Omnium Gatherum A hodgepodge of lovely recipes for guilt-free dinners

I think it’s time that I, professional cook and working mother, fess up to the secret that on many a night my family and I don’t have a “proper” meal. I’m not ashamed of this fact; in fact, I want to go on record as saying that I think it’s perfectly all right. People, women especially, should not feel they are failing their families if they don’t manage to cook a three-course dinner every night of the week.

When circumstances take over, dinner often ends up being a robust sandwich, a quick pizza, or a couple of scrambled eggs—anything that is assembled in an instant and satisfies hunger. These dinners, like the recipes assembled in this chapter, might not meet the old-fashioned standards of what makes for a sound and healthy dinner, but who cares? Just as long as it is fairly easy to prepare, tastes good, and is reasonably healthy, you shouldn’t feel guilty about what form it takes—sandwiches, baked potatoes, eggs, tortillas, tacos, even a bowl of cereal are all perfectly lovely alternatives to a dinner of starch, protein, and vegetable gathered together on a single plate.