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Soffrito, the Italian sauce base you make with carrot, celery and onion, is One of The Best and Smartest Ways to Spend 30 Minutes in the Kitchen. Make a week's worth of this stuff and eat Better for a week.

The last of this season's peaches could use a little heat to bring out the sweetness they're not getting from the sun on these shorter days. Here's a Way to make them Better. Takes about 10 minutes and $4 to prepare. Makes 8 -12 happy people.

A casserole for chard lovers and chard deniers. Kathy had seconds because she loves the flavors of the accomplices. Tomatoes. Feta cheese. Bacon. But this really is a chard casserole. Lots of chard. A very little bit of everything else. Just enough to distract the deniers.

A smoky, firm, crisp, bittersweet grilled salad to serve alongside or on top of a burger, steak, chicken or fish. Less than two minutes on a charcoal grill or in a smoking' hot cast iron pan. A day's worth of Vitamin A, a half-day of Vitamin C and a good dose of calcium and iron.

A whole-grain cornmeal layer cake with ultra-fresh and juicy tomatoes and onions between the layers. When you want a little more than olive oil, a few flakes of salt and a leaf or two of basil with your summer tomatoes.

Aioli Cabbage Salad. Don't call it cole slaw. 20 cents and 83 calories for a big serving of a lightly dressed salad that happens to use a very rich, luscious dressing. Fresh, crunchy, creamy, pungent. Way Better than any cole slaw you can buy.

Concentrated sweetness from very ripe, barely cooked fruit. Flaky, buttery luxury-in-your-mouth from your leftover homemade pie crust. Your home smells like a very good bakery. Your tart costs 75 cents.