice juice to pour over the chicken to serve.

Those are just a few examples of a half-hour meal. I almost always make a simple, green salad to go along with the main course. It takes 5-10 minutes at most and can be done while the rice or pasta cooks. You can make a simple vinaigrette with olive oil, red wine or balsamic vinegar and a little mustard.

Things I keep on hand: onions, bell peppers, garlic bulbs, lemons, fresh carrots, a head of lettuce, canned tomatoes, pasta, rice, beans, olive oil, cheaper cooking oil, red wine vinegar and/or balsamic vinegar, frozen vegetables (spinach and broccoli are my stand-by) and some dried herbs and spices. Most of these have a wonderfully long shelf (or freezer) life and can provide a delicious meal in themselves.

Herbs & Spices I can’t live without: basil, oregano, rosemary, bay leaves, tarragon, parsley, sage, dill, thyme, celery seed, paprika, cayenne, black pepper, red pepper flakes. I’m surely missing some, but I’ve gotten a lot of mileage from the above.

You can do so much with these methods and ingredients, and you’ll find that your dinners taste better (and cost less!) than most of what you’ll find eating out.